September 7, 2025
California is known globally as a leader in policies that emphasize smart investments in infrastructure to tackle our state’s most pressing issues.
We have been on the forefront of safeguarding against the devastating impacts of climate change and extreme weather by building infrastructure that makes us safer and more secure, while generating hundreds of thousands of middle-class jobs.
As legislators consider reauthorizing the state’s landmark cap-and-trade program, we encourage them to support investments in physical and natural infrastructure proven to reduce the greatest amount of greenhouse gas emissions while strengthening our infrastructure to make California safer and more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
We also encourage legislators to keep affordability in mind and ensure that reauthorization does not increase taxes or fees that are ultimately paid by consumers in the form of higher cost of living.
The California Alliance for Jobs is proud to be a founding member of the Climate Safe Infrastructure Coalition — a broad coalition of labor unions, businesses, local governments, transit, transportation and community advocates urging legislators to prioritize proven investments in climate safe infrastructure.
A recent Greenline Insights study found that a clean extension of the program through 2045 would create more than 287,000 jobs and result in $55 billion in economic growth statewide.
Here on the Central Coast, that would mean an estimated 7,700 jobs and more than $1.2 billion in economic activity across Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties.
A reauthorized cap-and-trade program must focus on what works. Here in California that means modern infrastructure that cuts emissions, builds resilience and supports jobs.
The largest sector contributing to greenhouse gas emissions is transportation, and the cap-and-trade program has been effective in tackling that problem, as well.
To date, the program has supported more than 1,200 transit agency projects, adding or expanding transit services statewide — reducing emissions equivalent to removing millions of cars from the road and putting people to work.
We also support funding for green transportation infrastructure, including electric vehicle and hydrogen charging and helping local governments make the transition to clean fleets.
If we want to continue to make an impact on reducing harmful greenhouse gases we need to keep investing in clean transportation projects like these.
Let’s keep building and give Californians options when it comes to mobility choices around our state.
California should also prioritize investments in infrastructure to adapt and prepare for more extreme weather, such as levee improvements; catastrophic flooding prevention; and fortifying ports, coastal airports, roads, freeways and other critical infrastructure that is threatened by sea-level rise.
More jobs in the community mean more local economic benefits. When workers are able to work and live in the same region, they’re spending more locally, buying housing locally and re-investing in their communities.
In addition, the average household would see hundreds of dollars in savings from lower energy costs and other benefits driven by these investments.
Climate change and extreme weather are already here. Drought, wildfires, floods — California is facing it all.
We need an improved cap-and-trade program that prioritizes effectiveness and accountability while preserving affordability for Californians.
Our state’s future depends on all of us joining forces around common principles to ensure our infrastructure can withstand the lasting impacts of climate change.
We must keep moving forward — building together toward a better, greener future.
Anthony Mireles is business manager and secretary treasurer of LiUNA Local 585 (Laborers’ International Union of North America), which serves more than 1,000 union laborers in the Ventura County region.