Californians should never have to choose between protecting our environment and being able to afford to live here.
Yet that is exactly the choice too many families feel Sacramento has forced upon them.
Every week, I hear from parents trying to stretch another paycheck to cover rising utility bills, commuters wondering how much higher gas prices will climb, seniors on fixed incomes making difficult decisions about household expenses, and small business owners struggling to absorb yet another increase in the cost of doing business. These aren’t isolated stories. They reflect a growing reality across California.
A new statewide survey from the Public Policy Institute of California confirms what families have been telling me all year: California’s energy policies are failing the affordability test.
As a lifelong Californian, I believe deeply that we have a responsibility to be good stewards of the incredible state we’ve been entrusted with. Protecting our air, our water, and our natural resources should never be a partisan issue. Conservatives believe in conservation, and we should continue pursuing practical solutions that leave a healthier California for future generations.
But stewardship also means protecting the people who call California home.
When government policies make it harder for families to fill their gas tanks, keep the lights on, or grow a business, we have an obligation to ask whether we’re pursuing our goals in the right way.
The PPIC survey sends a message that policymakers can no longer afford to ignore.
Sixty-three percent of Californians now say the cost of energy — including gasoline, natural gas, and electricity — is a big problem, an increase of nine points in just one year. The same percentage say gas prices are a major problem, up 11 points from last year alone.
Perhaps even more telling, 66% of Californians oppose the state’s mandate requiring all new passenger vehicles sold by 2035 to be zero-emission. Opposition has grown dramatically over the past several years and now extends well beyond party lines.
The message isn’t that Californians have abandoned environmental goals. Far from it.
The message is that Californians want environmental progress rooted in reality.
People understand we need cleaner energy. They also understand that policies must be affordable, reliable and achievable. They don’t want government forcing impossible choices between climate goals and putting food on the table.
Unfortunately, too often Sacramento has confused ambition with wisdom.
The Legislature has embraced rigid mandates without giving enough consideration to whether working families can realistically keep up with the costs.
Good intentions do not erase real-world consequences. When Californians already pay among the highest gasoline and electricity prices in the nation, every additional mandate deserves careful scrutiny.
Affordability isn’t standing in the way of environmental progress. It is what makes environmental progress possible. If families cannot afford the transition, the transition will never earn the lasting public support it needs to succeed.
That is why I have made affordability one of my top priorities in the Legislature.
I have fought against policies that increase the cost of living, worked to address California’s nearly $20 billion unemployment insurance debt that continues driving higher payroll taxes on employers, and advocated for a more reliable, diverse and resilient energy portfolio that strengthens both our economy and our energy security.
California’s future depends on abundant, reliable and affordable energy.
Our growing economy, advanced manufacturing, agricultural industry, artificial intelligence, data centers, and technological innovation will all require significantly more power in the years ahead. We cannot meet those demands by limiting our options or pretending ideology can replace reality.
A responsible energy strategy recognizes that reliability, affordability, innovation, and environmental stewardship are not competing priorities — they are complementary ones.
That means embracing a diverse energy portfolio, investing in innovation, strengthening California’s energy independence, and ensuring that every decision we make considers the families and employers who ultimately pay the price.
The latest PPIC survey is more than another public opinion poll. It is a warning from the people we represent.
Californians are not asking us to lower our ambitions. They are asking us to raise our standards.
They want policies that work, not just on paper, but around the kitchen table.
We can continue leading on environmental stewardship while making California more affordable. We can protect our natural resources without sacrificing economic opportunity. We can build an energy future that is both clean and dependable.
That’s not choosing between the environment and affordability.
That’s choosing common sense.
And it’s time Sacramento started listening.
Suzette Martinez Valladares represents the Santa Clarita Valley in the state Senate.“Right, Here Right Now” appears Saturdays and rotates among local Republicans.
