For Immediate Release: September 7, 2020
Media Contact: Anais Medina Diaz, LAleagueofconservationvoters@gmail.com
Los Angeles County – The Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters (LALCV) – which has supported pro-environment local candidates throughout Los Angeles County for more than four decades – today announced its endorsement of incumbents Gleam Davis, Ana Maria Jara, Terry O’Day and Ted Winterer for Santa Monica City Council in the upcoming November 3rd election.
With significant budget cuts to Santa Monica’s sustainability and mobility programs due to reduced revenues, the incoming Council faces major challenges to maintaining progress on environmental initiatives and meeting the ambitious, yet critical goals of carbon neutrality,100% water self-sufficiency and the Sustainable City Plan.
“The incumbents are best suited to keep the Council on track and find innovative ways to maintain progress on sustainability issues and secure additional resources in the future,” said Kirsten James, LALCV Endorsement Committee Chair and Santa Monica resident.
“Gleam Davis has been a leader on environmental initiatives in her eleven years on the Council, including the groundbreaking Climate Action and Adaptation Plan,” said James.
Acknowledging the great challenges the City Council will face with economic recovery, Councilmember Davis remains committed to keeping sight of environmental goals and looking for environmental opportunities as the City rebuilds. She also hopes to reimagine Santa Monica’s waste recovery programs and work collaboratively with leaders outside the City on global issues such as climate change and sea level rise. https://www.gleamdavis2020.com/
“Ana Maria Jara has brought an important equity and transparency lens to the City’s environmental issues in her short tenure on Council, drawing from her extensive advocacy background on equity and community issues,” said James.
In a next term, Councilmember Jara would prioritize furthering environmental justice issues, advancing clean mobility and reducing the City’s carbon footprint.
“In his ten years on Council and in his professional career, Terry O’Day has been a committed environmental leader and advocate,” said James.
Councilmember O’Day hopes to use a second term to meet the City’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation, thereby reducing sprawl and saving resources. Additionally, he hopes to transform the City to become “people-centric” and not “auto-centric” and implement programs to aggressively reduce waste. https://www.terryoday.com/
“Ted Winterer has advanced many environmental initiatives in Santa Monica and has importantly joined municipal leaders on the national and international stage to advocate for strong climate policies, in his tenure on Council,” said James.
Councilmember Winterer remains committed to implementing the City’s GHG reduction efforts, creating more walkable neighborhoods and preparing the City for the next drought by becoming 100% self-sufficient on our local water supplies, among a number of environmental priorities. http://www.tedforcouncil.com/