Priority Campaign Update

Change we can work for: Obama, clean energy, expand our parks

The difference you can make as an election volunteer

This November, what's more important - electing Barack Obama president or winning local Bay Area elections?

The Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter answers that both goals are vital, and to achieve them both, we need your help.

After eight years of an administration that seems not merely indifferent to the environment, but actively opposed, it is time for a change. That's why the Sierra Club has endorsed Barack Obama for president, and that's why we want your help campaigning for him in the Bay Area. We can't take California for granted, and so we need you to volunteer to help in reaching out to Bay Area voters.

The Bay Area environment, in contrast, serves as a model (in many regards) for the rest of the country. That's largely because of the strong environmental candidates we have elected in the past. But there's lots more work to do - we're not done with achieving clean energy or protecting our greenbelt or building sustainable cities - and we need to elect an even stronger team of candidates this year - who will make the strongest efforts to protect and restore our environment.

That's why all our campaigning in the Bay Area will carry a double mission - to gather votes for Obama and for critical local campaigns - and we need your help!

• In San Francisco, we're campaigning for the San Francisco Clean Energy Act, . In addition, most of the city's strongest environmental supervisors are retiring this year due to term limits -and we must campaign for the best replacements. We will ask people to vote for Prop H, for our endorsed supervisorial candidates - and for Obama. Help us.
• In the East Bay, our biggest campaign will be for Yes to Parks (Measure WW) to renew funding for the East Bay Regional Park District to protect new open space. We will also be making special efforts for two local ballot measures: in Moraga for the Moraga Open Space Ordinance (Prop K), and in Richmond for A Fair Share for Richmond (Prop T). We will also be campaigning for strong candidates for several City Councils, including Jovanka Beckles in Richmond , Vinnie Bacon in Fremont , and Rebecca Kaplan in Oakland . We will be asking people to vote for Measure WW, for their local candidates and ballot measures - and for Obama. Help us in these campaigns.

On this page you will see a list of all the Chapter's endorsements up to Aug. 25. We are still in the process of evaluating candidates and making more endorsements. For the most up-to-date endorsement information, see the November-December Yodeler, visit the Chapter web site or call the Chapter Office at (510) 848-0800.

For more information about these endorsed candidates and ballot measures, see the articles in this issue and the coming issue of the Yodeler.

WhatYouCanDo - This month's key action

We will be running the most effective possible combination of campaign efforts to win elections for the local and for the national environment. We depend on your help. Think locally and globally, and campaign locally and nationally - with the Sierra Club Bay Chapter.

To join in the Chapter's campaign efforts, contact legislative coordinator or call (510) 848-0800, ext. 316

We have also enclosed a return post card with this Yodeler. Please fill it out and send it back in today, to let us know that you are ready to join the campaign.