Regional Protection San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) – regulated all developments in a 100 foot wide band around the bay shoreline as well as a useful model for the creation of other regional agencies in the state Santa Barbara oil spill of 1969 led the way for passage of the CA Endangered Species Act (CESA) and the CA Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)

Biodiversity & Growth Control California had more native species at risk than any other state and habitat destruction had taken a heavy toll By the early 21 st century, the wildlife population had been greatly reduced; species that formerly had been common were extinct or remained only as rarities Environmentalist denounced unrestricted growth as a menace to the quality of life

The swampy marshlands and sloughs near Los Banos in Merced County once hosted wildlife as rich as the Serengeti Plain of Africa

Air Pollution & Global Warming Air pollution was the most obvious menace to the environment, and Californians led the nation in efforts to combat it Antismog law was passed in 1960 that required the installation of various smog- control devices in motor vehicle engines & in 1982 automobiles required a smog every other year The state Air Resources Board (ARB)

In spite of decades of progress, there are areas in CA that continue to struggle with smog creating unhealthy air to breath these include the inland areas (San Bernardino & Riverside) as well as the Central Valley (Fresno and Bakersfield) Scientists warned that air pollution was causing devastating changes to the earth’s atmosphere and climate – global warming is in effect

Cartoon regarding the Los Angeles smog problem

Water Resources The Peripheral Canal controversy – support from southern California opposition from Northern California for the project The deterioration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta The Delta Stewardship Council – oversees enforcement and provides unified governance

Toxic Wastes For decades the dumping of toxic substances from industrial and chemical plants in CA went uncontrolled and largely unnoticed Los Angeles, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, and Orange counties remained in the top 1% of the nation’s hazardous waste counties Governor Gray Davis in 2003 signed legislation establishing the nation’s first comprehensive electronic-waste recycling program

Renewable Energy Rising prices, coupled with growing concerns about pollution, led CA to adopt a sweeping program of energy conservation measures and to develop a wide range of renewable energy technologies The California Energy Commission, formed in 1975, set maximum energy consumption limits for new household appliances sold in the state

California’s major renewable energy sources were solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and cogeneration The CA Public Utilities Commission (PUC) ordered the state’s utilities to offer incentives to their large industrial customers so that they could profitably produce their own electricity By 2010, the average Californian was using about 40% less energy than the national average