The Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club representing Nevada and the Eastern Sierra Nevada of California has announced its list of endorsed candidates for Nevada Assembly and Senate. The endorsements follow an intensive and sometimes difficult process of written and direct interaction with candidates, at least two committee meetings and consideration of the candidates’ records.
“The individuals who have won our endorsement have shown a fundamental commitment to family and community health, which starts with the health of our environment,” said Chapter Chair Erik Holland. “We live in a tumultuous time in which some elected leaders are working to strengthen our tourism industry and recreational opportunities by establishing new Nevada national parks and protected wilderness, while others are attacking our fundamental right to clean air and water.
On the Nevada state level, the Sierra Club has noted its disagreement with some legislators on several votes, including Senate Bill 271 – the infamous “Screw Tahoe” bill, which sets Nevada on a path to eliminate even the weak conservation protections for Lake Tahoe that exist within the existing California-Nevada interstate compact. However, endorsements were not based on any single vote. In some cases, the written or emailed follow-up responses to Sierra Club questions were the deciding factors in providing or withholding endorsements.
The Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club, part of the largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States, has endorsed the candidates noted below. In the coming weeks additional endorsements will be announced.
Sierra Club Legislative Endorsements 2012
SD1 Patricia Spearman
SD3 Tick Segerblom
SD5 Joyce Woodhouse
SD6 Benny Yerushalmi
SD9 Justin Jones
SD13 Debbie Smith
SD15 Sheila Leslie
SD18 Kelli Ross
AD3 Peggy Pierce
AD5 Marilyn Dondero-Loop
AD8 Jason Frierson
AD9 Andrew Martin
AD10 Joe Hogan
AD11 Olivia Diaz
AD12 James Ohrenschall
AD13 Lou DeSalvio
AD14 Maggie Carlton
AD15 Elliot Anderson
AD16 Heidi Swank
AD17 Steven Brooks
AD18 Richard Carrillo
AD20 Ellen Spiegel
AD21 Andy Eisen
AD22 Randy Spoor
AD24 David Bobzien
AD27 Teresa Benitez-Thompson
AD28 Lucy Flores
AD29 April Mastroluca
AD30 Michael Sprinkle
AD31 Richard “Skip” Daly
AD35 James Healey
AD41 Paul Aizley
AD42 Irene Bustamante Adams
