News Blog

Welcome to the Southern Sierran, published by the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, serving Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

Want to learn about an environmental issue?  Select an issue from the below list and start learning.

News Archive
February 1, 2021 By Dr. Jim Stewart & Hoiyin Ip

Sierra Club California is launching the Organic Waste Reduction Campaign to feed the hungry, conserve natural resources, and slow down climate change. Now is the time for you to be a local environmental cheerleader, supporting your elected officials to take these actions as part of their compliance effort for Senate Bill 1383.


February 1, 2021 By Everette Phillips, Grassroots Team Lead, Chapter Communications Committee

Sometimes an issue drives a member to take action. A campaign is what we call a collection of members acting together on an issue. Here we outline the three principles of a campaign and tell you how to get started in being involved with one, forming your own, or learning to help others with theirs.


February 1, 2021 By Barbara Hensleigh & David Haake - Angeles Chapter Clean Break Volunteer Organizers

In 2020 we learned that our voices can be heard, progress can happen and we can make a difference.  We will continue our work this year, now focused on getting Los Angeles to phase out oil drilling altogether within the next 5 years and calling for a just transition to protect both the workers and frontline communities .  What a difference a year makes.


January 29, 2021 By Angeles Chapter

As it does each year, the Executive Committee of the Angeles Chapter has named its officers for 2021. . Read more to learn who they are and wish them the best of luck in their new roles! 


January 29, 2021 By Angeles Chapter

You can help decide the direction of the nation’s largest grassroots environmental organization by voting in the Sierra Club’s annual board of directors election. National Board members are elected for three-year terms. Read more to see who we've endorsed and how to cast your ballot.


January 29, 2021 By Angeles Chapter

HERE KITTY, KITTY! Watch Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation, give a talk about coexisting with mountain lions in the second largest city in the country.


January 28, 2021 By Morgan Goodwin - Senior Director, Angeles Chapter

February is Black History Month, and we take this moment to celebrate the contributions of Black leaders to the Sierra Club’s Angeles Chapter. The following members have received Chapter leadership awards, which we highlight here.


January 28, 2021 By Morgan Goodwin - Senior Director, Angeles Chapter

February is Black History Month, and we’re taking this opportunity to shine a light on the Black history of the Sierra Club’s Angeles Chapter. This article is based on documents1 from the Sierra Club archives, as well as interviews conducted by the Oral History Program of the California State University in Fullerton and the Sierra Club History Committee.


January 28, 2021 By Jonathan Howard

In honor of Rosa Parks' historic act of resistance—refusing to give up her seat on a bus—sparking the Civil Rights Movement, Transit Equity Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of the rights of all people to accessible, affordable public transit that runs on clean/renewable energy. 


January 8, 2021 By Hoiyin Ip

About the progress made during 2020 on Conservation issues in Orange County and the next round of actions needed in 2021.


January 7, 2021 By The Grassroots Outreach Team

How owls the size of small bean cans help activists protect coastal land from illegal development.  


January 7, 2021 By Simone Kuhfal, Angeles Chapter Volunteer

Microplastics from synthetic clothing like tech chinos and 'athleisure' are ending up in our waterways, marine life, and even our stomachs.


January 7, 2021 By Marcia Hanscom

The early (Winter) birder get the bird. Winter brings thousands of migratory birds to SoCal. Here are a few species birding enthusiasts and conservation activists should look out for.


January 7, 2021 By Everette Phillips, Chair of the Communications Committee

Has something ever bothered you enough that you felt compelled to take action, but you did not know where to start? As a member in the Sierra Club, you have access to the tools and resources to actually take meaning action and make a difference. This article reviews how to get started, which is to first develop a plan that has four components. Then let us help you execute the plan.


January 7, 2021 By Mia Samson, Communications Volunteer

Along with many difficulties presented from the pandemic, fire season has become increasingly worse and longer since the 1970s. We interviewed San Francisco Fire Department Captain Julie Mau to better understand the severity of the fires, changing behaviors, environmental impacts, and precautionary steps for citizens to take. Are you properly prepared for the next fire season?


December 3, 2020 By Simone Kuhfal

This holiday season, do your part and take the necessary steps to reduce your food waste.


December 2, 2020 By Carol Henning

Multiple choice question: If you are an ambitious Capitalist and you want to build a natural gas or coal-fired power plant, where will you build it? You may choose more than one answer: 1.) Beverly Hills, 2.) behind Mar-a-Lago, 3.) Native American land, 4.) across the street from Trump Tower, 5.) South Los Angeles, 6.) next to a public housing project, 7.) Malibu, 8.) East Los Angeles, 9.) Griffith Park, 10.) nowhere on this planet.


