2024 Candidate Statements

Each member can vote for the Executive Committee leaders for the San Francisco Bay Chapter and the Executive Committee for their local group (see map for approximate group boundaries or call the chapter office at 510-848-0800 if you're not sure what group you're part of).

Note that the membership dates listed for each candidate are those listed in the Club membership database, but may not be completely accurate, especially for earlier time periods.

For instructions on casting your ballot and number of open seats, return to the Chapter election homepage.

***Please note that all candidates marked with (P) are petition candidates.***

Click the following options to be brought to the relevant candidate statements:

Chapter
Delta Group
Marin Group
Mount Diablo Group
Northern Alameda County Group
San Francisco Group
Southern Alameda County Group
Tri-Valley Group
West Contra Costa County Group

**Candidate statements within each section are listed in alphabetical order by last name. Statements appear as written by candidates.**

Chapter Executive Committee

There are thirteen candidates. You may vote for up to four.

***Please note that all candidates marked with (P) are petition candidates.***

Eric Brooks

Residence: San Francisco
Occupation: Full Time Grassroots Organizer
Sierra Club member since: 1994
Contact: brookse32@sonic.net
Activities:

SF Group: Conservation, Housing, Transportation
Bay Chapter: Water, Energy-Climate, Federal Parks
California: Energy-Climate, National: Grazing Team

Statement:
I’ve worked four decades as a fulltime grassroots environmental, consumer, and justice organizer for CALPIRG, Sierra Club, Human Rights Campaign, Forests Forever, In Defense of Animals, Our City SF, and I co-coordinate the SF Bay Shoreline Contamination Cleanup Coalition (see sfbayshorelineccc.org )

I’ve helped, often as a lead coordinator, to: Save Headwaters old growth redwood forest, block anti-environmental/worker global ‘free trade’ deals, launch several community clean energy programs and defend them from PG&E attacks, stop a natural gas plant being built in SF’s Bayview Hunters Point, defend frontline Environmental Justice communities from dangerous housing development on toxic and radioactive waste sites, stop the pro coal Trump administration and Berkshire Hathaway taking private fossil fuel industry control over California’s publicly managed clean energy-based electricity grid, and win scores of other campaigns.

I am a native Californian, grew up in the Eastern Sierra mountains, and have a deep concern and love for nature, forests, and watersheds to the core of my bones. I spent my childhood in the forests Sierra Club was founded to save, protect and restore.

My top priorities are to:

Reverse the climate and extinction crisis through local, state and national action for 100% localized clean renewable energy and transportation, and by eliminating destructive, wildlife destroying industrial agriculture.
Anchor Sierra Club’s work in Environmental and Economic Justice. While Sierra Club has made this a priority, it’s vital we go beyond words and actually make this change happen. I’ll continue to use my work with frontline EJ communities to help make this real.
Solve the housing crisis by transforming our unused transit-ready urban office space, and tens of thousands of existing vacant housing units, into affordable housing, so we don’t generate massive greenhouse gas emissions building new housing with cement, logged trees, and diesel powered construction machines.

Garen Checkley (P)

Residence: San Francisco
Occupation: Product Manager
Sierra Club member since: 2015
Contact: GarenCheckley@gmail.com
Activities:

SF Bay San Francisco Group Executive Committee Member
San Francisco Group Conservation Committee Member
Rainbow Sierrans Member
San Francisco Group Housing Committee Member
San Francisco Group Executive Committee Member
San Francisco Group Events and Growth Committee Member
I also attend and organize outings. My interest is issue-based outings, combining Sierra Club members’ love of being outdoors with learning about local issues. To this end I have organized the following in 2024:
SF Port Sea Level Rise Mitigation Plan Walk, in partnership with the SF Port and attended by 30+ existing and interested Sierra Club Members
SF Botanical Garden Walk, to learn about about the urban gardens and the evolution of the funding and visitation of the Botanical Gardens (low attendance due to stormy weather)

Statement:
I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve at the Sierra Club Chapter level.

Climate Change is my top priority. While the problem is global, there are plenty of opportunities locally to mitigate and adapt. This means focusing on two key issues:

Transit and transportation – we need accessible, reliable, safe and well-funded public transit as an alternative to private transportation, and we need to support a rapid EV transition. I’m also interested in ensuring public transit is a viable option to enjoy the outdoors, from local parks to Yosemite.
Buildings and housing – we need to decarbonize buildings rapidly, which means making it easier and cheaper to install heat pumps and stoves. We also need to accelerate the construction of new infill housing in transit-rich areas to reduce car-dependent sprawl.

In addition to advocacy as a member of the San Francisco Group Executive Committee, I also lead issue-based outings. These outings combine Sierra Club members’ love of being outdoors with learning about local politically-relevant issues. In 2024, I organized the SF Port Sea Level Rise Mitigation Plan Walk (in partnership with the SF Port and attended by 30+ existing and interested Sierra Club Members) and the SF Botanical Garden Walk. I believe in the power of outings to welcome new Sierra Club members and bring together existing members.

Personally, you’re likely to find me walking the dog in Golden Gate Park, watercoloring in Yosemite, or making a batch of salsa with fresh produce from a local farmers market.

Shawn Danino (P)

Residence: Oakland
Occupation: Housing Policy Manager at City of San Jose
Sierra Club member since: 2024
Contact: shawn.danino@gmail.com
Activities:

I learned about participation opportunities at Sierra Club through multiple friends and colleagues in the housing and environmental justice movement, but have long been familiar with the impact and legacy of the organization.
I serve on the board of Transport Oakland and Transform, advocating for sustainable, walkable, mixed-use communities that deeply aligns with the Sierra Club’s work and mission.

