Seventy-five climate activists, including Third Actors, showed up at the capitol on Tuesday, April 22, to advocate for the passage of SB 1243 in the Assembly Judiciary Committee. In Addis’s follow-up press release, she said, “The overwhelming outpouring of support from labor groups, environmental champions, business owners, doctors, nurses, and regular people in support of AB 1243 clearly shows just how important holding Big Oil accountable and addressing climate change is for California. The climate crisis is an environmental, existential, and financial crisis that must be addressed. Californians have sacrificed enough by subsidizing Big Oil. It is time for the polluters to pay.”

Rep. Addis decided to “postpone the committee vote to allow more time for meaningful conversations with stakeholders while continuing to push the policy forward. With the state budget likely experiencing deficits,  AB 1243 provides a material way to address these issues.”

We also learned that one of the two holdout votes we need on that committee is REP. BAUER-KAHAN IN DISTRICT 16. IF YOU LIVE IN DISTRICT 16: 

1. CALL/WRITE/MEET WITH REP. BAUER-KAHAN AND ASK HER TO SUPPORT THIS CRUCIAL BILL. CONTACT HER HERE  or call her Capitol Office at (916) 319-2016
2. Share this request for action with friends and neighbors who live in her district.

The SAVE Act has now passed the House, and the Senate will be voting soon.

Can you get your hands on your original birth certificate?

Do you have a current passport?

Does your birth certificate match your current name?

No? You (and millions of other people) could lose your right to vote.

• Understand the issue: The SAVE Act would require everyone to show, in person, proof of their citizenship — in the form of a passport or original birth certificate that matches their current last name — to register to vote, or even just to update their voter registration. It would mean the end of online and mail-in voter registration, and voter registration drives. This is a massive form of extreme national voter suppression.
• Recognize who’s affected: Anyone who does not have a current passport (which costs money to obtain), or their original birth certificate, including people who’ve changed their name for any reason, immigrants, transgender people, foster children, military personnel, tribal members, rural voters, disaster survivors, and anyone who has moved since their last registration.
• TODAY, call your senators: In California, that’s Alex Padilla (202) 224-3553 and Adam Schiff (202) 224-3841. Call today, call tomorrow, and keep calling until the vote – even the same people over and over. 
• Use this script for California senators: “Hello. My name is [your name] and my zip code is [your zip code]. As your constituent, I want you to join with all other Democratic senators in a unified coalition to vote NO on the SAVE Act (HR22), and I want you to publicly state your intention and determination to unify Democratic senators to vote NO on the SAVE Act to the press and on your social media platforms. Please let me know that you will do these things [leave phone number or email].”
• Please also call senators beyond California (find any senator) and say: “As a citizen of the United States, I’m urging you to join with all Democratic senators in a unified coalition to vote NO on the SAVE Act (HR22). I ask that you publicly state your intention and determination to unify Democratic senators to vote NO on the SAVE Act to the press and on your social media platforms. Please let me know that you will do these things [leave phone number or email].”
• Please especially call these Democratic and Independent senators who may still be on the fence. These are the most important, but if you have the time, DON’T STOP THERE. Call as many Democratic senators as you can, and then start in on the Republicans. So much is riding on this vote.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-AZ (202) 224-2235

Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-NH (202) 224-3324

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-NV (202) 224-6244

Sen. John Fetterman, D-PA (202) 224-4254

Sen. Angus King, Ind-ME (202) 224-5344

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-AZ (202) 224-4521

More on Third Act’s website

Without getting too far into the weeds, Citi recently set a target of reducing its bond underwriting for the oil and gas sector by 29% (from 2020 levels) by 2030. Given that half of all bank financing for fossil fuels comes from bond underwriting as opposed to direct lending, this is an important step — Citi already had a matching target for its lending, so it has now publicly committed to symmetrically reducing its total oil and gas financing.

The fact that Citi did this even after Trump became president is a testament to the power that we have built over the last two years. 

Bay Area Third Actors joined in a national campaign protesting directly at local Citi offices and at local rallies during the Summer of Heat, and pushing one of Citi’s largest clients, Costco, to break up with the bank in protest of its financing of fossil fuels. After tens of thousands of Costco members signed a petition demanding that Costco drop Citi, campaign organizers met with the Costco CEO and his team — and we strongly believe that our Costco campaign made it back to the very top executives at Citi.

SF Bay Area Third Actors joined Californians from across the state on April 22 to demand the Assembly Natural Resources Committee support the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act. A hundred and twenty supporters were at the hearing: Third Act, Thousand Grandmothers, and more!

We packed the hearing room. We spoke from our hearts.

Wearing Make Polluters Pay t-shirts, dozens of us testified and said “Me too,” while the Sacramento TA group Lamentors lined the back of the hearing room to spotlight the deadly climate impacts we are facing. Our representatives heard us — they passed the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act (AB 1243) out of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

Thanks to Third Actors who were able to go to Sacramento and to all who contacted your local legislator urging their support.

