An environmental trailblazer, state Senator Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, has authored laws to accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles, expand solar net metering, mandate clean energy storage, increase the energy efficiency of buildings and appliances, and reform clean energy financing. She also co-authored SB 100, a landmark law that will move California to 100% renewable electricity by 2045.
Sen. Skinner began her public service in 1984 as the first and only student to be elected to the Berkeley City Council. On the council, she introduced the nation’s first Styrofoam ban, helped establish the Alameda County Waste Management Authority, STOPWASTE, and co-founded an international association of cities, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, to address climate change. After her term on the council, Skinner served as executive director of ICLEI’s U.S. office and international director of ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection program, which engaged cities worldwide to take action to stop climate change. She is also a past member of the East Bay Regional Park District board.
Sen. Skinner has also long been a champion of building dense housing in urban areas, realizing that one of the best ways to combat climate change is to curb suburban sprawl and greenhouse-gas-belching commutes.