1. No category

Endorsement Issue October 2014
Election Insight 2014
The Newsletter of the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter
San Benito, Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties
C l i p
a n d
S av e
General Election Nov. 4, 2014
Vote Yes for Candidates and Measures
(D) Democrat, (G) Green, (I) Incumbent,
(L) Libertarian, (R) Republican
Statewide Offices
Attorney General – Kamala Harris (DI)
Treasurer – John Chiang (DI)
Secretary of State – Alex Padilla (D)
Controller – Betty Yee (D)
Insurance Commissioner – Dave Jones (DI)
Superintendent of Public Instruction – Tom
Torlakson (DI)
Statewide Propositions
Prop 1 – Water Bond – NEUTRAL
Prop 49 – see update inside
US House of Representatives
CD 14 – Jackie Speier (DI)
Special District
San Mateo County Harbor Commission –
Robert Bernardo, Nicole David
Local Measures
Menlo Park – Measure M – Amend Downtown
Specific Plan
Santa Clara County
Campbell – go to website (** URL below)
Cupertino – Barry Chang
Gilroy City Council – Tom Fisher, Paul
Kloecker, Peter Leroe-Munoz
Los Altos City Council – Jean Mordo, Mary
Prochnow
Los Gatos Town Council – Steve Leonardis,
Rob Rennie, Marico Sayoc
Milpitas Mayor – Jose Esteves
CD17 – Mike Honda (DI)
Milpitas City Council – Marsha Grilli, Rajeev
Madnawat
CD18 – Anna Eshoo (DI)
Morgan Hill – go to website (**URL below)
CD 19 – Zoe Lofgren (DI)
Mountain View City Council – Margaret
Capriles, Lisa Matichak, Pat Showalter
CD20 - Sam Farr (DI)
Statewide
Congressional races
Help make GOTV phone calls
CD 1 – Heidi Hill (D)
CD7 – Ami Bera (DI)
CD 10 – Micheal Eggman (D)
CD 21 – Amanda Renteria (D)
State Assembly *
AD 22 – Kevin Mullin (DI)
AD 24 – Rich Gordon (DI)
AD 25 – Kansen Chu (D)
AD 27 – Nora Campos (DI)
AD 28 – Evan Low (D)
AD 29 – Mark Stone (DI)
San Benito County Measure
Fracking Ban – Measure J
Candidates listed
in alphabetical order
San Mateo County
Daly City Council – Ray Buenaventura, Judith
Christensen, Thomas Ledda
Half Moon Bay City Council – Deborah Ruddock, Harvey Rarback
Menlo Park – Kelly Fergusson, Kristin
Duriseti, Drew Combs
Pacifica City Council – Sue Digre, John
Keener
Palo Alto City Council – Tom Dubois, Eric
Filseth, Karen Holman, Greg Scharff, Cory
Wolbach
San Jose Mayor – Sam Liccardo
San Jose City Council District 1 – Paul Fong
San Jose City Council District 3 – Raul
Peralez
Santa Clara City Council
Mayor Jamie Matthews
Seat 2 Mohammed Nadeem
Seat 5 Dominic Caserta
Saratoga City Council
Mary-Lynne Bernald, Emily Lo
Special Districts
Midpeninsula Open Space District
Ward 1 Peter Siemens
Ward 6 Larry Hassett
Santa Clara Valley Water District 7 – Brian
Schmidt
County Measure
Measure Q – Protect Open Space
* http://bit.ly/2013reportcard
** For post print deadline additions go
to the Loma Prieta Political Page at
http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/politics/
endorsements
If you’ve voted, please pass this to a friend or family member who hasn’t voted yet.
Low Turnout Election,
Your Vote is Critical
By Ann Schneider, Co-Chair Political Committee
By all estimates this November’s election is
predicted to be a very low turnout election. We
used to think Sierra Club members knew the
power of their vote, but a survey conducted a
couple of years ago found that Sierra Club members vote in no greater number than the average
voter. We’d like this to change. We need Sierra
Club members to vote every election. We need
people to speak for the environment through the
ballot box. This power is even more important in
low turnout elections.
Over 60% of voters in Silicon Valley use
“vote-by-mail” ballots (VBM). One third of voters return their ballots by the middle of October.
The second peak is the end of the third week of
October. Mail your ballot no later than October
30th to make sure it arrives at the Registrar of
Be sure to vote!
Last day to register to vote for the
General Election is October 20, 2014;
you can register on line at http://
registertovote.ca.gov/
Voters by Election Day. If you forget, remember
you can bring your VBM to any city hall within
the county you live or bring your VBM to any
precinct on Election Day. Ballots dropped off in
a different county than the one you live in will
not get to the correct Registrar of Voters so plan
accordingly.
Please make it your goal to vote, by mail or at
the precinct in the 2014 General Election. Your
vote speaks for the environment.
Help Our Candidates Win
By Ann Schneider, Co-Chair Political
Committee
The Sierra Club endorsement can help candidates because voters know that we research
candidates, require them to complete written
questionnaires and participate in one on one interviews with a team of volunteers. Then candidates are vetted through three levels of approval.
We have high standards for individuals receiving
our endorsements. But our endorsement is not
enough for our candidates to win.
How else can we, as individuals, help our endorsed candidates? Donating to a candidate you
support is a great way. And the Chapter would
appreciate a donation to help cover the cost of
this newsletter. But aside from money here are
ways each of us can help:
• Precinct walk for your candidate — great exercise, and truly not all that scary. Every precinct walked reduces the money a candidate
has to spend on postage. Face to face contact
is the best way to secure a vote and that is best
done by precinct walking. It is also a great
way to meet your neighbors.
• Host a meet and greet event at your home for the
candidate, invite your friends and neighbors.
• Make phone calls for your candidate.
• Put up a yard sign, or window sign.
• Endorse your candidate, and since they have
received the Sierra Club endorsement you
may use your Sierra Club title, whether it is
just Sierra Club Member, or Chair of an Issue
Committee or Hike Leader.
• Host a fund raiser for your candidate or attend one of their fund raising events.
• Attend candidate debates and forums; ask environmental questions at these events.
• If your candidate has an event, attend, show
your support. Running for office is exhausting; it helps a candidate to see people supporting them.
The Chapter does not have a “campaign office”
so we recommend that you contact the candidate
of your choice and ask how you can volunteer.
We try to include contact information within
this newsletter for all our candidates. Call them
or visit their website, and when you sign up,
please tell them you are a Sierra Club member.
Candidates remember and appreciate the people
who volunteer for them. We have Sierra Club
buttons for Chapter volunteers to wear when you
go out to support our candidates. We win in two
ways, we elect strong environmental leaders and
they know the Club is here for them which helps
when we ask them to support our issues.
Take the Pledge to Build Club Power
By Kathryn Phillips
This election year you have a great opportunity to build Sierra Club’s influence and power in
Sacramento without leaving the comfort of your
home county. Simply take the pledge to volunteer at least 10 hours between now and November 4 for a candidate the Club has endorsed.
During an election year, candidates we have
endorsed in legislative and statewide races need
help identifying supporters. Then they need help
making sure those supporters actually vote, either
through absentee ballots or by going to the polls
on Election Day.
To do this, most campaigns rely on a small
army of volunteers. This is especially true in very
competitive races.
Club members can show how valuable a Club
endorsement is by volunteering in an endorsee’s
campaign. And Club staff advocates in Sacra-
mento know from experience, that when a legislator knows that Club members have helped on
campaigns, those legislators are more responsive
to Club advocates.
Plus, volunteering in campaigns is fun. You’ll
meet great people and learn more about your
community and the issues that move it. So take
the pledge, and then go to our endorsements page
for links to candidates’ websites and information
about volunteering for each campaign. Ten hours
over the next four months: A small investment
with a big payoff.
Critical statewide races are Alex Padilla for Secretary of State, Betty Yee for Controller, Sam Liccardo for Mayor San Jose, San Benito’s Measure J,
Menlo Park’s Measure M, Santa Clara’s Measure Q,
San Mateo Harbor Commission, Santa Clara Water District 7 and your town’s Council election.
http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageServer?
pagename=chp_scc_MakeDemocracyWork
Election 2014
Page 2
loma prieta chapter information
www.lomaprieta.sierraclub.org
Thanks to our Hosts, Endorsement
Team Members and Team Leaders
By Ann Schneider, Co-Chair, Political
Committee
Chapter Office:
Voice: (650) 390-8411
Fax: (650) 390-8497
3921 E. Bayshore Road
Palo Alto, CA 94303
lomaprieta.sierraclub.org
Chapter Coordinator:
Barbara Kelsey
(650) 390-8411 X332
[email protected]
newsletter information
The Loma Prietan (Non-Profit Bulk
Permit #17) is published twice a year
(May 1 and October 1) by the Political
Committee of the Loma Prieta Chapter
of the Sierra Club, 3921 E. Bayshore Rd.,
Palo Alto, CA 94303. Periodicals Postage
Paid at Palo Alto, CA and at additional
mailing offices
Periodicals Postage Paid at Palo Alto, CA
and at additional mailing offices.
Postmaster: Send address changes to
Loma Prietan, Sierra Club, 85 Second
St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco 94105.
Please mark envelope “Address change.”
The Political Committee is grateful for the
help given to the Chapter to choose the candidates who will push for environmental improvements across the entire range of environmental
areas, from air quality to zero waste.
We want to thank first time endorsement
team members Meagan Beaver, Tim Brand,
Swanee Edwards, Elizabeth Flores-Latham, Julie
Hutcheson, Mary Keitelman, Bob Levy, Joana
Magliocco, John Maybury, Amanda Montez and
Ryan Moin.
Additional thanks to Ryan who just joined the
Political Committee and jumped in and helped
identify candidates in all the races within Santa
Clara County, coordinated photographs of candidates and supported Terry Trumbull in getting
the questionnaires out to candidates. Ryan you
were a huge help!
Most of our readers will know reporter John
Maybury who has written a column for the Chapter’s newsletter for many years. This year, John
made the jump to team member and also wrote
the article for Pacifica endorsees. In addition, he
has added some sage advice to our Endorsement
Article Template. Thanks John for helping us become better writers.
Very special thanks to all returning team leaders, members and our hosts.
• Returning Team Leaders: John Cordes, Pamela DiGiovanni, Denise East, Diane Gleason,
Katja Irvin, Ken King, Dave Poeschel, Charles
Schafer, Ann Schneider and Terry Trumbull.