December 2, 2020 By Felicity Crossland

We cannot solve the issues of the climate crisis unless we include the knowledge of nature and agriculture of the Indigenous communities. Hopefully we can experience a revolution from the heart and start to see ourselves as part of the web of life and not apart from it.


December 7, 2020 By John Monsen

LA County Water District Efforts to Support Desert-Damaging Water Mining Project Falter as Cadiz Inc. Suffers Major Election Setbacks.


November 30, 2020 By Angeles Chapter

Four newly elected members of the Executive Committee will take office in January at the first board meeting of the year. They will join at-large Bettie Pearson, Debbie Drezner, Dyana Peña, Juana Torres, and Liliana Griego, as well as delegates from each of the 14 regional groups, on the board.


November 19, 2020 By Helen Maurer

An open letter to the Angeles Chapter community about health and safety this holiday season.


November 18, 2020 By The Angeles Chapter

Getting cabin fever? Why not go on the "Classic Wilshire Walk"? For its 25th year, organizers have decided to go virtual. That means you can do all 16 miles at your own pace. Complete it in one day and you'll get a certificate. Pick your day, between 11/14 and 11/29. Click for details.


November 17, 2020 By The Angeles Chapter

Presented by Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs, Sierra Club Angeles Chapter, Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce and Newport Beach Arts Commission, the Youth Ocean Art exhibit calls for the care of our friends in the oceans.  


October 29, 2020 By Morgan Goodwin

Morgan shares some of adrianne maree brown's principles of emergent strategy, and how we are growing as the Sierra Club in the Angeles region.


October 29, 2020 By Mallory Martin, Communications Volunteer

After a two decade long battle, Bill AB1426 permanently protects San Onofre State Beach from road development.


October 26, 2020 By Felicity Crossland

Meet Avenue 33, an innovative urban farm in the heart of Los Angeles, paving the way for a new sustainable future. 


October 23, 2020 By Angeles Chapter

The Sierra Club Angeles Chapter welcomes Kimberly Orbe as the new Conservation Program Manager on staff at the Angeles Chapter office. Kim will be working with the Conservation Committee as well as the other regional groups and entities to help increase the effectiveness of the chapter. She brings years of experience working with diverse communities and grassroots organizations through an equity and social justice lens and is eager to engage in more local environmental issues. 


October 19, 2020 By Everette Phillips - Chair, Communications Committee

Share the Importance of Voting with 5 people and ask them to do the same. #5Friends5Votes


October 16, 2020 By Monica Embrey, Associate Director, Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign

This week we submitted a letter with over 80 other organizations, including labor unions, public health advocates, faith institutions, community based organizations and environmental justice allies to tell the agency to prohibit any new and existing drilling within 2,500 feet of a home, playground, hospital, or school.


October 14, 2020 By John Monsen

The Forest Committee launches a series of programs on Wildfire November 18th with “The Bobcat Fire and the Future of the San Gabriel Mountains”.


October 2, 2020 By Howard Strauss

On September 25, 2020, the Sierra Club lost one of its legendary leaders. Emil Lawton passed away at the age of 97 after a long and fruitful life, much of it centered around the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club.


October 1, 2020 By Demitri Fierro

Motivations to Contribute is a new series oriented towards understanding our volunteers and members both for inspiration and to enhance cooperation and coordination among current members while encouraging new volunteers to join us


The Anthropocene is generally considered to be the geologic age where humankind is the dominant force upon the surface of the planet. Let’s talk about how the Angeles Chapter is bringing leadership and sanity to this moment. 


October 1, 2020 By Jonathan Howard

With people unable to get outdoors due to wildfire smoke and a global pandemic, we still wanted to come together, have a little fun, and learn more about our community and our planet. So, we introduced our Virtual Scavenger Hunt sponsored by Beneficial Stata Bank.


October 1, 2020 By Everette Phillips Chair, Communications Committee

Announcing a new series for our Website and Southern Sierran - Understanding Native Species, How to enjoy them, and How to protect them.


September 15, 2020 By The Angeles Chapter

The annual Angeles Chapter elections begin Monday, October 5, and end Monday, November 9. Active members will be voting for At-large positions on the Angeles Chapter Executive Committee and Members of the Executive/Management Committee for their Regional Group in the Chapter. Don't sit this one out, VOTE!


September 10, 2020 By The Angeles Chapter

The Angeles Chapter’s own Jane Simpson received the Oliver Kehrlein Award for service to the Sierra Club’s Outings Program at the annual National Sierra Club Awards Ceremony on September 9th.


