Prop 23: An slick bid to kill green jobs

The title of Proposition 23 on California's November 2nd ballot reads: "Suspends Implementation of Air Pollution Control Law (AB 32) Requiring Major Sources of Emissions to Report and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions that Cause Global Warming Until Unemployment Drops to 5.5 Percent or Less for Full Year."

Wow ... that makes it pretty clear what Proposition 23 does without reading the entire text. The proposition would essentially kill AB 32, California's Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 because there is little chance that the unemployment rate will drop below 5.5% for a full year any time soon. With the urgent imperative to begin reducing greenhouse gas emissions to avert climate catastrophe, killing -- or even delaying -- the implementation of AB 32 emission reduction targets is the last thing we want.

The proponents of Proposition 23 claim that jobs will be lost as a result of implementing AB 32. In fact, California has proven exactly the opposite to be true: the number of clean energy businesses and clean energy jobs has increased in California 45% and 36%, respectively, in the period between 1995-2008. This rate of growth is 10 times more than the state's average job growth rate.

Proposition 23 threatens California's more than 12,000 clean energy businesses and 500,000 people who are employed in clean energy occupations. With over $9 billion in venture capital funds, California's clean energy firms have received 60% of venture capital funds in North America. With these facts, one wonders why such a proposition is even on the ballot.

Why?

Can somebody explain to me why Proposition 23 is even on the ballot? Who in their right mind would risk strong economic performance while exacerbating global warming?

It became quite clear to me when I read the list of top donors:

Valero, Tesoro Companies, Flint Hills Resources, Marathon Petroleum Company LLC, Adam Smith Foundation, Occidental Petroleum, National Petrochemical and Refiners Association, Tower Energy Group, World Oil Corp, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, Southern Counties Oil (Total Energy Products), California Trucking Association, Frontier Oil, Murray Energy, Berry Petrochemical, Boyett Petroleum, California State Pipes Trade Association, Caminol Management, Holly Corporation, Robinson Oil, J.G. Boswell Company.

How many ways can you spell "oil"?

Those who oppose Prop 23 include:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, American Lung Association- California, American Association of Pediatrics in California, Apple, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality District, California Professional Firefighters, League of Women Voters of California, Consumers Union, AARP, VoteVets.org, Small Business California, Western States Council of Sheet Metal Workers, California Conference of Carpenters, California Infill Builders Association Council, Antelope Valley Black Chamber of Commerce, California Black Chamber of Commerce, Culver City Chamber of Commerce, German American Chamber of Commerce, Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce, Green Chamber of Commerce, Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, Los Altos Chamber of Commerce, Latin Business Association, Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Solano County Black Chamber of Commerce, Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA), California Teachers Association, California, Wind Energy Association, California Solar Energy Industries Association, Oak Creek Energy Systems, Inc., Solaria, TechNet, Virgin America, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., Yahoo and more.

Many diverse ways to spell "business supporting green jobs" -- it boils down to jobs, jobs, jobs.

Well, that's pretty clear to me -- I'm voting against Proposition 23.

If you are reading this outside California, please touch base with your family and friends who will be voting in California's election.

If you live in California, please join me and touch base with everybody you know in California, and even people you don't know.

This is important: the world is watching.