Senator Josh Becker's dirty double-crossing energy bill SB 540 sell out

Senator Josh Becker's dirty double-crossing energy bill SB 540 sell out

By Lynda Carson - April 28, 2025

For some reason, there have been an absolute total corporate news media blackout regarding a extremely bad controversial energy bill SB 540 (Becker), known as “Pathways, supported by corporate lobbyist Scott Wetch,” which cedes control over California environmental laws to Trump, according to Consumer Watchdog.

https://consumerwatchdog.org/energy/dirty-deal-how-a-corporate-utility-fixer-is-poised-to-turn-over-california-climate-law-to-trump/

https://consumerwatchdog.org/energy/report-explains-why-powerful-electric-worker-lobbyist-scott-wetch-flipped-on-plans-to-turn-ca-climate-laws-over-to-trump-self-interest-ai-data-center-push-behind-sb-540-exposed/

Additionally, Sacramento’s politicians Josh Becker, representing Senate District 13, (D-Menlo Park) and Senator Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles), Vice Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policy, have sold out and are in the pocket of BIG MONEY, https://sd13.senate.ca.gov/news/press-release/april-22-2025/committee-unanimously-approves-measure-to-expand-californias , and are supporters of SB 540.

In contrast, the District Council of Iron Workers, California State Council of Laborers, and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers are in direct opposition to SB 540:

Meanwhile, the District Council of Iron Workers, California State Council of Laborers, and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers are in opposition to SB 540, and in part in a letter to Senator Becker, politician in the pocket of BIG MONEY, it says, “Dear Senator Becker, On behalf of our organizations and the hundreds of thousands of workers we collectively represent, we write to express our current opposition to Senate Bill 540 due to its potential significant economic and employment consequences, particularly for middle-class, blue-collar workers. We urge this committee to slow down this process so that we can see how the current federal government is going to impact California’s energy markets and determine the effect of this bill on instate industrial jobs.

The hardworking men and women of the construction trades are the backbone of California’s economy, delivering the critical infrastructure necessary to sustain our communities and industries. Our trades collectively represent tens of thousands of skilled workers essential in constructing and maintaining our energy infrastructure. Producing power in-state allows California to ensure that its high-road labor and environmental values are upheld as we work to meet the climate crisis and continue to power our state. We are committed to protecting our environment and the working-class families that drive California’s economy.

Our trades were not consulted as this proposal was developed, so our members' concerns were not considered when developing this bill. With prior bills considering multistate markets and regionalization, robust job studies showed massive job losses to the industrial trades. We can all agree California is not in a position to afford to lose industrial jobs at this scale. Additionally, as of this week, we are seeing an attack on California’s energy portfolio as the Trump administration is mounting an assault on our shared commitment to sustainable power generation and is also pressuring the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to implement the Administration’s new energy directive. Additionally, the recently accepted CAISO tariff does not give California the ability to unilaterally rescind from any subsequent multi-state market-thus arguably giving FERC increased access to our energy markets. As SB 540 is not intended to take effect until 2027 at the earliest, and there is, therefore, no dire urgency, we ask that you allow time for the Federal policies to take shape so that we can determine the potential effect on Cali- fornia and will enable us to also conduct an independent jobs study at a credible California institution and provide that report to the legislature. The legislature, rate-payers, and the blue-collar workers that power our state deserve this information before rash decisions about policy are made that could have such significant negative consequences.

We share the author’s concerns about curtailed renewable power and urge this legislature to consider streamlining battery storage projects so that we can effectively and efficiently store California-made green power to independently power our state in accordance with our high road labor and environmental standards. At this moment in history, it would seem that collaborative efforts to bolster our energy independence would be well-spent.

On behalf of our hard-working members, thousands of whom power our state, we ask that you not rush into policy that might have a devastating effect on hundreds of thousands of industrial jobs and make our state more vulnerable to federal policy aimed at undermining decades of environmental policy in California. Please slow down the consideration of Senate Bill 540; as such, we oppose SB 540. Thank you.”

Push Behind SB 540 Exposed:

Click on link below…

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/consumer-watchdog-report-explains-why-powerful-electric-worker-lobbyist-scott-wetch-flipped-on-plans-to-turn-ca-climate-laws-over-to-trump-self-interest--ai-data-center-push-behind-sb-540-exposed-302431744.html

That’s right! There has not been a peep in the news about the extreme controversial energy bill SB 540 (Becker), known as “Pathways, which is supported by lobbyist Scott Wetch formerly of Carmichael, CA https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202410159687738973 , and the Democrats and Republicans in Sacramento, from KQED News, or other local major news outlets such as ABC, CBS, NBS or Channel 2, Fox News.

