Hello, everyone!

I’m delighted to be here to help ClimatePlan and its partners tackle work that is exemplary, exciting, and absolutely critical.

Richard Raya

When SB 375, the Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act, was enacted in 2008, I was impressed. It’s rare to see legislation that deals with the environment, housing, transportation, and health in such a comprehensive, connected way. ClimatePlan’s diverse coalition has helped develop inclusive Sustainable Communities Strategies around the state, and their collective impact could be a model for the nation.

Much of my career has focused on holding government accountable to help people achieve their potential. My parents were farm workers in the Central Valley early in their lives, and my mother and I relied on the safety net to make it to community college and ultimately to the University of California. I have dedicated my life to helping people transform their lives the way my life was transformed; I see government as our best tool for big tasks that we can only accomplish together. As we work together on land-use strategies throughout the state, ClimatePlan will hold government accountable, so that we can all improve our communities—and our future.

As we just saw with the record-breaking Climate March in New York, the intersection of preserving our planet and combating inequity is becoming one of the great social movements of our day. ClimatePlan is at the forefront of this movement, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

I look forward to being a resource for all ClimatePlan’s current and new partners, learning from each of you, and working together to build on the considerable success of the ClimatePlan coalition.

Let’s do this, California!

Richard