Jewish groups launch battle against Prop. 23

A coalition of Jewish leaders across California is waging a campaign against Proposition 23, a Nov. 2 ballot initiative that would freeze the state’s landmark clean air legislation until the state’s unemployment rate drops below 5 percent.

The Northern California, Los Angeles and Orange County chapters of the American Jewish Committee this week circulated an open letter to rabbis and community members urging them to vote “No” on Prop. 23 and spread the word about their campaign.

Among the letter’s 59 signatories are Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; Rabbi Martin Weiner, rabbi emeritus of Congregation Sherith Israel in San Francisco; Deborah Newbrun, Bay Area director of Hazon; and Jonathan Axelrad, Bay Area co-chair of the AJC Energy Task Force.

Other signatories to the letter include the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life.

“As California Jews, we are a motivated, bipartisan constituency that can make a difference when we apply our energy to ensure a clean economy happens,” Axelrad said. “As all communities need to be concerned about saving money and promoting our own economic security, so does the Jewish community.”

Opponents of Prop. 23 have nicknamed it the “Dirty Energy Prop,” arguing its passage would “significantly slow the development of the clean economy that is helping to power California out of recession,” according to the AJC letter. 

Supporters call the proposition the “California Jobs Initiative,” stating that suspension of the state’s Global Warming Act (AB 32), aimed at capping state-created greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, would perhaps save more than 1 million jobs.

Two Texas-based refinery giants, Valero Energy Corp. and Tesoro Corp., are major financial backers of the “Yes on Prop 23” campaign.

Studies show the impact that AB 32 will have on California jobs is still under dispute.

Axelrad, who helped organize last year’s Jewish Response to the Energy Crisis, or J-REC, conference in San Francisco, said the issue of creating a “green economy” has “tremendous appeal” to Jewish and non-Jewish young adults looking for work in the clean technology sector.

 “No on Prop. 23 will help us save money and create green-collar jobs,” Axelrad said. “We’re focused on making sure it doesn’t go through. If it does, the stakes are huge.”