California is Filling the Climate Leadership Grift

California Governor Gavin Newsom in March 2025 claimed that greenhouse gas emissions are down in California – not just down but “down 20% since 2000.” He attributed it to “state investment from cap and trade spending: “State invests nearly $33 billion in cap-and-trade dollars to make communities cleaner and healthier.”

Monday, the Governor’s Press Office sent out an email touting “California and Pacific partners issue joint statement, deepening cooperation on climate adaptation and resilience,” and claimed, “California is filling the leadership void” in the Paris Climate Accords Agreement-aligned climate goals.

“California and Pacific partners affirmed their shared intent to build long-term climate resilience and protect people, ecosystems, and economies from the growing costs of a changing climate,” the Governor’s Press Office said.

The governor is “investing” California taxpayer’s money in one of the biggest and most egregious scams in the history of the world.

The “state investment from cap and trade spending” is now roughly $34.5–$35 billion total since the cap and trade program began. 

However, of this amount, only $12.8 billion as of early 2025 reporting has been implemented in actual projects, according to the California Air Resources Board.

What are these “projects?”

According to the California Climate Investments website, here is what they offer businesses:

Programs for Businesses

Businesses can receive funds to reduce climate pollution through clean transportation, waste prevention, clean air initiatives, and more.

California Climate Investments is a portfolio of over 110 State climate programs that fund projects and programs like:

• Community-led projects (e.g., community car sharing, composting)

• Household-serving voucher programs (e.g., rebates for the purchase of cleaner cars, woodstove replacements)

• Large-scale infrastructure projects (e.g., affordable housing, transit)

How about other projects? Here is what they offer to individuals:

Programs for Individuals

Individuals can save money on transportation, energy and heating expenses while helping California reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Learn about open funding opportunities, resources to help you learn more about California Climate Investments and how to apply for funds, and read stories of funded projects benefiting individuals.

California Climate Investments is a portfolio of over 110 State climate programs that fund projects and programs like:

• Community-led projects (e.g., community car sharing, composting)

• Household-serving voucher programs (e.g., rebates for the purchase of cleaner cars, woodstove replacements)

• Large-scale infrastructure projects (e.g., affordable housing, transit)

What do you know! Businesses and individuals are offered the same projects!

What do you know? Farmers are offered the same projects:

Programs for Farmers

Farm and ranch owners, managers, operators and agricultural workers can receive funds for equipment and management practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Learn about open funding opportunities, resources to help you learn more about California Climate Investments and how to apply for funds, and read stories of funded projects led by farmers.

California Climate Investments is a portfolio of over 110 State climate programs that fund projects and programs like:

• Community-led projects (e.g., community car sharing, composting)

• Household-serving voucher programs (e.g., rebates for the purchase of cleaner cars, woodstove replacements)

• Large-scale infrastructure projects (e.g., affordable housing, transit)

But where the rubber meets the road is for all of the other entities, which actually offered OPEN FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES, RESOURCES FOR NONPROFITS, and ALL PROGRAMS FOR NONPROFITS.

The California Climate Investments are really just open funding for non-profits, local governments, tribal governments, transit agencies, and schools and universities, and not for businesses, farmers or individuals.

My favorite under Investments in Action: Projects Funding Nonprofits, is the “High Road To Better Agricultural Jobs.”

“the High Road to Better Agricultural Jobs project is an Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) venture that aims to engage farmworkers and produce industry employers in its certification program, helping farms and farmworkers meet improved workforce, safety, and sustainability standards.”

“Through its current HRTP funding, EFI is expanding on its engagement with labor-management teams, giving them access to sustainability training to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

This means nothing. Offering farmworkers sustainability training? Really?

The photo from the California Climate Investments High Road To Better Agricultural Jobs speaks volumes:

“High-Speed Rail is funded in part by California Climate Investments and has distinct approaches and methodologies for spending funds and tracking and assessing project benefits,” the CARB says. How much, you ask?

According to California Climate Investments, cumulative project spending, which includes planning and construction through mid-2024, is $13 billion total, with Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) and California Climate Investments as a major but not sole contributor (alongside voter-approved bonds like Prop 1A, federal grants, and other state funds).

and… For the funded Expenditure Authorization, $20 billion toward Phase 1, San Francisco to Los Angeles to Anaheim, with a total projected Phase 1 cost of $106 billion. Including projected Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund revenues through 2030, California Climate Investments/GGRF is expected to cover 40%, with the rest leveraged from other sources – still hoping for that $3.1 billion federal grant.

The High Speed Rail grift may be worse than the climate grift, except the climate grift is funding the High Speed Rail grift – all out of taxpayers’ pockets, and extorted from California businesses.

$$Billion$$. Can you  imagine how much better your life would be if those taxes were back in your bank account?

Be sure to take a moment to read How California Climate Investments Benefit Californians:

“From affordable housing to clean transportation, urban greening to sustainable agriculture, waste diversion to technical assistance, and more, the diversity of our program types reflects the many approaches needed to effectively mitigate and address the impacts of climate change.”

“Programs provide a variety of benefits to priority populations, including cleaner air, increased mobility options, greener communities, expanded access to clean energy, and new employment opportunities.”

How’s that affordable housing going? Urban greening anyone? Waste diversion? How are your increased mobility options? Expanded access to clean energy? New employment opportunities?

Not one of these programs is real or provides any of the claims. CalDOGE, we have a job for you.

Here are the screen shots of the CARB California Climate Investments programs: