Candidates for Mother Lode Chapter Executive Committee Positions

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1 Candidates for Mother Lode Chapter Executive Committee Positions Michael Garabedian Placer Group lost the involvement of two seasoned leaders this Spring when one resigned to take care of the other spouse at home. For the second time in 31 years, because I was a vice chair I became a Group chair. The other time was for the NYC Group while I lived in rural upstate NY. Before becoming chair, I worked in our county on often neglected county-state issues: Managing new building in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) that causes massive forest and home fire losses, Opposing timberland conversion, rezoning of land enforceably restricted to timber production, and cancelation of agricultural use requiring Williamson Act contracts, Correcting our region s absent and ineffective public involvement in water pollution permits and regulatory failure for our sewer plants, and opposing excessive state deregulation of wastewater for potable reuse as heavily lobbied for by the water reuse industry, Coordinating our group s successful opposition to the 2016 county sales tax increase to build more freeways with massive GHG emissions, Supporting sustainable forestry, Filling the critical gaps in our safety culture at all levels including for issues in this list, Along with 14 years of protecting the values of the magnificent, little known North Fork American River canyon after hiking up it from Sacramento starting in As Placer Group chair I m now seeking a wholesale shift in my viewpoint and efforts: Our county, each of our cities, the state legislature and Congress are dominated by elected, appointed and department officials that do not support self-determination of unincorporated areas and environmental values, but are instead suburbanizing our lands, values and politics, Our west county has over 100,000 new housing units plus regional commercial projects in immediate to long-term planning with city and county government sponsoring and paying for mega projects like for 14,000 units that are now beginning construction or in approval or planning processes, and In spite of the voters having said no on a tax for it, the county is funding phase one construction of the15-mile long Placer Parkway from I-80/SR 65 to Sutter County, a project we oppose called the greatest sprawl in the history of the region by the Environmental Council of Sacramento.

2 Mother Lode Chapter has terrific and dedicated organizational and environmental issue leadership at all levels. I hope to continue to contribute to this. Andy Sawyer Volunteer Leadership Experience: Mother Lode Chapter Chair. Member of the Mother Lode Chapter Executive Committee. Chapter delegate to the Sierra Club Council of Delegates. Former Chair of Sierra Club California. At large member of the California/Nevada Regional Conservation Committee. Board member and past President of the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS). Professional: Environmental lawyer. Former Section Chair and Legislation Committee Chair of the State Bar Environmental Law Section. Former President of the Environmental Law Section of the Sacramento County Bar Association. Statement: The Mother Lode Chapter covers a twenty-four county area, with environmental problems ranging from logging in old growth forests to land use and transportation policies that favor sprawl at the expense of established neighborhoods. We now face additional challenges, with a federal administration and Congress that are hostile to environmental protection. Our strength as an organization, and our ability to tackle the wide range of challenges facing us, depends on our effectiveness in recruiting and supporting volunteers, including the new volunteers we have seen since the 2016 elections. We also need to back up their efforts through political campaigns and litigation. With your support, I will work to make the Mother Lode Chapter as effective as possible in protecting our environment. Sean Wirth After receiving a degree in Zoology from UC Berkeley and a Masters degree in English Literature from San Francisco State, I embarked on a career as an infill developer, purchasing buildings of architectural or historical interest and restoring them and then maintaining them as rentals. At age 40, I shifted my focus to protecting the wildlands remaining in the Central Valley. I was a founding member of Save Our Sandhill Cranes, and I am: on the board of the Environmental Council of Sacramento where I also co-chair their habitat subcommittee, on the executive committee for the Mother Lode Chapter of the Sierra Club (which oversees 24 Northern CA counties, and eleven groups) where I have chaired the Conservation Committee for the last five years. I am also an active member of the Crane Technical Advisory Committee which is working on a state wide Sandhill Crane conservation strategy. In all of these efforts I am actively seeking ways to provide greater protection for what remains of our natural heritage. If I am elected I will continue to do what I have been doing, and if not, I will still continue to do exactly what I have been doing.

