Remember the apocalyptic firestorm in Los Angeles County this January that damaged or destroyed over 7,800 structures in the Palisades Fire and 10,500 structures in the Eaton Fire while claiming the lives of at least 29 Californians?
A storm is currently hitting Southern California, presenting the risk of flooding, debris flows and mudslides. Northern California is also under a winter storm warning this week.
“Some storms over southwest California are strengthening and could become severe through 5 pm today with strong winds, heavy rain, hail, and even a tornado,” the National Weather Service Los Angeles reported on X. “Bottom line, STAY AWARE. If the weather looks ominous, or you hear thunder, be safe and GO INDOORS.”
Food & Water Watch California Director Nicole Ghio responded to the weather warnings in a statement urging support for a bill to create a Climate Superfund in California.
“Californians have for too long been at the forefront of climate change driven extreme weather, with these new storms being only the latest example,” said Ghio “Research has shown that these weather events are only getting worse and more frequent as our planet warms.”
“While Big Oil makes record profits from its pollution – which is a major driver of the climate crisis in the first place – we foot the bill to clean up after these increasingly common disasters. Californians need a Climate Superfund now, and we need our state leaders to hold polluters accountable to make that happen,” she said.
With climate driven catastrophes in mind, Senator Caroline Menjivar (D- San Fernando Valley) and Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D- Morro Bay) on Feb. 21 introduced SB 684 and AB 1243 - The Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025.
“At the core of these disasters are the Californians whose lives and property have been destroyed. Many of whom were already experiencing financial uncertainty due to the rising costs of basic needs; food, housing, utilities, and transportation to work,” said Senator Menjivar. “We must be relentless and creative in pursuing all avenues to redirect the financial burden away from the consumer as we mitigate the consequences of human-made disasters.”
“Profits for polluters skyrocket year over year, and California’s taxpayers simultaneously pinch their pennies for household expenses while also solely footing the bill for catastrophic wildfires and other related disasters. The Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act is a commonsense way to tap into a small fraction of polluters’ profits, and collect their share of the financial burden,” Menjivar stated.
“The Central Coast has faced the devastating impacts of climate change, from floods and wildfires to coastal erosion,” said Assemblymember Dawn Addis. “This year’s fires in Los Angeles serve as a stark reminder that collective inaction has catastrophic consequences for all Californians.”
“’m proud to partner with my colleague, Senator Menjivar, and a diverse coalition of advocates to establish a climate superfund that will provide critical relief to impacted communities. We can’t deny that climate change is real, and we must take action now to prepare and rebuild after these devastating events,” Addis concluded.
Menivar noted that California taxpayers are facing an “unprecedented and escalating financial burden” from recent wildfires and atmospheric river storms, creating an affordability crisis. The recent devastation in Los Angeles alone is estimated to cost Californians at least $250 billion.
“The Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act addresses the financial injustices imposed on taxpayers and working families from climate related disasters by requiring fossil fuel polluters to offset the costs pushed down on the taxpayer for the damage caused and enhanced by their products,” added Menjivar.
The Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act will:
- Direct CalEPA to complete a climate cost study to quantify total damages to the state (through 2045), caused by past fossil fuel emissions.
- Direct CalEPA to identify responsible parties and assess compensatory fees on the largest fossil fuel polluters proportional to their fossil fuel emissions 1990 through 2024, to address damages quantified in the cost study.
- Fund California’s future. Fees collected will fund projects and programs to mitigate disaster related rate increases for Californians and remedy or prevent climate-related costs and harms. The bill prioritizes labor and job standards and dedicates at least 40% of the funds to benefit disadvantaged communities.
Climate justice activists are gearing up for a big fight to get this bill passed this year, when you consider the millions of dollars that Big Oil spends every year to attack climate bills and other environmental legislation.
The oil industry spent a total of $38 million in lobbying expenses in 2024, shattering by 31 percent the annual state lobbying record of $26.2 million set in 2017, according to an analysis by the Last Chance Alliance (LCA).
Spending by two groups alone, Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), the largest and most powerful corporate lobbying group in California, and Chevron, shattered the previous record, coming in at $31.6 million in 2024.
WSPA and Chevron accounted for 83% of the industry’s expenditure. The Western States Petroleum Association spent $17.4 million, while Chevron spent $14.2 million.
CRC/Aera Energy took third place in the Big Oil lobbying spending spree, spending $2.1 million in 2024. Marathon Petroleum placed fourth, spending $1.5 million, while Phillips 66 placed fifth, spending $876,563.
Big Oil crushed its two-year legislative session record as well, spending $65.8 million during the 2023-2024 legislative session. This far exceeds the $44.1 million spent during the 2017-2018 session, the LCA said.