• Returning Team Members: Nick Ajluni, Maria Begiebing, Brian Carr, John Cordes, Pamela
DiGiovanni, Mike Ferreira, Sandra Gordon,
Katja Irvin, Kurt Newick, Gary Latshaw, Bob
Subscription/mail problems
Please report to the Chapter office.
Submissions
The Loma Prietan encourages members
to submit news, stories, reviews and
letters. See the submission guidelines
at lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/newsletter.
html. You can contact the editorial
board by e-mail at publicity@lomaprieta.
sierraclub.org or by mail or fax to the
Chapter office.
Volunteers
The Loma Prietan welcomes volunteers
and new writers. Please e-mail
[email protected]
for information.
Loma Prietan Staff
Editorial Board
Ann Schneider
Designer
Shannon Corey
©2014 Sierra Club. No part of this
newsletter may be reproduced without
written permission.
Printed on post-consumer recycled
paperwith soy ink.
Livengood, Susan McKuen, Ruth Merino, Ruth
Stoner-Muzzin, Dave Poeschel, James Robenolt,
Charles Schafer, Ann Schneider and Jacqueline
Schneider.
• Our Hosts: John Lynch, Joana Magliocco,
Susan McKuen, Amanda Montez, Richard &
Jacqueline Schneider, Jim & Emy Thurber and to
Terry Trumbull for all his work setting up locations.
• Special Thanks for former Political Co-Chair
and now Chapter Director John Cordes for stepping up and writing many of the endorsement
articles.
And we want to thank the volunteers who
worked on all the endorsements for the June Primary Election. Thanks go to: Ann Schneider and
John Cordes for the Early endorsements, to Team
Leaders: Terry Trumbull, Katja Irvin, Ann Schneider, Dave Poeschel (write ups) and to Team
members Jim Kuhl, Jason Spitzer and first timers for the Sierra: Club Rod Diridon Sr. (former
Santa Clara County Supervisor, Bob Livengood
(former Milpitas Mayor), Senator Dan McCorquodale Ret., Ruth Merino, Elizabeth Sarmiento, and Dick Alexander.
Ballot
Find candidate statements by going
to the chapter website at
lomaprieta.sierraclub.org and clicking
on the “Election.”
Check That Box
Each member is entitled to vote once in this election. Two selection columns have been included so that both people in a dual membership can
vote (see below, to discover whether you have dual membership). If you fail
to receive your ballot, contact the Chapter office (650-390-8411) for an
extra. Photocopies or other reproductions will not be accepted.
A. Vote for Chapter and regional group candidates. Instructions below
tell how to determine your group.
B. D
ecide whether to use the Voter 1 column or the Voter 2 column.
Mark your ballot by placing an “X” in the box opposite candidate
names in that column. Ballots marked in both columns by other than
two members in a joint membership will not be counted. Print writein names legibly. Sign validation tab on the line provided (tab will be
removed prior to counting).
C. Cut along dashed line and remove the complete ballot from paper.
The mailing label on the back must be left in place for validation. In
lieu of a label, print clearly on the back your name, member number,
and expiration date (EXACTLY as they appear on your membership
card) and your mailing address.
D. Place ballot in an envelope and mail to:
Chapter/Group Elections Sierra Club
3921 E. Bayshore Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94303
E. Ballots must be sent in the mail or received by December 1.
Late ballots will not be counted.
To discover your regional group affiliation, look at the second line on
your mailing label. The four-digit number beginning with “020” is your
regional group code.
0200 = Chapter, but no group
Dual Membership and Group Affiliation:
A typical Loma Prietan mailing label looks like this:
To join the Sierra Club
Contact the Chapter office. Annual dues
are $39, of which $1 is for the Loma Prietan. Membership is not tax-deductible.
CAR-RT SORT **CR 81
1205436
JNT
0203
JAN AND LESLIE MEMBER
1213 MUIR DRIVE
BAYLANDS, CA 94308
0203 = San Carlos / Belmont
0204 = Peninsula
To discover whether you have a dual or joint membership, look at
the second row on your mailing label. If the second group of characters is
“JNT,” both members can vote. If not, only one person can vote; in that
case, ballots marked in both columns will not be counted. Our example
shows “JNT,” so both Jan and Leslie can vote.
0205 = Guadalupe (No candidates)
In our example, the group code is “0203” so Jan and Leslie can vote in
the San Carlos/Belmont Group election as well as in the Chapter Executive
Committee Election.
Loma Prieta Chapter and Group Ballot
Chapter Executive Committee
Vote for no more than 5 candidates
Voter 1Voter 2
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Sue Chow Kit Gordon
Ted Moorhead Darren Ponce
David Poeschel
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
Guadalupe Regional Group
No election this year
Regional Group
San Carlos/Belmont
Regional Group
Peninsula
Members with group code 0203
vote in this column
Vote for no more than 4 candidates
Voter 1Voter 2
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Bob Black Gladwyn d’Souza
Camille King
Bonnie McClure
❑
❑
❑
❑
Members with group
code 0204 vote in this column
Vote for no more than 3 candidates
Voter 1Voter 2
❑ ❑ ❑ Gita Dev
Mike Ferreira
Brian Haberly
Be sure to VOTE!
Excom candidate statements are on Loma Prieta website.
Ballots must be received or postmarked before December 1.
Late ballots will not be counted.
Voter 1 signature
Be sure to share your Loma
Prietan —Reuse then Recycle
The Loma Prietan - October 2014
Voter 2 signature
❑
❑
❑
The Loma Prietan - October 2014
Page 3
www.lomaprieta.sierraclub.org
Continued
page 1
Alex Padilla
forfrom
Secretary
of Dave Jones for Insurance
State
Commissioner
By Gayle Eads, Sierra Club California Political
Committee
By Andy Sawyer, Sierra Club California Political Committee Member
By making voting more accessible, convenient, and easy
to understand, Alex Padilla
plans to increase voter registration and voter participation
in elections. He also wants
to ensure that every vote is
counted and accounted for
by implementing technologiAlex Padilla
cal advances into the process.
Senator Padilla supports the California Clean
Money campaign and has advanced legislation
for limits on and timely disclosure of political
contributions. Padilla has also authored legislation on environmental issues including banning
the single-use plastic bag and promoting the efforts on renewable energy projects. While on the
Los Angeles City Council, he opposed the expansion of the Sunshine Canyon Landfill, initiated
the effort to restore the Los Angeles River, and
created the first Environmental Justice Zone to
recognize and address cumulative unhealthy impacts of dirty air emissions and toxic waste on the
urban environment. Alex Padilla has earned the
opportunity to serve as our Secretary of State.
The Sierra Club endorses Dave Jones for reelection as Insurance Commissioner based on his
environmental record during his first term. Jones
has promoted assessment of the impacts of climate change on insurance risks, and encouraged
insurance companies to provide lower automobile
insurance rates to people who drive less. Before
his election as insurance Commissioner, Jones
compiled an outstanding environmental record as
a member of the California Assembly, including
authorship of the Green Insurance Act of 2010.
John Chiang for Treasurer
By Gayle Eads, Sierra Club California Political
Committee
Sierra Club California endorses John Chiang for Treasurer because of his record
on environmental issues as
Controller, and his continuing personal commitment to
combat climate disruption.
As Treasurer he will promote
investment in distributed
John Chang
generation solar energy and
support other environmentally beneficial activities. He is a sponsor of AB 2045 (Rendon) to create a statewide “Building the Economy through
Energy Retrofits” (BETER). He will sit on a
variety of state boards and commissions including the California Pollution Control Financing
Authority and the California Alternative Energy
and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority. The Treasurer influences a wide range of public and private investment and policy decisions
that affect environmental concerns. John Chiang
is the Club’s choice for Treasurer.
Betty Yee for Controller
By Amanda Wallner, Mother Lode Political
Committee and Matt Williams, former Director,
AC Transit Board
The race for State Controller was the most exciting and
hotly contested this past June.
While the office can tend to
fly under the radar, there are
several key reasons that environmentalists should be excited to have the opportunity
to elect a true environmental
Betty Yee
champion to this position.
Betty Yee, currently a member of the State Board
of Equalization, is prepared from day one to
tackle Climate Change. Ms. Yee knows Climate
Change is the overarching environmental problem to tackle and will promote clean and renewable energy standards for public works projects
throughout California. Furthermore, she will use
her office to alert public officials around the state
that climate disruption is not only an environmental disaster, but is going to cost taxpayers a
lot of money. Beyond climate change, Ms. Yee
will use her office seat on the State Lands Commission to address uncontrolled fracking, water
conservation, landfill waste and recycling, and
income inequality. Sierra Club strongly supports
Ms. Yee’s campaign for State Controller and urges
you to vote for the only candidate who has promised not to accept campaign contributions from
oil companies.
Tom Torlakson for State
Superintendent of Public
Instruction
In his role as State Superintendent Tom Torlakson has
worked to green our schools.
He promoted California
schools in the National Green
Ribbon Program*1. He has
established an Environmental Education Interagency
Network and Environmental
Tom Torlkson
Literacy Task Force to help
guide California’s implementation of Education
and the Environment Initiative Curriculum**
and he created the Schools of the Future task
force ***. He uses his position to promote green
school building design, recycling programs, and
environmental literacy for California students.
He joined the Sierra Club in 1963, and became a Life Member in 1983. He became an
Ecology teacher in 1970—during the year of
the first Earth Day. As an avid outdoorsman, he
began backpacking in his youth on Sierra Club
outings and has traveled to all California’s State
Parks. Vote for Tom Torlakson so we can continue the push to green our schools and our state
curriculum.
* www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbonschools/index.html
** www.cde.ca.gov/ci/sc/ee/
*** www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr11/yr11rel72.asp
State
propositions
Why Sierra Club California
is NOT Taking a Position on
the Water Bond (Prop 1)
The $7.5 billion Water Bond (Prop 1 on the
November ballot) passed the legislature with
near-unanimous votes and has been signed by
the Governor.
Voters in California often confront difficult
choices when they go to the polls to cast votes on
statewide initiatives. When the propositions involve complicated bonds with billions of taxpayer
dollars at stake the decision is doubly difficult.
Tradeoffs must be considered when considering
new State laws and bond issuances. One must
weigh the good with the bad.
Sierra Club California does not normally take a
neutral or “no position” on major ballot measures
that have an environmental impact. However, in
this case, a “no position” stance is the only feasible position for the Club to take at this time.
To read the full article go to http://lomaprieta.
sierraclub.org/politics/endorsements under Water Bond
Proposition 49 removed
from the Ballot, Fight Again
Next Year
Prop 49 titled “Corporations. Political Spending. Federal Constitutional Protections. Legislative Advisory Question” and commonly known
as “SB 1272 Overturn Citizens United Act” was
pulled from the November 4, 2014 election.