Statement:
My name is Shawn Danino, I use he/they pronouns, and I come with over a decade of experience advocating for environmental justice, affordable housing, and safe, walkable streets. I am a dues-paying union member, a child of immigrants, and a civil servant. I spent the last five years at the State Housing Department, where I planned for over a quarter million homes across California, and had the pleasure of reviewing Oakland’s housing element, the 8-year housing plan where they would outline their plan to accommodate nearly 30,000 new homes.As part of this work, I founded a $100 million grant program to finance affordable backyard homes, got the Rockridge neighborhood desegregated to accommodate an additional 5,000 mixed-income homes, and launched the Prohousing Designation program, where I advocated to include menu items that rewarded Cities for advancing Vision Zero, protecting bike lanes, and planning Bus Rapid Transit Routes.I care deeply about building affordable infill housing, as well as planning more mobility lanes for bikes, scooters and wheelchairs. I am a candidate for Oakland City Council At-Large running on a deeply prohousing, pro-mobility platform that centers climate change and affordability, above all. I have concrete plans to streamline the approval of these mobility lanes, target tree canopy and other capital improvement programs to areas of disinvestment, and legalize neighborhood markets on Day One so that Oaklanders have more commercial options that do not require a car trip. I currently serve on the Board of TransForm and Transport Oakland, where I advocate for safe streets and environmental justice, and would be thrilled to work with the Sierra Club to use my expertise to plan for sustainable, walkable human-scale Cities that set us up to address the climate crisis.

Maxwell Davis (P)

Residence: Oakland
Occupation: Hardware Engineering Manager
Sierra Club member since: 2021
Contact: maxwellwdavis@gmail.com
Activities:

Member, Sierra Club Northern Alameda County Conservation Committee
Chair, Northern Alameda County Executive Committee

Statement:
As a passionate advocate for livable, sustainable cities, I am seeking a position on the Chapter Executive Committee to further champion the environmental causes that are critical to our region. When people have reliable, accessible transportation options, streets designed for walking and biking, and the ability to live near jobs and services, we can reduce car usage, improve air quality, and lower greenhouse gas emissions, creating more resilient and equitable communities.

As Chair of the Northern Alameda County Group over the past year, I have been a strong advocate for these causes. I established a Housing Committee and Transportation Committee at the Group level, and together we have written powerful letters advocating for safer streets, more housing, and cleaner, more vibrant cities. For a full list of the letters the NAC Group worked on this year, please visit our blog here: sierraclub.org/sfbay/northern-alameda-county/nac-northern-alameda-county-group-blog

In my free time, I am an avid hiker and camper, enjoying the beauty of the regional parks and national parks that the Sierra Club has fought to protect. These green spaces are vital for our well-being and must be preserved and expanded for future generations. Together, we can create greener, healthier communities for everyone.

Becky Evans

Residence: San Francisco
Occupation: Paralegal/retired
Sierra Club member since: 1969
Contact: rebecae@earthlink.net
Activities:

San Francisco Group Conservation Committee member, 1975-2023
Sierra Club staff - 1972-1987
Chair, San Francisco Group - 2005, 2022, other
Chapter Political Committee, at-large member
Chapter Finance Committee, member
Federal Parks Committee
Council of Club Leaders - Delegate/Alternate 2015-2022
Chapter Executive Committee - several terms from 2011, as dictated by Bylaws
Chapter Chair - 1981-84; 2014-16
Sierra Club Colby Library volunteer 2005-present
People4/Parks
Jack Morrison Medal, 2014, San Francisco Tomorrow
SF Board of Supervisors' Certificate of Honor, 2018 - for advocacy promoting the health of San Francisco Bay and Waterfront. Ed Bennett Lifetime Achievement Award.

Statement:
Nominated by the SFBay Chapter Elections Committee, I am a candidate for the SFGroup's Executive Committee.

I am running for for the Executive Committee for three reasons: 1) to combat climate change in every possible way (see priorities below); 2) increase Club monitoring of City, regional and state agencies which protect our environment; and 3) increase the Executive Committee's gender and ethnicity diversity.

My environmental priorities are parkland preservation, protection of San Francisco Bay, support for good public transportation, affordable housing and environmental laws. As a leader, it is essential to listen to all points of view, ask good questions and to mentor potential activists.

I am proud to be a Life Member of the Sierra Club. As a Club activist, I have served on the San Francisco Bay Chapter Executive Committee, national committees protecting Yosemite and the Canyons of the Colorado River. I worked on the Sierra Club's Centennial Celebration, the 2005 International Assembly and Honors & Awards.

I am among the many founders of the GGNRA; I served on the first SF Environment Commission. My community work has focused on open space, parks, waterfront, water issues (including wastewater) and transportation (Doyle Drive and SFTEP). I was the official proponent of 2014's Proposition B to lower the height limit on SF's waterfront.

We must step up to the challenges of climate change - making personal choices every day - cutting energy use, recycling, driving less and participating in public processes to protect disadvantaged communities. It truly takes a village.

Please vote for me for the San Francisco Group Executive Committee.

Thank you.

