Honorees

Fran Pavley, Senator – 27th California State Senate District

Senator Fran Pavley is a native Angeleno and grew up in Sherman Oaks. She has spent her life living and working in Los Angeles and Ventura counties as a parent, educator and elected official. She lives with her husband, Andy, a veteran and lifelong teacher, in Agoura Hills, where they raised two children and four guide dogs for the blind.

Pavley received a master’s degree in environmental planning from California State University – Northridge; taught middle school for 28 years; and completed her teaching career in Moorpark, Calif. In 1982, she was elected as the first mayor of the City of Agoura Hills and served for four terms on the city council.

In 2000 she won election to the California State Assembly, serving three terms, or six years. She was elected to the state Senate in 2008. Currently, Senator Pavley represents about 900,000 people in the 27th Senate District, which includes parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

To read her full bio, click here.

Byron Sher, California State Senator – Retired

Byron D. Sher is an American Democratic politician. He served in the California State Senate from 1996 to 2004, prior to which, he served in the California State Assembly between 1980 and 1996. Sher was also a longtime professor at Stanford Law School. He currently serves as the California Senate Rules Committee appointee to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

Mary Nichols, Chair of California Air Resources Board

Mary D. Nichols is Chair of the California Air Resources Board, a post she has held since 2007. She also served as Chair of the Air Resources Board from 1979-1983.

Nichols has devoted her entire career in public and nonprofit service to advocating for the environment and public health. In addition to her work at the Air Board, she has served as Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air and Radiation program under President Clinton, Secretary for California’s Resources Agency from 1999 to 2003 and Director of the Institute of the Environment at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Her priorities as Chair include moving ahead on the state’s landmark climate change program (AB 32), steering the Board through numerous efforts to curb diesel pollution at ports and continuing to pass regulations aimed at providing cleaner air for Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley. She values innovation, partnerships and common-sense approaches to addressing the state’s air issues.

The Board is supported by a professional staff of scientists, engineers, economists, lawyers and policy experts, with an annual operating budget of more than $860 million.

Jerry Meral, Past Executive Director of PCL

Dr. Jerry Meral has served as Deputy Director of the California Department of Water Resources, as Western Water Resources Director of the Environmental Defense Fund, and for 20 years as Executive Director of the Planning and Conservation League. His work has been widely recognized and honored. He received the National River Conservation Award as well as honorary awards from Common Cause, the Sierra Club, the California State Legislature, and many others.

In 2011, he was named the California Natural Resources Agency deputy secretary for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and charged with restoring the Bay-Delta ecosystem and creating water supply reliability for California. Meral left that position in late 2013.

One of the best-known speakers on water and other environmental issues in California, he has spoken to the Association of California Water Agencies, the Sierra Club, universities, business meetings, and many other venues. He engages his audience, relates his subject to them, and uses humor to make his points.

Jonas Minton, PCL Senior Water Policy Advisor

Jonas Minton is PCL’s Senior Water Policy Advisor. He is the former Deputy Director of the California Department of Water Resources where he was responsible for overseeing the Divisions of Planning, Local Assistance, Flood Management, Dam Safety, Water Conservation, and Water Transfers. Mr. Minton managed the update to the State Water Plan, the Floodplain Management Task Force, the Recycled Water Task Force, and the Desalination Task Force.

He previously has served as Executive Director of the Sacramento Water Forum and General Manager of the El Dorado County Water Agency. In the 1980’s, Jonas served on the team that secured Federal Wild and Scenic River protection for more than 1,200 miles of California rivers.

Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice

The Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ) is a progressive, base-building, non-profit organization whose focus is to bring communities of people together to find opportunities for cooperation, agreement and problem solving in improving their social and natural environment.

To learn more about CCAEJ, click here.

California Environmental Justice Alliance

The California Environmental Justice Alliance is a statewide, community-led alliance that works to achieve environmental justice by advancing policy solutions.

To learn more about CEJA, click here.