Loma Prieta activists worked hard to get this
legislation through the California Senate and Assembly. The plan is to continue working on this
critical campaign finance legislation next year.
If you would like to help, send an email to [email protected], put Overturn
Citizens United in the subject line.
Congressional
Races
Re-elect Jackie Speier,
Anna Eshoo, Zoe Lofgren,
Sam Farr and Mike Honda
We are fortunate to have one of the greenest
Congressional Delegations in the County. We
encourage each of you to vote to re-elect our
Congress people. For more information on environmental records go to http://content.sierraclub.org/voterguide/endorsements and for more
on congressional environmental report cards go
to http://scorecard.lcv.org/
Election 2014
State Assembly
Elect Kansen Chu for
Assembly District 25
By John Cordes, Endorsement Team Leader
The Loma Prieta Chapter
of the Sierra Club endorses
San Jose City Councilmember
Kansen Chu for California
Assembly District 25. Kansen
has been a proven supporter
of the Sierra Club positions
and the environment while
serving on the San Jose City
Kansen Chu
Council.
Councilmember
Chu supports electrification of Caltrain to reduce
pollution and speed up service and BART to San
Jose. He is supportive of active transportation
(walking, biking) and tightening building codes
to require more energy efficient buildings. “He’s
a proven environmental leader,” said Cordes. For
more information about Kansen, visit his website
http://kansenchu.com/
Vote for Mike Honda for US Elect Evan Low for
CD 17
Assembly District 28
By John Cordes, Endorsement
Team Leader
By John Cordes, Endorsement Team Member
Re-elect Mike Honda to
the US Congress CD 17. We
are proud to recommend that
you vote for Mike Honda
again this election. We have
Mike Honda
endorsed Mike in the past
and his LCV score for 112th
congress is 100% with a lifetime rating of 99%.
He has a 100% lifetime rating from the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund. We have been able
to meet with Mike and he listens and acts on our
concerns. Mike is very supportive of protecting
our environment. One of his more recent examples was securing funding to help restore Mount
Umunhum as a new Open Space preserve. There
are many others on his website mikehonda.com.
From opposing climate disruption to Open Space
protection, Mike is the best vote for the environment in the CD 17 election vs Ro Khanna.
The Loma Prieta Chapter
of the Sierra Club endorses
Campbell Councilmember
Evan Low for California Assembly District 28. Evan has
been a proven supporter of
Sierra Club positions and the
environment while serving on
Evan Low
the Campbell City Council.
Evan has been a leader on
protecting the environment and sustainability
issues. He pushed for tough new “green policy”
that promotes energy conservation and smart
growth building practices in the City of Campbell. “Evan is a proven environmental leader, and
is the best choice to represent us and protect our
environment in the California Assembly” said
Cordes. For more information about Evan Low,
visit his website http://evanlow.com/
Announcing Our School Board
Endorsements!
By Ann Schneider, Co-Chair, Political
Committee
We are endorsing no one*. That’s the
problem. Our Chapter has only rarely
endorsed candidates running for local
school and county education boards.
We have done so when a candidate has
really pushed us to get involved. This is
a lost opportunity for the environment
since school activities cover a great number of environmental issues.
If you care about greening our schools,
then you might want to serve on a school
board endorsement team. Here is just a
partial list of school based environmental issues: green construction, on-site
composting and grasscycling, campus
vegetable gardens, local grown and unprocessed food for student meals, indoor
air quality & natural lighting to create
healthy classrooms, environmental curriculum including advanced placement
(AP) environmental science and policy
courses, reduction of chemicals such as
pesticides and herbicides at all school
buildings, programs that encourage
children to explore nature, sharing playing fields, gymnasiums and swimming
pools with the community.
It takes a minimum of 3 people to con-
duct endorsements. The chapter usually
conducts single race interviews in one
evening, but one way to handle the large
number of school boards might be to do
several all at one time with one endorsement team. Other endorsing entities
often conduct interviews of candidates
in all county based races in a single, if
exhausting day.
If you would like to work on school
board races, please send an email to [email protected] and put
School Board races in the subject line. If
we get enough interest then we can try
putting together a couple of teams for
the next election cycle. Choices include
County Boards of Education; Community College Boards; High School Districts; Elementary School Districts and
large unified school districts. With so
many school districts the big trick will
be to prioritize which races to work on
so it is up to you to get involved and
improve your local schools.
* An endorsement team will be meeting
with South San Francisco Unified School
District candidates. Endorsements will
be posted at http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.
org/politics/endorsements
Election 2014
Page 4
Re-Elect incumbents Kevin
Mullin, Rich Gordon, Nora
Campos, and Mark Stone.
We are used to our incumbents having an
environmental voting record in the high 90%;
last year was not the best for the environmental.
However, our incumbents still have some of the
highest voting records in the state. To read more
about your Assemblymember go to http://california2.sierraclub.org/news/reportcards#.VB86PfldWSp.
We need your help to re-elect our incumbents and then get active with our “Increase Our
Clout” actions so we can meet regularly with our
local elected officials and make sure they know
which legislation we want passed.
San Benito
County
Measure J & Global
Frackdown Rally
By Susanne Lowd Fellenz, Loma Prieta Fracking
Team Member
Can San Benito County activists convince
enough voters to vote for a ban on fracking
throughout a largely rural landscape? Measure
J on their November ballot would do exactly
that, and members of our chapter’s Fracking
Action Committee (FAC) are working hard to
support them. Our big educational event is the
Global Frackdown, scheduled for October 12,
2014, from 1:00-4:00 PM at Hollister’s Memorial Park. We’ll have speakers, free food, music,
and live entertainment – in other words, a really
fun rally.
It’s no surprise that opposition forces are spending big money to defeat the measure, including
expensive focus groups and mailers with outrageous lies. We can’t match their resources, but
we have people power. That’s why we need you!
If you can show up for the rally, that would be
great. If you can volunteer to help with the rally,
that would be even better. Contact Mike Kerhin
([email protected]) to join the team. Want
to help in other ways &/or learn more about the
campaign? Go to protectsanbenito.org, and sign
up to donate &/or volunteer.
At this point you might be wondering what
prompted our neighbors to place such an initiative on their ballot. A fracking ban is a serious
proposition. Why do the citizens of San Benito
want this enacted? With advances in technologies
for oil and gas recovery, the petroleum industry
has shown great interest in the Monterey Shale
formation, partly located within their borders.
They have numerous reasons for opposing such
activity, including
• To preserve limited water supplies for agricultural and municipal uses,
• To avoid the risk of groundwater pollution
from petroleum operations and/or earthquakes,
• To protect air quality, which affects human
health and agricultural yields, and
• To prevent traffic congestion and degradation of rural roads due to use by heavy industrial
trucks.
Foreseeing possible problems is admirable but
only part of the San Benito argument. They state,
“It is debatable whether High-Intensity Petroleum Operations will create any new jobs in San
Benito County in the long term … The people of
San Benito County wish to create 21st Century
job opportunities in clean energy, renewables,
and green technology.” This includes developing
alternative energy resources, such as wind and
solar.
Please contact Mike Kerhin at mikekerhin@
gmail.com or the Measure J folks at http://www.
protectsanbenito.org/ to participate in this historic campaign. Together we can make a difference!
Be sure to share
your Loma Prietan
—Reuse then Recycle
www.lomaprieta.sierraclub.org
San Mateo
County
Vote Buenaventura,
Christensen & Ledda for
Daly City Council
By Pamela DiGiovanni, Daly City PolCom
Lead
We are pleased to introduce three endorsed
candidates: Incumbent Council member Ray
Buenaventura, Thomas Ledda and Judith Christensen.
All three candidates have expressed and demonstrated their positions and views that are
aligned with the Sierra Club. Further all three
candidates have said they support overturning
Citizens United; support San Bruno Mountain
Watch; and believe that those serving on the Daly
City Council should have term limits.
Ray Buenaventura, incumbent, voted YES on numerous environmental issues
such as ordinances on plastic
bag, polystyrene & e-cigarettes
bans and the Clear Cut Resolution. As a father of a young
son, Ray has expressed interest
in being trained as a leader for Ray Buenaventura
Sierra Club Inner City Outings so to engage our undeserved children and
youth with nature and the environment. Ray’s
other environmental issues include: drought issues, efficient mass transit to reduce Greenhouse
gases; the preservation of open space; supporting
the goals of San Bruno Mountain Watch; creating more affordable housing; has vision of the
proposed SamTrans/Colma TOD to entail open
space and bring economic benefits to Daly City.
Reelecting Ray will continue move our city forward to address the environmental issues that are
aligned with the Sierra Club. To learn more go to
http://www.raybuenaventura.com/.
Thomas Ledda, retired
plumbing business owner
trained and hired one of the
first women in the trades as
a plumber. This is just one of
the ways he has demonstrated
his life-long belief in gender
equality. As a business owner
Thomas Ledda
he implemented his own recycling program for numerous
plumbing materials that were used in his business.
Throughout his career as a baseball coach and 20
year + school board member, Thomas has insured
under-served children and youth have had access
to nature and outside activities. He would also
like to be trained as a leader for the Sierra Club
Inner City Outings to continue his passion to
helping our very own children and youth. As a
longtime resident of Daly City, Thomas supports
affordable housing. For more information go to
http://www.smartvoter.org/2014/11/04/ca/sm/
vote/ledda_t/
Judith Christensen has
a life commitment to protecting endangered species,
recycling and her desire to
preserve open space. She supports the preservation of San
Bruno Mountain and has a
green vision for SamTrans
Colma BART development Judith Christensen
and making sure there is adequate public and open space. She would like to
ensure that organics in Daly City are composted.
For more information go to http://www.smartvoter.org/2014/11/04/ca/sm/vote/christensen_j/
A VOTE for these candidates is a vote for
helping the Sierra Club achieve its goals for the
environment!
Colma Members
For the second election cycle, candidates for
Colma Town Council have opted not to meet
with the Sierra Club endorsement team. We need
you to call your Town Council and tell them you
care that they work on environmental issues from
air quality to zero waste. Thanks!
The Loma Prietan - October 2014
Take Action to Green Congress
There are four Congressional Races in Northern California that are critical to change the US
House so environmental legislation can get passed in Washington DC. If you would like to
help re-elect Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. (CD-7) or elect newcomer Michael Eggman (CD9),
please contact our Chapter Liaison, Mary McVey-Gill for these races. Mary is arranging GetOut-The-Vote (GOTV) activities including precinct walking and calling voters. You can reach
her at [email protected] or 650-857-0593. Visits http://www.beraforcongress.com/
splash & http://www.eggmanforcongress.com/.
