FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2025
Contact: Robin Tung, robin@buildingdecarb.org
Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur’s Local Electrification Planning Act will empower cities to modernize for clean energy transition
AB 39 will help modernize cities by expanding electric vehicle charging, decarbonizing homes and buildings, and increasing clean energy resources to benefit residents, businesses, disadvantaged communities, and low-income households.
SACRAMENTO – Today, Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur’s (D-Hollywood) Local Electrification Planning Act (AB 39) was passed in the Assembly Local Government Committee. This key legislation will empower California cities and counties to develop or adopt an electrification plan, or other similar plan, that expands electric vehicle (EV) charging, clean energy infrastructure and resources, and decarbonizes homes and buildings to meet the needs of Californians while supporting the state’s climate targets and prioritizing renters, low-income households, and disadvantaged communities.
“One of my priorities is to empower cities and counties to partner in the crucial effort to combat climate change, especially as extreme heat, wildfires, and climate impacts intensify,” said Assemblymember Zbur. “We have to prepare and plan at the state and local levels so that we can expand EV charging, electrify our homes, and increase clean energy infrastructure to meet the needs of our unique communities. AB 39 will help create partnerships across all levels of government to ensure accessible and equitable electrification, especially for renters, multifamily residents, low-income households, and disadvantaged communities.”
California has ambitious goals of drastically reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. This is critical as fossil fuel use in homes and buildings as well as the transportation sector exacerbates climate change and extreme weather. Extreme heat has likely caused nearly 4,000 deaths in the last decade, and heat waves are predicted to intensify and could increase twenty-fold in California unless the state can curb carbon emissions. Local electrification planning is needed to build climate resilience and reduce climate emissions in the building and transportation sectors, which combined, generate nearly 65% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.
“Local jurisdictions are essential partners in making the places where we live, work, learn, and play safer, healthier, and more climate resilient,” said Madison Vander Klay, Government Affairs Manager at the Building Decarbonization Coalition. “AB 39 can help prioritize our vulnerable communities through strategic planning that expands access to pollution-free heat pumps for life-saving cooling during extreme heat and air filtration during unhealthy air days or wildfires.”
By 2030, California will need an estimated 1 million EV chargers to support the 8 million passenger EVs that are anticipated to be on the road. The state will also need to deploy nearly 4 million heat pumps by 2030 to reach its target of installing 6 million heat pumps. While both the building and transportation sectors have seen progress, AB 39 will help local governments develop and implement electrification strategies to ensure that the state can meet its climate goals while ensuring that renters, low-income households, and disadvantaged communities are not left behind in the clean energy transition.
“The Local Electrification Planning Act recognizes the importance of local decisionmakers and their ability to improve the lives of residents through clean energy and infrastructure planning,” said Trisha DelloIacono, Head of Policy at CALSTART. “While California leads the nation with over 178,000 EV charging stations––nearly 50% more EV chargers than gasoline nozzles in the state––we both need and can build the chargers to serve a growing EV fleet. AB 39 will help local jurisdictions build and expand EV charging infrastructure to support our existing needs and widespread adoption.”
The Local Electrification Planning Act is co-sponsored by the Building Decarbonization Coalition and CALSTART. Next, the bill will be heard in the California Assembly Committee on Appropriations.