From: Sarah Henry
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Cc: Lara Weisiger
Subject: SB 684 support letter
Date: Thursday, October 2, 2025 1:44:33 PM
Attachments: SIGNED Support 684 (Menjivar) - Sen Judiciary.docx Good afternoon,
Attached is a copy of the City’s support letter for SB 684, the Polluter’s Pay Act, for your reference. I update the website with links to the bills we support, but this does not include the support letter text: https://www.alamedaca.gov/Departments/City- Managers-Office/Legislative-Affairs.
Many thanks,
Sarah
City of Alameda California
City of Alameda 2263 Santa Clara Avenue, Room 320
Mayor’s Office Alameda, California 94501
(510) 747-4700
September 5, 2025
The Honorable Thomas Umberg
Chair, Senate Judiciary Committee
1021 O Street, Room 3240
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SB 684 (Menjivar) – SUPPORT
Dear Senator Umberg:
The City of Alameda supports SB 684 (Menjivar), the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025, which would establish the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Program to be administered by the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) to require fossil fuel polluters to pay their fair share of the damage their products have inflicted on California.
California is already experiencing the harmful effects of climate change, including an increase in extreme heat events, drought, floods, wildfire, sea level rise, and more. According to the most recent California Climate Change Assessment, by 2100, the average annual maximum daily temperature is projected to increase by 3.1 -
4.9°C (5.6 - 8.8°F), water supply from snowpack is projected to decline by two-thirds, the average area burned in wildfires could increase by 77%, and up to 67% of Southern California beaches may completely erode due to sea level rise, without large-scale human intervention. These effects are expected to continue and worsen until global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are significantly reduced.
The consequences of climate change come with a huge price tag that is only increasing. In 2020, wildfires in California amounted to estimated economic losses of over $19 billion. A February 2025 report estimated the cost of property damage alone from the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires to be between $28 and $53.8 billion. Estimates that also include damage, loss of life, healthcare, business disruptions, and other economic impacts are in the $250 billion to $275 billion range.
SB 684 is modeled on existing federal legislation, which requires cleanup of legacy pollution under a strict liability standard, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, also known as the “Superfund” Act. This bill requires responsible parties, defined as entities who did business in California and emitted more than one billion metric tons of CO2-equivalent from 1990 to 2024, via the extraction, production, combustion, and sale of fossil fuels, to pay fees to CalEPA proportionate to their emissions. CalEPA would complete a statewide study to establish the quantifiable costs of climate damage to the State of California through 2045 and subsequently distribute the fees received to projects supporting climate resilience, mitigation, and infrastructure that supports communities, businesses, and workers.
The City of Alameda supports legislation that addresses climate change and promotes environmental protection and sustainability, and funding and resources for local agencies to adapt to the impacts of climate change. For City of Alameda California
City of Alameda 2263 Santa Clara Avenue, Room 320
Mayor’s Office Alameda, California 94501
(510) 747-4700
these reasons, we are pleased to support SB 684 and respectfully ask for your “AYE” vote when this measure comes before you. Thank you.
Best Regards,
Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Mayor of Alameda
cc: The Honorable Caroline Menjivar
Honorable Members, Senate Judiciary Committee