2011 Legislative Results

In many ways, 2011 was a tough year for the environment. At the state and federal levels, radical anti-environment legislators tried to roll back common-sense health and safety protections and safeguards. The California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) and our allies in the state’s environmental movement were faced with an uncertain economy and greatly outnumbered and outspent by industry lobbyists.

That dark cloud, however, had a silver lining. The legislature passed 18 of our 28 highest priority bills, and Governor Jerry Brown signed the vast majority of the environmental bills that reached his desk. Though the governor was focused almost singularly on the state budget, he showed that he recognizes a healthy, clean environment and a strong California economy go hand-in-hand.

CLCV and our allies also stopped dozens of bills that would have rolled back environmental protections or undermined the state’s ability to enforce them. This included more than two dozen bills that would have weakened the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the law that enables everyday citizens to help protect their communities from harmful developments.

Read a quick summary of the bills that were signed into law and the ones that didn't make it, in our handy two-page 2011 Legislative Results PDF.

Now available: CLCV's 2011 California Environmental Scorecard, which tells you in detail how your state legislators and the governor are performing on California's environmental priorities -- and lets you know their overall score.