What the California Legislature Did to Hold Polluters Accountable

Senator Henry Stern is a sixth-generation Californian and native of this district. He credits his passion for public service as a family trait, whose diverse history includes farming and ranching, music and film, and a steadfast commitment to helping young people fulfill their potential. Senator Stern was elected to represent the 27th Senate District, which includes parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, on November 8, 2016. Senator Stern has also lectured at UCLA and UC Berkeley, enjoys volunteering at his local Boys & Girls Club and is a member of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Advisory Committee, the Jewish Federation, the American Jewish Committee, and the Truman National Security Project. He is an alumnus of Harvard University and UC Berkeley Law.

Melissa Romero is California EnviroVoters’ Senior Legislative Manager. In this role, Melissa represents the organization in the state’s capitol, lobbying for strong environmental policies and working with partner organizations on advancing priority legislation. Her work includes tracking and prioritizing legislation, representing EnviroVoters on a variety of coalitions and networks, working with state legislators and their staff, and being the organization’s voice in the capitol. Prior to EnviroVoters, Melissa worked with Californians Against Waste on advancing waste reduction and recycling legislation and at Cal State Long Beach, Associated Students Inc. advocating for sustainability and zero waste policies and practices on campus. Melissa’s interest in policy began with an interest in environmental sciences and developed with strong sense of urgency to address the need to shift away from fossil fuel use and other extractive industry practices.

Wendy Carrillo was elected to serve in the California State Assembly in December 2017. She represents the 52nd Assembly District which is home to close to 500,000 residents in the City of Los Angeles. Prior to being elected to office, Assemblywoman Carrillo was a broadcast journalist for twelve years covering human rights, global conflict and US politics. Additionally, she worked in communications for the Service Employee International Union United Long Term Care Workers, which represents over 350,000 Home healthcare workers in California and served in local government as a communications deputy for a member of the Los Angeles City Council. In the State Assembly she has served as the Chair of the Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration, in addition to the Assembly Committees on Appropriations, Budget, Budget Sub. 6 on Budget Process, Oversight and Program Evaluation, Health, Housing and Community Development, Utilities and Energy, and the Joint Committees on Legislative Budget and Climate Change Policies.

Barry joined The Climate Center in 2005 and has held positions as Deputy Director and Financial Officer. He currently leads The Climate Center’s program and policy development and implementation teams. In 2018 Barry began working with a group of energy experts and advocates envisioning a more decentralized energy system that was clean, affordable, resilient, and equitable. He then championed the development of The Climate Center’s Community Energy Resilience project, which has culminated in the creation of a new $170 million Community Energy Resilience investment program by the California Energy Commission in August of 2022.