The California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) and CEJA Action (a project of Beyond Impact) welcome their 25th year of community powerbuilding with the release of the 2025 EJ Scorecard.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 10, 2026
Contact:
Taylor Thompson – Director of Development and Communications
taylor@ceja.org; 619-520-6740
(Sacramento, CA) – In 2026, the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) and its affiliated 501c4 organization, CEJA Action (a project of Beyond Impact), entered their 25th year of powerbuilding in communities living on the frontlines of environmental injustices throughout California.
Under the central message of “Grounded in Community, Growing Through Action: 25 Years and Beyond,” CEJA and CEJA Action will celebrate past accomplishments while working to advance the environmental justice (EJ) priorities determined by CEJA’s member organizations and partners, and hold state representatives and the executive branch accountable to EJ communities.
CEJA’s Priorities: Retire, Replace, and Restore
CEJA’s ten member and partner grassroots organizations represent communities across the state living on the frontlines of environmental hazards. The member and partner organizations share information on their local community organizing efforts with one another, and collectively determine the priorities for state-level action.
As part of a braided approach, CEJA and CEJA Action work together to advance environmental justice under three issue areas: Climate Justice, Energy Justice, and Equitable Land Use. Each issue area utilizes a broad range of approaches and tactics to support its priorities, which are categorized as either Retire, Replace, or Restore.
Retire
CEJA and CEJA Action will partner to retire supply-side infrastructure that lead to environmental hazards, such as oil refineries and wells and gas plants. The braided approach also includes retiring systemic issues, such as profit-driven utilities capture of regulatory agencies and industry-driven development planning processes.
Replace
CEJA and CEJA Action will partner to replace harmful infrastructure with responsible and renewable community-scale and utility-scale energy production to support electrification and affordability. Problematic systems will be replaced by community-driven decision-making, where neighborhoods make planning and energy development decisions, and cumulative pollution impacts on EJ communities are centered in the process.
Restore
CEJA and CEJA Action will partner to ensure past and present harms are mitigated by supporting asset retirement planning and obligations for polluting industries, community and worker transition funds, land restoration, community access to natural spaces, and green social housing. The vision is an environmentally just future for all, where every California family has safe, affordable access to clean air, water, housing, and land where they live, work, and play.
Legislative Accountability: 2025 EJ Scorecard
Each year, affiliate organizations CEJA and CEJA Action analyze the decision-making of the entire California State Legislature to determine whether lawmakers voted with or against environmental justice. This is especially critical to track at a time when our health and safety protections are under targeted attack at the federal level. The 2025 EJ Scorecard is out now.
On February 10, 2026, CEJA Action hosted its annual EJ Scorecard briefing to announce the analysis results of the 2025 legislative session. CEJA scored lawmakers based on floor and committee votes on six priority bills from our environmental justice agenda. These bills reflect critical fights over energy affordability, housing safety, community oversight, and corporate accountability. A recording of the EJ Scorecard Briefing will be shared through CEJA Action’s website and social media accounts in the coming weeks.
Bills We Supported
- AB 1167 (Berman) – Prohibits investor-owned utilities from using ratepayer money for lobbying and promotional activities, helping rein in rising energy bills and utility influence.
- SB 24 (McNerney) – Blocks utilities from spending ratepayer funds on political influence and efforts to oppose public or municipal power options.
- AB 1318 (Bonta) – Protects nonprofit access to state funding by ensuring eligibility under California tax law, especially critical amid growing federal threats to nonprofit organizations.
- SB 655 (Stern) – Establishes the state’s responsibility to ensure homes can maintain safe indoor temperatures, addressing extreme heat risks faced by low-income tenants and frontline communities.
Bills We Opposed
- SB 237 (Grayson) – Shields oil companies expanding drilling in Kern County from environmental review and litigation, increasing health risks for frontline communities.
- SB 131 (Wiener) – Creates a sweeping CEQA exemption for so-called “advanced manufacturing,” allowing high-risk industrial projects to move forward without environmental review or community input.
Community Points
In addition to votes, the Alliance awards Community Points to recognize lawmakers who engage directly with environmental justice communities beyond the Capitol. These points acknowledge actions such as attending community tours, listening to resident testimony, and advocating for environmental justice principles during policy development. Community Points provide a percentage boost to a legislator’s final score, and representatives who received the most community points are highlighted as Honorable Mentions.
Top of the Class – Scored 100% or higher
These leaders demonstrate what it looks like to put people, health, and community power first.
Assembly Members
Dawn Addis
Assembly District 30
(Central Coast)
Rebecca Bauer-Kahan
Assembly District 16
(East Bay)
Tasha Boerner
Assembly District 77
(San Diego)
Mia Bonta
Assembly District 18
(East Bay)
Damon Connolly
Assembly District 12
(Marin)
Senators
Catherine Blakespear
Senate District 38
(San Diego)
John Laird
Senate District 17
(Santa Cruz)
Honorable Mentions
CEJA also recognizes legislators who showed meaningful leadership by asking tough questions, pushing back on harmful proposals, or advancing critical environmental justice protections, even when the political terrain was difficult.
Senator Caroline Menjivar
Senate District 20
(Los Angeles)
Senator Sasha Renée Pérez
Senate District 25
(Pasadena)
Senator María Elena Durazo
Senate District 26
(Los Angeles)
Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes
Senate District 29
(San Bernardino)
Organizational Sustainability for the Next 25 Years: Both Organizations Need You
As nonprofit organizations, both CEJA and CEJA Action rely on community support to conduct their work, and neither receives any government funding. Will you join the community of supporters by committing to a $25 per month donation?
Not sure which organization to give to? Here is a breakdown of which organization does what, and some tax law information that may be helpful.
CEJA (501c3): Donations to CEJA are tax-deductible and can be made anonymously.
Primarily focused on advocacy with the California state executive branch and regulatory agencies to uplift EJ community priorities. A small portion of CEJA’s activities includes legislative work and nonpartisan election work.
CEJA Action (501c4): Donations to CEJA Action are not tax-deductible, but can be made anonymously, except if specific to CEJA Action’s PAC (see below).
Primarily focuses on advocacy with the legislative branch, such as lobbying and elected official education on EJ priorities. A small portion of CEJA Action’s activities includes work related to elections and candidates.
CEJA Action PAC (527): Donations to the PAC through CEJA Action are not tax-deductible and cannot be made anonymously. Please email taylor@ceja-action.org to discuss donations to CEJA Action’s PAC.
Conducts candidate endorsements to influence elections.
