From Sacramento to Manhattan, a local California Assemblymember reports back from Climate Week.

While the federal government unwinds climate progress at warp speed, I reject the assertion that forward movement is dead. So, I traveled to Climate Week NYC the week of Sept. 21 to share California’s groundbreaking work and learn from others. I believe in policy initiatives to help create a livable climate, detailed below.

1. The grassroots are partners, not enemies. On day one, at the California Climate Leadership Forum, I presented my 2024 bill AB 3233, the Local Environmental Choice and Safety Act. Protect Monterey County first successfully fought for the right of local communities to make decisions about oil production. When the courts stripped the will of the voters, it looked like the fight was lost. Last year, AB 3233 put the power back in the hands of the people. What began as a Central Coast effort has codified the rights of all Californians to protect the health and welfare of their neighborhoods, and create the climate progress we need. This is a story of local communities creating ripples large enough to move our entire state forward.

It’s time to require polluters to pay their fair share.

2. Working families cannot keep footing the bill. On day two of Climate Week, during the “Make Polluters Pay Strategy Session,” I presented on my bill AB 1243, the Climate Superfund Act, introduced in 2025. We focused on how polluters must help fund disaster prevention and recovery. During 2023’s atmospheric rivers, I stood with residents in living rooms where water and mud lines climbed more than halfway up the walls. Families faced an affordability crisis worsened by tens of thousands of dollars in recovery costs. The despair was palpable. A year later, oil companies reported record profits and spent $35 million lobbying against accountability. This imbalance is unsustainable. It’s time to require polluters to pay their fair share.

3. On day three, the message was clear: Wildfires don’t just result from climate change – they make it worse. At the “Power On, Not Burn Out: Wildfires and the Fight for Climate Progress” panel, I learned from retired Cal Fire officials. This year’s Los Angeles wildfires are estimated to have directly killed at least 30 people, released 4 million metric tons of CO2 and cost $250 billion. Firefighting professionals shared that one wildfire season alone can erase seven years of climate progress. The lesson was clear: We must stop fires early by funding techniques that prevent and keep them small. This is why I helped craft Proposition 4, the 2024 $10 billion climate bond, and this year’s cap-and-invest extension estimated to generate $55 billion. Financing from both will fund the wildfire actions we need to save lives and reduce greenhouse gases.

While the federal government promotes climate denialism, California is creating policy and funding solutions we need. At Climate Week, leaders from every level advanced bold ideas and inspired progress. Now all of us must keep the movement strong here at home.

Dawn Addis represents California’s 30th Assembly District, which includes the coastal portion of Monterey County.