Amanda Renteria race for CD-21 is one of the Top-40 races in the nation, and a rare pickup
opportunity for Democrats. Spanish-speakers are especially welcome, but it is fine if you are
an English-only speaker. The district is within reach for a day trip. Contact Matt McQuaid at
“Amanda Renteria for Congress” at 617-894-0669 or http://www.amandarenteria.com/.
Finally, Heidi Hall is running in CD1 and gaining on the Republican incumbent. If you
would like to work on this race, please send an email or call Mary McVey-Gill and she will try to
connect you with activists in true northern California. For more information about Heidi go to
http://heidihallforcongress.com/.
Half Moon Bay Needs
Saving: Rarback and
Ruddock to the Rescue!
By Ken King, Half Moon Bay Endorsement
Team Leader
It’s great news that
Debbie Ruddock is running
for Half Moon Bay Council again! Debbie is a former
3-term councilmember and
environmental advocate who
authored the City’s Measure
D in 1999 measure that successfully limited residential Debbie Ruddock
growth to 1% while allowing
additional density in the downtown area. She was
a key proponent of Measure G in 1989, also successful, that advised the council to protect coastal
bluffs, and this year she served as spokesperson
for Measure F, that saved the historic Main Street
Bridge.
The City’s push to replace the bridge, rather
than do feasible, and less expensive, repairs smacks
of favoritism, as outside consultants connected to
City Hall stood to make a killing. Despite being nearly bankrupt and having laid off 75% of
its employees, plans in the works for a new $30
million library the City can ill afford raise more
questions about backroom dealings.
Debbie is concerned about the council’s intent
to develop the areas zoned Planned Unit Development (PUD), most of which are west of Highway 1, and possess sensitive habitat and coastal
resources. The Circulation Element continues to
focus on expansion of roadway capacity rather
than reducing vehicle miles travelled through
sensible land use patterns and developing alternative transportation ideas. Petty politics have
blocked water recycling that residents and businesses want implemented to help reduce costs
and safeguard local prosperity. Planning for sea
level rise, dealing with greenhouse gas emissions,
implementing sustainable energy policies and incentives are Debbie’s priorities.
Debbie is a longtime Half Moon Bay resident,
works for the California Coastal Conservancy,
but above all, believes in public service. Indeed,
as a twice-serving Mayor and author of key measures that are a gift to current residents who enjoy
the benefits of this semirural city, Debbie is anxious to change the City’s course.
Harvey Rarback is a recently retired physicist from
Stanford’s Linear Accelerator
project who now applies his
analytical skills to local politics on San Mateo County’s
Coastside. Eighteen months
ago, he helped fellow citizens
turn out a notably arrogant Harvey Rarback
board majority then controlling the Fire Protection District as if they owned
it. Harvey was elected Director of the Coastside
Fire Protection District where he helped negotiate a significant, money-saving contract with Cal
Fire. Service improved, backroom politics and
decision-making ended, and the public now has
a voice it lacked.
Harvey loves his work at CFPD, but as a Half
Moon Bay resident, he is alarmed at the determination of the present council to systematically
develop as much of its open space as possible
through a massive rewrite of its Local Coastal
Plan. It is imperative environmentalists gain
a voice in this process before it is too late, so
Harvey, a longtime Sierra Club member, made
the tough decision to run for Half Moon Bay’s
Council.
Half Moon Bay is an anomaly among San
Mateo County cities because not only has it not
developed a Climate Action Plan, or considered
sea level rise, but is doing nothing about greenhouse gases, improving public transportation, or
its traffic problems, rated Level of Service F by
Caltrans. Plans approved three years ago by the
Planning Commission for incentivizing Green
Building were mysteriously dropped by the Planning Department. The citizens of Half Moon
Bay voted overwhelmingly in 2005 to advise City
government to pursue water recycling. Nine years
later there is still no water-recycling program.
Harvey wants to embrace a responsible future
and protect the environment. He believes that
the majority of residents agree with his position
to balance responsible governing with environmental protection.
Re-Elect Pacifica’s Green
Council Member Sue Digre
John Maybury, Pacifica Endorsement Team
Member
Three-term incumbent Sue
Digre is the lone environmentalist on the five-member
Pacifica City Council, and
she is also deeply involved in
education and disability issues
as a Parca official and mother
of a disabled child. She has
Sue Digre
remained a staunch defender
of environmental causes on
the Pacifica City Council despite losing two likeminded council colleagues who, along with Sue,
once constituted an environmentalist majority.
Sue believes that strong public disapproval of
Caltrans’ Calera Parkway Project, plus great public interest in exploring high-tech alternatives to
widening (traffic light timing, embedded sensors,
etc.), will persuade the City Council to reject
highway widening if and when this very contentious local issue comes to an up-or-down vote.
Meanwhile, Sue continues to work hard on
related coastal environmental concerns such
as sea-level rise and coastal erosion, open-space
stewardship in collaboration with GGNRA, San
Pedro Creek steelhead protection, snowy plover
habitat on Linda Mar State Beach, defending the
Hillside Preservation District, Calera Creek water
quality, passing a Climate Action Plan, recycling,
composting, and sustainable management of
Sharp Park Pier.
Contact Sue at [email protected] and visit
smartvoter.org/2014/11/04/ca/sm/vote/digre_s/
Elect Highway-Widening
Foe John Keener
By John Maybury, Pacifica
Endorsement Team Member
Environmental candidate
John Keener is a true grassroots campaigner, who began
his run for Pacifica City Council by knocking on more than
John Keener
1,100 doors in Linda Mar to
ask residents for their views on
Caltrans’ proposed widening of Highway 1.
When he found public opinion running almost
The Loma Prietan - October 2014
Page 5
www.lomaprieta.sierraclub.org
2-1 against the widening, John decided to launch a
full-scale campaign for one of the three open seats
on the Pacifica City Council. His own shoe leather, plus that of two dozen volunteer canvassers, is
John’s greatest political asset as a newcomer hoping
to break into the establishment.
He is tuned in to the community that he has
called home for seven years. As a longtime Sierra
Club member, John and his wife moved to Pacifica for its natural beauty, great hiking trails, and
relaxed coastal lifestyle. (Of historical note, before
they moved to Pacifica, John and his wife Cathleen Josaitis fought to save the old Crystal Cove
State Park cabins in Laguna Beach, blocking the
state plan for a luxury resort in the park.)
John is actively involved in coastal issues like
sea-level rise, climate change, planning and zoning limits on development, and green building.
As a retired research biochemist, John’s science
background could be very useful on a council
that must understand and vote on a number of
crucial technological and environmental issues.
Contact John at 650-557-9738 or [email protected] and visit sites.google.
com/site/JohnKeenerForPacificaCC
Bernardo and David for
San Mateo County Harbor
Commission
By Ruth Stoner Muzzin, Harbor District Endorsement Team Member
The Harbor District manages both the working harbor
of Pillar Point and the recreational and transportation hub
of Oyster Point, including all
of the diverse activities and
enterprises that are supported
by both harbors, as well as
the award-winning safety and Robert Bernardo
emergency response teams that
are based there. The Chapter
is excited about continuing
to bring significant issues to
the forefront with the Harbor
District, the elected body on
the Peninsula that may be positioned most squarely on the
front line of the global struggle
Nicole David
with climate change and sea
level rise. Environmental leadership is needed to
address and move beyond the administrative issues
raised in a recent Grand Jury report, and to keep
the District moving forward in a way that meets
the Club’s values and priorities.
In 2010, the Chapter endorsed its first successful challenger for a Harbor Commissioner seat,
Robert Bernardo. Now we support Bernardo in
his bid for re-election, to keep environmental issues at the forefront in managing our harbors.
The District should continue the work started by
Bernardo to complete a first-ever Strategic Plan/
Climate Plan/Adaptation Plan for the harbors.
His emphasis on cooperation with surrounding
jurisdictions to create a joint master plan, and
building on the District’s recently recognized
achievements in harbor safety and environmental
stewardship are crucial in moving forward. Visit
http://www.smartvoter.org/2014/11/04/ca/sm/
vote/david_n/ for more information.
We are also endorsing newcomer Nicole David, an experienced marine biologist, whose emphasis on sound science and public education we
hope will advance the issues that are critical to
our harbors, such as improving water quality and
helping the Peninsula community on both of our
coasts to better understand and address drought,
sea level rise and other imminent effects of climate
change. Visit www.smartvoter.org/2014/11/04/
ca/sm/vote/david_n/ for more information.
Vote Yes on Measure M for
Menlo Park.
By Mike Ferreira, Chair Loma Prieta Conservation Committee
In 2012, the City of Menlo Park adopted a
“Specific Plan” that liberalized the zoning rules
for properties located along El Camino Real and
the downtown business district of Santa Cruz Av-
enue. After adoption, the City received two large
development proposals which together intend to
build over 400,000 SF of office space along the
City’s El Camino corridor . This raised concerns
in the community that loopholes in the Specific
Plan were allowing a large concentration of office that would create large negative impacts, including significantly increased rush hour and cut
through traffic while providing little or no benefit to Menlo Park residents, exacerbating Menlo
Park’s jobs/housing imbalance, and jeopardizing
the revenue sources for infrastructure improvements. It was also felt that the proposals were not
in keeping with the Specific Plan’s underlying
vision of balanced, mixed-use development that
including retail, services, hotels, transit-oriented
housing and offices.
In reaction to these proposals, the Sierra
Club’s advocates, former Menlo Park Council
Members, and Menlo Park residents petitioned
the City Council to modify the Specific Plan to
ensure that development was in keeping with the
Specific Plan’s Vision and Goals of a thirty-year,
mixed-use build-out and revitalization. When the
City Council was unwilling to make these changes, the residents gathered sufficient signatures to
force Council to bring the issue to the voters.
The Initiative (Measure M) closes loopholes
in the Menlo Park’s 2012 Specific Plan and rebalances development to be more in line with the
Specific Plan’s vision of development that serves
the needs of Menlo Park residents (www.menlopark.org/183/El-Camino-Real-DowntownVision-Plan). Measure M makes three primary
changes to the Specific Plan:
1. Redefines open space to exclude balconies
and rooftops to encourage ground level public
plazas, gardens and walkways and distinguish,
separate and provide greater visual relief from the
mass of adjacent structures.