Stuart Flashman

Residence: Oakland
Occupation: Public Interest Environmental Attorney (retiring)
Sierra Club member since: 1978 (Lifetime member since 1980)
Contact: stuflash2@gmail.com
Activities:

Member, S.F. Bay Chapter Executive Committee 1997-1998
Member, S.F. Bay Chapter Legal Committee 1997-present.
Founder & Co-Chair of the Emeryville Shoreline Committee 1986-1991 • Board Member, Citizens for the Eastshore State Park 1986-1992
Represented the Sierra Club in numerous lawsuits and other legal proceedings from 1995 through the present
Emeryville City Council 1984-1985
Emeryville Planning Commission 1989-1990
Member, East Bay MUD Board of Directors 1990-1994 (President 1994) • Member, Association of California Water Agencies Board of Directors 1992-1994 • Member, Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District Board of Trustees 1985- 2009 (President, 1991, 2000)
Member, Board of Directors, Rockridge Community Planning Council 2008-2022 (Chair 2008-2012, 2016-2018)

Statement:
Humanity has long looked at the Earth as something to be subjugated and exploited. The result has been massive environmental degradation and destruction. 130 years ago, John Muir, seeing that nature needed to be respected and preserved – not exploited – founded the Sierra Club. That change in perspective is now even more essential for our survival.

In the 40+ years I’ve lived in the East Bay, I have worked on many environmental issues, including water supply, open space and wildlife habitat preservation, transportation and land use issues, and cleanup of toxic waste sites. I’ve also represented the Sierra Club in numerous legal battles.

Right now, our biggest problem is climate change and its impacts. The Bay Area is not exempt from those impacts. Sea level rise, drought, increasing wildfire risks, loss of wildlife habitat, and species extinction are already affecting us. The Club must confront these issues both nationally and locally.

However, the Club must not allow itself to become a single issue organization. There are also many other important environmental issues to confront, including eliminating toxic chemicals, promoting efficient, sustainable, and livable urban areas, and maintaining species diversity. But we also need to listen to other viewpoints so we can remain flexible.

What’s more, the environment is not just about parks and wilderness areas. Even the Bay Area’s most urban parts, like San Francisco and Oakland, should have healthy environments, including urban wildlife. The Club’s grassroots nature and its member activities are also important. They keeps the Club in touch with its membership and with nature.

Finally, the Club must address equity. We should be an ally to BIPOC, LGBTQ, and frontline communities, especially those that have been underresourced. We need to promote equality. Only by working together cooperatively can we hope to save our planet.

Martha Kreeger

Residence: Fremont
Occupation: Grassroots Organizer
Sierra Club member since: 2019
Contact: marthakreeger@gmail.com
Activities:

Most beloved activity working with the team on SF v EPA - helping to activate the coalition, work closely with chapter organizers, leaders in local, state and national teams write copy, spread the word and talk non-stop about why the Clean Water Act is the most important thing to our coalition happening right now in the bay area. The work hits our shared mission, builds the environmental movement andbrings all of us who love the waters of our home to the table. Meeting and working with a team I respect every single day from organizers like Carolyn, Jacob, Sarah, Scott, Bekka, Kathy Dervin, and so many many others
Sierra Club SF Bay Executive Committee Chair
SAC Representative to SF Bay Executive Committee
I love working on water issues, sea level rise, water quality, and nature based solutions. I love making fundraising phone calls and texting folks to sign onto letters where they are reaching out to their leaders to weigh in making changes in their communities around clean water access, in support of work force housing, or whether that is restoring wetlands to what they need to be to survive, or building a grassroots community led coalition to build a park that give kids a route to walk safely to school in the shade of trees, or setting aside a vacant lot to allow neighbors and elders to grow fresh produce in a community garden.

Statement:
As Sierra Club leaders we need to continue the painstaking work to co-create a shared vision based on Sierra Club core values, 2030 strategic framework, and national priorities. We can foster a chapter structure that allows radical organizers to act in coalition with environmental partners when required, yet is stable enough to provide a strong healthy organization that builds up and trains its membership, meets and sets annual goals, and continues to attract brilliant leaders and professionals to its ranks.

It is my intention to continue working to strengthen and develop this process. We hired new organizers, a Chapter Director and accomplished major actions. As a field organizer, my most exhilarating and proudest moments this year have been working with our team to build this powerful coalition in support of the Clean Water Act and the EPAs work to protect waterways across the nation and Save the Clean Water Act. In the same week we were part of rolling out the lawsuit against EXXON Mobil for their part in decades of disinformation on the myth of recyclability for plastics.

My intention as a member of the Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter Executive Committee is to focus on our Sierra Club core values, our 2030 Strategic Framework and supporting national priorities. That is the heart of who we are as leaders, our shared mission is to build the environmental movement, to support our coalition partners and work to defend and protect environmental justice communities, biological diversity and wild spaces.

Matt Morrison

Residence: Pleasanton
Occupation: Civil Attorney
Sierra Club member since: 2002
Activities:

SF Bay Chapter Compliance Officer
SF Bay Chapter Treasurer
Past Tri-Valley Group Chair
Past SF Bay Chapter Finance Committee Chair
Past SF Bay Chapter Water Committee Chair

Statement:
I am a life-long resident of the Bay Area and Alameda County. While I was born in San Francisco, lived as a toddler in Oakland, and raised in Pleasanton. My partner and I presently reside in Pleasanton caring for an elderly parent. My law practice for the past several years is in juvenile dependency, an area fraught with complex government structures tasked with protecting children and reunifying families.

I see the Sierra Club as a critical ally for the Bay Area’s frontline communities disproportionately bearing burdens from climate change and economic disenfranchisement. The Club can alter its structure to increase meaningful leadership and political power from a broad spectrum of Club membership to tackle the effects of climate change with a foundation of social justice.

I have a key perspective of how the Club’s evolving structure will intersect with the Sierra Club mission to protect the wild places of the earth and promote responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources. I would help the Club maneuver long overdue efforts to broaden our leadership and remain true to the Club’s mission. I ask for your vote as to join me in these efforts.

