The agricultural industry in California and other states relies heavily upon chemical pesticides for a range of high-value crops to control pests, such as insects, weeds, and other problems. Many of these pesticides contain toxic active ingredients which evaporate into the air, seep into the soil and groundwater, or remain as residue on crops. In California, this usage is pervasive; in 2022 more than 160 million pounds of pesticide active ingredients were applied to land in California for agricultural purposes.

The California coastline is known for its natural beauty, recreation opportunities, world-class developments and — increasingly — conflict. In many places up and down the state, continued development at the coast contravenes both the letter and the intent of the California Coastal Act, but local communities remain deeply divided about how to plan for the growing impacts of sea level rise.

California’s gas distribution network is becoming increasingly expensive to maintain. At the same time, the state has explicitly signaled its desire to move away from natural gas in favor of electrification. To further public policy goals and achieve an equitable energy transition, mechanisms to redirect funding from gas infrastructure repairs to electrification investments should be explored.

California has abundant energy that can be supplied to everyone – if it better distributes its energy infrastructure spending for maximum public benefit. This report identifies one critical opportunity that has been hiding in plain sight.

The state spends billions on running two parallel energy systems, gas and electric, when it ultimately only needs one – an expanded, modern, and efficient power grid. Shifting that spending over time to create a single power delivery system unlocks state-wide savings while lowering costs for renters and homeowners.

Medium- and heavy-duty trucks are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Yet California’s policies to phase out fossil fuel-powered trucks in favor of zero-emission models have been undermined by recent federal actions, including a congressional vote to terminate California’s mandate on truck makers to produce zero-emission models and a rollback of many federal tax incentives for these vehicles. Furthermore, in January 2025 the state withdrew from U.S.