When you think of California’s biggest air quality problem, your mind might wander to gridlocked freeways or smoggy valleys. But here’s the real culprit: the trucks moving goods across the state. On Tuesday, May 20, advocates descended on the State Capitol to make that case crystal clear—and to show lawmakers exactly what the future of clean transportation looks like.
California Electric Fest brought state legislators face-to-face with the solution. Hosted by Earthjustice and CALSTART, the event wasn’t just another policy pow-wow. Visitors could walk among Class 8 trucks, delivery vans, school buses, passenger vehicles, and e-bikes—all electric, all on display right there at the Capitol. Nearly 90 people participated, including industry experts, environmental advocates, and public health groups. The message was unmissable: the technology is here. Now we need the investment to make it mainstream.
Michael Berube, president and CEO of CALSTART, laid out the stakes plainly:“Today in California, big trucks are the number one source of air quality problems. It is a really important issue for lots of communities. When you go electric, you solve that problem and you can get a more affordable choice at the same time.”This isn’t just feel-good environmentalism—it’s an economics story wrapped in a health story. Communities bearing the heaviest air pollution burden stand to benefit most from electrification. And electric vehicles, once you scale them, cost less to operate than diesel alternatives.
The challenge? Federal rollbacks on EV support are making the case harder to make. That’s where state leadership comes in. Ada Waelder from Earthjustice framed it this way during meetings with lawmakers:“We’ve seen rollbacks at the federal level in terms of support for electric vehicles, but in order to clean up our skies, in order to support a strong economy, in order to make the transition to a modern goods movement system, we need to invest. California has always been a leader in this technology, and it’s important that we continue to be so.”The subtext is clear—without aggressive state action now, California risks ceding a trillion-dollar industry to other states and countries.
The day capped with an ice cream social served from an electric ice cream truck. A playful touch, sure, but also a message: clean transportation isn’t a future burden. It’s here, it works, and it can serve your community better than what came before. The real test comes next—whether lawmakers convert Tuesday’s curiosity into funding and policy.
About the Author
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