Nick Pilch

Residence: Albany
Occupation: BART Operations
Sierra Club member since: 1990
Contact: nicky@mindspring.com
Activities:

National and Local Outings Leader, 2005-present
Northern Alameda County Group (NAC) Executive Committee (Excom) 2010-2011, 2021-present
NAC Conservation Committee Chair, 2021-present, Political Co-chair, 2024
Bay Chapter Excom 2011-2016, 2022-present
Bay Chapter Outreach Chair 2011-2012
Bay Chapter Nominations/Elections Chair 2013, instituted the first online Chapter election
Bay Chapter Fundraising Chair 2015
Bay Chapter Transportation and Compact Growth Committee 2018-present
Bay Chapter Finance Committee 2021-2, 2022-present
Local Ballot Measure Review Committee 2016-present (Sierra Club California)

Statement:
I am active with both Club outings and the political side of the Club. I have been an environmentalist since I was a teen when I learned about pollution and that plastic did not biodegrade. I took over the family garden with organic techniques.

In the community, I co-founded Albany Strollers & Rollers, and was a founding member of Carbon Neutral Albany (now Albany Climate Action Coalition), and Albany for Everyone, a group promoting needed housing in Albany.

While serving on the Albany City Council for six years, I continued my environmental work and advocacy. I was appointed to the League of California Cities Environmental Quality Policy Committee. I supported and campaigned for city environmental work and ballot measures, such at the 2020 Albany Measure DD which funds climate action work. I served 4 years on the East Bay Community Energy (now Ava) Board. Currently, I am currently a member of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee of the Alameda County Transportation Commission.

My priorities for the Club are:

fighting climate change above all
cordial and respectful and fruitful relationships amongst volunteers and leaders
diversity in all aspects
attracting and retain young membership. Increasingly, the membership is skewing older. We can’t maintain the Club if we can’t continue to bring in young volunteers and leaders.
attracting and retaining people of color. The Sierra Club must represent the diversity of our geographic boundaries.
making sure the Chapter is working on all aspects of environmental work – environmental justice, and climate change including alternative transportation and energy, and resource conservation.
finally, maintaining fiscal solvency. The Chapter depends on contributions and fundraising is imperative. I will do my part in donating and fundraising as well.

John Rizzo

Residence: San Francisco
Occupation: Consultant
Sierra Club member since: 1982
Contact: jrizzo@sprintmail.com
Activities:

Sierra Club California Political Committee, 2024-present
Chapter Political Committee Chair, 2007-present
Chapter Executive Committee Chair, 2005-2007, Vice Chair 2002-2004
Chapter Executive Committee Chair, 2005-2007, Vice Chair 2002-2004, Member 2000-2008, 2013-2023
San Francisco Group Executive Committee Chair, 2001-2005, Committee member, 1998-2023
Other committees in the past (Council of Club Leaders Representative, Water Committee, Chapter Communications Committee, Hetch Hetchy Liason to the Sierra Club California RCC)

Statement:
As a Sierra Club leader I have been active in the fight against climate change, advocating for renewable energy, housing, and advocated for better public transit. (I don't own a car.) I've also fought for parks and open space all around the Bay Area and worked to reduce plastic waste. If elected I will work to get the chapter more active in these areas.

My successful work for the Sierra Club includes helping counties start Community Choice programs to build more green energy. I also led the effort to save the successful GoSolarSF program, a rebate program that has quadrupled San Francisco's solar energy.

In 2017, I received an award for my work on CleanPowerSF. In 2008, I received a commendation from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for my leadership in defeating the construction of a new fossil fuel power plant in Southeast San Francisco.

In 2018, I put together and moderated a panel on plastic waste pollution at the NOAA Sixth International Marine Debris Conference for the European environmental group, the Let's Do It Foundation.

As the Chapter’s Political Chair, I have led the chapter's effort to elect candidates who will make the environmental a priority. Now more than ever we need elected officials who won't compromise on the environment.

As a former member of the Board of Trustees of San Francisco City College, I led an effort to establish green jobs training programs, create an energy efficiency plan for the district, and worked for LEED Gold certifications new buildings, including several powered by geothermal energy.

I have taken environmental advocacy to our elected officials. I have experience lobbying members of Congress and the State Legislature, and have testified at hearings in Washington, Sacramento, and San Francisco to advance the protection of the earth's environment.

Marisol Rubio

Residence: San Ramon
Occupation: Health Care Provider
Sierra Club member since: 2019
Contact: mrubiosierraclub@gmail.com
Activities:

California, Executive Committee
SF Bay, At-Large Executive Committee
Chapter Delegate, CA Conservation Committee
Chapter Member, Standing & Bylaws Committee
Former Chapter Co-Lead, DEI/Environmental Justice Committee
Former Vice-Chair/Interim Chair Tri-Valley Group
Councilmember, City of San Ramon
Former Vice President, Dublin San Ramon Services District
Former Chair, DSRSD-EBMUD Recycled Water Authority
National/State Board, Elected Officials to Protect America
Contra Costa Labor Council Delegate, Climate Caucus Member, Labor-Climate Task Force Co-Chair.

Statement:
Protecting our environment became a personal passion in college when I worked on a forest restoration project and learned how human behavior directly impacts our ecosystem. This experience encouraged me to reduce my carbon footprint by switching to a vegetarian and then vegan diet for the past 26 years.