2. Limits the amount of office space per development to 100,000 SF to encourage development on the largest sites that provide a more
healthy balance of neighborhood-serving retail,
restaurants, hotels, businesses, and housing near
transit.
3. Requires voter approval to reset limits for
office and non-residential space beyond what was
projected as the Plan’s 30-year build out.
The limits in Measure M mirror those in the
Specific Plan’s “Illustrative Plan” that was studied
by the EIR and FIA , includes a mix of housing (680 units), hotel (380 rooms), retail (91,800
SF) and commercial office (240,820 SF). This
mix was designed to fulfill the Specific Plan’s
goals and bring daytime, evening and weekend
vibrancy to downtown Menlo Park.
The petition to place Measure M on the ballot
was signed by over 2500 residents. It is supported
by ten former Mayors and numerous current and
former City Commissioners.
Santa Clara
County
Barry Chang endorsed for
Cupertino City Council
By Gary Latshaw, Co-Chair Political Committee
Barry has been a longtime advocate for environmental issues, and he will be
a dependable ally in future
challenges. When he first
ran for council in 2010, he
ran on the platform of more
protective emission regulations on the Lehigh Cement
Barry Chang
Plant. He more than kept his
promise. He also formed a non-profit, “Bay Area
for Clean Environment.” Under his urging the
Council wrote formal letters to the County and
the Air District regarding the emissions from the
Plant. The plant is outside the City’s boundaries
and several politicians took the easy way out and
claimed it was not within their jurisdiction. Barry
kept up constant pressure and today, although the
emissions are significant and further reductions
would be welcome, the Air District has imposed
more protective emission levels than the Federal
guidelines. Cupertino’s citizens now have cleaner
air due to Barry’s initiatives.
Barry has been out in front to reject the Valley
Transportation Authority’s (VTA) plan to install
toll lanes on highway 85. Not only has Cupertino
been critical, but Barry spoke as a citizen at other
Cities similarly affected. Barry wants an independent environmental review of VTA’s toll-lane
plan. Barry, who has traveled widely, wants an
alternative to lane widening, light rail, examined
along with other alternatives to a toll lane. Barry
has supported and openly promoted the City’s
regulations for both plastic bag limitations and
Styrofoam cups and boxes limitations. Barry’s
website is http://www.barrychang.com, and his
email is [email protected]
Tom Fischer, Paul Kloecker
and Peter Leore-Munoz for
Gilroy City Council
By Gary Latshaw, Co-Chair Political Committee
Gilroy has three seats with
three great environmental
candidates. Peter Leroe-Munoz is an incumbent, articulate, very experienced, and
understands environmental
issues. He has supported
green development in the
City. He supports the develTom Fischer
opment of affordable housing by transit and shopping
centers, and the City’s climate
action plan.
He serves on the Santa
Clara Water Commission
where he advocates for Open
Space Credit for agricultural
water rates. He successfully
Paul Kloecker
advocated that the City rejoin
the regional Habitat Conservation Plan. He has pushed
for the increased use of energy-efficient LED lighting
on developments and public
property throughout the City.
He has advocated for balanced
budgets so the City remain
fiscally responsible. Peter’s Peter Leore-Munoz
website is www.peterleroemunoz.com; his email is [email protected],
and his phone number is 408-427-4697
Tom Fischer is new to electoral politics, but
he has been on the planning commission for
several years. Within the commission he was
elected the vice-chair and then the chair. Thus,
he has demonstrated an ability to connect well
with his colleagues. He clearly has an environmental viewpoint when he examines issues. He
was a plumber and he has experience conforming development to the LEED standards. His
biggest concerns are air and water pollution. He
is annoyed, along with other residents that much
of the air pollution flows into the City from San
Jose. He supports the City’s efforts in improving the streets, adopting LED streetlamps, and
developing a climate action plan. He personally
recycles, reuses, and operates hand tools (instead
of powered). Tom’s website is tom4gilroy.com
and his email is [email protected],
and his phone number is 408-847-4726.
Paul Kloecker has served on the City Council
for three terms in the 1980/90s and he is now
energized to rejoin the Council. He is currently
on the Planning Commission and feels the City
Council often overrules the Planning Commission
arbitrarily and without explanation. He believes
air and water pollution are major issues. He wants
to encourage green development. He supports the
encouragement of bike travel, public transit, and
ridesharing. He supports affordable housing. While
on the Planning Commission he supported the recently approved 263-unit complex for downtown.
He supports allocating areas for wildlife and habitat protection. Paul’s email is paulkloecker@gmail.
com and his phone number is 408-847-4716.
Jean Mordo and Mary
Prochnow for Los Altos City
Council
By Mike Ferreira, Chapter Conservation Chair
The Sierra Club warmly endorses the candidacies of Jean Mordo and Mary Prochnow for the
Election 2014
Los Altos City Council.
Jean Mordo has a solid political track record that demonstrates a consistent conservationist outlook toward
environmental issues. He is
against using parkland for
school facilities. He supports
Jean Mordo
vigilant attention to waste
reduction. On water, Mordo
recognizes the vast quantities
used in the Los Altos area due
to the unusually high percentage of ground covered by
landscaping. He has considerable prior governmental experience in working to conserve
water usage while keeping Mary Prochnow
trees healthy during drought
conditions. Please visit http://
votemordo.com/ to find more information about
Jean.
Mary Prochnow brings the perspective of a
citizen long active in civic organizations ñ having previously served at the helm of the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce. She, too, opposes
the conversion of parkland to school sites citing
“You can’t get it back.” She recognizes the need
to improve transit opportunities, to encourage
city commissions to implement conservation
oriented agendas and for the city to pay particular attention to the challenges posed by current
drought conditions. To learn more about Mary
visit http://www.maryforcouncil.com/.
Rennie, Leonardis and
Sayoc for Los Gatos Town
Council
By Charles Schafer, Endorsement Team Lead
Rob Rennie - Rob is a
long-term resident of Los Gatos who wants to bring smart,
positive solutions to the council table. He has pledged to
work for inclusivity and transparency, reduced greenhouse
gas emissions, and improved
infrastructure;
especially
Rob Rennie
bike and pedestrian paths for
adults and children. He has proposed the creation
of an Environmental and Energy Commission
that would put our area’s creative thinkers to work
developing new ways to meet our energy and environmental challenges, and is also dedicated to
balancing the need for a sound economy with
protecting the small town character of Los Gatos.
He currently serves on the Town’s Parks Commission where he works to encourage water conservation, plant trees and promote the use of native
plants where appropriate.
Rob is a long-term member of the Loma Prieta
Chapter of the Sierra Club and served on the Executive Committee (board) from 2007 to 2013
and as Vice Chair from 2009 to 2011. He served
on the Political Committee from 2006 to 2012
and as Committee Tri-Chair from 2007 to 2011.
Rob also organized and led the Sierra Club Cool
Cities team in Los Gatos which successfully lobbied the Town to sign on to the Mayors’ Climate
Protection Agreement.
As an Acterra home energy auditor, Rob volunteers to conduct home audits in Santa Clara
County residencies. He also regularly volunteers
for creek clean ups.
Rob works as a solar energy engineer, dedicating his professional life to working on solar industry innovations and defining new products
that will enrich and improve solar technology.
Contact Rob at (888) 404-5215 www.RobRennie4lgcouncil.com
Steve Leonardis - During the past four years
on the Los Gatos Town Council as councilmember, vice mayor and mayor, Steve has supported
policies that have protected
the natural beauty of Los Gatos and preserved our quality of life. While serving as
Mayor of Los Gatos, he voted
to ban gas powered leaf blowers, agendized and held a
town-wide water conservation
public hearing, voted for and Steve Leonardis
Election 2014
Page 6
endorsed the open space district, lobbied congress
with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group for mass
transportation funding to reduce/eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, and worked to develop more
sustainable housing solutions as part of our housing 2014 element. In previous years on council,
he also supported town installation of electric vehicle charging stations, solar panel installation on
public buildings, and LED lighting solutions.
Steve championed traffic studies around our
schools and budgeted 100K towards eliminating
this source of congestion, as well as advocating
for bussing to remove school traffic (cars) from
our roads along with making bike lanes safer. He
also wants to preserve open space and move away
from sprawling development. As well, he wants
more investment in water infrastructure, including use of recycled water and conservation alternatives such as moving away from 40% of water
being used for landscaping.
In Steve’s own words, “I am proud to receive
the prestigious endorsement of the Sierra Club
for my 2014 re-election. I would be honored if
the people of Los Gatos choose me to continue to
represent them in sensible ways that protect our
environment while managing the growth of our
community in a sustainable manner.” Contact
Steve at 408-813-3098 or steveleonardis.com .
Marico Sayoc - Marico is committed to
protecting Los Gatos’ environmental beauty and sustainability. She has a strong
environmental background,
with a B.S. in Environmental
Sciences from UC Berkeley
and a Masters in Environmental Management from Duke
University. She also was an
Marico Sayoc
Environmental Fellow at the
H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics
and the Environment; and previously worked for
both the US Environmental Protection Agency
and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Marico is currently in her 8th year on the
Planning Commission. She has also served on
the General Plan Committee (chair), Housing
Element Advisory Board (chair), North 40 Advisory Committee, Sustainability Committee, and
Historic Preservation Committee. During her
time on the Planning Commission, Marico has
built a strong and consistent record of voting to
reduce the traffic impact of development, including providing connectivity to existing bike paths
and sidewalks. She is committed to smart and
thoughtful planning for future development so
that open spaces are preserved and public transit
corridors are fully utilized. She has also cast many
votes to help move important projects forward,
including the new library (which Marico helped
achieve LEED Gold certification for its environmentally friendly design), the Los Gatos Blvd.
police station, the Creekside Sports Park, and an
expansion of The Terraces senior community to
accommodate an Alzheimer’s care facility.
