Candidate Statements
| Redwood Chapter |
I became a lifetime Sierra Club member in 1993, and for the last year I have been active on the Redwood Chapter Ex-Comm and I ask for your vote to continue serving on the Ex-Comm. I’ve been active with local environmental issues since moving to Sonoma County in 1995. This has included turning up at meetings to advocate for more walkable and bikeable streets (Active Transportation). Walking, rolling, and cycling safety are often forgotten in the complexity of building roads – yet it often does not take much to add safety features in the planning stage. Making it enjoyable to be active locally, and get to public transport, helps to reduce the amount of pollution we cause with our gas-guzzling vehicles. Professionally as a software engineer, I’ve worked in telecoms, and more recently the field of remote stream monitoring and supporting the work of others in monitoring the health of our streams and rivers. This has brought me to advocating for the ecological integrity of our rivers. They are the indicator of the health of a hidden world. It has been a joy to donate some land to complete a walking & biking trail behind our house along the upper Laguna da Santa Rosa that is now well used by the local community. I have volunteered as a member of the Cotati Planning Commission for over 14 years, attempting to influence a more environmentally sensitive way of being, though it’s a tough balancing act and more needs to be done. |
2025 has been an active year for me in Sierra Club, while serving as a Redwood Chapter Executive Committee (Ex-Com) member. With encouragement from our chapter leaders, I joined the Council of Club Leaders (CCL) as our Chapter Delegate, discussing the 2025 resolutions and related issues. Most of my SC volunteer efforts are deeply informed by work in California. I feel honored to be included in SCC’s California Legislative Committee (CLC), contributing to state legislation efforts and collaborating with partner organizations. State legislation work has deepened my understanding about issues relevant to our GRT/CEQA Task Force, a coalition of tribe members and organizations including Redwood Chapter, working on productive dialogue about the Great Redwood Trail (GRT) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). My recent work includes serving on the National Task Force formulating national policies for Prescribed Fire and for Forest Biomass Energy (both have been accepted as National policies). Collaborative work within the State Forest Committee was the genesis of a Forest Biomass Resolution, later voted in by the CCL and other committees. Strong teamwork with various Sierra Club committees and leaders takes me back to my first meeting with Redwood Chapter members many years ago, which inspired me to join SC with a renewed understanding that voices can be stronger together, that we can act to respect and protect our natural heritage together. The Club holds the collective environmental wisdom of decades and I am honored to serve as a member, to continue working with you all. |
No statement. |
| Lake Group |
Raised on eighty wild acres in Lake County, California, I became an ecologically conscious land steward at an early age. I was educated at Oxford University and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. My doctoral work examined how humans, both historically and in present time, interact with nature, and for three decades I taught university courses in environmental ethics and history. I have published articles and book chapters on sustainability, most recently in Climate Abandoned (2019) on the loss of polar ice. I have lectured in Europe, Africa, Argentina, Australia and numerous cities in the United States. My academic career is balanced by activism in support of the ecological well-being of Northern California’s Coast Range. The Valley Wildfire that burned our family home in 2015 forced me to reexamine the age-old question of how humans engage with nature. How can we work with, instead of against climate-related risks like wildfires, floods, landslides, etc.? Interested in regenerating indigenous habitats, I serve as an educator in teaching the return of “good fire” to the land. I co-founded the Lake County Prescribed Burning Association, which enjoys a close collaboration with the Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance of the Pomo people of Robinson Rancheria in Upper Lake. Our EcoCultural Fire Crew brings together a wide diversity of people to restore cultural burning as an ecological practice. I’m a member of the SClub Redwood Chapter’s Forest Committee and of the SC National Committee that developed a policy statement endorsing the use of fire as a management practice. |
I have been serving as the Chair of the Lake Group for the past 4 years. I have been a member of the Executive Committee off and on for 15 years. I also am the delegate to the Redwood Chapter Conservation Committee for the Lake group and sit on the Executive Committee, Forest Committee, and Water Committee for the chapter. I have been involved in the Potter Valley Project issues having taken part in a number of workshops, meetings, and field trips to have a better understanding of the concerns of stakeholders. I am a core member of FireScape Mendocino learning about the efforts of multiple agencies and stakeholders in the fire recovery and restoration efforts and representing the local Sierra Club. I want to continue to support the efforts of people who are interested in protecting our watersheds and ecosystems in Lake and Mendocino counties. |
| Mendocino Group |
I joined the Mendocino Group of the Sierra Club 20 years ago, because I wanted to meet like-minded people for hikes, exploring the fabled Redwood Forests, Salmon-bearing rivers, Lost Coast trails, and native grasslands of this gorgeous region. Willits, where I live, is at the nexus of so many threatened biomes. Our top three concerns currently are: 1) Jackson Demonstration State Forest, where it is time to change the mandate of "demonstration logging" to "Sustainable forestry for health and recreation, while sequestering carbon", 2) Dam removal on the Eel River and bringing the salmon back, and 3) Working with local Native Communities to protect and enhance the Cultural Landscapes along the Eel River Canyons included in the Great Redwood Trail. My contribution to these projects has been to offer field trips to visit the sites involved. Slowly but surely, the changes are coming. Thank you for your vote to continue these trips. Feel free to phone me to experience these wild and scenic places for yourself. Robin Rachael Leler, 707.459. 0155 (landline - text messages won't come through). |
