CJAC Statement on Senate Judiciary Committee Voting Down SB 222

Media Contact:
Nick Mirman
nick@cmpublicaffairs.com

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (April 8, 2025) — Today, Kyla Christoffersen Powell, President and CEO of the Civil Justice Association of California (CJAC), released the following statement after SB 222 (Wiener) failed to pass in the Senate Judiciary Committee:

“Californians are looking to their legislative leaders to address our state’s cost-of-living crisis. Supporting SB 222 would have been a doubling down on the same types of policies that have made living in California more expensive.

“I applaud the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who stood up for a more affordable California and voted down this unconstitutional measure. Let’s work together on policies that will actually lower the cost of living while helping to rebuild areas devastated by January’s wildfires.”

CJAC led the coalition in opposition to SB 222, which would have allowed private individuals to bring retroactive lawsuits against energy companies (coalition letter to Senate Judiciary Committee can be viewed here). 

An independent analysis done by the California Center for Jobs and the Economy showed that SB 222 could have caused the price of a gallon of gas to jump to $7.38 per gallon (a 63% increase), while household electricity rates could have increased by 31%. As a result of SB 222’s massive cost increases, the average California household could have seen their annual expenses increase by $6,200, drastically increasing the cost of living in the state.