See a few links below…

https://consumerwatchdog.org/energy/dirty-deal-how-a-corporate-utility-fixer-is-poised-to-turn-over-california-climate-law-to-trump/

https://consumerwatchdog.org/energy/report-explains-why-powerful-electric-worker-lobbyist-scott-wetch-flipped-on-plans-to-turn-ca-climate-laws-over-to-trump-self-interest-ai-data-center-push-behind-sb-540-exposed/

Click on link below for more about Scott Wetch…

https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Scott+Wetch

The extreme controversial energy bill SB 540 supported by lobbyist Scott Wetch is scheduled to be voted on, on April 29, 2025.

The Controversial Energy Bill SB 540 (Becker), known as “Pathways.”

https://kpfa.org/episode/consumer-watchdog-report-dirty-deal/

Senate Judiciary Tuesday (they vote April 29) – if your member is on this committee.

We already have all the grid connections we need without giving up control. It’s a manufactured fear by the same forces that got us into the Enron crisis that cost us $40 billion in the year 2001.
 
Don’t sell us out. Vote NO on SB 540 in Senate Judiciary Committee on April 29.
Or Abstain (NVR – no vote recorded).


SENATE JUDICIARY
Senator Thomas Umberg Chair (916) 651-4034
Senator Ben Allen. (916) 651-4024
Senator Angelique Ashby  (916) 651-4008
Senator Anna Caballero (916) 651-4014
Senator Maria Elena Durazo (916) 651-4026
Senator John Laird (916) 651-4017
Senator Eloise Reyes (916) 651-4029
Senator Henry Stern (916) 651-4027
Senator Aisah Wahab (916) 651-4410
Senator Akiah Weber Pierson. (916) 651-4039
Senator Scott Wiener  (916) 651-4011

https://www.senate.ca.gov/senators

Consumer Watchdog Report:

According to a Consumer Watchdog report, in part it states, “Once a vocal opponent of California entering a regional energy grid, Scott Wetch now backs the very policy he previously claimed would devastate California’s environment, raise rates, and cost millions of jobs,” said Justin Kloczko https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DD9.pdf , author of “Dirty Deal: How A Corporate Utility Fixer Is Poised To Turn Over California Climate Law To Trump.”

“To understand Wetch’s flip, you just need to follow the money.”

The report traces the economic motivations for Wetch’s change of heart and the massive wealth the worker lobbyist has accumulated, including a $13 million real estate portfolio with a $4 million dollar ocean view home in Maui, which he notoriously shopped for on the Fox Business TV show https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6316429485112 “American Dream Home.”

The longtime influential Sacramento lobbyist previously blocked multiple grid regionalization efforts—including Assembly Bill 813 in 2018 and AB 538 in 2023—citing fears of ceding California’s energy policy to a Trump-controlled Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Now, with SB 540, Wetch is not only backing the proposal but actively lobbying for it under a new Trump regime, said the California nonprofit. Other building trades unions – including the laborers, iron workers, and boilermakers — oppose moving forward with SB 540 based on concerns about Trump.”

Click below for more…

https://consumerwatchdog.org/energy/report-explains-why-powerful-electric-worker-lobbyist-scott-wetch-flipped-on-plans-to-turn-ca-climate-laws-over-to-trump-self-interest-ai-data-center-push-behind-sb-540-exposed/

Scott Wetch Campaign Contributions:

https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Scott+Wetch

WETCH, SCOTT
ROSEN FOR NEVADA
08/18/2024
$1,000.00

WETCH, SCOTT
JACKY ROSEN VICTORY FUND
08/12/2024
$1,000.00

WETCH, SCOTT
CRAIG GOLDMAN FOR CONGRESS
11/17/2023
$1,000.00

WETCH, SCOTT
DNC SERVICES CORP / DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE
09/19/2020
$7,200.00

WETCH, SCOTT
BIDEN FOR PRESIDENT
09/19/2020
$2,800.00

WETCH, SCOTT
BIDEN VICTORY FUND
09/19/2020
$10,000.00

WETCH, SCOTT
CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY
10/31/2016
$2,300.00

WETCH, SCOTT WILLIAM
KAMALA HARRIS VICTORY FUND
10/27/2016
$5,000.00

WETCH, SCOTT
KAMALA HARRIS FOR SENATE
10/27/2016
$2,700.00

WETCH, SCOTT W
HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT
01/11/2008
$1,000.00

WETCH, SCOTT W
MIKE THOMPSON FOR CONGRESS
04/01/1997
$500.00


Lynda Carson may be reached at Newzland2 [at] gmail.com

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