No statement. |
| Napa Group |
I am a retired educator, having taught math, science, and drama at a local, highly diverse Middle School in the City of Napa. I was also an active member of the teacher’s union. As a youth, I joined the Sierra Club, joyfully attending dozens of SC outdoor family and trail maintenance trips. I have been with the Sierra Club Napa Group’s Executive Committee (Excom) for almost six years. I am currently the Chair of the Excom. In such a capacity, I have both spoken and written for the Napa Group on many environmental issues at dozens of local community events and committee meetings. I am the Group’s Communications Director as well, creating our newsletter and maintaining our website. I am also Chair of the Political Committee. What I most enjoy is being a mentor for several local high school students in our Student Internship Program. I work with these volunteers by first helping them set their own plans and objectives. They then solidify what they can do at the local level, which usually entails doing 5-8 environmental projects throughout the entire year, as well as attending our Conservation Committee meetings. Please vote for me so that I may continue to work within the Excom to fight for the important environmental issues within our Napa County. Thank you. |
I was most recently CEO/GM for Turley Winery based in St. Helena CA. With years of experience in the wine industry, I specialized in all facets of winery management. I have managed the CA winery water guidelines, environmental compliance regulations, legal obstacles, and significant climate change. I have firsthand experience on how climate change impacts the environment and grape growing season from increased fires to droughts, to shorter hotter growing seasons. I have experience working with the complexities of immigration related to farming and production labor operations. I hold a degree in Communications from CA State University, Fresno. I enjoy traveling, fly-fishing and hiking. I have always had a passion for spending time in the outdoors and the protection of our global environment for future generations to enjoy. I recently accomplished a dream to visit South Africa and go on a safari. South Africa exceeded my expectations from the amazing animal encounters to the wonderful spirit and warmth of the African people. The visit to South Africa was a life changing experience. To quote Scott Ramsay “I believe we need wild places not only for our physical survival but for meaning and inspiration”. Current younger and future generations need to have this experience that is why I joined the Sierra Club. Please vote for me to help continue to defend our precious environment. Thank you. |
Mr. Thomason joined the Sierra Club Napa Group’s Executive Committee in 2022. He is a retired schoolteacher, having taught in the Napa Unified School District 14 years before retiring in 2017. Prior to teaching, Mr. Thomason, who graduated from the University of Tulsa in 1969 with a degree in Journalism, served in the U.S. Army from 1969-1971. After relocating from Oklahoma to California in 1971, he worked in the Sierra Club’s national office in San Francisco, first in Member Services and later in the Conservation Dept. He later became the Western Editor of Running Times from 1977-1980. In 1979 Mr. Thomason became the Executive Director of Pamakid Runners and directed more than 100 races in San Francisco from 1979-1989, including the San Francisco Marathon. In 1990, he became an executive search recruiter for 13 years, and in 2003 he received a teaching credential from Dominican University and became an elementary school teacher until he retired in 2017. He lives in American Canyon and serves on the board of Health Care for All—California and is a former board member and past president of the American Canyon Community & Parks Foundation. He is an avid bicyclist, and his family includes his partner, Lynda Bergner, herself a Special Education middle school teacher, two daughters, Rachel and Jennifer, a son Adam, and two grandsons—Noah and Kyle. |
| North Group |
No statement. |
I have been a member of the North Group Sierra Club executive board since 2005. I am running for the vice-chair position of the North Group Sierra Club. This is a volunteer position. I am running because our local North Group has, in the past, and will continue in the future, to make a positive difference on both regional and national issues. I believe that my involvement will help to advance those issues. In terms of priority, my personal views are that reducing our carbon footprint to a sustainable level is issue number one, two, and three. Without that happening, there will soon be nothing left to conserve or protect. This needs to happen on a personal level and a local level. We also need to do whatever we can here to make that happen nationally. As regards any individual or local sacrifices required, Mother Nature is keeping track. We can pay a little now or a lot more later; either way, we will pay. I would welcome your vote. |
