SACRAMENTO, CA (June 3, 2025)—Today, as legislators are in session moving bills toward key legislative deadlines, Greenpeace USA activists deployed banners in the Capitol Rotunda naming nine Democrats who take large sums of money from the oil and gas industry and receive failing grades on progressive issues. Activists also took to the Legislative Swing Space, hand-delivering letters, posting flyers, and handing out postcards – reminding all legislators that their corporate donors and voting records are matters of public interest.
These activities in the Capitol come as a continuation of Greenpeace USA’s ongoing “Dirty Dems” campaign, a collaboration with California Working Families Party and Courage California that holds California State legislators accountable for their damaging connections to the oil and gas industry and their failure to support critical climate, economic justice, and progressive priorities.
Photos from today’s event will be available at this link.
Amy Moas, Ph.D., Greenpeace USA Senior Climate Campaigner, said: “Today, we’re in Sacramento putting legislators on notice – the Assembly Members and Senators who take the most money from the oil and gas industry and have a poor voting record on progressive issues will be exposed. Real leadership is about accountability to California’s communities who are suffering in the face of the mounting climate crisis – not to the corporate donors writing checks.
“The Dirty Dems we’ve named have turned their backs on the people who elected them. But by no means are they the only culprits in California’s Legislature selling out their communities to corporate donors instead of protecting them. There are elected officials on both sides of the aisle who must do better – everyone in Sacramento needs to put communities first.
“The toxic oil and gas industry continues to make record profits while we suffer the costs. Every dollar these legislators take from corporate cronies contributes to bigger wildfires, hotter heatwaves, more climate devastation, and more harm to our most vulnerable communities. We need brave bold action from our legislators to address the climate crisis. It is time the polluters who created this mess pay to clean it up.”
“Dirty Dems” Class of 2025
Nine legislators have been named in the “Dirty Dems” Class of 2025: Jasmeet Bains, Mike Gipson, Melissa Hurtado, Stephanie Nguyen, Blanca Pacheco, James Ramos, Blanca Rubio, Susan Rubio, and Esmeralda Soria. You can read more about each of their campaign donations and voting records here.
Holding the Legislators Accountable
Thousands of candidates and elected officials have already signed what’s known as the “No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge,” showing that people who refuse to take corporate donations can – and will – win. Find out more about the pledge and those who have already signed here.
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Contact: Greenpeace USA, [email protected]
Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.
