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Alameda, Contra Costa County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
Smart Voter Full Biography for Nancy Skinner

Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 14

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This information is provided by the candidate

NANCY SKINNER Democrat for State Assembly (14th AD) Ready to make a difference http://www.nancyskinnerforassembly.com

An Impressive Record

Nancy Skinner, a 35 year East Bay resident, has a long record of public and community service. Currently an elected member of the East Bay Regional Park District Board, Nancy represents El Cerrito, Kensington, Richmond, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Berkeley, Emeryville, Albany, and parts of Oakland and Pinole -- 2/3 of the communities within the 14th Assembly District.

A Berkeley City Councilmember from 1984 to 1992, Nancy also served as an appointed member to Alameda County's Job Training and Employment Board, the Source Reduction and Recycling Board and a number of other city and county boards and commissions.

A Legacy of Environmental Achievements

As a Councilmember, Nancy was responsible for groundbreaking environmental policies such as Berkeley's energy efficiency retrofit ordinances and waterfront protections that led to the establishment of Eastshore State Park. Nancy's introduction of Berkeley's 1988 ban on Styrofoam, the first in the nation, sparked McDonald's to stop using Styrofoam at all of its US outlets. In 1990 Nancy founded ICLEI‐Local Governments for Sustainability, a non‐profit organization dedicated to helping cities become environmental leaders. Nancy was also on the team at Earthworks Press that wrote & published the best selling book series 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth.

As Director of East Bay Regional Parks, Nancy work to add acres to our beloved parks and to expand Park District programs to schools, youth and residents in West Contra Costa County.

Growing the Green Economy An early green jobs advocate Nancy initiated Berkeley's `Green Valley' economic development strategy and the "green jobs" training at Berkeley's Youth Employment Services, and established the Community Energy Services Corporation that provides energy services to small businesses and low income residents. Nancy knows what it takes to harness the growing clean energy and clean tech sectors and keep 21st Century jobs in our state, like the advanced solar company Nancy helped bring to the old Ford plant in Richmond.

Commitment to Public Education & our Schools Nancy's daughter, Sirona, attended Berkeley's public schools where Nancy was active in the PTA from kindergarten through Berkeley High. To counteract state funding cuts Nancy walked precincts for BSEP --the parcel tax that lowered class size and funds enrichment programs. With the successful passage of BSEP, Nancy went on to chair the BSEP committee at King Junior High, also serving on the BSEP committee at Berkeley High. Nancy's longstanding involvement in higher education includes eight years as Executive Director of the Graduate Assembly, UC Berkeley's graduate student government, where she set up teaching assistant training programs, fought student fee increases, and worked to increase student and faculty diversity. Nancy holds a Bachelors of Science from Berkeley's College of Natural Resources and an Masters in Education from UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Education.

National Leader in the Fight Against Global Warming Well before global warming was a household word Nancy launched Cities for Climate Protection -- the US movement of mayors and cities working to stop global warming. To demonstrate that communities across the US support action on global warming, Nancy led a group of Mayors and local officials to the convention that established the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Most recently she worked with Fortune 500 companies, clean tech industries and state and national leaders to pass groundbreaking legislation to reduce the threat of global warming. Nancy organized the July 2006 Climate and Energy Roundtable with Governor Schwarzenegger, Prime Minister Tony Blair, Assembly Speaker Nuņez, and 15 business leaders which paved the way for the Governor's signing of AB 32, California's historic Global Warming Solutions Act.

Nancy is a California Energy Commission appointee to the State Climate Change Advisory Committee and serves on San Francisco's Clean Technology Task Force.

Community Leader and Champion for Women's Rights Nancy was a leader of UC Berkeley's South Africa Divestment campaign and coordinated the university's commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement. As a grad student Nancy organized graduate student employees, helping to found AGSE, the union of graduate student instructors now affiliated with the United Auto Workers. A strong advocate for working families Nancy is a former union member and her husband, a public sector employee is a 23‐year member of SEIU.

A longtime champion of women's issues, Nancy is a member of the California State Democratic Party Women's Caucus and the National Organization of Women (NOW) and has actively helped elect numerous pro‐choice women candidates through her work on the Executive Board of the Alameda North Chapter of the National Women's Political Caucus.

Nancy serves on the board of directors of a number of non‐profit organizations, including Community Conservation Centers Inc., a recycling buy‐back center, and the David Brower Center, a project that is bringing a mix of affordable housing for families with a world class center of offices for environmental non‐profits --all in a green building complex currently being built in downtown Berkeley.

Elect Nancy June 3 In her run for Assembly, Nancy brings a lifetime of hands‐on experience and dedication to public service. Nancy is honored to have the support of current 14th District Assemblymember Loni Hancock and former Assemblymembers Dion Aroner and Tom Bates, Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Sally Lieber, Assemblymembers Mark DeSaulnier and Mary Hayashi, Alameda County Superintendent of Schools Sheila Jordan as well as mayors Bob Lieber (Albany), Tom Bates (Berkeley), Bill Jones (El Cerrito), Mike Anderson (Lafayette), former mayors Irma Anderson (Richmond) and Rosemary Corbin (Richmond), Vice Mayor Ruth Atkin (Emeryville), City Auditor Courtney Ruby (Oakland), City Councilmember Amy Worth (Orinda), SEIU, the California Nurses Association, the Sierra Club, the California League of Conservation Voters, AFSCME 2428 and many other organizations and leaders throughout AD 14.

Highlights of Nancy Skinner's public service and professional work:

  • Campus activist at UC Berkeley: founder, graduate student employees union; organized university's commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement; coordinator, campus anti‐apartheid campaign.
  • Member, Congressman Ronald V. Dellums Executive Committee 1979‐1989; Executive Committee, Berkeley Citizens Action 1978‐1985.
  • PTA Member Jefferson School, Malcolm X Middle School, Martin Luther King Junior High and Berkeley High School. Chair of Berkeley Schools Enrichment Program (BSEP) committee at King and member BSEP committee at Berkeley High.
  • Introduced Berkeley's styrofoam ban and 50% recycling goal, making Berkeley the first city in the nation to set these goals.
  • Early champion of integrating economic development with environmental protection, Nancy initiated Berkeley's "Green Valley" economic development strategy and established the Community Energy Services Corporation.
  • Authored Berkeley's energy efficiency retrofit ordinances that have been implemented by cities across the country and contribute to why Berkeley homes and commercial buildings have among the lowest energy use in the state.
  • Served on Alameda County Consumer Affairs Commission, 1979‐1981; Alameda County Training and Employment Board, 1985‐1991; Alameda Waste Management Authority, 1986‐1992; Alameda County Source Reduction and Recycling Board, 1992‐1996.
  • Member, City of Berkeley Energy Commission, 1979‐1981; City of Berkeley Solid Waste Management Commission, 1981‐1984.
  • Founded ICLEI‐Local Governments for Sustainability + membership association with over 600 cities worldwide.
  • Launched Cities for Climate Protection ‐ national movement of cities working to stop global warming; led Mayor's delegation to 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
  • Executive Boardmember, National Women's Political Caucus‐Alameda North.
  • Campaign manager, Loni Hancock's 2002 Assembly Campaign; Field Director, Barbara Lee's 2002 Congressional campaign.
  • California Energy Commission appointee to State Climate Change Advisory Committee; Member, San Francisco Clean Technology Task Force.

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 22, 2008 15:15
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