Thursday, May 8, 2025
AB 942 – Legislative Call to Action Assembly Bill 942 still includes language that would eliminate NEM benefits for new non-beneficiary property owners and place them on Net Billing Tax (NBT). A shift to NBT could have a handful of consequences, but from a WECA perspective, it could deter future investments in solar-enabled housing. If you would like to share your experience with your issue, please email us by May 14th so we can be included in a larger effort to advocate on this legislation. It would be helpful to focus your experience based on how it would impact your property or business upon a sale, in terms of how a shift to NBT would influence the sale price of a property and the impact of solar relief on energy cost. Lastly, if you feel so compelled, contacting your local legislator is always a great way to magnify your voice.
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States Pile On Seventeen US states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s pause of $3.3 billion in funding to build electric vehicle (EV) chargers. These funds were part of a $5 billion plan passed during Biden's presidency under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to help states build EV charging stations. The suit was filed on Wednesday and is being led by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, and Washington. They contend that only Congress can bar or block the funding, not the Federal Highway Administration. The Department of Transportation hasn't responded to the lawsuit yet.
This latest suit against the Trump administration, California’s 19th so far, is an attempt to rescue billions in frozen federal funds. As with most of the suits that California has joined against President Donald Trump, it’s a largely blue-state coalition. But in some ways, this filing could be of most use to the Republican states that aren’t signed onto it.
Texas is the state that’s supposed to receive the largest award from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program — a $5 billion pot in 2021’s BIL that’s divvied up through a highway-based funding formula — at around $408 million. The state has around 4,400 public chargers, a fraction of California’s more than 80,000.
California was supposed to get the second-highest amount, at $384 million. But that’s a drop in the bucket compared to the $2 billion it’s already spent in state funding, and the $1.4 billion it still has coming from various state coffers. For rural (read Republican) states, the money is much more important. NEVI funding makes up a disproportionately high portion of EV charging funding in Republican states, where state funding is often lacking.
“I think that most, probably all of the states, would like to have this funding, but they are afraid to sue the Trump administration,” said Bill Magavern, policy director at Coalition for Clean Air. “Almost every Republican elected official has just gone silent, and attorneys general are elected officials.”
However, the NEVI funding will still have an impact, even in California. That’s because the program is designed to place charging stations no more than 50 miles away from each other along major highways. That means locations in the Central Valley and along the Northern California coast, rather than just urban centers like Los Angeles and the Bay Area, where EV adoption has been highest. “We need public funding, especially to go into the areas where the private sector may be more reluctant to venture,” Magavern said. “That includes rural areas and disadvantaged communities.”
Johannes Copeland, chief operating officer at Skycharger, a charger supplier that’s won NEVI grants in California and New Mexico, told POLITICO shortly after the DOT announced the freeze in February that the loss of federal funding and Biden-era tax credits that help cover costs of building and operating chargers could force some companies to reconsider investing in rural areas, where there are no guarantees they’ll ever be profitable. “The riskier sites may not get built,” Copeland said at the time. “That’s absolutely a risk in losing the money associated with the program.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom is also using the lawsuit to resume his jabs at Trump, taunting the president over a March decision to turn the White House lawn into a Tesla showroom to support Elon Musk. The governor also pointed to China’s growing manufacturers like BYD, which is now the largest EV maker in the world. “President Trump’s illegal action withholding funds for electric vehicle infrastructure is yet another Trump gift to China — ceding American innovation and killing thousands of jobs,” Newsom said in a statement. “Instead of hawking Teslas on the White House lawn, President Trump could actually help Elon — and the nation — by following the law and releasing this bipartisan funding.” Read more
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More Pain for HSR Trump said Tuesday that the federal government (a euphemism for taxpayers) will not pay for California’s medium-speed train, another potential wrinkle in a troubled project that has repeatedly blown past its budget and completion timeline since voters approved funding in 2008. “That train is the worst cost overrun I’ve ever seen,” Trump, who’s seen many of his own projects and endeavors fail, told reporters in the Oval Office during a joint appearance with Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada. “It’s, like, totally out of control.” He added: “This government (i.e., taxpayers) is not going to pay.” The president’s comments came three months after his administration launched a review of how California is spending a $3.1 billion federal grant issued under the Biden administration. That audit has not yet been completed. Story
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Bonta Soft on Child Sex Abuse? While California Attorney General and aspiring Governor Rob Bonta is quick to sue the Trump Administration, he is less inclined to charge a former official with sexual assault. Former Kern County Supervisor Zack Scrivner was not charged with a sex crime but was charged with three felony counts of child abuse and two felony counts of possessing assault weapons by the California Department of Justice in February.
The charges stemmed from an incident at his Tehachapi house in April of last year, where Scrivner was stabbed in the upper torso by one of his four children, who was trying to protect another child from being sexually assaulted by Scrivner, according to Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood. Detectives seized around 30 firearms and psychedelic mushrooms from Scrivner’s house after the incident. Scrivner resigned from the Board of Supervisors last August after taking a lengthy medical leave of absence. According to the complaint filed by the Department of Justice, Scrivner allegedly got into bed with one of his children and touched the child inappropriately.
The case wound up on Bonta’s desk due to a familial conflict with Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer.