Marico has over 150 endorsements including Congresswoman Anna Eshoo. Learn more at
http://marico4lg.com
Vote for José Esteves for
Milpitas Mayor
By John Cordes, Council Endorsement Team
José is the current mayor of Milpitas and served
5 terms as Mayor. He has been
a consistent supporter of the
environment during his time
in office. Recently, José has led
the establishment of a model
transit oriented development
plan for the two BART stations currently under construction. In both cases, he
José Esteves
has pulled together council
and community coalitions to protect the environment. In addition to defending his past successes, José has pushed and generally succeeded
in achieving a Climate Action Plan, a plastic bag
ban, stronger smoking restrictions, banning wood
burning, increased energy efficiency and treeplanting. He serves on numerous regional boards,
including VTA board of directors. To learn more,
please visit his website www.estevesformayor.
com.
www.lomaprieta.sierraclub.org
Elect Marsha Grilli and
Rajeev Madnawat for
Milpitas City Council
By Gary Latshaw, Co-Chair, Political
Committee
The chapter is endorsing
both Marsha Grilli and Rajeev Madnawat for Milpitas
City Council. Grilli is a long
term, well regarded President
of the City’s school board. No
other candidate has prior elecMarsha Grilli
tive experience whereas she has
served on the School Board for
20 years. Grilli supported the
plastic bag ban and was very
disappointed when the council turned it down. Breathe
California gave Grilli its Bay
Area-wide Clean Air Award
for the installation of solar collectors over the school parking Rajeev Madnawat
lots at the District’s 14 schools.
She also pushed the development of the District’s
alternative energy lab at the high schools, energy
science curriculum for upper schools, and funding
of energy education for science teachers. She wants
to reduce the City’s consumption of water at its
facilities. She would like to see drought resistance
landscaping and financial incentives for residents
to reduce water and energy usage.
Madnawat is on the school foundation, and
a housing assistance non-profit board. He is a
well-known intellectual property attorney. While
he does not have a public environmental record,
he expressed support of the environmental issues
on conservation, renewable energy, and alternative (to single occupancy vehicles) transportation.
Madnawat expressed a strong desire to work with
the Club on environmental issues. To learn more
about Rajeev go to http://bettermilpitas.com/
Matthews for Mayor,
Caserta and Nadeem for
Santa Clara City Council
By John Cordes, Endorsement Team Leader
The Sierra club is proud to
endorse current Mayor Jamie
Matthews for re-election as
Santa Clara mayor. In Seat 2,
the club endorses Dr. Mohammed Nadeem and in Seat 5, the
club endorses former council
member Dominic Caserta.
Santa Clara has more control over its greenhouse gas Jamie Matthews
emissions than most cities
because it owns and operates
its own electric utility company, Silicon Valley Power
(SVP). Santa Clara is recognized across the U.S. for how
green SVP is. SVP earned the
U.S. Department of Energy’s
(DOE) 2014 Public Power Mohammed Nadeem
Wind Award for supporting
new wind generations. SVP
customers can choose 100%
green power for just an additional $0.015/ KWH and
many customers do so.
Jamie Matthews (Mayor
race) has a long record of voting to protect the environ- Dominic Caserta
ment as highlighted above.
His record is so strong, that
in 2014 he has been co-named environmental
Legislator of the Year by the Santa Clara League
of Conservation Voters. Jamie is a vocal advocate
for improving our mass transit systems to work
better for all of us. He voted for the largest expansion ever of recycled water in Santa Clara,
expanding the system 7 miles in 2010-11. Most
recently, in May 2014, Mayor Matthews voted in
yes for Santa Clara to ban expanded foam foodware, which passed. He voted in favor of the purchase of forty acres of wildlife open space habitat
in Coyote Valley purchased by SVP and having
that land donated to The Land Trust of Santa
Clara County to ensure permanent protection.
Dr. Nadeem (Seat 2 race) is running for office for the third time and we think he will do a
great job protecting our environment if elected.
His environmental positions are strongly aligned
with the Sierra Club’s. He supports protecting
the Ulistac Natural area. He is a strong supporter
of solar energy and has been working in favor of
a single use plastic bag ban in Santa Clara for a
long time. Dr. Nadeem will advocate for expanding Santa Clara’s use of recycled water if elected
and he supports ballot Measure Q to fund more
and better open space in Santa Clara County.
Dominic Caserta (seat 5 race) has voted in
favor of many of the strong environmental positions taken by the city of Santa Clara during his
years on the city council from 2002-2010. Dominic voted for Santa Clara to sign the Mayor’s
Climate Protection Agreement in 2007 so he is
a long term advocate for working to slow climate
disruption. He voted for funding to complete the
San Tomas Aquino Creek Streamside Trail including its upgrades and his is a passionate supporter
of protecting the Ulistac Natural Area. Dominic
has a proven track record of helping to protect
our environment by protecting open space and
supporting smart growth in Santa Clara.
Elect Sam Liccardo as your
Mayor in San Jose
By John Cordes, Political Volunteer
The Loma Prieta Chapter of Sierra Club endorses San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo for San Jose
Mayor. Sam has been a proven
supporter of the Sierra Club
positions and the environment while serving on the San
Jose City Council. “I will emphasize high-density, transitoriented, in-fill development
Sam Liccardo
downtown and in North San
Jose, and will work to protect the Greenbelt, and
to provide alternatives to the potential residential
sprawl in Coyote Valley.” stated Sam.
Sam is supportive of protecting our environment in many ways. He wants to recycle much
more of the water coming from the new advanced
water treatment plant that San Jose and Santa
Clara recently built. He is supportive on improving our regional transit systems to provide alternatives to those who don’t want to drive to get
around. “Sam is a proven environmental leader,
and is the best choice to represent us and protect
our environment in San Jose.” said Cordes.
For more information about Sam, visit his
website http://www.samliccardo.com
Vote for Paul Fong in
San Jose District 1
By John Cordes, Endorsement Team
The Sierra Club proudly
endorsed Paul Fong again
in his campaign for San Jose
District 1. Paul has a great
record of supporting and
driving important environmental legislation. Paul is
currently in the Ca State Assembly. In his most recent
Paul Fong
2 years in the Ca Assembly,
Paul has a Sierra Club California favorable voting score of 70% in 2013
and 85% in 2012. “Paul has sponsored critical
legislation, including AB376, banning shark
finning and importation of shark fins. Also
AB19, which requires new multi-unit residential developments and new apartment buildings to have water meters for individual units.”
said John Cordes, Loma Prieta leader.
In additions to our endorsement, Paul proudly
carries the support of California League of Conservation Voters, US congress members Mike
Honda, Anna Eshoo, Bay Area leaders like Senator Jerry Hill, Assembly member Nora Campos,
San Jose council members Ash Kalra and Don
Rocha. For more information about Paul, please
visit his website http://paulfong.org
The Loma Prietan - October 2014
Vote for Raul Peralez,
a passionate voice for
District 3
By Ann Schneider, Co-Chair
Political Committee
Raul Peralez is a life-long
San Jose resident, graduate of
San Jose State and a San Jose
Police officer. When elected
his environmental priorities
for the City include water
Raul Peralez
conservation actions, reducing air pollution and expanding transit opportunities as a way to get people
out of their cars. He has a strong commitment to
maintaining parks throughout the City as both a
place for the residents of San Jose to recreate but
also to demonstrate the City’s commitment to
open space. He supports all the green actions the
City has put in place. The Sierra Club believes he
will grow to become one of the strongest green
voices on City Council. For more information on
Raul Peralez go to http://www.raulperalez.com/
Vote for Emily Lo and MaryLynne Bernald for Saratoga
City Council
By Diane Gleason, Endorsement Team Leader
The Sierra Club proudly
endorses Mayor Emily Lo for
re-election to the Saratoga
City Council. Emily voted to
annex the Quarry property
to add open space and trails
to Saratoga. She voted for
Saratoga to install electric veEmily Lo
hicle (EV) charging stations.
She walks the talk and has
installed solar panels on her
own home. She supports ballot measure Q to fund more
trails and open space in Santa
Clara County. Her website is
http://www.emilylo.org and
her email is emilylo@emilylo.
org. Her campaign phone # is Mary-Lynne Bernald
408-868-9982.
We also endorse MaryLynne Bernald. Mary-Lynne has 10 years of experience on the Saratoga planning commission so
she is well prepared to move up to city council.
Mary-Lynne has protected Saratoga’s riparian
corridors by setting strict limits on development
near creeks. She supported trail expansion in the
hills instead of allowing existing trails to be closed
to allow development. She applied many green
principles in developing Saratoga’s The Residential Design Guideline Handbook. Her website
is www.mary-lynne4saratoga.com and you can
reach her at [email protected] or
call (408) 206 1547.
Pete Siemens for
Midpeninsula Regional
Open Space District, Ward 1
By Dave Poeschel, Open Space Chair
The incumbent, Director Pete Siemens, makes the
choice easy for Midpeninsula
Regional Open Space District
(MROSD), Ward 1. He is a
proven environmental leader
having served his community
on the Hillside Study Committee where his efforts were
Pete Siemens
rewarded when St. Joseph’s
Hill was purchased for permanent protection.
Pete also served on the County Transportation
Advisory Commission, Los Gatos’ Trails Committee, and as a Los Gatos councilman before
serving as Director of the Board of MROSD.
Now, with the success of Measure AA, his experienced leadership will provide a steady hand
on the tiller while implementing the Districts’
Vision Plan through judicious expenditures and
efforts to seek public input. Pete states, “I want
The Loma Prietan - October 2014
Page 7
www.lomaprieta.sierraclub.org
to help position the District staffing and public
outreach policies to best implement our Vision
Plan using the new bond money our voters have
authorized.” Director Siemens is clearly committed to stewardship of the land as he says, “…
so it remains a place of discovery and beauty.”
Voters in MROSD Ward 1 will be wise to send
Pete Siemens to serve another term as director.
Contact Pete at (408)761-0760 and visit www.
petesiemens.com
Water District Needs Brian
Schmidt
By Katja Irvin, Chair, Water Committee
Incumbent Santa Clara
Valley Water District Director
for District 7, Brian Schmidt
has proven environmental
credentials both on and off
the Board. Before his election
in 2010, Schmidt was the
Santa Clara County Advocate for Committee for Green
Brian Schmidt
Foothills. He also worked for
Earthjustice (formerly the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund) and the National Resources Defense
Council. He graduated from Stanford University
Law School.
As a Board member, Schmidt has consistently
supported stronger environmental positions than
his counterparts on the Board. He brought forward
the request from environmental groups to increase
allocations in the Measure B parcel tax for fisheries
restoration resulting in $4 million additional funds
allocated to environmental goals. He has also been
a leader in promoting water conservation and recycling efforts, including potable reuse.
Importantly, Schmidt has gained extensive experience during his first term on the Board and
is prepared to work within the system to make
a difference. He serves on Board Ad Hoc Committees on water conservation and the Bay Delta
Conservation Plan and is vice chair of the San
Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority and
the Santa Clara County Emergency Operations
Area Council.
Schmidt’s long history as an environmental
advocate before joining the board provides confidence that he will support Sierra Club positions.
As a board member he continues to participate
with the Chapter Water Committee on environmental issues, attending at least four committee
meetings in the past three years.