I’ve upheld these values in my leadership roles by backing bold climate initiatives such as the California Green New Deal, Protecting the Brentwood ULL, the Environmental and Climate Crisis Council Platform, and by organizing the first Contra Costa Labor-Climate Convergence and Task Force, which I Co-Chaired on behalf of Bay Area environmental groups carving a path towards Just Transition.

As a State Senate candidate and elected official, I’ve never accepted fossil fuel, developer, or corporate money. As a Councilmember, I established the first Climate Action Task Force charged with updating the city’s CAP and chartering a prospective Sustainability Advisory Committee. As DSRSD Vice President, I led efforts to conserve water and address water contamination from PFAs/PFOAs.

As your At-Large Member, I will continue to put my science background and leadership experience to work towards protecting our open spaces, promoting our transition to renewable energy, green jobs, and more sustainable cities, and ensuring our SF Bay Chapter is diverse, equitable, and inclusionary. Thank you and I hope to earn your vote! www.marisolrubio.com

Paul Seger

Residence: Oakley
Occupation: Science teacher, 7th-grade middle school in Pittsburg, Contra Costa
Sierra Club member since: 2017
Contact: psseger65@gmail.com
Activities:

I chair the Delta Regional Group and formerly chaired the Chaired the Energy and Climate Change Committee, where I advocate for sustainable energy and water management policies. I am also involved with the Sierra Club’s Water and Shoreline Resilience education committees, working on regional environmental priorities. My proudest accomplishment is reestablishing the Delta Regional Group and building it into an active and effective force in local advocacy. I regularly engage in environmental education outreach through my work as a science teacher, inspiring future generations to protect our planet.

Statement:
As a member of the SF Bay Chapter Executive Committee since 2017, I have consistently championed transparency, equity, and collaboration in our decision-making processes. As the chair of the Delta Regional Group, I’ve worked to rebuild it into a powerful voice for environmental advocacy in our region. My leadership focuses on sustainable water management and protecting California's natural resources from development interests that prioritize profits over long-term environmental sustainability.

I am committed to upholding the values of the Sierra Club, especially in the face of growing pressures from groups like YIMBY that seek to weaken environmental protections under the guise of addressing the housing crisis. I believe we can address housing needs without sacrificing the critical safeguards provided by CEQA. My focus has always been on creating equitable solutions that balance environmental resilience with responsible development, ensuring our communities remain protected for future generations.

As we navigate complex environmental challenges, I will continue to lead with integrity and advocate for open, transparent governance. I’m dedicated to ensuring that underserved regions like East Contra Costa have a voice in how resources are allocated, and that our Chapter remains accountable and representative of all communities. Together, we can protect California's natural beauty and continue advocating for climate resilience and environmental justice.

Igor Tregub

Residence: Berkeley
Occupation: Councilmember, City of Berkeley; Strategic Partnerships Director, Reimagine Power
Sierra Club member since: 2008
Contact: igor@sfbaysc.org
Activities:

Former Chair, SF Bay Chapter and Northern Alameda County Group; Current Co-Vice Chair, Sierra Club California and Council of Club Leaders Secretary

Statement:
Combatting climate change, decarbonizing every aspect of our economy, and ensuring that policy decisions are made with an equity lens and ample input from impacted communities have always been at the forefront of my work as a legislator and climate activist.

I helped craft some of the strongest housing and transportation policies in the nation; helped pass the nation’s first building electrification ordinance; and took on fossil fuel and utility monopolies to advance renewable energy policies. I’ve fought to protect our air and water, integrate clean energy solutions with good jobs, and say “NO!” to coal traveling through our communities.

With your help, I’ll continue to wage the fight and make steady progress toward the intertwined goals of saving distributed solar in California, saving our planet and those who call it home from the existential crisis of climate change, saving my homeland of Ukraine through divestment from fossil fuels that finance warmongering autocratic regimes, and saving democracy.

Having chaired our local chapter and group, I used my lived experience as an immigrant to recruit, retain, and expand the Chapter’s membership and leadership base. Amid trying times nationally, we welcomed an unprecedented growth in new membership and enhanced the financial sustainability of our chapter. I’ve worked tirelessly to ensure that our Chapter is here for you so we can weather the storm – whether your passion is our conservation issues, expanding our climate campaigns, or joining our fantastic outings programs.

I humbly ask for your vote, so I can keep serving you as we take dramatic action to save our planet. Together we will remain a potent and effective voice for the climate and strengthen partnerships within and outside of the Club. Please contact me at igor@sfbaysc.org with your questions and ideas. Thanks for your consideration!

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Delta Group

There are three candidates. You may vote for up to three.

***Please note that all candidates marked with (P) are petition candidates.***

Bruce Ohlson

Residence: Pittsburg
Occupation: Retired
Contact: bruceoleohlson@hotmail.com
Activities:

Contra Costa 511's Bicycle Champion of the Year for 2024
Bike East Bay
Delta Pedalers Bicycle Club
Contra Costa Countywide Bicycle Advisory Committee
CCTA Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
Caltrans District 4 Bicycle Advisory Committee
TRANSPLAN appointee to Highway 4 Integrated Corridor Management Study

Statement:
Bruce “0le” Ohlson (bruceoleohlson@hotmail.com) lives in Pittsburg. I have a bachelors in Philosophy and a masters in Recreation. I am now retired. Previously I worked in adventure travel, heavy mechanics, and construction. I was active in the Delta Group at the turn of the century and just recently returned to the Sierra Club fold. I have through-hiked the Appalachian, the Pacific Crest, and the American Discovery Trails. I have bicycled extensively including across North America five times, the perimeter of Australia, the Carretera Austral (Chile) and around the world (20 countries, 20 months, 20,000 miles). I am significantly concerned with the negative influence that human beings are having on the health of the earth. I do not own a car; I get around mostly by bicycle and sometimes by BART. I do not air condition the house and am working to eliminate the use of natural gas by fully electrifying it. My hobby is attending public meetings, paying attention, and speaking when appropriate. I was instrumental in obtaining the $13 million ped/bike bridge over Highway 4 in Brentwood by reminding the Highway 4 Bypass Authority of their EIR mitigation to provide this crossing.

