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Santa Barbara Supervisors Back 27Polluters Pay27 Climate Superfund Resolution After Wide Public Support
Summary
After extensive public comment from climate organizers, students and local groups, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to adopt a resolution supporting California27s Polluters Pay Climate Superfund legislation (AB 1243, SB 684). Supporters said the bill would send a strong message to Sacramento to hold large fossil-fuel firms financially responsible for climate impacts.
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on Dec. 9 to adopt a resolution urging the state to advance the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund legislation, a pair of bills (Assembly Bill 1243 and Senate Bill 684) aimed at establishing a state-administered fund financed by large fossil-fuel emitters to pay for climate damages and resilience projects.
Supporters, including climate advocacy groups, students and local nonprofit leaders, packed the board27s public-comment period. Heidi Harmon, a senior organizer with Greenpeace and former mayor of San Luis Obispo, told supervisors: "This policy is designed to bring long overdue financial relief to help communities like Santa Barbara rebuild stronger and more resilient." The board heard approximately 20 public speakers online and in person, most urging the county to support the bills.
Legislative staff explained the bills would ask the state27s environmental agency to administer a fund assessing fees on large corporate contributors to fossil-fuel pollution and allocating monies for community resilience. Supporters said the measure would help cover growing local costs from wildfires, floods and other climate-driven disasters and direct funding to disproportionately impacted communities.
Supervisors debated fiscal and legal considerations before the roll-call vote. Supervisor Hartman said the measure would help protect county infrastructure and reduce the rising costs local governments now shoulder after disasters, while Supervisor Nelson voted no, citing concerns about whether the bills represent the right mechanism for the county27s priorities.
Chair Capps confirmed the motion and the resolution passed by a 3-2 vote. The board27s action adds Santa Barbara County to a growing list of California cities and counties that have signaled support for the legislation ahead of the next legislative session.
The resolution is advisory: it urges the county27s legislative advocates and local officials to support AB 1243 and SB 684 or equivalent measures in Sacramento. County staff noted the bills were two-year measures still subject to change and that the resolution expresses the board27s policy preference for seeking state-level funding for climate-related cleanup and resilience.
