A New Director, and New Directions, for ICLEI California

Michael Schmitz, who joins ICLEI as the new California Director, outlines his vision of how ICLEI will support California local governments moving forward, and announces the opening of a new San Diego office.

Dear ICLEI California members,

I am thrilled to join the ICLEI team as the California Director. ICLEI has a remarkable history of leadership in the field as a result of its commitment to providing the highest quality support and services for local government action. As an attorney and urban planner, I bring to ICLEI extensive legislative and public policy experience, as well as experience developing sustainability initiatives in California.

Maximizing Cost Savings

As you move forward with climate action and sustainability initiatives, I am keenly aware of the daunting financial challenges that you and your citizenry face. We are in the midst of the most severe economic crisis the world has faced since the Great Depression. The crisis forces all of us in the climate protection movement to address the fiscal concerns of government leaders or risk losing ground. It is imperative that ICLEI help cities and counties realize the very real costs savings and energy usage reductions that flow from meeting their mandated goals of reducing GHG emissions and making their neighborhoods more livable.

ICLEI is uniquely positioned to help all local government leaders avoid the false choice of cutting costs or cutting GHG emissions. As a result of our work, city and county leaders are able to make the case that reducing your carbon footprint is the best way to cut costs, improve efficiencies and protect the many vital services that local government provides.

Regional Strategies

In California, we will help you work together to develop regional strategies to improve climate protection. These regional efforts will help lead California down the road to reducing emissions and adapting to those impacts we already experience, and will inform the national debate at a key moment. Developing and implementing these regional strategies will help you meet the requirements of SB 375 and AB 32, while simultaneously strengthening your ability to leverage critical Federal stimulus monies.

A New Office in San Diego

Finally, we look forward to stepping up our engagement in the San Diego region, with the addition of our newest California team member, Brian Holland, who brings great experience as a regional planner in the area to our new San Diego office. Brian’s work – leading a regional greenhouse gas emissions inventory, and helping support members in the region – is a result of a generous grant from the San Diego Foundation.

As we all know, 2009 is an exciting and pivotal year for climate action, at both the federal and local levels. I look forward to meeting you in the coming months, learning more about the exciting work you are doing across the state, and working to ensure you have the tools and support needed to achieve your sustainability goals.