Elections and Donations

I’m not going to be another person telling you to vote. But voting is a privilege that I didn’t realize until I found myself embroiled in Sierra Club's politics. It all began in 2021 in Orange County, where I was barred from Sierra Club activism by local leaders who alleged that I excluded them from my activism in city halls. Some told me this decision was an example of racism, sexism, and ageism. Then, a policy was drafted aimed at excluding Sierra Club California from activities in Orange and Los Angeles Counties. It wasn't about me anymore. It was time for reform.

So I decided to run for Sierra Club California elections. In 2022, I became the chair of the Conservation Committee and then a member of the Executive Committee. 

As the only chair in Sierra Club California's history who is not white and possibly not retired, I found myself battling against an entrenched power structure that maintains its dominance through control of the election process.

Voters: Up to 100 voting delegates per election are appointed by the elected members at the state and local chapter levels. Many of the delegates are the elected members and their allies. The remaining 160,000-plus members are only called upon for donations and activism outside the Club.

Nomination: The elected body appoints people to the nominating committee, responsible for putting forward candidates. Towards the end of my term as the conservation chair, the nominating committee's chair informed me of their decision to nominate only one candidate - a longtime leader - for the chair position. After I stepped down, they made a shocking decision to end the statewide legislative campaign I was leading.

Election: The elected body appoints people to the elections committee that sets rules and counts votes. In 2023, I ran for the executive committee chair. Coincidentally, the other candidate was the aforementioned nominating committee chair. Not coincidentally, my effort to start a statewide campaign on the Inflation Reduction Act was nixed by members of the elections committee – its majority wanted to disqualify my candidacy. I withdrew from the race.

My struggles are not unique. Ramona Strategies’ report, commissioned by the Sierra Club, laid bare a toxic culture permeating the organization. 

"There was a pervasive sense that management (staff and volunteer) and leadership (at the national level and on the board) regularly alter or dictate outcomes based on the identity of those involved: having access to and favor from key leaders insulated individuals from consequences. . . Failure to meaningfully address bad behavior and instead rely on 'work-arounds' ends up costing a tremendous amount of time and energy and can result in significant costs to the organization’s health, effectiveness, and reputation."

Despite receiving a set of strong recommendations from Ramona in 2021, followed by a flurry of negative press regarding accountability, the Sierra Club remains essentially unchanged. It leaves me pondering how many of the longtime leaders are determined to drag the 132-year-old institution to its demise.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Times’ Sammy Roth raised the question, “Do you think we still need traditional environmental groups to keep making progress on climate, now that there’s an alliance forming between renewable energy developers, green growers, and maybe even fossil fuel companies?”

Beyond the Sierra Club, beyond the environmental movement, what may also be concerning is that some of the elected members in Sierra Club California are also elected officials in government or leaders of the California Democratic Party. Does their conduct within the Club reflect their actions elsewhere?

Maybe you’re not sure about the need to vote. But you sure know your donations are needed by many organizations and candidates. So practically, your privilege is to choose the recipients of your money. Donate carefully.