Sonoma County Conservation Action

05/18/2026

We are honored to welcome Congressman Jared Huffman to Sonoma County Conservation Action’s 2026 Grassroots Gala as we celebrate 35 years of bold environmental advocacy and community action.

A lifelong champion for the environment, Congressman Huffman has dedicated his career to protecting our coastlines, public lands, wildlife, and climate. As Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, he continues to lead the fight for clean energy, environmental justice, and science-driven climate policy at the national level. Before serving in Congress, Huffman built a reputation as one of California’s fiercest environmental advocates, working to defend our natural resources and hold polluters accountable.

Throughout his career, Jared Huffman has never been afraid to stand up for democratic values and the future of our planet, even when it required political courage. His leadership has inspired environmental advocates across the country and helped shape some of the most important climate and conservation conversations of our time.

Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating the power of grassroots action, the progress we’ve made together, and the movement still growing stronger every day.

05/10/2026

02/20/2026

A new executive order issued by Donald Trump seeks to dramatically increase domestic production of glyphosate-based herbicides and elemental phosphorus, citing national defense and supply chain resilience. The order directs federal agencies to accelerate permitting, expand production capacity, and reduce regulatory barriers tied to this controversial pesticide. Although framed as an economic and national security measure, the action raises serious concerns for public health, farmworkers, ecosystems, and climate resilience, particularly in agricultural regions like Sonoma County.

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01/22/2026

Just this month, January 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a major change in how it evaluates air pollution regulations. Under a new rule the agency said it will stop assigning a dollar value to the health benefits of reducing certain types of air pollution when it conducts cost‑benefit analyses for new standards. The shift means that life‑saving impacts such as fewer hospitalizations, reduced asthma attacks, and avoided premature deaths will no longer be translated into economic terms when setting limits on emissions from sources like power plants and industrial facilities. Instead the EPA will focus primarily on estimating the costs to businesses of complying with those regulations.

Just this month, January 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a major change in how it evaluates air pollution regulations. Under a new rule the agency said it will stop assigni…

01/13/2026

Fueling Illness: Why Santa Rosa Must Uphold the Gas Station Ban for Public Health

In a moment when cities across the country are waking up to the hidden health hazards that surround us, Santa Rosa stands at a crossroads. The City’s forward-thinking 2022 ordinance banning new gas stations was a landmark move, protecting neighborhoods, water, and air from an outdated and toxic fossil fuel infrastructure. But now, under pressure from vague business interests, some are seeking to weaken this essential protection. The science is clear: gas stations are public health hazards. The City Council must uphold the current ordinance, without amendments or loopholes, and prioritize the well-being of its people.

In a moment when cities across the country are waking up to the hidden health hazards that surround us, Santa Rosa stands at a crossroads. The City’s forward-thinking 2022 ordinance banning new gas…

01/05/2026

It's a New Year and there's still work to do to protect Sonoma County and the planet. Maybe now more than ever...

As the forces of greed and ignorance in Washington dismantle 50 years of environmental progress, we may feel powerless to impact our future. What can we do? We can continue to act locally and suppo…

11/06/2025

When Washington turns its back on democracy and the environment, California leads. With the passage of Proposition 50, voters across the state, and especially here in Sonoma County, took a stand against the growing threat of authoritarianism and environmental collapse. We didn’t wait for the federal government to fix what it helped break. We organized, we mobilized, and we won.

Prop 50 is more than a technical redistricting measure. It’s a strategic, people-powered rejection of the anti-democratic and anti-environment agenda that’s spreading from states like Texas, and threatens to take root nationally if the MAGA movement succeeds in dismantling the EPA, gutting climate protections, and rolling back environmental justice laws that keep our air clean, our water safe, and our future viable.

When Texas redrew its congressional maps mid-decade to lock in partisan control, it set off alarms. But the federal government, paralyzed by gridlock and judicial complicity, did nothing. So California stepped up. With Prop 50, we rebalanced congressional power by authorizing temporary, fairer maps for 2026, 2028, and 2030, projected to create five more seats for pro-democracy, pro-climate action leaders.

This will affect climate policy by safeguarding against a MAGA takeover of Congress. Because who we elect decides how we fight wildfires, whether we regulate PFAS and microplastics, and whether we invest in clean energy or double down on fossil fuels.

And it happened because communities like Sonoma County led the way...

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When Washington turns its back on democracy and the environment, California leads. With the passage of Proposition 50, voters across the state, and especially here in Sonoma County, took a stand ag…

10/28/2025

"Politics is not something that you have, it’s something that you do." Zohran Kwame Mamdani on the importance of canvassing in his campaign for New York City mayor

08/21/2025

When one state rigs the rules of democracy, every other state has a simple choice, stand by or stand up.

Governor Gavin Newsom has chosen to stand up. With a bold, if controversial, plan to redraw California’s congressional districts temporarily, Newsom is proposing more than a political maneuver, he’s launching a critical democratic defense initiative.

This effort now responds not to a threat, but to a fact. Texas has officially enacted its mid-decade redistricting plan, pushed by a Trump-aligned GOP. Republican lawmakers in Texas rammed through new congressional maps that create five additional Republican-leaning districts, not through voter preference, but through cartographic manipulation. It’s a blatant attempt to silence communities of color, urban voices, and progressive voters by erasing their representation. This is electoral theft by mapmaking.

Newsom’s plan asks California voters this November to approve temporary new congressional maps for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections. These would only go into effect if Texas or another state goes through with its own gerrymander. After the 2030 census, California would return to our independent redistricting commission, one of the nation’s strongest examples of fair representation.

We at Sonoma County Conservation Action have long supported independent redistricting as a democratic ideal. But when ideals are under coordinated attack, ideals must be defended with action.

Newsom's plan also gives us a unique opportunity, to demand that those who represent us actually represent the values our party and people hold dear. Real progressive change. We have an opportunity to have representation that puts working people and the environment first. We have an opportunity to push the envelope closer to the side of the aisle that promotes real, positive change.

To those concerned about undermining California’s commitment to nonpartisan mapmaking: this isn’t about partisanship. It’s about parity. Texas has weaponized redistricting to entrench minority rule. If they succeed unchallenged, they shift the national balance of power not through persuasion, but through manipulation.

Here’s the reality if we don’t counter their move, we let them rig the House of Representatives.

Newsom is right to call this a “five-alarm fire for democracy.” Because this isn’t just about districts, it’s about whose voices count. We cannot allow a system where one party gets to redraw the rules mid-game while others keep playing fair.

Just as we fight to protect forests from being clear-cut for profit and ecosystems from destruction, we must now protect the democratic landscape from being carved into silence.

Let us be clear: This redistricting countermeasure is not a surrender of principle. It is the temporary adaptation of a resilient democracy under siege. Just like emergency climate actions, we must act decisively now to protect what matters most later.

In a perfect world, every state would use independent commissions. But we do not live in that world, we live in one where one of the most powerful states in the nation is brazenly subverting the will of its people. California must not be complicit through inaction.

We urge our members and allies to fully the support redistricting ballot measure this November. Not to game the system, but to save it.

A Crisis of Representation Across the country, democracy is under siege. While headlines have focused on voter suppression laws, another quieter yet equally dangerous tactic has taken root: gerryma…

07/10/2025

Friends! Join us on Monday, July 14th, at 6:30 P.M. for our Assembly District 12 candidate forum.

Get to know the people running to represent your district and make your voice heard!

DM us to RSVP to learn further details about how YOU can join the fight for AD-12.