SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), author of last year’s Assembly Bill 3030 (AB 3030), released a statement today in response to President Joe Biden’s announcement to conserve 30 percent of U.S. land and 30 percent of its ocean waters by 2030, a plan known as “30 by 30” that also guided California’s AB 3030 and subsequent statewide executive order by Governor Gavin Newsom:
“Last year, California became the first state in the nation to adopt a 30 by 30 goal, joining dozens of countries around the world that have also adopted similar initiatives. Today’s announcement by President Joe Biden to protect 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030 demonstrates our shared goals and this Administration’s commitment to making America an environmental leader again.
“I am proud that through measures like AB 3030, California continues be at the forefront of important conversations about climate action and biodiversity protection, and that these bold steps we take can help inform decisions made on a federal level on how to conserve natural spaces for future generations.
“The 30 by 30 goal provides benefits for all people and the connection between global health and the health of our environment is now clearer than ever—we must continue to work together to preserve our finite ecological resources. Especially as more and more people seek respite in outdoor spaces during this pandemic, we also need to uplift the voices of climate-vulnerable communities and ensure that everyone is benefitting equitably in our efforts to protect nature.”
In October, an executive order by Governor Gavin Newsom included a statewide “30 by 30” conservation goal, an initiative that was first championed by Assemblymember Kalra and environmental advocates through AB 3030. More than 50 countries to date have adopted similar targets.
AB 3030 declared it to be the goal of the state to protect at least 30 percent of California’s land areas and waters and to help advance the protection of 30 percent of the nation’s oceans by 2030, while addressing the racial and economic inequities in these spaces by improving equitable outdoor access to nature among marginalized communities—those who suffer the worst impacts from environmental injustices.
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Assemblymember Ash Kalra was first elected to the California Legislature in 2016, representing the 27th District, which encompasses approximately half of San Jose and includes all of downtown. In 2020, he was re-elected to his third term. Assemblymember Kalra is the Chair of the State Assembly Labor and Employment Committee and also currently serves as a member on the Housing and Community Development, Judiciary, Transportation, and Water, Parks, and Wildlife committees.