Chapter and Group Executive Committee Candidate Statements

Since 1993 I’ve been a member of the Sierra Club because I believe in its vision and principles: to enjoy, preserve and protect the planet. Over many years I’ve enjoyed hiking, biking, camping and backpacking to explore and become renewed by Mother Earth. Since 2018, I have been a member of the Coasters Political Endorsements Committee and a Co-chair of the Sierra Club Oceanside Team. I recently began to serve on the Coasters Conservation Committee. I’ve also been an active volunteer with other NGO’s including Brother Benno’s which serves low income families and homeless people in North County. Professionally, I have successfully worked to enact state and local policies to increase residential energy efficiency and sustainability for over 30 years.
Collective action is the most effective ways to bring about the changes needed to respond to the climate crisis and environmental degradation. Participating in the Sierra Club, one of the largest and most recognizable environmental organizations in the country, is a powerful way to take collective action. We need to transition to a clean energy economy. The technology is already here, its cost-effective and readily available. We need to advocate for and enact the policies locally and nationally that will move us toward driving down carbon emissions so we can build a better future. Equally important, we need to build resilience into our communities to withstand the effects of the climate extremes we are already experiencing. We must work collectively within our local communities and on the state and national level to achieve these goals for the planet.
I also believe that Sierra Club must work toward a more equitable, inclusive and just society. We have recognized for a long time that the most vulnerable people with the fewest resources are also the most negatively impacted by bad environmental policies. I support the Sierra Club joining in the public debate that erupted throughout the country in 2020 to examine our history and the current policies that have deprived people of color, women and other minorities from equal rights and an equitable share of our country’s prosperity.
I would be honored to serve on the Coasters ExCom to work for local North Coastal communities that are sustainable and resilient. Thanks for your consideration!

One of my goals as a potential Executive Committee member is to further strengthen the communication and connection between community volunteers and Chapter leadership.

In the winter of 2016, seeking an outlet for the post-election angst in which I was mired, I attended the quarterly meeting of the North County Coastal Group of the San Diego Sierra Club Chapter. At the meeting I volunteered to work with the MyGeneration Group on bringing Community Choice Energy (CCE) to the City of Encinitas. I also volunteered to serve on the Political Committee for the North County Coastal Group. I have been an active Sierra Club member since that time.

The work with the MyGeneration Group contributed in part to Encinitas joining San Diego Community Power as one of the five founding members. Our work included meeting with elected officials, speaking at public meetings, tabling at community events and gathering signatures of support for CCE from the public.

In 2016, with the Political Committee I was involved in the efforts to screen, interview and recommend several successful candidates in the five north county beach cities, candidates for state office races and congressional races. Most of the endorsed candidates were successful in their election races. In 2019 I became chair of the Political Committee. For the 2020 our team vetted dozens of candidates, revised candidate questionnaires, interviewed selected candidates and made recommendations for Sierra Club endorsement.