January 23, 2015
A new legislative session in Sacramento began in earnest this month, and it did so with some strong and encouraging examples of leadership. And the examples weren’t always expected.
I’ve collected a short list of leadership examples that give hope for the state and the planet. I pulled this together because, well, I haven’t been feeling too happy about the environmental news I’ve been reading lately.
So much of it is related to the effects of human-caused climate disruption. The drought is getting worse. Species populations are diving toward extinction. I could go on.
I was talking to a colleague about this, and she talked about hope and investing in hope. So I started cataloguing the signs of hope.
That’s when I realized that I needed to compile this list.
A quick google of the word “leadership” shows that it has a lot of definitions. But I like the one noted in Wikipedia and attributed to an academic expert on leadership. Leadership is "a process of social influence in which a person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task". Put another way, it’s the ability to set and express an agenda that inspires people to do great things together.
So here’s my short list of leadership examples that give hope:
- Governor Jerry Brown. He hasn’t always been a friend to the environment and aligned with the Sierra Club. But this year, on the first day the legislature convened, Governor Brown used the opportunity of his inaugural address to inspire new action to address climate change. He laid out three specific goals to achieve by 2030 as a way of declaring and illustrating that California can and must do more to cut climate disrupting pollution. There’s more to come from the administration and the legislature in the next few weeks about meeting—and exceeding—those goals. That work, though, was given a huge boost from a few important paragraphs in the governor’s speech.
- Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon. Last month, and then again this month at a convening of environmentalists in Sacramento, Senator de Leon told the audience—and the world—that any effort to weaken California’s climate change laws and regulations would not be tolerated in the Senate. That pretty much puts a kibosh on efforts started last year by the oil industry and others to use the legislature to try to roll back regulations on carbon-based fuels. Additionally, Senator de Leon and a group of other senators are preparing a legislative package that will help California continue to reduce climate change pollution while creating new good jobs.
- Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins. As one of her first pieces of legislation this year, Speaker Atkins introduced a bill that will help end the ivory trade in California that results in the slaughter of elephants and other ivory-bearing animals around the world to fund terror groups. You’ll hear more about this as the legislation moves through, but know now that this bill will have an international impact. Notably, too, at a climate change conference in Oakland in December, Speaker Atkins joined the governor and Senator de Leon in firmly siding with the majority of Californians on the need to continue acting to reduce climate change pollution.
- Assemblymember Henry Perea. I would not have predicted a year ago that Assemblymember Perea would be on my list recognizing good environmental leadership. Last year, he led an unsuccessful legislative effort to roll back part of California’s cap-and-trade regulations. Since then, a number of environmental allies and others have spent time discussing the climate change issue with Mr. Perea, sharing with him evidence of the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the impact climate change is having and will have on disadvantaged communities, and the opportunities that addressing climate change has for creating new jobs. This month, Assemblymember Perea authored a letter urging that disadvantaged communities get their fair share of cap-and-trade revenues, as required by legislation Sierra Club supported. He also introduced legislation to ensure technical assistance funds are made available to disadvantaged communities applying for funds for projects that reduce climate pollution.
As I started compiling this list, more names popped into mind. Unfortunately, I’m running out of space. But I’m also feeling invested in hope and the notion that is so key to Sierra Club: People coming together can protect the planet.
I encourage you to create your own list of inspiring leaders who are making a difference for California’s environment this month. Feel free to share it with me and I’ll share it with others.
Sincerely,
Kathryn Phillips
Director
Sierra Club California is the Sacramento-based legislative and regulatory advocacy arm of the 13 California chapters of the Sierra Club.
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