A new study finds that California’s Latinos are being economically squeezed by the state’s progressive climate policies, which impact industries such as agriculture, construction, trucking and manufacturing.
Lead researchers from Chapman University’s Demography and Policy Department, including former Democratic state Senate Minority Leader Gloria Romero, released the “El Futuro es Latino” report this week, which was first obtained by Fox News Digital. Researchers identified several areas in the state where Latinos, categorized by state census data, face hardship.
Soledad Urzua, the project’s lead researcher and a member of the Los Angeles County Venice Neighborhood Council, told Fox News Digital that her findings show that Latinos are “the youngest and fastest growing population in California. “Despite being a growing workforce, the state’s progressive policies are putting this group at a disadvantage.” “Reduced opportunities” due to state regulations to achieve zero carbon goals.
Housing affordability and the failures of California’s public school system are also included in the report.
Wind turbines at the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm near Palm Springs, California, generate electricity as a dust storm blows through. (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
“These industries are generally associated with what can best be described as a very Latinx ‘carbon economy,’ where employment is affected by such regulations,” Soledad said.
According to the report, California’s policies “systematically weaken critical blue-collar sectors (such as construction and agriculture) made up of primarily Latino workers, resulting in business stagnation.” Or it is causing decline.”
At the same time, environmental regulations that affect most middle-class Californians have contributed to California’s soaring housing prices, which are among the highest in the nation, and are contributing to California’s population exodus.
“As much of California’s historically white middle class migrates to other states, Latinos are poised to fill the void,” the report says.
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Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in San Francisco, California on October 6, 2022. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
For example, one obstacle for Latino workers is California’s truck ban, which requires that by 2035, about 55% of delivery vans and light trucks, 75% of buses and large trucks, tractor-trailers and other 40% of its big rigs are required to be fully electric. By 2045, California will completely ban the sale of gasoline and diesel trucks.
“There are about 30,000 trucks registered at the port, and while small and medium-sized businesses are struggling, it’s the big companies with deep pockets and large facilities who can make the transition,” Ursúa said. “Electric trucks with huge batteries can cost more than $400,000 and cannot travel long distances without being charged for extended periods of time, which undermines the economics of trucking fleets.”
While state environmental regulations impact Latino workers, they also have a major impact on small farmers and businesses. In January, a coalition of business groups led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed a federal lawsuit. against the state of california Regarding two recently enacted laws that force companies to disclose climate data.
of chamber of commerce — and co-plaintiffs American Farm Bureau Federation, California Chamber of Commerce, Central Valley Business Federation, Los Angeles County Business Federation, and Western Producers Association, allege in the lawsuit that state law requires companies to disclose their direct and indirect emissions. It says it will be mandatory, making it “nearly impossible for companies to calculate accurately.”
Other states have already followed California’s truck ban, including Colorado, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Connecticut, Maine, and North Carolina. There is.
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Tank truck running on the highway
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Meanwhile, Republican states have been unable to fight back in court. U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Ohio, Alabama, Texas and other Republican-led states have blocked an attempt to strip California of its authority to set auto emissions standards stricter than those set by the federal government. The court ruled this week that the states had failed to demonstrate how California’s emissions standards would drive up the cost of gas-powered vehicles in each state.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement Tuesday that “the transition to clean vehicles has already begun. The industry is moving there, major automakers support our standards, and California is ahead of schedule. “We are reaching our goal many years early.” “We will never stop fighting to protect our communities from pollution and the climate crisis.”
Thomas Catenacci of The Associated Press and FOX News contributed to this report.
