Not everyone in the Democratic Party cares about the environment. A project called California’s Dirty Dems exposes those types of Democrats. Dirty Dems is a joint project by Greenpeace, California Working Families Party, Courage California, and other local and statewide allies. It calls out members of the State Assembly and Senate who take fossil fuel industry money and cover for oil and gas companies as they continue releasing greenhouse gas emissions.
California is an epicenter of climate change impacts. Currently, most of the southern portion of the state is in drought. Annual temperature increases in California range from 1 to 2 degrees F. The state depends on the snowpack in its mountains for groundwater, surface water, and irrigation. Scientists predict that the snowpack will decrease by over a third by 2050 and more than half by 2100. Sea levels continue rising along the state’s coast and will continue through this century. Current science predicts that the coastline may experience a rise of 1.1 to 1.9 feet in sea level by 2050.
On January 7, multiple wildfires broke out in Southern California, caused by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds and drought. The wildfires caused an estimated $28 billion to $53.8 billion worth of property damage. The cost to businesses in Los Angeles County disrupted by the fires could amount to $4.6 billion to $8.9 billion from 2025 to 2029.
Two California’s Dirty Dems
An analysis of two California politicians shows a pattern of accepting dirty money, abstaining from progressive votes, and opposing cleaning up old oil wells. One is an Assembly Member, and the other is a Senator, each from a different region in California. Both are women of color.
Stephanie Nguyen
Assembly Member Stephanie Nguyen represents the 10th District of South Sacramento’s Elk Grove area. She likes to roll around in fossil fuel money. She accepted $31,000 from the oil and gas industry and personal gifts from the Western States Petroleum Association. WSPA, a PAC primarily funded primarily by oil companies, including Chevron, spent $900,000 on her election campaign.
Nguyen became the Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore of the California Assembly in 2024. California Environmental Voters gave her a D, with a 47 percent lifetime score. Underneath her name on the organization’s website are three words: Accepted oil money. Nguyen is also a member of Courage California’s Hall of Shame. In 2023 and 2024, Nguyen declined to vote on more bills than she voted on. As of July 2024, she had 30 “No Vote Recorded” on bills that Courage California evaluated.
Her April 2024 newsletter touts the bills she voted for, not one of which is an environmental bill. Last year, the Assembly passed environmental bills that went on to be signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. Her campaign website lists three priorities: homelessness, public safety, and economic development. However, there is no mention of environmental issues, including climate change.
Senator Susan Rubio
Senator Susan Rubio serves the 22nd District in Southern California. She accepted over $116,000 from the oil and gas industry since her election in 2018 and $74,000 in just the last session. An independent campaign backed by over $2.8 million from oil companies helped her 2018 election campaign.
Like her counterpart in the Assembly, Rubio avoided voting on environmental bills. Her scores on the California Environmental Voters scorecard are some of the lowest among Democratic State Legislature members, with a 67 percent lifetime score. Like Nguyen, “accepted oil money” is beneath her name on the scorecard. She also received low scores from Courage California, Initiative Justice Alliance, California Environmental Justice Alliance, and the Sierra Club.
As the federal government abdicates its leadership role in climate action and energy transition, states and local governments must pick up the slack. Accepting campaign money from fossil fuel interests and ignoring the issues in a state impacted by climate change falls short. California’s Dirt Dems project helps hold our leadership’s feet to the growing fire.
