California Warming Law will Kill Jobs, Concludes Nonpartisan Report

Proponents of California’s greenhouse gas reduction law used flawed economic models to assert the bill will create more jobs than it kills, concludes a new report from the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office – California’s Nonpartisan Fiscal and Policy Advisor.

Key to their successful efforts to pass A.B. 32 – the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 – legislative proponents and the California Air Resources Board promised state residents the bill would have a net effect of creating jobs.

According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, however, A.B. 32 will have a net effect of killing jobs for as far into the future as LAO can predict.

Additionally, A.B. 32 will “almost certainly raise” prices of electricity, gasoline, and other energy sources for as far into the future as LAO can predict.

LAO has been providing fiscal and policy advice to the Legislature for more than 65 years. It is overseen by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC), a 16-member bipartisan legislative committee. LAO currently has a staff of 43 analysts and approximately 13 support staff.