The Mission of LCVSD

LCVSD is a chapter of the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV), which seeks to protect the environmental quality of the state by working to elect environmentally responsible candidates and hold them accountable to the conservation agenda. By being an "on the ground" voice in the San Diego community, LCVSD provides an opportunity for environmental activists to directly impact the local electoral process while promoting environmental candidates.

 The Role of LCVSD

There are many ways that LCVSD is involved in promoting conservation candidates and policies, including:

- Recruiting & training candidates to run for office

- Endorsing candidates and propositions

- Supporting candidates & propositions by raising funds and coordinating volunteer activities

- Raising awareness of environmental candidates and issues by organizing forums, disseminating information to supporters, and engaging in media campaigns

- Promoting environmental policies through endorsement of environmental initiatives and through testimony on key policy decisions

 
 
 

Press Release

April 30, 2009

 

 

League of Conservation Voters Urges

San Diego City Council to appoint Environmental Activist Diane Takvorian to the San Diego Port Commission

 

SAN DIEGO – League of Conservation Voters San Diego announced today that its board has voted to endorse the nomination of Diane Takvorian to be appointed to the Port of San Diego Board of Commissioners.  Her name has been placed in nomination by Councilwoman Donna Frye and Councilman Todd Gloria.

 

Diane Takvorian is the founder and the executive director for the Environmental Health Coalition (EHC), a non-profit, environmental organization dedicated to achieving environmental and social justice. EHC has led the environmental movement in developing projects which address air toxic pollution, lead poisoning prevention, sustainable community developmentSan Diego Bay Pollution, and cross-border pollution.

 

“This is an exciting opportunity for those of us who care deeply about the environmental health of the San Diego Bay,” noted LCVSD President Jamie Gonzalez, “Diane has dedicated her life to helping protect the Bay and its surrounding communities, she has the experience, knowledge and passion to be one of San Diego’s best Port Commissioner.”

 

LCVSD is a chapter of the California League of Conservation Voters, which seeks to protect the environmental quality of the state by working to elect environmentally responsible candidates and hold them accountable to the conservation agenda. By being an "on the ground" voice in the San Diego community, LCVSD provides an opportunity for environmental activists to directly impact the local electoral process while promoting environmental candidates.


February 26, 2009

Press Release

Environmental Groups Release Report Card Ranking City and County Performance

Click here for a detailed copy of the 2008 San Diego Water  Quality Report Card


Click here for a detailed copy of the 2008 San Diego County Environmental  Report Card 

City of San Diego Scores a ‘B+’ on 7th Annual Water Quality Report;

San Diego County Receives ‘C’ on its First-ever Environmental Assessment

FEB. 26, 2009, SAN DIEGO -- The League of Conservation Voters San Diego (LCVSD), in conjunction with Surfrider Foundation, San Diego Chapter, San Diego Coastkeeper and Sierra Club, San Diego Chapter released a pair of environmental report cards today, one addressing the voting records and actions of the San Diego City Council and Mayor and one on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. This marks the first time the four leading environmental groups have come together to jointly release assessments of the City and County.  

“It is important to educate the public about the record of our elected officials on environmental protection, and to hold those officials accountable to a conservation agenda,” noted LCVSD’s President Jamie Gonzalez. “We were pleased to join with some of the region’s leading environmental groups to expand the reach of these assessments.”

The 2008 San Diego Water Quality Report Card examines the voting record of each San Diego City Council member and assesses the Mayor’s performance on issues impacting the health of local waters and coastal habitat over the past year. The City Council and Mayor Jerry Sanders received an overall grade of B+ on the 7th Annual Report Card, with five current and past Council members – Toni Atkins, Donna Frye, Ben Hueso, Jim Madaffer and Scott Peters – scoring in the ‘A’ range. Frye is the only Council member who has received either an ‘A’ or ‘A-’ in all seven City report cards.

“We are excited not only to see those Council members who continue to excel in their commitment to the environment like Donna Frye and Scott Peters,” noted Coastkeeper’s Executive Director Bruce Reznik, “but also those Council members who have seen their performance improve over the years, such as Council members Hueso, Madaffer and Atkins.” 

The 2008 San Diego County Environmental Report Card examines the voting record of each County Supervisor, and is the first such report card issued on the county’s governmental agency. The report assesses Supervisors on their actions related to issues impacting water quality, land use, air quality and renewable energy.  The County Supervisors’ average grade was a C, with Supervisors Pam Slater-Price and Greg Cox receiving he highest scores at ‘B-’.

According to Scott Harrison, Chairman of the San Diego Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, “It is clear the County has a ways to go to be good stewards of our environment, though we want to recognize Supervisors Slater-Price and Cox in particular for their efforts to safeguard our natural resources. By assessing the County’s performance for the first time, we hope to see a marked improvement in coming years.”

The goal of both reports is to educate San Diegans about the actions taken by City Council members, the Mayor and County Supervisors, and increase accountability of local elected officials. Both Report Cards were prepared by Strategic Community Consulting, a student-managed consulting firm housed in the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at the University of California, San Diego.  The reports were commissioned and funded by League of Conservation Voters San Diego, San Diego Coastkeeper, Surfrider Foundation, San Diego Chapter, and Sierra Club, San Diego Chapter. While these environmental groups commissioned the report, SCC consulted with various organizations and independently assessed the issues and developed this report card.