August 31, 2020 By Charming Evelyn - Chair, Water Committee

The Huntington Beach Ocean Desalination plant is being proposed by Poseidon. What a title for a company! Do you think anyone with Poseidon stopped to consider their namesake? Poseidon is considered to be one of the most bad-tempered, moody, and greedy Olympian gods and known to be quite vengeful when insulted.


August 31, 2020 By Demitri Fierro, Communications Committee Volunteer

When it comes to public health, one easily believes that community wellness takes priority over anything else. However, as we have covered in previous publications, that does not always hold true. As more officials in the public sector are being forced into transparency from ongoing scrutiny, we continue to see motivations behind their actions as self-serving. What happens when exploitation of public utilities is labeled as the “best interest” for the city? The City of Montebello is still attempting to answer that question.


August 30, 2020 By Everette Phillips, Communications Chair

Our Sierra Club Chapter is shy 50,000 members located in LA and Orange Counties. We have between 3 and 5 paid staff members at any given time, so most of the work and decision making is made by volunteers. Members like you who care enough about an activity like a hike or environmental issue like clean air & water to volunteers a couple of hours each week.  When groups of volunteers work together, some must assume leadership roles. Some of those roles require recognition through elections. But, what gets decided in the election and why should you bother voting? We break it down for you. Click to read more. 


August 27, 2020 By Angeles Chapter

In the 2020 election, voters will determine whether we act on climate change before it’s too late. Sierra Club Independent Action will tap into our trusted brand, grassroots structure, and 3.8 million supporters to tackle the most urgent task before us: defeating Donald Trump. Will you join us?


August 26, 2020 By Jonathan Howard

The Angeles Chapter presented its 13th annual Political Leadership Awards on August 23 to an exceptional group of honorees at the first-ever virtual celebration in the Chapter’s history. The event took place on the new Remo conferencing platform. Proceeds from ticket sales for the event will go to the California Sierra Club PAC, which provides financial contributions for Sierra Club-endorsed candidates in state and local elections in California.


In this time of change, we are all being asked to do more philosophy. The fires raging across the state are devastating life for some. 'How should we live' becomes a very immediate problem if your home is destroyed. In our cities as well, Covid changes the landscape. There's more outdoor dining, and less commuting. There are more deaths, our medical system is adapting and innovating. For millions of us, living in polluted air is a more urgent crisis than ever before.


August 25, 2020 By Jonathan Howard

This month we’re spotlighting Liliana Griego, a Wilderness Travel Course (WTC) graduate, Forest Committee Volunteer, and ExCom member-at-large working to create a more influential and inclusive Angeles Chapter.


August 24, 2020 By Emmanuel Alcantar

Motivations to Contribute is a new series oriented towards understanding our volunteers and members both for inspiration and to enhance cooperation and coordination among current members while encouraging new volunteers to join us.


August 14, 2020 By Monica Embrey, Associate Director, Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign

Innovative Policy in L.A. County Could Ignite Just Transition While Protecting Residents From a Legacy of Toxic Emissions


August 6, 2020 By Randy Kokal

As former chair of the Huntington Beach Planning Commission, I presided over 40 hours of Poseidon’s hearings.  I offer four reasons why the Regional Water Board should reject the project at Friday’s meeting, and a suggestion.


July 31, 2020 By Demitri Fierro

Water has been a fundamental pillar of civilization since antiquity, and access to clean water is a basic universal right to be enjoyed by us all. As it is our most vital resource, we each have a moral responsibility to see that everyone has access to it. But, what occurs when access to clean water is sold off and exploited? The result is lower quality and a threat to public health in the name of easy profit.  


July 27, 2020 By Eric Yoon, Communications Committee Volunteer

This is part of an ongoing series of articles by the Angeles Chapter Communications Committee to help readers understand how important decisions are made in California - how agencies and boards function, why they exist and how to interact with them. We look forward to your comments and suggestions regarding other agencies you, the reader, would like to learn more about. Here is an introduction to regional water boards and the California Coastal Commission and interview with Commissioner Penny Elia.


July 27, 2020 By Angeles Chapter Political Committee

The Angeles Chapter will be hosting its Political Leadership Awards online this year. The annual event is a fundraiser for the California Sierra Club Political Action Committee (PAC) and the theme this year is “Climate for Democracy, Democracy for Climate!” The event will take place from 4 to 6 pm on Sunday, August 23rd. The Angeles Chapter Political Committee chose the theme to emphasize the connection between protection of the environment and protection of fundamental rights of justice, equity, and democracy. 


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