On January 31, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed several new members to the California Air Resources Board (CARB). CARB is charged with “protecting the public from the harmful effects of air pollution and developing programs and actions to fight climate change.”
Governor Newsom’s new appointees include:
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Eric Guerra, 44, who currently serves as a Vice Mayor for the City of Sacramento.
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V. Manuel Perez, 50, who is a Riverside County Supervisor and formerly represented Riverside and Imperial Counties in the California State Assembly.
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Bill Quirk, 77, a physicist and former member of the California State Assembly and Hayward City Councilmember.
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Susan Shaheen, 56, who is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Berkeley.
Governor Newsom also reappointed Diane Takvorian (environmental health), and John Eisenhut (agriculture) to CARB and reappointed Gideon Kracov to the South Coast Air Quality Management District Board, for whom he currently sits as a delegate on the CARB Board.
CARB’s Board is made up of 16 members, 12 of whom are appointed by the Governor and 4 of whom are appointed by the Legislature. Board members serve for six-year terms. Six board members must serve on local air districts, one must have experience in automotive engineering, one must have experience in chemistry, meteorology, agriculture, or law, and one must be a physician and surgeon or authority on the effects of air pollution. Two members are appointed as members of the public and two legislators serve as non-voting ex officio members.
RCRC is frequently engaged with CARB as they develop strategies to reduce air pollution and implement the state’s climate change programs.