“Protect California – A No-Regrets Campaign”

Sierra Club California, along with allied organizations, has launched a new campaign to proactively challenge the strong anti-environment rhetoric that is pushed on Sacramento by heavily-funded special interest groups. We know that a healthy, clean environment is vital to the success of our community & economy.  ”Protect California – A No-Regrets Campaign” is working to educate & encourage both government & community leaders to protect our environment. 

To find out more, visit the new website here.

Eureka to San Francisco • Sept. 9-13, 2012 5 days • 320 miles

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can enjoy an incredible 5-day bicycle ride in Northern California while supporting Sierra Club California.   

Climate Ride is a fully supported bicycle ride from Fortuna to San Francisco under towering redwoods, through the Russian River Wine Country, and along the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route.

Climate Ride is more than a bike trip. It’s an inspiring journey with 150 like-minded people who . . . → Read More

2011 California Legislative Report Card

SACRAMENTO – Most California Democratic legislators voted consistently to protect our air, water and wild places, while the vast majority of their Republican counterparts continued to be obstacles to environmental progress, Sierra Club California’s annual Legislative Report Card finds.

Sierra Club California tracked the votes of California’s Assemblymembers and Senators, recording each Earth-friendly vote as a positive score. From clean energy to water conservation to protecting state parks, the measures addressed many of California’s most urgent 2011 environmental priorities.

“Overall, . . . → Read More

California Does Have a Mercury Thermostat Collection Act

With the economy still dwelling in the dirt, the last thing we need to worry about is something else that can poison us and our children.  Mercury is one of those things and it is a very toxic metal that can affect brain and nerve function that can potentially impair the way we see, hear, walk and talk.

Sierra Club California played a vital role in passing the Mercury Thermostat Collection Act of 2008, which requires manufacturers to create . . . → Read More

Protect California Has Successful Launch

Environmental and environmental justice activists, the general public, legislators, legislative staff, and even a few industry lobbyists packed a hearing room at the Capitol to witness the launch event of the Protect California Campaign on February 1.

The event was a five-panel hearing about key environmental issues and the need to protect California. Panelists ranged from a Stanford scientist who testified about disturbing new research on the effects of air pollution on children’s immune systems, to a labor leader who . . . → Read More

Solar Wins: California rejects Utility’s proposed charge on Rooftop Solar

Last month, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) struck down a proposal from San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) to charge their customers who own solar PV systems an extra fee for use of the distribution grid.    This charge would have added up to $30 a month to customers that generate solar power for their own use. The effect of this charge would have changed the financial payback and energy savings equation for business and homeowners investing in their own . . . → Read More

Fixing Trains, Planes and Automobiles to Cut Pollution

   Greening California’s transportation system is essential to cut the state’s infamous air pollution, reduce climate change pollution, and dampen sprawl. So it’s no wonder that transportation has been a key focus for Sierra Club California for most of its 25-year history.

   And the last six weeks have been an especially busy and interesting time for us.

   The very good news is that in January, the California Air Resources Board adopted a package of new rules that . . . → Read More

LEADING ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN TO ROLL BACK ANTI-ENVIRONMENTAL RHETORIC

Local, State Groups Lead Half-Day Hearing on the State of California’s Environment

Sacramento, CA –State, regional and local environmental, environmental justice, and public health groups joined forces today to push back on the strong anti-environment rhetoric of heavily funded special interests in the State Capitol.

“The radical right and big polluters, and their representatives, people who have never supported efforts to clean up the air and water in this state, have taken advantage of . . . → Read More

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

Last weekend, Sierra Club California members took part in a statewide effort to document extreme high tides along California’s coast, known as King Tides. As part of the California King Tides Initiative, activists took to the beaches to snap pictures of the coastal erosion, flooded beaches and streets, and property damage that often accompany these high tides. The photographs from the King Tides Initiative help us visualize the impact of rising waters on California’s coast. While the high waters last weekend were associated with seasonal high tide event, they offer us a sneak peak into the future where higher water levels could become our new normal. . . . → Read More

Sierra Club CA letter to the High Speed Rail Authority

SCCA Director Kathryn Phillips has sent a letter to the HSRA outlining our concerns with the California High-Speed Rail Program Draft 2012 Business Plan, released November 1, 2011.

In the letter, she explains that while “in general, Sierra Club California supports transportation projects and systems that will help Californians reduce environmental impacts as we achieve mobility and access to work, school and services,” Sierra Club CA urges the HSRA to reconsider the Draft 2012 Business Plan because “as currently proposed, the . . . → Read More

California Regulators Add Teeth to Landmark Clean Energy Policy

 Public Utilities Commission orders utilities to use renewable sources before electricity from fossil fuels

San Francisco – The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted unanimously today to strengthen a key clean energy policy in California called the Loading Order. The Loading Order sets a priority list for electricity sources.  California’s utilities must first employ energy efficiency and conservation to meet customer demand; then energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal.  Only after all . . . → Read More