Letter from Sacramento: Action During Coronavirus

The thing that is and should be on everyone’s mind now is the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is changing everything. It is not subtle and it is requiring everyone to step up and perform.

Here’s a quick information dump to let you know what we’re doing as an organization, what your state government is doing, and what you can do.

What We Are Doing
From Monday, March 16, until science dictates otherwise, Sierra Club staff and volunteers no longer hold person-to-person meetings. All staff--and we hope all of our members and supporters--are staying at home to help try to keep the virus in check.

We are using or learning how to use technology more effectively. We’re staying in touch through videoconferencing and telephones. Adapting isn’t seamless, but we’re making it work.

We continue to advocate for clean air, clean water, wild spaces, renewable energy and a strong response to the climate crisis from our homes. We are also aligning with our allies who are trying to make sure Californians who are losing their livelihoods are not cut off from water service or thrown out of their apartments. We’re aligning with our immigrant and refugee communities and pushing for protections that make sure they aren’t victimized during this pandemic.

Watch for emails in the coming days and weeks about the work we’re doing during these very challenging times.

What State Government is Doing
No governor in recent memory has faced as many emergencies as has Governor Gavin Newsom. He had barely a minute to celebrate his election before he had to deal with a mass shooting. Then there was the devastating Paradise wildfire, followed by other massive wildfires and the bankruptcy of a major utility.

Now there’s coronavirus. Newsom and a handful of other governors have done the right thing in their responses. He’s been forthright with Californians, delivering bad news and looking for ways to stanch the worst outcomes. He’s opened up hospital beds. He’s persuaded us all to stay home.

Newsom and his staff have negotiated agreements to help keep people with mortgages in their homes and keep the lights on as unemployment climbs. He’s placed a moratorium on evictions. He’s added shelters for the homeless. And he’s been masterful in dealing with a very, very weird president to get hospital supplies to the state.

There’s more Newsom can and will have to do. Farmworkers need better care. And everyone needs to know their water won’t be shut off if bills are missed.

But Newsom deserves credit for what he’s done so far to get the state through a huge challenge. He and the mayors of some of California’s largest cities, in particular, have shown executive leadership we can be proud of.

The legislature passed an emergency budget item to make sure Newsom had the resources needed to respond to the virus. Then legislative leaders rightly sent everyone home to work from there to deal with the crisis. Now we’re waiting to see if and when the legislature will reconvene as a body to take more votes. And if it reconvenes, will it be only to pass an essential budget or will it continue to consider other legislation?

At state agencies, state workers are getting settled into working from home. Some have begun doing workshops and other meetings via webcasts. Others are setting up the systems to do so. For years the communications technology capabilities for agencies have differed dramatically. This event is forcing all of them to come up to speed.

What You Can Do
It should go without saying, but I’ll say it just in case: Stay home. If you aren’t a worker in an essential service, including health care and grocery work, stay home and stay away from others outside of your household until virus experts give us the “all clear” signal.

It is still possible to be an effective environmental activist from home. All you need is access to the internet (which you have if you’re reading this) and a telephone to make some calls.

Now is a good time to learn more about environmental issues. My staff is developing webinars about key issues, and I anticipate active volunteers will do the same. I know other organizations are also developing webinars and webcasts to create a more informed activist base.

This coming week, Daniel Barad, our organizer on forest issues and in-house expert on biomass incineration, will be presenting a webinar, Biomass 101. You can sign up for a session on March 31 or April 1.

This is also a good time to read deeply about environmental issues. While there are plenty of great books out there that you may be familiar with or have waiting on your reading list, there are also a lot of valuable state reports that you may not be familiar with.

One of our current favorites is “Recommendations for Implementation of a Statewide Low-Income Water Rate Assistance Program.”

Finally, one of the most important things you can do is support each other. Call and email and videoconference. And please stay well.