California Black Media

Gov. Newsom Rejects Plans to Expand Air-Quality Monitoring in Refineries

On Aug. 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill aiming to expand the State’s air-quality monitoring system to include more refineries. Newsom cited concerns regarding local control and high implementation costs. State Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) authored Senate Bill (SB) 674, legislation that required real-time air monitoring of nearby petroleum refineries to keep track of sites producing biofuel and other pollutants.

Published

2 years ago

September 11, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of Gov. Newsom’s Office.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Aug. 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill aiming to expand the State’s air-quality monitoring system to include more refineries.

Newsom cited concerns regarding local control and high implementation costs.

State Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) authored Senate Bill (SB) 674, legislation that required real-time air monitoring of nearby petroleum refineries to keep track of sites producing biofuel and other pollutants. The bill would have required communities close to refineries such as Chevron Refinery in Richmond, to get notifications when pollutants were dangerously high, requiring local governments and state agencies to address the poor conditions.

Newsom stated that although the bill had good intentions, the state had no funding to reimburse the refineries for implementing the required systems. The proposed bill obligated refineries to cover the costs of implementing the air monitoring systems, paying various fees over multiple years. However, State officials were unable to secure funding that could help expand programs that monitor air quality in all the refineries.

Oscar Espino-Padron, a senior attorney at Earthjustice, confirmed that two air quality districts in the Bay Area and South Coast Air Quality Management District supported SB 674.

Espino-Padron argued that the air quality districts would be “empowered to implement measures and to exercise their discretion to tailor this monitoring program based on when it’s appropriate in their jurisdictions.”

“It’s really a setback, not only for air quality but also for community safety,” he said.

According to SB 674, a report by the American Lung Association indicated that all 19 refineries in California are located in counties that received failing grades for particulate matter pollution. Environmental groups argued that communities are being deprived of data and information that could help them take proper and timely precautions as well as protect their families from pollution caused by the refineries.

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Kamala Harris Says State and Local Leadership Matters as Much as Washington

The discussion was moderated by Daniel Squadron, co-founder of The States Project and author of The Fourth Branch: How State Government Can Save Our Union. The organization supports state legislative candidates in competitive states and advocates for greater investment in state legislative races. 

Published

2 weeks ago

July 5, 2026

Oakland Post

Courtesy photo States Project.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr., California Black Media 

Former Vice President Kamala Harris said that traveling the country since the 2024 Presidential election, during her book tour, gave her an opportunity to hear directly from Americans about the challenges they face every day, reinforcing her belief that many people feel unheard by Washington and increasingly look to state elected officials for solutions.

Speaking at UCLA on June 23 during a discussion hosted by The States Project, Harris said she deliberately used her travels to spend time listening to people rather than simply talking to them.

“After the election I needed to take a minute, but when that minute was over, I needed to listen,” said Harris.

One conversation that stayed with her was with a single mother of three in Jackson, Mississippi, who was attending cosmetology school while raising her children on a $150 weekly grocery budget. Harris said the woman also told her the tap water was sometimes too contaminated to bathe her children.

When Harris asked what she wanted others to understand about families like hers, the woman replied, “Don’t they see me?”

“There are a lot of people who feel that they are not interested, and that their everyday fears and worries and hopes aren’t being heard,” Harris said.

“People are done with the status quo,” Harris added. “They’re done. It’s not working for them.”

She said political leaders must focus on solving everyday problems while presenting a broader vision for the country’s future.

“It’s about having affordable housing, affordable healthcare. It is about having a tax code that works for working people,” Harris said.

Harris said those conversations reinforced her belief that state elected officials are often better positioned than Washington to understand the everyday challenges facing their constituents.

“I support The States Project because the folks here and the folks we are supporting — state elected officials — are on the ground seeing and hearing these stories every day,” Harris said.

The discussion was moderated by Daniel Squadron, co-founder of The States Project and author of The Fourth Branch: How State Government Can Save Our Union. The organization supports state legislative candidates in competitive states and advocates for greater investment in state legislative races.

Harris said protecting voting rights remains central to the broader civil rights movement.

“The fight for civil rights in America, born out of the struggle of Black Americans, has benefited so many groups,” she said. “But when we look at what’s happening across the country, the fight for justice, for equality, lives on.”

Looking beyond the current administration, Harris said Democrats must present voters with more than opposition to President Donald Trump.

“We’ve got to have a mindset and a purpose that is about the day after this administration leaves the White House,” Harris said. “The question is going to be, what are you going to do with the power if you get it?”

Harris closed by encouraging Americans to remain engaged in their communities and state government.

“I strongly believe nobody should be made to fight alone,” Harris said. “Especially at this moment in time.”