Thank you.

All best wishes,

~0le

Bruce '0le' Ohlson aka "Mister Bicycle"

Paul Seger

Residence: Oakley
Occupation: Science teacher, 7th-grade middle school in Pittsburg, Contra Costa
Sierra Club member since: 2017
Contact: psseger65@gmail.com
Activities:

I chair the Delta Regional Group and formerly chaired the Chaired the Energy and Climate Change Committee, where I advocate for sustainable energy and water management policies. I am also involved with the Sierra Club’s Water and Shoreline Resilience education committees, working on regional environmental priorities. My proudest accomplishment is reestablishing the Delta Regional Group and building it into an active and effective force in local advocacy. I regularly engage in environmental education outreach through my work as a science teacher, inspiring future generations to protect our planet.

Statement:
As Chair of the Delta Regional Group since its reestablishment in 2017, I have worked relentlessly to turn this group into a powerful and effective force for environmental advocacy. Under my leadership, we have prioritized critical local issues such as water sustainability, environmental resilience, and climate justice, ensuring that the voices of our community are heard in decisions that directly impact our region.

My experience as a public water director has been invaluable in advocating for transparency and accountability in resource management. I have consistently pushed back against interests that seek to weaken environmental protections, especially those promoting reckless development under the YIMBY banner. These agendas threaten our local resources by undermining safeguards like CEQA, which are essential to protecting our fragile ecosystem. I firmly believe that housing and development can be addressed without sacrificing the environment and putting our communities at risk.

I am running for re-election to continue this important work. The Delta Group has made significant strides, but there is still much to do. I remain committed to building stronger coalitions with environmental partners across Contra Costa County and beyond. Together, we can protect our waterways, resist harmful development, and ensure that environmental justice is achieved for all residents.

With your support, we will keep the Delta Group a leader in local environmental advocacy and a defender of our natural resources. With your support, we can continue to grow our group’s influence, protect our waterways, and ensure that environmental justice is achieved for all residents.

Patt Young

Statement:
Since childhood I have been aware of the beauty of our natural environment and the negative impact we humans continue to inflict on the earth. In the distant past I have been an inactive member of the Sierra Club. More recently I joined the Sierra Club to become more active in educating underserved communities about the Sierra Club’s Mission by joining the Board for the Delta Group. I am a retired Senior Health Education Specialist and Program Coordinator for Contra Costa County’s Fetal Infant Mortality Review. My work with marginalized communities has underscored not only how the most at risk communities are for the most part excluded from participating in public policy decisions; they as a direct result of this exclusion are not able to enjoy our parks and trails. The ongoing systemic exclusion of the most vulnerable communities from enjoying the outdoors has fostered a disconnect that negatively impacts health outcomes and often leads to those community members adopting a belief that preservation and ecological restoration are ideals that in no way benefit them or their community. My goal is to engage youth and their families in activities in our parks as a means to educate them, model that people from all communities can enjoy nature and equally important can participate in developing policies that will benefit our natural environment. I believe it is imperative that more East County residents learn about the importance of our Delta region and understand we need to become stewards of the Delta. Residents need to access parks and trails to enjoy recreational activities in the Delta, communities are not motivated to protect what they have not been allowed to value. My intent is to develop local workshops and activities to draw families to nature.

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Marin Group

There are three candidates. You may vote for three or fewer.

***Please note that all candidates marked with (P) are petition candidates.***

Nate McKitterick

Residence: San Anselmo
Occupation: Attorney
Sierra Club member since: 1987
Contact: nate.mckitterick@gmail.com
Activities:

Sierra Club Executive Committee Member, Marin Group (Current)
Director, Touchstone Climbing, Inc. (Current)
Planning Commissioner (Former, 12 years)
Trail maintenance/canyon cleanup days
Sierra Club Ski Touring Section trips (Loma Prieta chapter)

Statement:
My work with the Sierra Club began in 1987 in high school: local voter outreach to save the Everglades from depredation. Like John Muir, after two years at the University of Wisconsin the mountains were calling, and I came to California, where I try to live and promote Sierra Club goals.

As a Planning Commissioner, I gained a deep understanding of issues important to the Club, and made a difference as a policymaker.

As a Director of Touchstone Climbing (15 gyms in California, still owned by 25 rock climbers who started it in 1995), we continue to prove that long-term success comes from valuing all stakeholders, including our employees, local communities, underrepresented climbers, and nature itself.

I’ve been pro bono counsel for Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together, and I was honored by Community Legal Services of East Palo Alto and the State Bar for successful litigation against banks to keep low-income homeowners in their homes. Currently, I advise Marin County Bicycle Coalition on GHG-reducing transit efforts and youth programs, am an assistant coach for an Archie Williams team, and work to elect local candidates who support Sierra Club goals. In the past I’ve advocated for public access to inaccessible public properties, and fostered many dogs for the German Shepherd Rescue of Northern California.

For 30 years I usually biked, walked, or took public transit to work. I am a canyoneer (the wetter—or icier—the better), cyclist, rock climber, and occasional backpacker, skier, and packrafter. My wife and I spent our wedding night and honeymoon in a tent. Our proudest achievement has been raising two children with love and respect for the wild places, with the skills to enjoy—and advocate for—them.