3 Applicants for Sacramento Ex-Com Positions (Alphabetical order by first name) Alexandra Reagan I, Alexandra O. Reagan, would be honored to continue to serve on the board of the Sacramento Chapter of the Sierra Club. As a young woman who was born and raised in the Sacramento region, I would bring fresh insight and a deep-rooted knowledge of our city s most relevant needs to your chapter. I have identified as a dedicated environmentalist since the young age of twelve, when I discovered my love for nature on long walks alone in the foothills. As I grew older, I shared my love of the natural world with the children who lived next door to me, and for whom I cared for many years. Through dialogue, art projects and nature walks, the children grew up with a respect for our area s natural ecosystems. They value the importance of reducing landfill waste, through recycling, repurposing and maximizing the use of materials. As Office Manager for the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS), I am in touch with many of the most pressing concerns for our region. Some of those include: improving air quality, preparing for and slowing down the effects of climate change, a lack of clean water reserves, increasing the use of clean energy sources and preserving natural habitats and preventing urban sprawl. As ECOS has been actively working alongside the Sierra Club to achieve these goals since the early 1970 s, the organization contains a wealth of knowledge, expertise and experience among its members. As a broad coalition, ECOS partners with a diverse range of environmentally-concerned organizations, such as the California Native Plant Society, the Audubon Society, the Sacramento Housing Alliance, Ubuntu Green, and more. Through my work with ECOS, I have been familiarized with the logistics of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process, including the review of and submitting comments on the various stages of an Environmental Impact Report. I have been able to build a knowledge base about the roles of our local Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), the Local Agency Formation Commission and our Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), including the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP)/Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS). I am determined to help preserve habitats and thereby the lessons they can offer future generations. I am committed to bringing better planning strategies to development plans, with access to safe, clean drinking water and an efficient, affordable public transportation system, for all residents. I will work hard to find ways to propagate sustainable living practices among our growing population, including urban gardening and infill development and to support the best sources of clean, renewable energy.

4 Charles S. Elliott III A resident of Sacramento since the age of 10, I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Lincoln Law School of Sacramento in I m now employed as a project management consultant in the telecom industry. I originally joined the Sierra Club in As an avid hiker, backpacker and kayaker, a primary goal of mine would be to preserve, protect and promote our outdoor spaces. While this goal extends to natural wonders outside of our community, such as Tahoe and the Sierra Mountains, I would also like to work towards cleaning and protecting Sacramento s crown jewel - the American River Parkway. As an ExCom member for the last two years, I believe that I ve brought a fresh perspective to the Sacramento Group of the Sierra Club s Executive Committee. I want to continue to strive to bring awareness of the Sierra Club to a younger demographic, so that our goals may continue to be met for generations to come. Nick Lapis My name is Nick Lapis, and I would like to continue to serve on the Sacramento Group Executive Committee. I intend to continue our Group s efforts to seize the opportunities we are presented to adopt strong progressive environmental policies in the Sacramento region and elect environmental champions to public office. In addition to serving as the Group s Vice Chair, I also serve on the Executive Committee of the Mother Lode Chapter, where I am the Chapter s Political Chair and Council of Club Leaders Delegate. For the over a decade, I have worked for Californians Against Waste, a Sacramento-based environmental advocacy organization focused on recycling policy. As the organization's Director of Advocacy, I have helped pass several landmark pieces of legislation and led the organizations climate change and organic waste campaigns. Before joining CAW, I completed my BS in Environmental Biology and Management (minoring in Environmental Policy and Political Science) at UC Davis, and interned for Coalition for Clean Air and California State Parks. Prior to that, I developed a passion for environmental advocacy while working and volunteering in the Golden Gate National Parks. I worked on native habitat restoration in the San Francisco Presidio through an internship with the National Park Service and spent several summers doing seasonal restoration work

5 for the Parks Conservancy. I also spent two years in a youth environmental leadership program called Inspiring Young Emerging Leaders. On a personal note, my wife Karen and I both grew up in the Bay Area, but we have lived in Sacramento for 10 years now. Perry Metzger Philosophy and Goals: I believe our county's and the world's ecosystems, forests, water and air quality are now under attack and threatened more now than ever before in human history. As such, I would like to continue my participation and important work as Treasurer on the Sierra Club, Sacramento Group Executive Board. My highest priority is to keep increasing Sierra Club members involvement by empowering all members to become activist for the club. I believe all members have valuable skills and ability to contribute to the common good of people, the environment and our planet. Through our Community Outreach team, I've help found a monthly Movie Night where we've been showing some first rate documentary films regarding the environment and its protection. I invite all club members to join us in these monthly movies. Volunteer Activities: Member of the Sierra Club for eleven years. Executive Board and Treasurer, Mother Lode Chapter, Sacramento Group. Executive Board Member, Ebbetts Pass Forest Watch. Member and Treasurer, California Sierra Club, Stop Clearcutting Outreach Committee. Member, California Audubon Society. Founding member and current Treasurer, Green Democratic Club of Sacramento. Elected member to the Democratic Party of Sacramento County. Executive Board Member and Treasurer, Fruitridge Vista Owners Association. Background: Graduated from Cal Poly, SLO and graduate studies at California State University Sacramento. Retired from the Federal government in 2003 as a Project Manager/Civil Engineer after 31-years of service.