CaliToday (20/9/2025): In a direct rebuke to a national political agenda aimed at reviving fossil fuels, California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday signed a sweeping package of climate and clean energy bills designed to lower electricity costs, stabilize the gasoline market, and slash air pollution across the state.
The move on September 19, 2025, stands in stark contrast to the platform of figures like Donald Trump, who advocate for dismantling clean energy programs in favor of coal and oil. Newsom's action aims to cement California's role as a global leader in environmental policy while addressing pressing affordability concerns for its residents.
"We have to make our ideals and our goals manifest. So this sets the course, but it does so without burdening everybody… the issue of affordability, as you heard, is top of mind," Newsom declared at the signing event on Friday.
The multi-faceted legislative package includes several key measures:
Increasing climate credits on residential utility bills to provide direct financial relief.
Expanding the regional electricity market in the Western United States to improve grid reliability and integration of renewables.
Reauthorizing the state's cap-and-trade program—rebranded as "cap-and-invest"—through 2045, which Newsom's office stated "ensures polluters pay for projects that support the communities hit hardest."
Injecting an additional $18 billion into the California Wildfire Fund and allocating $1 billion annually to the state's high-speed rail project.
In a surprising and pragmatic move showcasing a "balanced approach," the package also includes a Republican-backed bill. With state oil refineries beginning to close, the governor approved the measure to support increased offshore oil extraction in the fossil-fuel-rich Kern County.
Republican State Senator Shannon Grove, who championed the bill, said in a floor speech last week that the law will "stabilize fuel prices for all Californians."
This bipartisan compromise helped the package garner broad support, including from environmental activists who praised Newsom's leadership.
"We applaud Governor Newsom and California lawmakers for leading the way to cut pollution, lower bills, and build more resilient communities," said Justin Balik, State Policy Vice President at Evergreen Action, in a statement. "Now we must supercharge this kind of progress in California and across the country to fully take on the climate crisis."
Protesters and students also made their voices heard at the event. Clara Simon, a history student holding a sign that read "The University is in danger," spoke of the dire state of public services. "There’s already no money for soap in the toilets, no money to repair chairs when they break," she said. "I'm angry because the socio-economic situation in France is getting worse every year."
Governor Newsom emphasized that California would continue to lead the nation with a focus on "practical business application."
"We're doing it here today," Newsom said. "So finding a balanced approach, laying out strategies to achieve bold goals that no other large jurisdiction on planet Earth can be proud of, and doing it in a way that reduces the burden on consumers and taxpayers."
