FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2025
Contact:
Vienna Montague, Vienna.Montague@asm.ca.gov, Office of Assemblymember Zbur
Robin Tung, robin@buildingdecarb.org, Building Decarbonization Coalition
California Passes Bill to Advance Clean Energy Transition through Cities & Counties
AB 39 will empower cities and counties to modernize by expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure and planning for building electrification and clean energy resources to benefit residents, businesses, disadvantaged communities, and low-income households.
SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Legislature passed Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur’s (D-Hollywood) Local Electrification Planning Act (AB 39) today, positioning California to take a major step toward modernizing local energy infrastructure and ensuring that Californians––especially low-income households and disadvantaged communities—benefit from the clean energy transition.
AB 39 will require cities and counties to develop comprehensive local electrification plans that expand electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, decarbonize homes and buildings, integrate clean, renewable energy resources to meet growing demand, and protect public health in the face of worsening extreme heat and climate threats.
“California is facing a future of worsening extreme heat, wildfires, and pollution—with the hardest impacts falling on low-income families and communities,” said Assemblymember Zbur. “Addressing the climate crisis requires an all-of-government approach, and AB 39 empowers local governments to lead in developing solutions tailored to their communities’ unique needs. By ensuring that renters, multi-family housing residents, and disadvantaged neighborhoods have access to clean power and EV charging, we can make this transition equitable—so that every Californian benefits from a healthier, more resilient future.”
California’s transportation and building sectors generate over 60% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions fuel dangerous climate and weather events like extreme heat, which has caused nearly 4,000 deaths in California between 2010 and 2019. Without intervention, extreme heat could escalate to become the seventh leading cause of death, resulting in as many as 11,300 fatalities each year. AB 39 will support local governments in expanding access to clean cooling technologies such as heat pumps, which can reduce climate pollution while safeguarding public health.
“We thank Assemblymember Zbur and the California Legislature for their leadership in supporting cities and counties in the clean energy transition,” said Madison Vander Klay, Senior Government Affairs Manager at the Building Decarbonization Coalition. “AB 39 prioritizes low-income and working-class communities most impacted by extreme heat, and this bill will support expanding access to highly efficient cooling through heat pumps.”
AB 39 directs local jurisdictions to identify opportunities for expanding EV charging and other zero-emission fueling infrastructure, with a focus on underserved neighborhoods. This will be critical in helping California build out the estimated 1.1 million EV chargers needed for its target of getting 5 million EVs on the road by 2030, and achieving 100% zero-emission sales for new passenger vehicles by 2035.
“We commend Assemblymember Zbur and the Legislature for passing AB 39, which empowers local governments to modernize and expand critical EV charging infrastructure,” said Darryl Little Jr., State Policy Director at CALSTART. “By building out the charging network that renters, households, and drivers need to adopt EVs, this bill helps support and accelerate the EV market, improve air quality, and move California closer to its climate goals.”
Co-sponsored by the Building Decarbonization Coalition and CALSTART, AB 39 now heads to the Governor for consideration by October 12.
###
Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur serves as the Democratic Caucus Chair for the California State Assembly and represents the 51st Assembly District, which includes Universal City, Hollywood, Hancock Park, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Westwood, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and other portions of Los Angeles.
The Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC) aligns critical stakeholders on a path to transform the nation’s buildings through clean energy, using policy, research, market development, and public engagement. The BDC and its members are charting the course to eliminate fossil fuels in buildings to improve people’s health, cut climate and air pollution, prioritize high-road jobs, and ensure that our communities are more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Learn more at www.buildingdecarb.org.
CALSTART is a mission-driven industry organization focused on transportation decarbonization and clean air for all, CALSTART has offices in New York, Michigan, Colorado, California, Florida, and Europe. CALSTART is uniquely positioned to build the national clean transportation industry by working closely with its 285 member companies and building on the lessons learned from the major programs it manages for the State of California. CALSTART manages more than $1 billion in vehicle incentive and technical assistance programs in the United States and is leading a global effort to build the zero-emission commercial vehicle market.