With your vote I will continue to serve you, and our home base of Marin, on the ExComm. Forward!

Bryan Shiles

Residence: San Anselmo
Occupation: Registered architect in the state of California
Sierra Club member since: 2023
Contact: BryanShiles1@gmail.com
Activities:

Marin Group Executive Committee

Statement:
Marin at a crossroad

“The choices our cities, counties, and planning agencies make to influence where these people live and how they get around are critical to reducing our impact on the earth and leaving a livable planet for future generations”

The urgency to act on the Sierra Club’s mission and position statements has never been greater. Like many regions across the U.S., Marin County faces an affordable housing crisis. By addressing this challenge in line with Sierra Club goals, we can seize the opportunity to prevent continued sprawl while advancing equity in our community.

I believe we must envision a future that is inclusive, less car-dependent, and focused on conservation. To achieve these goals, we must advocate for compact housing at infill locations, improve our pedestrian, bike, and public transportation infrastructure, and passionately protect our open spaces and habitats.

As a member of the Marin Group Executive Committee, I would advocate for policies that help achieve these goals. With 40 years of experience as a practicing architect and educator in the Bay Area, and 20 years leading a firm at the forefront of sustainable design, I bring a deep understanding of how to harmonize the built and natural environments. Our projects have focused on habitat restoration, creek revitalization, trail extensions, as well as pioneering the use of mass timber and other sustainable building practices. It would be an honor to bring my expertise—along with my heartfelt appreciation for everything that makes Marin County unique—to this role.

Holli Thier

Residence: Tiburon
Occupation: Attorney
Sierra Club member since: 2017, and years before
Contact: (415) 407-4843
Activities:

Sierra Club Member 2017 and prior
Sierra Club Executive Committee Volunteer 2022 to Present
Worked with Sierra Club and MOMMA’s to prevent the spray n Ring Mountain Volunteer
Fought with Sierra Club to ban herbicides and create a real IPM Policy, instrumental in getting Tiburon to go deep green, passed a Climate Action Plan, working to develop a Climate Element 2017-2021
Sierra Club Executive Committee Member 2022

Statement:
As Mayor of Tiburon and as a Town Councilmember, I have worked very closely with members of the Marin Executive Committee, and have wanted to work more closely with the Sierra Club. I feel at home with the Sierra Club, and my passion for the planet that Sierra Club has sworn to protect since 1892, my passion for ensuring good environmental policy locally, statewide, nationally and globally makes me want to serve with such a great group of environmental champions.

None of the work I have done could have happened without Sierra Club Marin Group’s help. Whether it was banning the use of Round-Up in Tiburon, my five year effort to ban Lifeline, and other harmful pesticides from Tiburon’s parks and open spaces, getting Tiburon to go Deep Green with Marin Clean Energy, passing the Single Use Foodware ordinance, passing a Climate Emergency Ordinance, creating a Sustainability Element for our General Plan, successful in getting support to purchase new open space within one of our parks, Sierra Club Marin Group was there every step I took.

I love the Sierra Club’s mission, and it is also my mission in all of my public and private service. I remember fondly visiting Lassen National Park as a young child, and now recognize the importance of preserving our environment for future generations. Working for the good of the environment is what I am dedicated to and why I want to serve on the Executive Committee.

Please vote for me Holli Thier, and please feel free to contact me at (415) 407-4843 anytime.

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Mount Diablo Group

There are four candidates. You may vote for up to four.

***Please note that all candidates marked with (P) are petition candidates.***

Rebecca Barrett

Residence: Martinez
Occupation: Communicators Director, Contra Costa Labor Council AFL-CIO
Sierra Club member since: 2020
Contact: rebecca.faith.barrett@gmail.com.
Activities:

Contra Costa Community College District, Board President
Sierra Club Mt. Diablo, Executive Committee Member
Sierra Club Mt. Diablo Group, Member

Statement:
My passion for environmental protection began in 7th grade when my science teacher led our Earth Club on coastal cleanups, teaching us about local ecosystems. That early exposure to environmental action inspired me to dedicate my work to fostering climate resilience and healthier communities.

I joined the Sierra Club Mt. Diablo Group because, after years of being involved with local education causes, government, and politics, I wanted to become more engaged in protecting our environment and promoting climate resilience—making local changes to make healthier, safer, more equitable communities.

For the past two years, I’ve proudly served as a Board Member of the Sierra Club Mt. Diablo Chapter. My whole career has been dedicated to community service. I began at the California Department of Education as a senior advisor to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. I have since worked for a local children's non-profit, forming a robust environmental science program aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. Today, I serve you as your elected representative to the Contra Costa Community College District Board, representing Martinez, Pleasant Hill, and Concord.

I hope to continue to use my experience and passion for environmental education and sustainability to inspire the next generation of environmental leaders in the Mt. Diablo region, just as my 7th—grade science teacher did for me.

I hope to earn your vote. If you have any questions or want to get in touch, please feel free to email me at
rebecca.faith.barrett@gmail.com.

Jonathan T. Bash

Residence: Martinez
Occupation: Environmental/Health Communications Consultant
Sierra Club member since: 2016
Contact: jonathan.t.bash@gmail.com
Activities:

Sierra Club Mt. Diablo Group Executive Committee Member (2018-Present)
Sierra Club Mt. Diablo Group Member (2016-Present)
Past Sierra Club Mt. Diablo Group Chair
Past Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter Political Committee Member
Past Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Commissioner, Sierra Club Representative
Past City of Martinez Planning Commissioner

Statement:
As a Martinez resident, I often walk past beautiful Mt. Wanda and the historic home of John Muir. This ritual reminds me of all the amazing natural resources located right here in our backyard. Our environment is precious, as is our quality of life. And both are at risk if we don’t stand united.

