Two-time Santa Cruz mayor and former Assemblymember John Laird has been appointed to Governor Jerry Brown’s cabinet as the new Secretary for Natural Resources, the Sentinel reports, with oversight of over more than two dozen state agencies. Laird is a longtime environmental activist, and the California League of Conservation Voters called his selection “superb.”
Inevitably, more conservative-minded Californians are less than thrilled with the appointment. Brown is “reaching to the far left of the far left to fill his administration,” said Ron Nehring, Chairman of the California Republican Party. Among Laird’s environmental achievements are his role in authoring California’s climate change bill, AB 32, and legislation concerning water conservation, both of which came under fire from conservative lawmakers and voters. He also proposed a bill to pay for state parks with a vehicle registration fee that eventually became Proposition 21. The measure failed to pass in November’s election.
Faced with a $28 billion budget deficit, Laird will have limited resources to expand the park system and fund environmental projects. There are also certain key issues that will quickly reach the top of his to-do list. Among these are the environmental restoration of the collapsed Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which plays a major role in the state’s water supply network. Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