For these reasons the Loma Prieta Chapter endorses Brian Schmidt to represent District 7 on
the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of
Directors. To learn more go to http://www.brianforwater.org/
Sierra Club Enthusiastically
Endorses Santa Clara
County Measure Q
By Melissa Hippard, co-chair Friends of Santa
Clara Valley Open Space
This fall residents of the Santa Clara Valley
have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect open space, clean water, wildlife habitat, and
create miles of hiking trails for current and future generations to enjoy. Measure Q will ensure
the Santa Clara Open Space Authority has the
resources it needs and the campaign needs your
help to ensure our quality of life.
Measure Q will create $120 million in new
conservation funds over a period of fifteen years.
These funds will be used to implement the highest priorities of the Santa Clara Valley Greenprint,
a 30-year land use and resource conservation plan
developed by the Open Space Authority (OSA)
with extensive public input. Projects identified in
the Greenprint, which need Measure Q funding
to be realized, will 1) reserve our region’s natural
heritage by protecting scenic hillsides, open space
and creekside trails, wildlife, redwood forests, agricultural land; 2) Increase public access to open
space and maintain parks, trails, and expand trail
connections among local and regional parks; 3)
protect our water supplies and reduce pollution
and toxins by preserving land around creeks, rivers and streams; 4) provide local access to open
space through urban parks and environmental
education programs; and 5) permanently protect
farm and ranch lands, and restore vital wildlife
habitat in our surrounding hills.
Santa Clara County is the fastest growing
county in the Bay Area. Our population is projected to grow by about 700,000 people by 2035,
creating major new challenges for protecting
our remaining undeveloped open spaces and the
many values they provide our communities. The
OSA has just completed “Nature’s Value in Santa
Clara County,” the first-ever regional economic
valuation of open space, natural areas, water resources and working landscapes and the benefits
people receive from nature. If Silicon Valley is
to remain a center for innovation in the fastestgrowing region in the state, it must support continued investment in open space to ensure lasting provision of these benefits. The Open Space
Authority is on the cutting edge of innovative
approaches to open space protection and collaboration to maximize limited resources.
Voting yes on Measure Q is voting yes for protecting and investing in our invaluable natural
and working lands. The Sierra Club has worked
tirelessly the past several decades to protect Coyote Valley from development, encourage compact
growth in our cities, and urge residents to embrace low impact lifestyles.
Get involved to protect open space. Please
volunteer to help Measure Q pass – we need 2/3
of the voters to say YES. Our campaign is running on a lean budget and we need people, like
you, to get involved. You can make a difference.
To volunteer please sign up here http://www.yesforscvopenspace.org/#!volunteer/cs9b
To learn more about Measure Q visit http://
www.yesforscvopenspace.org/ and to learn more
about the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority visit http://www.openspaceauthority.org/
Peninsula Regional
Group Endorsement
activities
Sierra Club endorses
Duriseti, Combs &
Fergusson for Menlo Park
Council
By Mike Ferreira, Endorsement Team Lead
During our endorsement
process a picture emerged of
a talented group of citizens
whose environmental consciousness is above the politiKristin Duriseti
cal norm for California cities
and in the top rank of Peninsula cities.
Our endorsement decision
- based largely on our perception of the degree of openness
to public citizen based environmental advocacy and on
willingness to adjust course
consistent with that advocacy
Drew Combs
- is to endorse the following
candidates for election to
the City of Menlo Park City
Council.
Kristin Duriseti - is a
Menlo Park Environmental
Quality Commissioner with
6 years of experience who
displays a quick grasp of the
important issues of our day Kelly Fergusson
across the full spectrum of
city governance. http://www.
kristinformenlopark.com/endorse_kristin
Drew Combs - is a Menlo Park Planning
Commissioner and is an attorney/journalist. He
will bring considerable talent to the council when
grappling with the large and complicated issues
facing the city. http://www.drewcombs.com/
Kelly Fergusson - is a former Menlo Park
Mayor endorsed by the Club 3 times previously.
Kelly was a good listener to the Club and to the
public during her terms on the council and we
fully expect that we could count on her to do that
in the future. http://kellyfergusson.wordpress.
com/
The Sierra Club endorses these 3 candidates Kristin Duriseti, Drew Combs and Kelly Fergusson - for the City of Menlo Park City Council
with an eye toward achieving expanded public
participation in the planning of Menlo Park’s
future.
Thanks to Sue Chow, Gita Dev, Mike Ferreira,
Ginny Laibl, Ryan Moin, Dave Olson, Lennie Roberts and Terry Trumbull for participating in the endorsement process.
Showalter, Capriles and
Matichak for Mountain
View City Council
By Gita Dev, Co-Chair,
Peninsula Regional Group
This is a critical election
for Mountain View residents,
for the future of Shoreline
Park and Wildlife Refuge and
for preventing sprawl to the
edge of San Francisco Bay.
Pat Showalter
Therefore, the Sierra Club is
endorsing the following three
candidates for the three seats
that are up for election.
Pat Showalter - has served
as a member of the Mountain
View Environmental Planning Commission and works
for the Santa Clara Valley Margaret Capriles
Water District. She is and
has been an environmentally
active citizen for many years,
especially on creek restoration and critical clean water
issues. She is knowledgeable on environmental issues
and has strong credentials
as a knowledgeable and very
Lisa Matichak
hard-working advocate for
forward-looking solutions to
the multi-faceted problems that Mountain View
has to cope with now and in the future. http://
votepatshowalter.com/
Margaret Capriles - is a current member of
the Mountain View Environmental Planning
Commission. She has an understanding of the
need to exercise caution and care when dealing
with the remaining natural areas in the city, cares
about parks and open space and also understands
the critical importance for creating more housing
near amenities, services and schools in TransitOriented-Development areas in order to address
the city’s jobs/housing imbalance. http://margaretcapriles.com/
Lisa Matichak - has served for 5 years on, and
is past chair of, the Mountain View Environmental Planning Commission. She is a strong supporter of Mountain View’s General Plan and Precise Plans, which plan for growth while protecting
Mountain View’s unique resources. She will work
to make sure Mountain View will grow while
maintaining a balance with its special quality of
life and she recognizes the level of care we need to
take when proposals come forward in the vicinity
of natural resources. www.lisaforcouncil.com/
Larry Hassett, Perfect
Choice for MROSD Ward #6
By Mike Ferreira, Chapter Conservation Chair
The Sierra Club proudly
endorses a longtime and
highly valued friend - Larry
Hassett - to the Midpeninsula
Regional Open Space District
(MROSD) for a 5th term as a
Director of Ward #6. Whether we look at his exemplary
Larry Hassett
record as an Open Space District Director or we look at his
equally exemplary record as an environmentally
conscious and astute citizen/businessman we see
a template for the type of candidate we can only
hope to see more of when we make our endorsements.
Larry Hassett’s positions on wildlife (cougars
particularly), on spending priorities, on watersheds, on restoration, on trails, and on establishing good relations with MROSD’s neighbors are
all laudatory and well aligned with Sierra Club
policy. We look forward to working with him as
MROSD prioritizes the funding that will come
from the hard-fought victory of Measure AA.
See www.smartvoter.org/2002/11/05/ca/sm/
race/24/
Election 2014
Elect DuBois, Filseth,
Holman, Scharff and
Wolbach to Palo Alto City
Council
By Dave Olson, Endorsement Team Lead
The Sierra Club is proud
to endorse Tom DuBois,
Eric Filseth, Karen Holman,
Gregg Scharff, and Cory
Wolbach for the Palo Alto
City Council.
Tom DuBois is concerned
about over development in
Tom DuBois
Palo Alto. He got involved in
opposing Measure D and is a
leader of Palo Altans for Sensible Zoning. He currently
serves on a group that is drafting a new housing element.
If elected, Tom plans to
focus on: 1. sensible development through zoning laws
Eric Filseth
that maintain the residential
nature of the city; 2. fiber to
the home; and 3. transparent and efficient city government; and 4. Better coordination with PAUSD. Tom is
a technology executive who
has recently been working in
the video game industry. For
more information or to volKaren Holman
unteer for Tom’s campaign,
please go to votedubois.com
or call 415-377-8455.
Eric Filseth wants to arrest the momentum he sees
behind big-city type developments in Palo Alto. Eric
was one of the authors of the
widely publicized Downtown
Greg Scharff
Neighborhood parking-intrusion model. He intends to represent the interests of residents
who want Palo Alto to remain
a great place to raise kids. He
is a member of Palo Altans for
Sensible Zoning. Eric’s priorities are: 1. sensible zoning and
development policy that puts
residents first; 2. better fiscal
Cory Wolbach
management; and 3. pushing back on the state housing mandates. Eric has been an executive in the
semiconductor industry and is now committed
to spending more time on civic affairs. For more
information or to volunteer for Eric’s campaign,
please go to ericfilseth.com or call 650-325-0760.
Incumbent Karen Holman is also concerned
about over development and traffic. As a council
member, Karen has spoken out about the lack of
transparency of council business and raised objections to the rate of development approvals.
She’d like to see zoning changes to limit office
construction and approvals for building additional small housing units. Karen was previously
on the Planning and Transportation Commission. For more information or to volunteer for
Karen’s campaign, please go to karenholman.org
or call 650-224-2627.
Incumbent Greg Scharff served as mayor in
2013 and has joined the boards of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the
Association of Bay Area Governments and the
Northern California Power Agency. He said that
the council “missed the sentiment of the public”
on Measure D. For more information or to volunteer for Greg’s campaign, please go to gregscharff.com or call 650-868-9303.
Cory Wolbach, is a member of Senator Jerry
Hill’s staff. His environmental priorities are: 1.
Preservation of open space; 2. Improved alternatives to car travel through public transit and
balanced planning; 3. Climate change advocacy;
and, 4. Continuing Palo Alto’s leadership on clean
energy. He would like to see additional housing
units built to meet the needs of young adults and
senior citizens. His experience in helping constituents and passing legislation will benefit Palo
Alto. For more information or to volunteer for
Cory’s campaign, please go to corywolbach.com
or call 408-529-7563.
Election 2014
Page 8
www.lomaprieta.sierraclub.org
The Loma Prieta Chapter Needs
Your Donations
Even in California, progressive environmental bills pass by the slimmest of margins. We
need you to help get the word out before voters
in our region elect the wrong leaders!
Looking no further than California’s landmark ban on single-use plastic bags. It’s wonderful news for the environment, but did you
realize that the ban almost didn’t pass because
eight Assembly Members mysteriously chose
not to vote? Seriously?!?