Sprawl with no long-term strategy has worsened our commutes, harmed our environment and has barely put a dent in the housing crisis. Climate change threatens our very own existence. And all the while, our movement has taken a backseat to a multitude of short-term threats.

This coming year, I hope to continue driving the regional conversation back to urgent housing, climate and conservation issues by continuing to serve on the Mount Diablo Group Executive Committee. I also intend to further strengthen our group by partnering with like minded organizations to amplify our ability to make change. We are stronger when we stand with organized labor and local progressive organizations. We are stronger when we advocate for transit, infill development and open space.

Throughout my entire career, I have managed tough environmental and public health campaigns that improve the health of all Californians. Working in local government and nonprofits, I have advocated for tangible community change. And as Martinez Planning Commissioner and Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Commissioner, I have fought hard for environmental justice and sustainability.

If re-elected, I will continue to bring this experience—and significant expertise in media relations and policy advocacy—to the table.

John Chatowski

Residence: Danville
Occupation: Attorney
Sierra Club member since: 2021
Contact: johnchatowski@gmail.com
Activities:

Mt. Diablo Group Executive Committee Member (2021-present)
Chapter Sea Level Rise Committee Member (2021-present)
Chapter Advocacy Committee Member (2021-present)

Statement:
I first became involved in the Sierra Club as a small child when my mother joined the club in the 1970s in Southern California. Since 2021, I have been honored to become involved in the Sierra Club, and the Bay Chapter in particular, because of its longstanding history of local engagement championing environmental issues and conservation. Our particular region (Mt. Diablo) faces several unique environmental issues of which I have been actively involved, including related to our Martinez refineries and the decommissioned Concord Naval Weapons Station. I welcome the opportunity to continue to fight for positive environmental change in our region.

Wietske Medema

Residence: Lafayette
Occupation: Program Manager, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley
Sierra Club member since: 2019
Contact: medemawietske@gmail.com
Activities:

I have been the vice chair of the Mt Diablo Group since 2021, as well as the group representative and alternate for the SF Bay Chapter XCOM and POLCOM. Between 2020-2022, I have actively organized Green New Deal town halls and workshops, as well as community outreach, which led to the development of a Green-Blue Workforce Development Plan for the City of Richmond.

Statement:
Wietske Medema, Ph.D. is the Program Manager for the COEQWAL Project with the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley. She specializes in water governance, water security and risk, water stewardship, social learning, multi-stakeholder engagement and collaborative processes. Wietske has over 15 years of project management, research, and policy experience in water and environmental projects in North America, Europe and Southeast Asia. As Associate Director for the Adaptive and Integrated Water Resources Management Program at McGill University, she developed and supervised water stewardship projects and research partnerships, including with First Nation Tribes. In California, she has worked as the deputy project manager and senior research consultant for the City of Richmond, developing a Green-Blue New Deal Workforce Development Plan to create thousands of green sector jobs, accelerating a just transition to a decarbonized and circular economy. She has also co-founded and worked with several community-based organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, empowering youth from frontline communities through environmental programming, community science projects and civic engagement. Her passion for water and the environment has centered around science that serves to resolve socio-environmental issues affecting vulnerable and historically marginalized communities.

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Northern Alameda County Group

There are six candidates. You may vote for up to four.

***Please note that all candidates marked with (P) are petition candidates.***

Shawn Danino

Residence: Oakland
Occupation: Housing Policy Manager at City of San Jose
Sierra Club member since: 2024
Contact: shawn.danino@gmail.com
Activities:

I learned about participation opportunities at Sierra Club through multiple friends and colleagues in the housing and environmental justice movement, but have long been familiar with the impact and legacy of the organization.
I serve on the board of Transport Oakland and Transform, advocating for sustainable, walkable, mixed-use communities that deeply aligns with the Sierra Club’s work and mission.

Noelani Fixler

Residence: Oakland
Occupation: Policy and Program Analyst, SafeTREC
Sierra Club member since: 2023
Contact: noelanifixler@gmail.com
Activities:

Member, Northern Alameda County Executive Committee
Former Chair, Transportation and Infrastructure Commission, City of Berkeley
Former Resilience Fellow, Greenbelt Alliance
Board Member, East Bay for Everyone

Statement:
I am a passionate advocate for protecting the environment through focusing on urban sustainability, and hope to continue my work on the Sierra Club Northern Alameda County Executive Committee to build towards a more climate-smart and resilient Bay Area.

I have worked with East Bay for Everyone and in my role as Transportation and Infrastructure Commission Chair in the City of Berkeley to further the issues of urban sustainability, and at Greenbelt Alliance, I worked on Plan Bay Area 2050, highlighting infill housing and sustainable transportation as critical climate resilience strategies.

Since joining the Sierra Club Northern Alameda County Executive Committee this past May, my priorities have included building infill housing so people can live near jobs and services, expanding and funding public transportation and safe bike infrastructure to reduce transportation emissions, and investing in infrastructure projects to ensure climate resiliency.

Outside of advocacy work I love spending time outdoors, hiking, camping, swimming, and experiencing the protected lands that California has to offer. I also enjoy visiting new cities by train and bike to experience urban landscapes in a sustainable and immersive way.

I seek your support in continuing my work to protect our open spaces by promoting sustainable transportation and housing friendly policies.