What we do: The Political Committee (Pol Comm) identifies candidates for local political offices (e.g., city council, County Board of Supervisors, State legislators, House of Representatives) who are concerned about the environment and likely to take pro-environment positions if elected. The Pol Comm recommends these candidates for Sierra Club endorsement and supports their campaigns. The Pol Comm also meets with elected officials to explain Sierra Club positions and encourage votes and actions that will be environmentally friendly.

Why the Political Committee is important:

• Elected officials at all levels affect the environment we live in – their decisions affect transportation, air quality, water quality, energy consumption, park operations, land development, and more. For example, city councils approve environmental impact reports that clear the way for new housing developments. The County Board of Supervisors oversees all the Regional Parks and has considered privatizing the management of our parks.

   

• The OC Political Committee (PolComm) identifies candidates for local political offices (e.g., city council, County Board of Supervisors, State legislators, House of Representatives) who are concerned about the environment and likely to take pro-environment positions if elected.

What you can do: Review the volunteer opportunities below and sign up to volunteer with the Pol Comm. There are three levels of participation, with three levels of time commitment, from frequent and regular participation (Pol Comm member) to periodic / moderate participation (Pol Comm Advisor) to occasional / ad hoc participation (Pol Comm worker). You also can provide us your contact information so we can keep you of fundraising opportunities for the Sierra Club PAC because we try to provide endorsed candidates with dollars as well as volunteers.

Sierra Club Political Committee Volunteer Opportunities

 There are three levels of volunteer work to get involved in:

1. On-call Political Committee Workers
2. Political Committee Advisors
3. Political Committee Members

On-call Political Committee Workers:

• Are on an email list maintained by the Pol Comm
• Are contacted after a candidate in their city or region of the county has been endorsed and advised of opportunities to support endorsed candidates
• Support endorsed candidates by precinct walking, phone banking, stuffing and mailing letters, or other tasks as requested by the campaign
• Do not attend Pol Comm meetings
• Are typically active a few hours only in the month leading up to an election; can choose which campaigns to work with and what activities to participate in

Political Committee Advisors:

• Help draft questions specific to a particular city or region of the county
• Review questionnaire responses and advise Pol Comm on whether to interview candidates from their city or region of the county
• Participate in interviews of candidates from their city or region of the county
• Advise the Pol Comm on endorsement decisions of candidates in their city or region of the county
• Participate in district meetings with elected officials from their city or region of the county
• Provide advice by phone, email, or in person – may attend the Pol Comm meeting occasionally – work is typically concentrated in the 3-4 months before an election, plus any district meetings throughout the year

Political Committee Members:

• Design questionnaires
• Review questionnaire responses and decide whether to interview the candidate
• Participate in candidate interviews
• Vote on endorsement recommendations
• Complete paperwork for endorsements
• Interact with candidates – send questionnaires, schedule interviews, work with endorsed candidates to use Sierra Club endorsement properly
• Participate in district meetings with officials after election
• Meet once a month throughout the year