I have served as the Marine Chair for the North Group of the Redwood Chapter since 2019. I follow issues that affect the coast of Northern California and Humboldt Bay. I have researched the proposed North Coast offshore windfarm and I am serving on the Core Hub Port Development Committee as well as the Humboldt Bay Harbor Community Advisory Committee and the Humboldt Bay Harbor Green Terminal Advisory Committee. I have also been involved in researching and commenting on the cleanup of the old pulp mill site, the development of Aquafarms, and the storage of atomic waste near Humboldt Bay. I communicate with members of Humboldt Waterkeepers, Epic, and 350 Humboldt and I attend Humboldt Bay Harbor Commission meetings regularly. I graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a BA in communications, a minor in wilderness studies, and a minor in art. In college I was a leader in the University of California’s Wilderness Course where I taught rock climbing and survival skills. I’m a retired elementary school teacher and instructional coach. I also lived aboard a sailboat for 10 years and sailed to Mexico, the South Pacific, Hawaii, and multiple California and Oregon ports. My husband and I now live in Eureka, California where we own a small second growth redwood forest in a gully behind our home. I also enjoy Mt. Etna, where we own land near the Russian Wilderness. I am an avid hiker, gardener, reader, and fine arts painter. |
| Solano Group |
I would love to continue serving you on the Sierra Club Solano Group Executive Committee. I have been a member of the Sierra Club since my college years and on the Executive Committee since 2022. I am a member of the Solano Together coalition leadership team. This coalition includes the Sierra Club and 16 other organizations. We are actively working to defeat the California Forever/Flannery Group plan for large scale development on our farmlands. It would double the population of Solano County and push the limits of our infrastructure and water resources. They withdrew their proposed initiative from the November 2024 ballot and are now trying to annex Suisun City. The Orderly Growth Initiative protects Solano County from the threats to farmland. It requires a vote of the people to convert our farmlands to urban uses. This initiative is a big obstacle to California Forever. It expires in 2028! I will work to extend and renew it as Solano County updates their General Plan. Another project threatening our lives here in Solano is the carbon capture and storage project proposed by Montezuma LLC along the Sacramento River between Rio Vista and Benicia. CO2 leaks and pipeline failures have caused many problems including asphyxiation in other areas. Solano should not be a dumping ground. I focus on solutions and strongly believe in serving my community Please vote for Princess Washington, Shannon Ramirez and Riitta DeAnda. |
Shannon is currently a caterer and mother of five children. She has had a range of service and activism roles over the years, starting as a member of the Oakland School Food Alliance. She then founded the Slow Food Convivia on the campus of the City College of San Francisco while obtaining a hospitality management degree. The convivia is a group who share the values of Slow Food and collectively promote good, clean, and fair food for all. She later volunteered with the Edible Schoolyard Project while she worked at Chez Panisse Restaurant. The Edible Schoolyard is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the transformation of public education by using organic school gardens to teach both academic subjects and the values of nourishment, stewardship, and community. When she moved to Benicia, Shannon became the coordinator for the Benicia Community Orchard. During the Lightning Complex Fires of August 2020, Shannon was a volunteer chef with World Central Kitchen in Vacaville where a relief kitchen was established. Most recently, while studying for the dietician registry, Shannon completed a fellowship program with the Resilient Roots Climate Leaders Network, a climate education program led by Greenbelt Alliance that equipped a pilot cohort of community members with the resources to champion climate action. Attending events with Greenbelt Alliance led her to join the Sierra Club, where she’s been volunteering and attending meetings for the past few months. She’s excited to continue working on the monumental campaigns this chapter has started pertaining to environmental justice. |
I am honored to be running for another term on the Sierra Club Executive Committee, where I have proudly served for the past three years. During this time, I have worked alongside my fellow ExCom members to strengthen the values of the Sierra Club and advance our shared mission of protecting people, wildlife, and the natural places we love. In Solano County, we are at a critical moment. Our region faces mounting environmental challenges — from flood and fire risks to water scarcity, agricultural land conversion, and the urgent need to conserve our marshes, open spaces, and bay-delta ecosystems. I have been deeply involved in addressing these issues, including leading efforts to end bird deaths caused by windmill projects, pushing forward marsh protections, voicing concerns over the Bay-Delta Plan, and promoting equitable housing development that safeguards open space and reduces climate impacts. But there is so much more to do. Solano’s future depends on bold, coordinated action to protect our natural resources while building resilient and just communities. I bring not only experience and proven leadership, but also a deep passion for ensuring that our chapter rises to meet this moment. Together, we can—and must—do more. |
| Sonoma Group |
As a Sierra Club member and volunteer, I’m running to serve on the Sonoma Group Executive Committee. I strongly believe in the mission and values of the Sierra Club and would be honored to play a more active role in furthering the organization’s impact on the North Bay. In 2022, I founded Protect San Antonio Valley, an advocacy organization fighting to preserve rural lands in Sonoma County south of Petaluma. Through our efforts, we engaged neighbors in advocating for environmental protections and General Plan compliance, blocked the development of a museum and event center on agricultural land, and met with Planning Commissioners and other officials to educate them on the unique characteristic of San Antonio Valley. I’ve served on the Redwood Chapter Conservation Committee for the last two years and supported initiatives championed by other environmental organizations to amplify their messages. I believe by working together, environmental groups can make lasting change in Sonoma County through promoting city centered development and the responsible use of ecosystems and resources, to save our precious resources for many generations to come. |