California Announces New Chair of the California Air Resources Board

Today, Governor Newsom named Senior Advisor to the Governor for Climate Lauren Sanchez to serve as the next Chair of the California Air Resources Board. She will step into the role at the end of the month, with Chair Liane Randolph retiring from state service. The appointment of Chair Sanchez comes at a critical time for California, as the state’s zero-emissions standards are under attack in D.C. and federal rollbacks of clean air programs threaten the breathability of California’s air. Thus far, the agency’s plans for how to meaningfully clean up pollution in the state in the face of these attacks have proven underwhelming.

The following is a statement from Adrian Martinez, director of Earthjustice’s Right To Zero campaign:

“These are perilous times for air quality protections in California, and we hope this agency will find its footing and retake the reins. California needs to get ready for the great rebuild after the Trump administration — and that works starts now. We look forward to working closely with Lauren Sanchez as the incoming chair to ensure California moves forward with the rest of the world in adopting the cleanest technology. The agency has been a world leader in building policies to clean the air and protect our future before, and we want to see them reenergized once again. Everyone breathing in California depends on it. We appreciate Chair Randolph’s work to shift California to zero emissions over the last five years.”