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Local students urge San Mateo to back 'Polluters Pay' climate superfund bill
Summary
San Mateo high-school students asked the council to adopt a resolution supporting the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act, saying the bill would direct fees from major fossil-fuel polluters to climate resilience and prioritize income-qualified communities.
Three San Mateo County high-school students presented the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act to the council during general public comment on Sept. 15 and asked for a city resolution of support.
Emma Doherty introduced the proposal as a state-level bill introduced by Senator Menjivar and Assemblymember Addis and described it as a mechanism to compel large fossil-fuel companies to pay compensatory fees so funds can be directed to communities affected by climate-driven disasters. The students said the measure would help with disaster response and resilience while protecting taxpayers from bearing all cleanup and recovery costs.
Why it matters: Local resolutions can signal municipal support to legislators and help build momentum for statewide bills. The students noted that San Diego, Los Angeles, Alameda, Berkeley and San Francisco have passed similar resolutions and asked San Mateo to join them.
Key points presented by the students: - The legislation would initiate a statewide cost study to identify responsible parties and assess compensatory fees. - Collected fees would form a climate superfund to support communities facing fires, floods and air-quality harms. - The students said the bill would require at least 40% of funds to go to income-qualified communities.
Emma Doherty told the council the bill was "a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in our future without costing taxpayers" and framed the measure as addressing escalating costs associated with climate-driven disasters.
The presentation was a request for council support; no formal council action or staff report on the resolution was taken during the meeting. The students asked councilmembers to consider signing public letters of support and to discuss next steps with city staff.
Provenance: The organized youth presentation began during general public comment and ran from roughly 8:23 p.m. until the students concluded their remarks and took follow-up questions from the clerk and staff.
