THAT’S DEBATABLE:

State lawmakers are considering a bill that would offer incentives to divert public money from sprawled development to cut down on greenhouse gases. Developers battled an earlier version of the bill last year, and some municipal leaders feared it would yield too much zoning power and transportation planning to the state. What do you think of Senate Bill 375?

SB 375 overrules local land use and zoning control in the name of global warming. It is just another attempt at central planning, that often-tried and always-failed concept based on the false premise that a few unelected experts can make sound decisions for the rest of us. SB 375 strangles exurban growth to make small incremental emissions improvements.

We could cut far more CO2 emissions if we lifted the obsolete ban on building new nuclear power plants. This would allow us to electrify much of the transportation system with affordable and reliable power, and to make hydrogen for vehicles with the excess nighttime electricity.

Chuck DeVore

Assemblyman

(R-Newport Beach)

Transferring planning authority to unelected regional bodies takes away the representation that voters expect in their local government. SB 375 transfers important decisions on traffic relief, transportation and development from your city council to regional entities that undermine local desires. Additionally, provisions in SB 375 add costly burdens to business and home buyers, limiting economic growth. Implementation of this legislation will cost more than $500,000 annually, growing government at a time when we can least afford it. For these reasons, I oppose the bill.

Van Tran

Assemblyman

(R-Costa Mesa)

California’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can be realized by empowering local governments and the private sector, not punishing or excluding them.

Perhaps well-intentioned, SB 375, if passed, will undermine local control by imposing stringent, state-imposed rules that will prevent needed housing and economic growth for our state. SB 375 also forces agencies to shift funds from highway projects to urban transit projects that have been proven failures nationwide.

This bill is inconsistent with what voters want because it diverts transportation money away from essential highway projects.

Sen. Tom Harman