We pulled out all the stops to secure this victory, issuing multiple Action Alerts, featuring the bill in question in our July Energy Newsletter, and sending Governor Newsom an end-of-session letter clearly laying out reasons for our opposition. We want to thank every BizFed member who amplified our advocacy messaging, shared our educational resources, and used our email links to urge Governor Newsom to veto AB 2106 (Rivas). Your efforts made a difference just in the nick of time.
In his veto message to legislators, Newsom echoed BizFed concerns about the significant costs associated with the bill. With California facing "lower-than-expected revenues over the first few months of this fiscal year," he wrote, it's important to "remain disciplined when it comes to spending." We couldn't agree more.
If passed into law, AB 2106 would have mandated duplicative stormwater discharge permits for all commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities. (That means hospitals, universities, churches, courts, malls, warehouses, business parks, marine ports, and numerous other businesses and facilities.) The compliance costs alone would have added up to tens of millions of dollars. What's more, the bill would have opened up businesses to expensive and potentially onerous citizen lawsuits.
If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Wiltfong, Director of Advocacy & Policy, at sarah.wiltfong@bizfed.org.
Thank you for stepping up to protect our fiscal and regulatory health!
Tracy Hernandez
BizFed Founding CEO