The only way we can avoid situations like
this is by making sure we choose the right candidates for the office. Will you help by making a
donation to our endorsement program today?
For decades your Loma Prieta Chapter has
brought you and the rest of Silicon Valley information on “green candidates” who win our
endorsement in our “Election Insights” newspaper. It’s a critical way to flag the most environmental candidates running for office. As costs
go up, we need your financial help to keep circulating the newspaper.
We all know that party affiliation doesn’t
guarantee the same commitment to the environment. That’s why it’s so important that we
truly inform voters who are deciding who will
represent us in the coming year.
It costs over $10,000 to publish and deliver
the newsletter twice a year. Our activists volunteer countless hours to the endorsement process, but budget constraints make it difficult to
continue publishing “Election Insights.”
Will you help elect true environmental leaders? Please donate $100, $50 or just $25 to ensure that we’re electing “green candidates.”
Our planet deserves to have fierce elected
leaders who will fight for it every day!
Sincerely,
Ann Schneider and Gary Latshaw
Chairs, Loma Prieta Political Committee
Environmental Issue Updates
Water Committee Update
By Katja Irvin, Chair, Water Committee
The Chapter Water Committee is involved in
many projects throughout our three County area.
• We are supporting the Chapter’s Fracking
Action Team to push against expanded oil drilling in San Benito County and southern Santa
Clara County.
• We are working on creek reclamation and
restoration in Santa Clara County, from Coyote
Creek in Morgan Hill to San Francisquito Creek
in Palo Alto.
• We advocate regularly with other organizations to protect water resources from development, from Pacifica to Brisbane to Menlo Park
and Morgan Hill.
• We are advocating for the Santa Clara County Water District to provide more information
about their Drinking Water Fluoridation Project
and to do more analysis on the risks vs. the ben-
efits of this practice.
Our activities include advocacy on local policy
issues, education and outreach, and field work.
That means writing letters, attending public
meetings and arranging private meetings with
decision makers. That means tabling at fairs and
other events, inviting speakers to our committee
meetings, and organizing occasional education
events for the general public. That means going
out to see and learn about our creeks and supporting creek cleanup events.
This is a lot of work, a lot of fun, and a lot of
satisfaction. Please join us at our monthly meetings or contact Chair Katja Irvin to get involved.
The Water Committee meets on the 3rd Thursday
of each month from 7 to 9pm at the Peninsula
Conservation Center, 3921 E Bayshore Rd, Palo
Alto in the Pergerine Room. For more information
or to discuss any issues of concern, contact Water
Committee Chair Katja Irvin, (408) 569-8214.
Sierra Club Activities in Northern San Mateo County
By Ann Schneider, Chair, Millbrae Cool City
Let’s face it, if you live north of Burlingame,
you don’t see many Sierra Club activities happening in our communities. We don’t have
any regional based hiking groups or a team of
people working on a specific issue like we did
when we were the epicenter in fighting San
Francisco Airport runway expansions, saving
San Bruno Mountain from development or
creating countywide curbside recycling program (all chapter priorities in the 1980s).
But actually we do have member sponsored
clean ups, film screenings, discussion groups,
media events, projects with school children
and study sessions on city specific land use
plans.
Just this week the Sierra Club was asked by
environmental activist Kamala Silva Wolfe of
Everything South City to participate in a steering committee to create a North Peninsula
Open Space District. The goal of this new effort will be the creation of a district that can
oversee and help manage all the disparate open
spaces from HWY 92 to San Francisco on both
sides of the coastal mountains. We are looking for people who would like to work on this
project.
For now the Millbrae Cool City team is serving as the focal point for north county activities. We welcome activists from all north county
communities. Our goal is to gather enough Sierra Club members from each city so in time they
can spin off to stand on their own. In the meantime we are hosting a number of events planned
from now to next June. If you would like to be
a part of bringing activism, or hiking, kayaking
or other activities back to North County (San
Mateo) please send an email to Ann.Schneider@
lomaprieta.sierraclub.org. To hear about Chapter events join us at http://www.meetup.com/
lomaprieta/.
Yes! I want to support the work of the Loma Prieta Chapter
of the Sierra Club for sustainable living, a healthy environment,
improved transportation, and a green Bay Area future!
Name: _______________________________
Address:______________________________
City:_________________________________
State: _____________ Zip: _______________
Phone: (____)_ ________________________
E-mail:_______________________________
Donation Levels:
❑ Coast Champion......................... $5,000+
❑ Forest Guardian.............. $2,500-$4,999
❑ Wetland Protector.............$1,000-2,499
❑ Grassland Supporter............ $500-$999
❑ Other: ................................ $___________
The Loma Prietan - October 2014
New Political Activist and Political
Strategic Planning Meeting
There have been a number of changes within
the Political Committee over the last year. We
are looking for new leaders to run the day to
day work of the Political Committee. We need
people who are detail and task oriented to help
coordinate races. We would love one or two
people to be the leads for each county. These
people would work with the individual endorsement team leaders, helping them organize
all the materials for endorsements. We need a
secretary/listserve manager and a web writer to
ensure that we stay current and fresh on our
website. Some of these positions require only
an hour or two a month. Political Committee
work is seasonal as we follow election calendars
(primary and general election timelines) with
our peak periods running from Mid-July to
Mid-September every year and March for primary years.
We will be hosting our first strategic organizing meeting on Wednesday, October 29, 2014
at the Peninsula Conservation Center, 3921 E
Bayshore Road, in the Raptor Room, in Palo
Alto. Please rsvp to Ann.Schneider@lomaprieta.
sierraclub.org. We would like a head count so we
can arrange for snacks and materials.
California Disclose Act Update
By Mary McVey-Gill and Trent Lange
SB 52, the California DISCLOSE Act, failed
in the Assembly. The bill would have required
that the top three true funders of ads for or
against ballot propositions be clearly disclosed
directly in the ads themselves; it had passed by
the required 2/3 vote in the Senate last year (with
only one Republican vote). Unions opposed
the part of SB 52 that would have required the
funders shown on ads to be the actual corporations, unions, or millionaires that paid for the
ad rather than front groups. The Sierra Club
was one of over 400 organizations and leaders
that had supported the bill. Assembly Speaker
Toni Atkins joined authors Senator Mark Leno
and Jerry Hill and the California Clean Money
Campaign in committing to future work on a
new bill.
If you would like to join the Chapter efforts
to help pass a bill to shine a light on contributors
to political advertising, send an e-mail to Mary
McVey-Gill at [email protected] and
include DISCLOSURE in the subject line.
Environmental Issue Updates
Zero Waste Importance to Climate Change
By Alice Bird and Nada Ballator, Loma Prieta
Zero Waste Team
I admit, when I was first asked about how
Zero Waste relates to climate change, I did a bit
of hemming and hawing along with blank staring. I really hadn’t thought much about how they
were related. I mean, I saw climate change as
this big looming problem that threatens to destroy life as we know it on earth. Whereas, Zero
Waste seemed important because who wants to
think about vast amounts of garbage overflowing our land and polluting our rivers and oceans.
It seemed, at first glance, like a majorly dirty
problem, but one that was maybe not quite as
urgent as climate change. But here’s the thing,
Zero Waste and climate change are related issues.
Moving towards Zero Waste helps us in the fight
to curb climate change.
Zero Waste means eliminating things like plastic bags that go to the garbage (or float around
our oceans), and taking things that would have
been going to the dump and using them again
so that we don’t need to mine or chop as much
new material from our planet. When we reuse
or recycle materials into new products we save
energy and resources used to create things from
scratch. This, in turn, can reduce the amount of
air-polluting gasses sent into the atmosphere that
come from producing the power needed for the
extraction and processing of those new materials
(virgin material extraction). Electricity production generates the largest share of green-house gas
emissions today and the majority of this country’s
electricity still comes from burning fossil fuels. So
we can save natural resources and get cleaner air
all while reducing the whole mounting garbage
For credit card contributions:
lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/
donate.asp
Send check and form to:
The Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter
3921 E. Bayshore Rd, Suite 204
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Contributions and gifts to the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club are not tax-deductible; they support our effective,
citizen-based advocacy and lobbying efforts. For information concerning tax-deductible contributions to the Sierra
Club Foundation to support grants for public education, research, and litigation programs necessary to further the
Sierra Club’s conservation goals, contact Justyna Guterman at [email protected]
mess.
Additionally, to eliminate waste in a clean
manner, we must make sure that organics (e.g.,
food scraps, yard trimmings) get to decompose
under natural conditions like in the open air of
home composters, instead of in today’s covered
landfills, where large amounts of climate changing methane gas is produced. Methane from our
landfills is a much more potent contributor to
climate change than is the carbon dioxide that is
typically produced when organics are composted
in the open air. Methane is 105 times more reactive in a 20 year time period than CO2. If we can
keep the organics from making it to the landfill
by composting at home, we will help significantly
in the fight against climate change.
Lastly, one of the terrible effects of climate
change is the big-time bad hit our fellow-earth
creatures are taking in the form of habitat reduction, species endangerment and extinction. Don’t
cut as many trees for new wood or paper, and
you save the home of a critter or two. Get rid of
those free-floating plastic bags and other ubiquitous plastic items, you’ll save many of our marine
neighbors like seals and otters and pelicans from
getting entangled in gnarly plastic, as many of
them do today. Putting organic materials back
into soils increases soil productivity for better
crop production.
So, hitting our Zero Waste goal will remove the
dirty and expensive threat of overflowing landfills, but it also means we’re more wisely using
and protecting our planet’s resources which will,
in turn, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and our
production of green-house gasses, thus helping in
the oh so urgent issue of climate change. The net?
Zero Waste and climate change issues are interrelated and both need our help now. Good news
is that Zero Waste is something we can all work
on in our own homes, at school and at work. Do
your part to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Let’s get
garbage dumps on the endangered species list.
Want to do more?
Join the Zero Waste Recycling team – See our
web site at http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/zero_
waste/index and to join, contact [email protected]
Get active and let your reps in Sacramento
and Washington D.C. know how important this
is. For an eye-opening view of how garbage is
handled in your area, take a tour of a materials
recovery facility (MRF).
In San Mateo County, tour the Shoreway
Environmental Center: http://www.rethinkwaste.org/shoreway-facility/tours . Take a video
tour of the SMaRT station used by Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Palo Alto residents:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOpYa5OKGgY
Also for more information on recycling resources
in your area, check out: www.recyclestuff.org and
www.calrecycle.ca.gov/