Sierra Club California is the legislative and regulatory advocacy arm of Sierra Club in California. Unlike any other Club chapter anywhere in the country, it focuses only on state-level issues and campaigns.

Based in Sacramento, just a few blocks from the Capitol building. In pre-pandemic years, a normal day would consist of 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. 

The chapter is governed by a volunteer board of directors or, in Club parlance, an executive committee. The positions on legislation, endorsements in elections, and stands on regulatory issues are determined by groups of volunteers who are active in a variety of committees. 
 

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. (For local Marin issues, stay on this site!)

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

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. 

Legislative advocacy is a critical component of the work to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to enjoy and preserve California’s beautiful and unique lands, coasts, waters, and communities. Every year, Sierra Club California tracks more than 500 bills that have some implications 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 uses this information to develop suggested positions, then takes those suggested positions to our volunteer legislative committee, who establish the final position on the bill. By mid-March, a list of 2022 priority bills will be posted on the 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 SCC legislative committee chair Patricia Jones at pvjones10@gmail.com. She can make sure the committee considers it.

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. 

This information on Sierra Club California was provided by its director, Brandon Dawson, on 2/1/2022