About Us

Marin Group Leadership

2024 Executive Committee Officers

Chair Shea Putman
Vice-chair Pamela Meigs
Secretary Sam Penrose
Treasurer Chance Cutrano

Sam Ruben
Jenny Silva
Holli Thier
Thomas Tunny

Open Positions on the Executive Committee

We currently have three open positions on our ExCom
and are looking for enthusiastic leaders! 
Please email sampenrose@gmail.com 
if you’d like to be considered for an appointment to our ExCom board.

Also, every year there is an ELECTION starting in June
for active members to become ExCom Board members. 

For information, calendar, and candidate forms,

2024 POSITIONS

Conservation Committee
Open

Political Committee
Chair: Sam Ruben
Alternate: Jenny Silva

SF Bay Chapter ExCom Rep:
Main: Sam Penrose
Alternate: Thomas Tunny

COMMITTEES

Plastic Free Marin Committee

PlasticFree Marin is an active community group dedicated to eliminating single-use foodware and promoting the transition to reusables through policy, behavior change, supporting businesses, and uncovering emerging solutions and business models. We welcome concerned Marinites who want to contribute to the movement to free ourselves from single-use plastic and the commensurate tragic problems of ocean pollution, global warming, and wildlife habitat destruction. We meet the second Tuesday of each month from 6:30 - 8 pm.

Meeting ID: 863 662 4918
Passcode: 1pyFja

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Meeting ID: 863 662 4918
Passcode: 696770

Political Committee

The Sierra Club Marin Group Executive Committee has a very high standard for its political endorsements, including the candidate’s proven commitment to environmental leadership and record on issues. The Sierra Club requires a 2/3 majority vote of the Sierra Club Marin Group Executive Committee and approval by the Sierra Club Bay Chapter Political Committee for an endorsement.  Local candidates seeking an endorsement completed a detailed questionnaire and an interview.

SIERRA CLUB CALIFORNIA

Dear Judy,

Over the last month, I’ve heard from a number of individuals inquiring about how Sierra Club California operates, who works here, and how Sierra Club volunteers around the state can aid our efforts. Many of these members are new and want a primer on our chapter. Others are long-time members curious as to which staff member they should contact about a given issue. 

Fear no more: the answers you seek are here! (If you already have an idea of the workings of Sierra Club California, here’s a nice reminder). 

Sierra Club California is the legislative and regulatory advocacy arm of Sierra Club in California. We’re unlike any other Club chapter anywhere in the country. We focus only on state-level issues and campaigns.

We’re based in Sacramento, just a few blocks from the Capitol building. In pre-pandemic years, a normal day would consist of our staff shuffling about the Capitol and state agencies, meeting with legislators and decision makers and their staff in person. Nowadays, that advocacy has shifted to virtual meetings and phone calls. 

Our chapter is governed by a volunteer board of directors or, in Club parlance, an executive committee. The positions we take on legislation, who we endorse in elections, and where we stand on regulatory issues are determined by groups of volunteers who are active in a variety of committees. 
 
Staff of Sierra Club California

If you want to be involved in state-level issues as a volunteer, there’s a place for you and it could be on one of Sierra Club California’s committees. If you’re more interested in local issues, there’s a place for you in a local chapter. There are 13 local chapters around the state.

The staff of Sierra Club California includes three policy advocates (we’re currently hiring another! ), two organizers, an administrator, and a communications person. Our operations staff keeps our office running, our communications person keeps our newsletters and social media flowing, while our organizers work hard to ensure that you - our members and volunteers - are engaged and educated on specific campaigns. 

Our policy advocates represent Sierra Club California at the state legislature and regulatory agencies by advancing pro-environmental policies and bills, and stopping harmful policies and bills. 

Our legislative advocacy is a critical component of the work we do to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to enjoy and preserve California’s beautiful and unique lands, coasts, waters, and communities. Every year, we track more than 500 bills that have some implication for the environment. 

This year, the deadline for getting bills introduced is February 18. So far, about 55 bills have been introduced that have some environmental content. By February 18, that number will likely increase substantially (pre-pandemic, it was common for bills with environmental keywords to exceed 600). 

As bills are filed, policy advocates research and analyze them - consulting a wide array of resources for information, including the expert knowledge of many of our volunteers. Staff use this information to develop suggested positions, and then take those suggested positions to our volunteer legislative committee, who establish the final position on the bill. By mid-March, we will post a list of 2022 priority bills on our website.

Individual Sierra Club members and local Sierra Club chapters should not independently take positions on bills. If a bill arises that a member or local chapter believes should have a Club position, please email our legislative committee chair Patricia Jones at pvjones10@gmail.com. She can make sure the committee considers it.

Also, if you want to track particular bills or learn more about a bill’s status, the state has an excellent bill information system online at http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.

Sierra Club California is California’s largest grassroots environmental advocacy organization. That wouldn’t be possible without members like you. At least once a week, we reach out to different members around the state to take an action that will benefit the environment, asking you to either call your legislator, send an email to a regulator, or get involved in a local campaign. 

Our members taking action is critical for decision makers to witness the power of the Sierra Club. So if you’ve just joined the Sierra Club—or been a member for years—you’re playing a key role in protecting the environment and our communities across the state. 

Sincerely, 
Kathryn Phillips

Brandon Dawson
Director

February 1, 2022