Dear Friends, This is a very important election year, and within the next few weeks, most of you reading this will have an opportunity to cast votes that will make a difference. Vote-by-Mail begins May 5th. Then the actual primary day voting occurs on June 5th. California voters have a full month to be heard. Do the most important thing for the planet and the state: Vote for candidates who will work for the environment. We’re here to help if you are wondering which candidates those are. Every election year, at the local and state chapter levels, dozens of Sierra Club volunteers join committees, prepare questionnaires, contact campaigns, interview candidates, and then make decisions about who among those running will be best for the environment. This year is particularly important because there are a number of key statewide seats open. Our volunteers completed their endorsement process for some of the positions, and are working on others. You can find all of the Sierra Club backed candidates for statewide office and the legislature by clicking here. I’m excited to tell you about a few top endorsements that have been completed: Governor: Gavin Newsom. Newsom is the current lieutenant governor and before that he was mayor of San Francisco. Newsom helped carve new policy for renewable energy and environmental protection as mayor, notably he made SF the first city in California to ban single-use plastic grocery bags. We have watched him grow into his role as lieutenant governor and become a strong voice for protecting the state’s coastal waters from polluters, including the oil and gas industry. He’s ready to be governor and help California continue its environmental leadership. Lieutenant Governor: Jeff Bleich. Bleich is a lawyer whose most recent political job was as U.S. ambassador to Australia during the Obama Administration. Bleich’s environmental record dates back to his early career, when he worked for the Conservation Law Foundation. He understands environmental issues deeply. In California, the lieutenant governor sits on key commissions that have profound impacts on the state’s environmental policy, including the States Lands Commission. Bleich’s commitment and track record on the environment will serve California well on those commissions. Attorney General: Xavier Becerra (incumbent). California's current Attorney General has been in the job just over a year, but it has been quite a year. Appointed to the post by the governor after Kamala Harris moved to the U.S. Senate, Becerra has been on the frontlines of fighting the Trump Administration through the courts, including Trump's efforts to dismantle environmental protection. Becerra has done a good job and deserves to be elected to a full term as AG. Secretary of State: Alex Padilla (incumbent). When he first ran for Secretary of State in 2014, Padilla promised to update the way that office provides campaign finance information and improve Californians’ access to voting. He has delivered that and more. We endorsed Alex Padilla in 2014 and we enthusiastically endorse him again in 2018. Controller: Betty Yee (incumbent). Sierra Club endorsed Betty Yee in 2014, when she was the underdog and won by a paper-thin margin, and we remain glad we did. As controller Yee sits on important boards and commissions whose actions affect environmental policy, such as the State Lands Commission and the California Public Employees Retirement System Board. She has a strong reputation in Sacramento for really understanding policy and policymaking, and how to get things done. She has demonstrated her commitment to reduce California’s dependence on fossil fuels through her actions and leadership on the State Lands Commission. We enthusiastically endorse Betty Yee for a second term as California’s controller. We also take positions on ballot measures. This June, there are two on which Sierra Club California has taken a position: Proposition 68: California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection and Outdoor Access for All Act of 2018--SUPPORT. We strongly support this measure. Its title, long as it is, says it all. It will provide a $4 billion bond to address water, climate protection, coastal and parks improvements. We supported the legislation that created this measure, and now we wholeheartedly support this measure. Yes on Proposition 68. Proposition 70: Greenhouse Gas Reduction Reserve Fund--OPPOSE. This is a stinker. We oppose this, just as we opposed the legislation that allowed this to go on the ballot. If this measure passes, it will give climate deniers in the legislature the opportunity in 2024 to decide where to direct funds that were created by climate change policies. Do you think they’ll point those funds to actions that will reduce climate pollution? Don’t count on it. Vote this bad measure down. No on Proposition 70. For details on these and other endorsements and positions, click here. And plan to vote. It’s one of the most important actions you can take for California this year. Not registered? Go here to register online. But hurry, the deadline is approaching. Sincerely, Kathryn Phillips DirectorSierra Club California at 909 12th Street, Suite 202, Sacramento, CA 95814.