Gov. Jerry Brown Touts California's Success at U.N. Climate Summit

Leonardo DiCaprio may have received top billing, but Jerry Brown spoke as well on the actions of the Golden State to combat climate change under his watch. Two days earlier, he signed six bills to increase sales of electric vehicles.

3 minute read

September 26, 2014, 8:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


World leaders convened in New York to attend the U.N. Climate Summit on September 23. Among the speakers was Governor Jerry Brown, whose "remarks were the highest-profile yet in his effort to promote California climate policies on an international stage," writes David Siders of the Sacramento Bee.

Brown said California will meet its goal of reducing carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and within six months will set a new goal for 2030 “that will be more ambitious, that will require more technology and will also require heightened political will.”

Just two days earlier, the governor in Sacramento "signed six bills he said will 'strengthen California’s best-in-the-nation electric vehicle market' and help the state reach its goal of getting 1.5 million zero-emission cars on the road by 2025," writes Marisa Lagos of the San Francisco Chronicle. The ambitious goal is one he set in March, 2012 as an executive order

Four of the the half-dozen new laws are focused around expanding clean air vehicle access to carpool lanes, including toll lanes.

Last year at this time, we wrote about six bills Brown had signed to make the state greener from an auto perspective. 

A new touch this year are bills "designed to make electric cars more affordable for low-income residents," writes Jennifer Medina of The New York Times. One bill, SB 1275 was described here earlier.

Another bill, AB 2565, will allow for renters to work with their landlords to install charging stations for electric vehicles. It "require(s) a lessor of a dwelling to approve a written request of a lessee to install an electric vehicle charging station at a parking space allotted for the lessee." See the bill language for exceptions.

All six bills can be seen on the governor's bill-signing webpage.

At the summit, Brown promoted the most controversial piece of his administration's climate mitigation agenda. "Oil industry groups in California have pressured Brown this year to delay an expansion of the state’s cap-and-trade program to vehicle fuels in January, with Republicans and some Democrats joining in the lobbying," writes Siders.

“Now the great challenge is to stay the course,” Brown said. “Even today as we speak, there are advertisements being purchased on the airwaves of California in an attempt to persuade the people that cap-and-trade should somehow go away, that it’s going to raise the price of oil.”

However, oil analysts don't see it that way, writes Marc Lifsher of the Los Angeles Times. Turns out that market forces may make the "hidden gas tax" truly hidden, as is no price increase, though California motorists may not see the gas price decreases that may surface in other states.

Drivers probably won't notice the global-warming-related increase because average gas prices are the lowest they've been since fall 2010, said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for GasBuddy.com. What's more, he said, average prices in Los Angeles, which were at $3.76 per gallon of regular last week, are expected to fall an additional 15 to 20 cents in the next 100 days.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014 in Sacramento Bee

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 25, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

June 19, 2025 - Outdoor Life

Person wearing mask walking through temporary outdoor dining setup lined with bistro lights at dusk in New York City.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?

Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

June 19, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up of full beer glass with purple train-themed design sitting on bar between two frosty tall cans.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?

TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

June 30 - Cities Today

Vintage red Toronto streetcar passing in front of Rogers Arena in Toronto, Canada.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events

Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

June 30 - blogTO

Map of Berlin with ring roads in green and red.

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan

The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.

June 30 - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.