Letter from Sacramento: Keeping Up With The Governor in 2022

We’re now only one month away from 2022. (Crazy isn’t it?)

2022 will be a particularly interesting year for California politics. Not only are there congressional and state legislature races in new electoral districts, but Californians will also be voting for the state’s constitutional officers as well.

Each of these offices plays a key role in protecting California’s environment and advancing our fight against the climate crisis.

The Lieutenant Governor and State Controller both sit on the State Lands Commission - a key agency charged with managing and protecting California’s publicly owned lands. The State Treasurer has the power to encourage divestment from fossil fuel companies and promote investment in clean energy resources. The Attorney General prosecutes environmental crimes and aids in the enforcement of protective environmental laws and regulations.

But no constitutional officer has as much authority to protect the environment as the Governor.

My predecessor couldn’t have said it better: “[w]hen you are governor, you can set a tone for the entire state. People are listening to you from San Diego to Eureka.” And with our current governor, people around the world often have an opinion on what he does.

As governor, one wields tremendous power over whether and how much the state government values environmental protection. They draft the state budget, and choose whether and how much to invest state dollars in fighting climate change and protecting natural resources. They can promote or kill environmental legislation at any stage of the legislative process. And they also control the state regulatory agencies that have a direct impact on California’s environment and communities.

In other words, it’s a hugely important job.

Given this, there’s no question as to why Sierra Club California has had a variety of opinions and reactions to the actions taken by the governor over the last three years.

One the one hand, we hailed his signing of executive orders to encourage transportation electrification and to protect California’s unique biodiversity. On the other, we’ve called out his muddy water policy, brought attention to his Parks Department’s abandonment of its mission, and criticized his legislative deficiencies in both 2019 and 2020.

Just two months ago, after he defeated a complete waste-of-time and expensive recall attempt, I wrote that I would be monitoring how the governor’s approach to the environment shapes up as he settles into a post-recall period.

Sierra Club members and supporters deserve to know how their elected officials are addressing the climate crisis. You do the tough work of advocating in your communities and bringing about the necessary changes to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to explore, enjoy and protect California’s unique landscapes.

So because the job of “Governor of California” is so important to this mission - and because 2022 is a key election year in California’s fight against climate change - I’m excited to announce that starting in January 2022, Sierra Club California will be publishing a new newsletter every other month dedicated to assessing the Governor's performance.

This newsletter - aptly titled “Newsom News Now” - will document actions the governor and his administration has or hasn’t taken over the past two months to fight climate change, improve environmental quality in California communities, and better protect California’s pristine parks and wildlands.

Moreover, the newsletter will direct Sierra Club California’s members and supporters on how they can take action and ensure that the Governor is either appropriately lauded, or pushed to take bolder action.

The newsletter will not only be from myself, but also our policy advocates, who will detail firsthand how the Governor is or isn’t influencing the state agencies and spaces they work hard in everyday to protect the environment.

Stay tuned!