Friends in High Places

It's back to work this month for lawmakers in Sacramento.  Last November's election means new faces in the capitol, though many of these faces are familiar to us here at CLCV.

Out of the over 50 legislative candidates that we endorsed, 95% of them won their races!  On top of that, former CLCV staff member Betsy Butler won one of the hardest fought races in Southern California and will now be serving as the Assemblywoman for Assembly District 53 (Torrance).  She'll be joining another former CLCVer who has been serving as an elected in Sacramento since 2008 - John Perez.  After serving on the CLCV Board for over a decade, Perez stepped down to run for the Assembly seat in the 43rd district.  Last year he was elected by his colleagues to become the Speaker of the Assembly.

The good news doesn't stop with the legislature.  As one of his last acts before leaving office, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed two CLCV Board Members to prominent environmental boards.  Board Member Wendy Mitchell will now be serving on the California Coastal Commission along with CLCV Board Member Steve Blank and CLCV Southern California Director David Allgood. The Coastal Commission is the regulatory body responsible for decisions that affect our world-renowned shoreline, coastal fisheries, marine habitat and wildlife, and the public's access to beaches.  With CLCV family on the Commission, we can feel more confident that the best decisions will be made to protect our coasts from inappropriate developments and pollution.

Schwarzenegger's other appointment was of CLCV Board Member Charlie Stringer to the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.  He will be serving alongside another CLCV Board Member, Fran Diamond.  The LA Regional Water Quality Control Board is responsible for protecting ground and surface water quality in the region, including beach water quality and the catchment and treatment of storm water runoff. 

While times are uncertain for the Golden State, conservation voters can rest assured that our well-placed allies will be using their voices and their votes to make sure California prioritizes the environment.