The conservative states are Alabama, Nebraska, Texas and North Dakota. But a prominent Republican doesn't see it their way.
In an exclusive interview with ABC7 George Shultz explained why he's co-chair of the no on prop 23 campaign.
"Finally after all these years, we're starting to do something about the problems of energy," he said.
Shultz supports the state's green house gas legislation known as AB 32 and says limiting oil consumption is critical.
"Because what's the money that Iran is using to build a nuclear weapon? Oil money and so on around the world, and now we have the climate issues," he said.
On the other side, the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce said Prop 23 will save jobs.
"Prop 23 will protect large numbers of well paying blue collar union jobs and industries most heavily impacted by the new global warming law," Julian Cañete from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce said.
The argument for Prop 23 is that the state's economy is too fragile to be burdened with global warming regulations OF AB 32.
"Yes on 23 is critical to protecting local businesses local jobs," Wendy Hopkins from the Yes on 23 campaign said.
And the other argument expressed by senate candidate Carly Fiorina, is that California alone shouldn't be setting the standards.
"A better solution to AB 32 is a national energy policy that makes sense," she said.
Shultz supports Carly Fiorina's bid for the senate but says she's wrong about Prop 23. He says the golden state is leading from the ground up, the same way the state led the nation in auto emission standards.
"So you can't just wait for the people in Washington, you got to do something and ground up works," he said.
The non-partisan legislative analyst's office has studied the economic impact of California's global warming legislation and found there is a negative impact at least in the short term. But the analyst called that negative impact slight.
While Texas oil companies and the billionaire Koch brothers in Kansas, whose fortune were founded in oil back Prop 23, San Ramon-based Chevron is staying neutral.
