County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher: Region Needs to Move in One Direction on Climate Change

County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, who is attending his first California Air Resources Board (CARB) meeting today, says the San Diego region needs to get its head out of the sand and become more visionary when it comes to protecting and preserving the environment and tackling climate change. 

“It is time for the San Diego region to shake off a mindset as a conservative sleepy beach town that has dominated the past and embrace a bolder, more progressive future,” said Supervisor Fletcher. “We must tackle our housing crisis and create quality jobs in creative ways that also lowers our greenhouse gas emissions, reduces toxic air pollution and ensures we are doing our part to address climate change. We should view the state and agencies like the California Air Resources Board as partners in this effort. San Diego will need to embrace a measurable and actionable vision in order to protect our environment and realize our full potential as an emerging metropolitan region."
 

Local San Diego news reports in recent weeks have highlighted the “region is way off track” in meeting state mandates for greenhouse gas reductions, notably through a failure to reduce driving. Cross-border water pollution continues to be a public health issue and destroys local wetlands. The Climate Action Campaign also recently highlighted progress in cities’ climate plans -- although there continue to be significant deficiencies; quite notably, the County has struggled to align its land use policies with state law.
 

“We must move together as a region to address climate change and other environmental issues, and I will do my part to push the County and others to make sure we are supporting the communities that need it most,” said Supervisor Fletcher.
 

Supervisor Fletcher was nominated for appointment to CARB by California Governor Gavin Newsom in January and at the time of his appointment, the Supervisor said: “I am honored to be appointed by Governor Newsom to serve on the California Air Resources Board. It will be a privilege to work with leaders from across the state to adopt policies to tackle climate change and improve California's air quality. I look forward to working with the Senate during the confirmation process to earn their trust to serve in this important role.”