News Archive

News Blog

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

[Header photo: One of four Mountain Lion Kittens P-66 through P-69 © Courtesy of National Park Service]

February 2021

  • As part of the Sierra Club’s long-standing efforts to protect sources, supplies, and just access to water throughout the country, the Angeles Chapter Water Committee is preparing a tool to evaluate drinking water quality in all cities of Los Angeles and Orange counties. Each of the 123 cities will earn a score from A to F,  to be used to visualize and communicate the current state of regulation compliance and infrastructure reliability. 

  • The 2-night Inspiring Connections Outdoors Film Festival will take place February 20th and 21st beginning at 7PM Eastern Time (6PM Central/5PM Mountain/4PM Pacific) and can be watched on a  smart TV or computer on Youtube Premieres.The program will feature a range of exciting, touching, and, importantly, diverse films centered on the outdoors. 

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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 2021

  • 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! 

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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. 

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

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

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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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 2020

November 2020

  • 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.

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

  • 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.

  • 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 2020

  • 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.

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

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

  • 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. 

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

  • 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.

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

  • 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.

  • 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. 

  • 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.

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

September 2020

  • 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!

  • 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 2020

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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. 

  • 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?

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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

  • 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 2020

  • 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.  

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