As California legislators first contemplated comprehensive climate action in the early 2000s, environmental justice activists recognized the connection between climate policy and the everyday challenges faced by the state’s poorest and most vulnerable residents. They understood the urgency of climate action because their communities were likely to be the least able to cope with impending climate impacts, like sea level rise, heat waves, and wildfires. And they understood that efforts to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) could accomplish multiple goals, including reducing the persistent air pollution plaguing many parts of California.