The decision not to charge Scrivner didn’t sit well with Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains (D-Bakersfield), who wrote a letter to Bonta asking for clarification on the charges filed against Scrivner to know why he was not charged with a sex crime. Story
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Praise the Lord, Congress Focuses on Important Stuff! The Gulf of America Act of 2025 (HR 276) renames the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. The bill directs the Board on Geographic Names within the Department of the Interior to oversee the implementation of the renaming concerning each federal document and map. Each federal agency must update its records and maps within 180 days of the bill's enactment. All nine of California's Republicans voted AYE today on the bill. All the state's Democrats voted no. The House voted for the renaming by a margin of 211 to 206. Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Roseville, explained why he backed the plan, which would write into law the renaming plan proposed by President Donald Trump on his first day in office. "The Gulf of America is a critical region to our country's economy. It's a staple of energy independence that fuels economic growth, creates jobs, and is a tourist destination for people across the United States," Kiley said. Story
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Navigating California’s New Regulations on Automated Decision-Making Tools The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) has recently approved regulations under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to address discrimination in employment resulting from the use of automated decision-making systems, including artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms. These regulations apply to all employers covered by the FEHA and are expected to take effect in July, once they have completed the final administrative approval process with the Office of Administrative Law. Story
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California Court of Appeal Affirms Enforceability of Prospective Meal Period Waivers In a ruling that clarifies a previously unsettled area of California employment law, a California Court of Appeal affirmed the enforceability of written, prospective meal period waivers for shifts between five and six hours long. The April 21, 2025, decision in Bradsbery v. Vicar Operating, Inc. explained that advanced “blanket” waivers are valid under the law if freely revocable and absent evidence of coercion or unconscionability. For California employers, Bradsbery provides much-needed guidance on how to implement meal period waivers in compliance with the law. Story
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Good News, Gov. Newsom has launched a website fact-checking anonymous X accounts, in-state Republicans, and President Donald Trump — escalating a campaign to defend his home state and record against false and misleading information online, Politico reports. “This site is for everyone sick of the BS about California,” Newsom said in a statement. “We’re done letting the MAGA trolls define the Golden State. We’re going on the offense and fighting back — with facts.” Posts already on the site dispense with some serious whoppers from questionable sources. One claim, from an X account named “Beauty Hub,” incorrectly asserts that stealing up to $950 is legal in California. Another post, from Libs of TikTok, falsely claimed California reservoirs ran dry during the LA fires. Californiafacts.com deploys some of Newsom’s go-to answers for common criticisms of his home state. It responds to economic digs by touting California’s status as the fourth-largest economy. To an X post that accused Democrats of being a party of “zealous open border immigration,” it notes the federal government’s jurisdiction over the issue. It cites the economic benefits of people commuting across the Mexico-California border for work.
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AZ Valley Voters, Lawmakers Should Stand Up to California Labor Union An out-of-state labor-affiliated group has cast a shadow over the Valley’s economic development future. Voters and elected officials can help clear things up. An example is Glendale City Council’s recent approval of zoning for a 39-acre site on the west side of Loop 101 across from State Farm Stadium, which is set to feature a mix of multifamily housing, retail and hotels. It’s the type of development cities typically welcome. They create jobs, generate tax revenues and generally improve a community’s quality of life thanks to new amenities. Worker Power, the Los Angeles-based political arm of the hospitality union UniteHere, opposes the zoning approval and is poised to thwart development at the site. A representative was at the April 22 Council meeting to express the group’s opposition, specifically calling out the inclusion of a hotel in the development. More
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Legislator Wants School Funds to be Given to Utilities Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris is attempting to reintroduce legislation that would provide a one-time credit to most of the state’s electricity customers with funding from a program that provides money for school heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades, reports Politico. Petrie-Norris, a Democrat who chairs the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee, is refusing to hear AB 832 by Assembly Education Chair Al Muratsuchi, which would give school districts more time to use some $192 million for HVAC improvements and plumbing.
While Muratsuchi's bill would extend the time that schools can tap the funding for HVAC improvements until 2031, Petrie-Norris proposed amendments that would redirect any funding not used by December 2026 to the state’s utilities, which would then distribute the money to customers as credits. Muratsuchi's office confirmed that he wouldn't take the amendments. He said he was “disappointed” that Petrie-Norris won’t hear his bill, which “ensures that schools have access to critical funds to improve indoor air quality and create healthier learning environments.”
“California’s students and staff deserve to learn and work in spaces with safe, effective ventilation systems,” he said in a statement. It's the second year that Petrie-Norris has proposed redirecting school HVAC funding to electricity bills, as well as the second year that school advocates have proposed extending the funding deadline, which was established in 2020's AB 841. A similar bill proposed last year by former Assemblymember Phil Ting died before it received a floor vote.
WECA's Southern California Government Relations Representative Dave Everett gives Riverside City Councilman Chuck Condor a tour of WECA Riverside's labs.
Councilman Visits Riverside City Councilman Chuck Condor recently toured WECA Riverside for a discussion about workforce development. Joined by Dave Everett with WECA’s Government Affairs team, Condor sat down to learn more about WECA’s commitment to apprenticeship, training and safety. Currently, the City of Riverside is looking at several construction projects, including a $32.8 million construction contract to bring the Museum of Riverside closer to reopening and a proposed 126-acre sports complex. On the tour, WECA highlighted the great opportunity that apprenticeships are for students and how beneficial it is for young adults to begin adulthood debt-free. Thank you, Riverside Councilman Chuck Condor, for taking time out of your busy schedule to learn more about our members and students!
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