The City report card, which was initiated in 2002 by San Diego Coastkeeper, reviewed votes taken by the San Diego City Council from October 2007 through December 2008, weighting those votes which had the greatest impact on the health of local waters.  The votes considered included water and wastewater rate increases, land-use decisions that impact urban runoff pollution and coastal access, enhancement projects (e.g. stream restoration), the alcohol ban on area beaches, and funding allocation for coastal protection. Mayor Sanders was evaluated on compliance with Federal, State and County regulations and Endorsement of water project proposals.  Areas examined included water conservation and recycling efforts, and sewage treatment.  

The San Diego County Environmental Report Card reviewed votes taken by the Board of Supervisors from January 2008 through December 2008, assessing the Supervisors on their actions related to four main environmental issues: water quality, land use, air quality and renewable energy. In addition to voting records, the report also measures the allocation of community enhancement funds toward environmental projects, and performance in important on-going San Diego County environmental issues.

Both assessments outlined critical issues for 2009. Border sewage, water conservation and polluted stormwater were identified for the County, while the City faces issues of water supply, land development and watershed impacts, budget concerns, a proposed plastic bag ordinance, and border sewage.

“It is important that these assessment are not only a look backwards,” concluded Richard Miller of the Sierra Club, San Diego Chapter, “but also that they highlight those opportunities for our elected officials to be better stewards of our environment in the future.”

Copies of the 2008 San Diego Water Quality Report Card and 2008 San Diego County Environmental Report Card can be downloaded at www.lcvsd.org.

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The League of Conservation Voters San Diego is a chapter of the California League of Conservation Voters, which seeks to protect the environmental quality of the state by working to elect environmentally responsible candidates and hold them accountable to the conservation agenda.

San Diego Coastkeeper protects the region’s bays, beaches, watersheds and ocean for the people and wildlife that depend on them. We balance community outreach, education, and advocacy to promote stewardship of clean water and a healthy coastal ecosystem.

The Surfrider Foundation, San Diego Chapter is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches for all people through conservation, activism, research and education.  San Diego chapter membership totals 5,000 people throughout the county.  Nationally, Surfrider Foundation membership includes more than 50,000 concerned lovers of the ocean and beaches.

The Sierra Club is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization founded by John Muir and others in 1892.  The Sierra Club has over 700,000 members in 65 chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the provinces of Canada.  The San Diego Chapter of the Sierra Club was founded in 1948, covering San Diego and Imperial Counties, and strives to preserve the special nature of San Diego through education, activism and advocacy.   The chapter has approximately 15,000 members.

Strategic Community Consulting (SCC) provides consulting services from the University of California's Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS) to nonprofit clients in the San Diego area. Additionally, SCC has sought to develop knowledge sharing and community partnerships between area nonprofits, IR/PS  staff, faculty, and students, and individuals interested in promoting the capacity of civil society in San Diego.

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San Diegans Go Green in 2008 Election
22 of 28 LCVSD Endorsed Candidates Prevail on Nov 4th
Press Release Nov 12, 2008

San Diego – Of 28 candidates endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters San Diego (LCVSD) for the 2008 General Election, 22 prevailed on November 4 with one race for a City Council seat in Chula Vista still too close to call. 

“It is exciting to see San Diegans electing so many candidates with environmental credentials,” noted the League’s President, Jamie Gonzalez. “LCVSD-endorsed candidates won in 79% of races where the group endorsed.”

Of particular note was the San Diego City Council, where all three LCVSD-endorsed candidates for the general election – Sherri Lightner (D1), Todd Gloria (D3) and Marti Emerald (D7) – prevailed on Tuesday.

“With so many critical environmental issues facing San Diego – from water supply and coastal protection to development standards and energy policy – it will be great to have three environmentally-backed candidates joining long-time conservation leader Donna Frye and others on the Council who have made protecting our natural resources a top priority,” added Gonzalez.

LCVSD Board member Richard Barrera was elected to the San Diego Board of Education, where he will be joined by endorsed candidate John Lee Evans who prevailed over incumbent Mitz Lee.

North County is also proving to be a ripe area for green candidates as long-time environmental leaders like Jim Wood and Esther Sanchez in Oceanside, Maggie Houlihan in Encinitas, Lesa Heebner and Dave Roberts in Solana Beach and Pam Slater-Price (County Board of Supervisors) were re-elected, and will be joined by LCVSD-endorsed newcomers like Olga Diaz in Escondido.

LCVSD also increased its focus in the southern portion of the county, and the group is pleased to see Alejandra Sotelo-Solis join the Council for National City and Steve Castaneda winning reelection in Chula Vista, where newcomer Pamela Bensoussan is engaged in a race that is still too close to call.   

While LCVSD endorses primarily in local and some state races, San Diego also voted overwhelmingly for President-Elect Barack Obama, endorsed by the national League of Conservation Voters, 54% to 45% over Senator John McCain. 

According to Gonzalez, “This election sees a continuing green voting trend for the San Diego region…a trend we expect will continue in coming elections.”


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