For more information, visit ThirdAct/EnergySage

5calls.org lists more than 30 issues to choose from each day, with background and a sample script for each. For example, to oppose the SAVE Act, click here and use their sample script if you like. Then if you plug in your zip code, the site automatically delivers the names and contact info for your senators and representatives. 

Making five calls a day is a good habit we can all cultivate

PG&E’s profits are huge and continue to grow. In 2024, the company made $2.47 billion while requesting approval for six rate hikes for its customers. SoCal Edison hit a record of $1.619 billion in profits for shareholders in 2024, after increasing rates by 9.8% that year. 

These investor-owned utilities spend lavishly on things such as political lobbying, promotional marketing, and shareholder-related expenses like travel on private jets — then pass on those costs to their customers.

For example, SoCal Gas tried to pass on $36 million it spent on years-long campaigns lobbying against environmental protections. In 2024, PG&E was found attempting to spend $6 million in wildfire funds (paid for by customers) on expensive TV ads to rehabilitate its corporate image. 

It’s the shareholders in these for-profit utilities that should pay these costs, since they reap the profits. 

The California Ratepayer Protection Act (AB 1167) would keep the cost of utility lobbying, promotional advertising, and other activities for the primary benefit of utility shareholders out of Californians’ energy bills.

“At a time when monopoly utility companies are reaping record profits, and Californians are paying record high utility bills, it is insulting to force ratepayers to pay for activities that only serve to benefit shareholders,“ said the bill’s author, Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park).

Environmental legal organization Earthjustice and The Utility Reform Network are co-sponsoring the legislation. Read their press release here.

This is one of the bills we’re tracking in the Power Up Communities (PUC) committee. The committee meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 1:30 p.m. Pacific. You can register for our next meeting here. To find out more about what we’re doing, email thirdactbayarea@gmail.com.

Solar power is cheap and free, but not available to all. For example, renters, people whose roofs are not suitable, and those on limited budgets can’t take advantage of this clean energy.

Now, Bright Saver is offering “balcony” or “backyard solar” plug-in solar. They’ll deliver and install a complete system that can be sited in a back or front yard, hung from a balcony, or attached to a fence or building.

Already, Germany has some 1.5 million such installations, according to Bright Saver, but the U.S. has some unique barriers: a lack of costly off-the-shelf 120V inverters and the complexity of the installation. As well, back feeding — sending excess solar power to the utility’s energy grid — can cause issues with utility companies. 

Bright Saver, a nonprofit, says its plug-and-play solar systems are 40 percent cheaper per kilowatt than rooftop installations. And Bright Saver will deliver and install all necessary equipment using licensed electricians. The installation includes a smart power meter to prevent back feeding (so that a net-metering agreement is not needed) as well as overvoltage protection and temperature monitoring.

Systems are sold as subscriptions for $29 a month. The system is expected to begin paying for itself from the first day, and after six years, people own it outright. 

Bright Saver plans to go national in 2026. This year, it’s building a waitlist. But Bay Area folks can get in on this now: The company is looking for 50 early adopters to act as proof of concept. If you’re ready to join the solar revolution, book a free consultation here. 

Learn more from these interviews with The Weekly Anthropocene and Climate Action Now.

Hear co-founder Cora Stryker explain the company’s offerings and business model at the Third Act SF Bay Area Working Group gathering on April 28 at 4:30 p.m.

Investor-owned utilities like PG&E continue to harm our communities. It’s not safe, economically sound or ecologically sustainable for them to remain as California’s gas and electric utility monopolies.

High energy burdens drive displacement in low income communities of color. Power shut-offs in wildfire-threatened areas disproportionately impact disabled and rural households. Shut-offs due to nonpayment are on the rise, while executive and shareholder profits are at historic highs. Our communities need immediate relief from the impacts of the investor-owned utilities, as well as long-term solutions to transform our energy system.

State Senator Aisha Wahab has introduced SB 332, the Investor-Owned Utilities Accountability Act, to address the immediate harms of the investor-owned utilities and invest in a resilient future. 

The bill will:

1. Cap investor-owned utility rate increases for residential customers to no more than the Consumer Price Index.
2. Prohibit the shut-off of utilities for specified vulnerable ratepayers to ensure their health and safety needs are met.
3. Reduce ratepayer contributions to the Wildfire Fund, and increase IOUs responsibility for the fund. 
4. Require annual audits of equipment that’s outlived its usable life in high fire risk areas. 
5. Require proposed executive compensation be contingent on safety metrics. 
6. Require undergrounding for replacement equipment.Support the Investor-Owned Utilities Accountability Act 
7. Fund resilience hubs and community infrastructure to meet power needs during emergencies. 
8. Fund a feasibility study to determine what form of utility best serves ratepayers. 

SB 332 is sponsored by Reclaim our Power and Center for Biological Diversity, and must pass Senate policy committees and then the Senate Floor no later than June 6, 2025, before moving to the Assembly for consideration.

Please follow this link to find a breakdown of the bill. Contact your state senator, asking for support for this bill. You can find your senator and representatives via FindYourRep.