Back to top

California League of Conservation Voters

Overview
Headquarters: 
Oakland, California
Founded: 
1972
Areas of Focus: 
Populations Served: 
All Populations
About Us
Mission: 

The CLCV mission is to protect and enhance the environment and the health of all California communities by electing environmental champions, advancing critical priorities, and holding policymakers accountable.

Programs: 

CLCV helps create environmental champions and pass strong environmental legislation. More specifically, these are the areas where we focus most of our attention:

 

Air Quality:

Though California was one of the first states in the nation to pass clean air legislation, air quality continues to be a major health and environmental concern in the state. Air pollution causes approximately 2 million premature deaths worldwide every year, according to the World Health Organization.

 

Clean & Renewable Energy:

It’s simple: relying on oil, coal, and natural gas for the bulk of our energy needs is ultimately a losing proposition. Fossil fuels will peak and run out someday; they’re already becoming less efficient and even more environmentally harmful to extract.

 

Environmental Justice:

Environmental justice (EJ) is defined by California law as “the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws and policies.”

 

Global Warming:

As has become well-known, human beings are generating carbon dioxide and other “greenhouse gases” at an unprecedented rate. A consensus of scientists agrees that those emissions will catastrophically alter our world’s climate if left unchecked.

 

Good Government:

Good governance with respect to the environment requires that decisions are made and implemented using legitimate, transparent, responsive, participatory, equitable processes to achieve effective policies that protect California’s natural resources and heritage for future generations.

 

Green Jobs:

The creation of green jobs – guiding the economy towards environmentally friendly, zero- and low-emission technologies while creating jobs in a down economy – is a relatively new but extremely timely issue.

 

Ocean/Coastal Protection:

California has long been on the forefront of ocean and coastal management and continues to lead important initiatives such as marine protected areas, water quality, the management of fisheries, shoreline erosion, and coastal development.

 

Open Space & Parks:

California’s century-old state park system is the largest state park system in the world, covering 1.3 million acres, and receives more than 80 million visitors annually.

 

Recycling/Waste Reduction:

Californians take pride in on our adherence to the three “Rs”: Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Recycling programs are available in every city, and the state has embraced “zero waste” as a guiding principle and goal for the future.

 

Smart Growth, Land Use & Planning:

California's population of 38 million is projected to grow to 46 million by 2030. A larger population means more people driving cars and pumping more greenhouse gases into the environment.

 

Toxics & Chemicals:

It is widely acknowledged that due to a lack of strong federal policy, the health and environmental effects of the vast majority of approximately 80,000 industrial chemicals in commercial use in the United States are largely unknown.

 

Transportation:

California has had a legendary, and rocky, love affair with the automobile since they first started rolling off the assembly line in the early 1900’s.

 

Water Quality & Supply:

Water is essential to the quality of life of all Californians. First, and most obviously, California’s people and communities can’t live without it. Secondly, the state’s economy, including its thriving agricultural industry, is dependent on abundant, reliable, clean water. Read more.

 

Wildlife & Habitat Conservation:

California has more species than any other state in the United States and also has the greatest number of endemic species—species that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Read more.

Why Work For Us?: 

Who We Are

The California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) is the non-partisan political action arm of California's environmental movement.

 

How We Do It

Voter Education: At the end of each legislative year, CLCV publishes the California Environmental Scorecard. The Scorecard is the definitive barometer of environmental politics in Sacramento, rating the performance of the California Legislature and the governor on key environmental legislation. Published annually for more than four decades, the Scorecard is distributed online and to 30,000 CLCV members, other environmental organizations, and the news media.

Electoral Campaigns: CLCV conducts rigorous research on candidates in order to make endorsements in key races. Our endorsements are backed with expertise, and we assist candidates with the media, fundraising, and grassroots organizing strategies they need to win. We also campaign to educate voters about candidates' environmental records.

Local League Chapters: Electing good environmental leaders to state and federal offices often begins at the local level. CLCV works with existing local League organizations, and helps build new ones throughout the state to foster strong elections at the local level.

Legislative Advocacy: CLCV is a legislative watchdog. Each year, we campaign for strong environmental legislation in Sacramento. We collaborate with other organizations on legislation of importance to the greater environmental community. We maintain a full time lobbying presence in Sacramento and work to make sure legislators hear from environmental voters.

industry: 
Nonprofit