San Diego County Democrats for Environmental Action

Meeting: Agriculture Reform, Local Updates, & More
Wednesday, 9/29 at 6:30 PM
Please join us on Zoom to hear special guest speakers talk about the Farm System Reform Act, as well as local efforts to mitigate the traffic and pollution impacts from developments.
There will also be reports on wildlife and climate action. General Body meetings are always open to both members and guests.

Check-in will begin at 6:15 and the meeting will be called to order at 6:30 PM. Please use the Zoom link to join.

Club E-Board Opposes Jacumba Solar Park
Pushing for a Better Way to Reach Net Zero
At the executive board's most recent meeting we reviewed the proposed JVR Energy Park solar array, a massive 650-acre project that would nearly surround the community of Jacumba Hot Springs in southeastern San Diego County. In consideration of the immediate harm this project would do to sensitive habitats and a wildlife corridor, as well as the negative impacts the local community would suffer from the resulting heat island, our club executive board voted unanimously to oppose the project. Read more here.

Richard Ram Elected Interim Club President
Brings Years of Club Service to Post
Long-time SDCDEA executive board member Richard Ram was unanimously elected to serve as interim club president at the club's executive board retreat, following club president Cody Petterson's earlier-announced decision to step down. A member since 2015, Richard began his service on the executive board in 2016 as communications director, and more recently served as the club's V.P. for programs and outreach. A native of Bakersfield, Richard first became aware of the public health impacts of pollution from nearby oil fields and refineries. Read more here.

Club E-Board Condemns Water Shutoffs
Padre Dam Decision Arrives in Heat Wave
On Saturday, the executive board of San Diego County Democrats for Environmental Action voted to call on the Padre Dam Municipal Water District to reverse course on a recent plan to shut off water access to late-paying customers and ratepayers, many of whom are still struggling financially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision puts countless East County residents at risk of being without water during an extraordinary, and deadly, crisis of heat and drought. Read our full press statment.

Good Riddance to the Chief Deplorable
Will Our Nation Recover from the Trump Era?
As club communications chair Mia Taylor writes, Trump was far worse than any of us could have imagined. With each passing day of his wretched administration, he outdid himself with more affronts and atrocities, was a bigger bully, more insidious criminal, more ignorant human being, and a more vile racist than anyone imagined. Over four years his lack of humanity, absence of decency, coddling of dictators and white supremacists, and outright rejection of democracy and democratic norms grew more horrifying by the day.

VIDEO: Multiple Species Conservation Plan
Environmental Report On-Line Now
We recently hosted several of our region's foremost experts and advocates for habitat conservation for a discussion on the status and fulfillment of the Multiple Species Conservation Plan (MSCP), including Michael Beck with the Endangered Habitats League (EHL), Debbie Knight with Friends of Rose Canyon, and wildlife biologist Libby Lucas with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. With both the city and county of San Diego entertaining revisions of their parks and community trail master plans, this was a needed discussion.