Elections matter – that is something that Clean Water Action has known for a long time. Our members expect many things from us, but one of our most important responsibilities is to recommend candidates for office that our members and others who care about can support on Election Day.
Clean Water Action is pleased to announce our endorsements for the following candidates for Congress because of their environmental record and positions.
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District 1 (Northern California): Mike McGuire
Mike McGuire will fight back against the Trump Administration’s assault on California’s environment. As he puts it, “from Forest Service cuts, to water management, air pollution and simple basic decency, it’s hard to imagine a more pressing priority than changing the constant barrage of attacks on everything we have worked so hard for here in California. We have to stop the crazy, and get back to the priorities of taking care of people and our environment.”
Mike has seen the devastation of wildfires and sea level rise firsthand while representing both coastal and inland rural communities in the state Senate. He recognizes that Northern California’s water systems are increasingly vulnerable, and protecting them is foundational to public health and our economy. Consequently, in Congress he will prioritize strengthening protections under the Clean Water Act to protect farming communities and promote forest management to ensure thriving habitats, clean water and safety. He is committed to securing sustained federal funding for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems, especially for rural and small communities, along with investment in wildfire resilience, drought preparedness, and climate adaptation to protect water quality and reliability.
District 22 (Kern County): Randy Villegas
For too long, District 22 has been dominated by Big Ag and Big Oil. Now is the time to change that and elect a candidate committed to a sustainable economy that also serves those living with the air and water contamination and related health problems these industries create. That’s why Clean Water Action has endorsed Randy Villegas, a long time social justice educator and advocate.
Randy understands that the rural communities he seeks to represent have been struggling the most because of cuts to healthcare, education, and the environment. Many of these communities still lack access to safe, affordable and clean drinking water, and must budget for bottled water every month adding to a crushing cost of living. That’s why he will support investing in needed programs, including water infrastructure. He also understands that current reliance on fossil fuels not only contaminates communities, but does not create a sustainable economy with opportunities for all. That’s why he supports the necessary transition to clean energy and jobs in areas like wind and solar energy. He supports renewable energy through publicly-owned, renewable utilities that will lower costs for consumers. Finally, Randy wants to see a moratorium on oil drilling and fossil fuel extraction from federal lands and within federal waters, as well as protection of national parks that both the incumbent and Trump Administration wish to sell off.
District 11 (San Francisco): Dual endorsement of Connie Chan and Saikat Chakrabarti
This year, San Francisco can celebrate having two candidates who are committed to democracy, protecting California’s environment, and social justice.
Connie Chan currently serves on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Her professional accomplishments include helping to shut down the Mirant Power. Realizing “that environmental harm falls hardest on communities of color and low-income residents”, Connie also believes that shutting down pollution sources isn’t enough; “we must also invest in housing, transit, and jobs for the communities impacted by pollution and environmental harms. In Congress, I will put environmental justice first in every climate decision I make”. In addition, she will fight to restore EPA funding and staffing, reinstate Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act enforcement, reverse rollbacks on methane and toxic chemical regulations, restore climate resilience programs and ensure federal investments in renewable energy, public transit, climate-resilient infrastructure, and green workforce development with the focus on a just transition for workers and communities.
Saikat Chakrabarti is a former software engineer and staff member for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D), as well as the co-founder of Justice Democrats. Saikat’s priorities include expanding clean energy investments and passing the Mission for America to create clean energy jobs, cleaning up the nuclear waste at Hunters Point Shipyards, and codifying clean water and clean air protections into explicit statute. He is also running on a comprehensive agenda to manage the AI transition and ensure that the technology is used for the betterment of humanity, rather than as a tool of permanent economic displacement or to set back our clean energy transition by increasing demand for fossil fuel generation. Furthermore, Saikat supports the Environmental Justice for All Act and any legislation that codifies environmental justice protections into statute rather than leaving them vulnerable to executive orders that can be revoked with the stroke of a pen.
Clean Water Action is responsible for the content of this independent expenditure. It is not coordinated with or approved by any candidate nor is any candidate responsible for it. Contact us at cleanwater.org/ca or call 415-942-4933 with questions.
