Press Release
December 4, 2014
Contact: Jenesse Miller, CLCV – 510.844.0235
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (December 4, 2014) – The California League of Conservation Voters—the nonpartisan political action arm of California’s environmental movement—will honor three of California’s leading environmental champions at its annual Environmental Leadership Awards tonight at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.
“CLCV is proud to honor these inspiring environmental leaders for their leadership and dedication to protecting California’s environment and the health of our families and communities,” said CLCV chief executive officer Sarah Rose.
Honorees include:
California Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León has spent a lifetime fighting to empower working families and protect the environment, in the Assembly, the Senate, and as a community organizer and teacher. De León’s first bill was AB 31, which has resulted in 127 park projects in low-income and park-poor communities across the state. He has championed policy solutions to ensure California’s most disadvantaged communities benefit from AB 32, California’s pioneering clean air and climate law. De León co-authored a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags and authored the “Charge Ahead” legislation, which will put one million electronic vehicles the road and reduce air pollution in severely impacted communities.
Mary Leslie is president of the Los Angeles Business Council (LABC), an advocacy and educational organization whose mission is to promote environmental and economic sustainability in the Los Angeles region. Under Mary Leslie’s leadership, the LABC has developed a national reputation as a catalyst for innovative policy in the fields of housing, transportation, renewable energy development, and clean technology. The LABC led the effort to develop a large-scale solar energy program for Los Angeles. Launched in 2013, “CLEAN LA” will incentivize local businesses and residents to install solar panels, whose power would be fed into the energy grid.
Howard Welinsky is a longtime political and social activist. He is a dedicated environmental champion who has been a supporter and partner of CLCV for more than two decades. Mr. Welinsky co-founded the California Coalition for Public Higher Education, a bipartisan political support for Higher Education, and he serves on the Board of Governors of the UCLA Foundation. He is the Treasurer for Bend the Arc, a Jewish Partnership for Justice that among other things pursues immigration reform and voting rights. Mr. Welinsky is a senior vice president with Warner Bros. Pictures.
“Like our honorees, we in California have a particular responsibility to lead on solutions to our most pressing environmental challenges,” said Rose. “Our country needs California’s leadership and ingenuity to tackle climate change, and Californians want our elected leaders to stay the course on full and timely implementation of California’s existing clean air and climate laws. As our honorees demonstrate, we are fortunate to have this kind of leadership from all sectors—from government, business, philanthropy, labor and grassroots activists.”
More information about the event can be found online at http://www.ecovote.org/awards.
ABOUT CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL VOTERS
California Environmental Voters (formerly the California League of Conservation Voters) believes the climate crisis is here and this moment requires transformative change. California has the policy solutions to stop climate change but lacks the political will to do it at the rate and scale that’s necessary. EnviroVoters exists to build the political power to solve the climate crisis, advance justice, and create a roadmap for global action. We organize voters, elect and train candidates, and hold lawmakers accountable for bold policy change. We won’t stop until we have resilient, healthy, thriving communities, and a democracy and economy that is just and sustainable for all. Join us at www.envirovoters.org and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. See more press releases.
