Proposition 23, a direct-democracy ballot question that aims to suspend California’s 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act, is getting named, and its current title is making supporters of the measure unhappy. When the proposition was submitted to the attorney general’s office, it was named the “California Jobs Initiative,” which was supposed to reflect the results of some studies that projected that the implementation of the Act would lead to some job losses.

However, it is the role of the attorney general to name ballot questions, and he changed to title to “Suspends Air Pollution Control Laws Requiring Major Polluters to Report and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions That Cause Global Warming Until Unemployment Drops Below Specified Level for Full Year.”

The attorney general’s name is certainly more descriptive. The proposition, which is being funded by several Texan oil companies, aims to suspend California’s climate legislation until unemployment in the state stays below 5.5% for four consecutive quarters. Unemployment in the state is currently above 11%. 

The Act is a landmark piece of legislation in the US, and has been an engine driving Low Carbon Fuel Standards and national vehicle emissions standards. The Act has also kept momentum in the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), a regional greenhouse gas accord that will create a cap-and-trade mechanism for American and Canadian members starting in 2012. If Proposition 23 passes, the future of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the WCI is uncertain.

By Jeff Beyer, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)