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LALCV’s 9th Annual Smith-Weiss Environmental Champion Awards event was attended by over 100 environmental and civic leaders from across Los Angeles County. The theme for 2011 was "Green Innovation: Growing California's Future." LALCV honored John Laird, California Natural Resources Secretary and Cliff Numark, Torrance City Council Member for public service, and the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE) for activism. The event was held at the Hancock Park home of Marjorie and John Neilson.

About the Honorees:
The Honorable John Laird: As one of his first actions, Governor Jerry Brown appointed the Honorable John Laird as California Secretary for Natural Resources. This was a superb decision.

A longtime environmental champion, John served with distinction for six years as an Assemblyman representing the central coast counties of Santa Cruz and Monterey. During this period, John received a 100% score from both the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) and Sierra Club California for his votes on environmental issues.

Our sister organization, the CLCV, enthusiastically endorsed John when he ran for state office. LALCV is equally thrilled that he will continue to protect California’s natural, historical and cultural resources in this new role. Laird has an impressive record of environmental leadership during his twenty-three years in elected office. While serving in the California Assembly, John distinguished himself as a leader both in the environmental community and with his colleagues on budget and environmental issues. John demonstrated both political sophistication and compassion in his efforts to protect and invest in California’s precious natural resources.

As noted in CLCV’s 2008 Environmental Scorecard, John was “the highest-ranking voice for the environment in the inner circle of leadership, the trusted and respected chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, and a dedicated friend and mentor to environmental advocates.”

As Budget Chair, John worked hard to reverse the persistent trend of the state’s under-funding of natural resources and environmental protection. One of his most significant achievements included allocating $250 million to the state budget to begin funding the $1 billion backlog in state parks deferred maintenance, providing for $19 million to protect and manage California’s ocean resources and augmenting the Department of Fish and Game’s funding by over $70 million.

California’s enormous budget deficit will create severe challenges for the managers of our natural resources. The Secretary will be required to make tough choices that balance the need to protect the environment with fewer dollars. We look forward to working with John Laird to face these challenges.

The Honorable Cliff Numark: Cliff Numark was elected to the Torrance City Council on June 3, 2008. He currently serves as chair of the Strategic Plan Committee, the voting delegate to the South Bay Economic Development Partnership (SBEDP), and the alternate voting delegate to the League of California Cities (LA County Division) and the Sanitation District of LA County. He also serves as the second alternate voting delegate to the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG). In addition, he serves as a member of the Transportation Committee, the Finance and Governmental Operations Committee, and the Naming of Public Facilities Committee.

Prior to his election to the City Council, Cliff served as a City Commissioner for the Parks and Recreation Commission, Community Services Commission, and Cable Television Advisory Board. He also served as the Director of the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2008 Leadership Torrance program, secretary of the Madrona Marsh Foundation and vice-president for the Torrance Symphony and Torrance Historical Society.

Cliff currently works as a director for the American Red Cross Blood Services in Southern California, where he is responsible for recruiting nearly 400,000 volunteers to give blood products annually. He holds a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in Chemistry and Public Policy from Pomona College, a Master of Science in Energy & Environment from the University of Sussex in England, a Master in Public Affairs from Princeton University and a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley.

Cliff is married to Diane Korman, a Torrance native.

Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE): Founded in 1993, LAANE is a national leader in the effort to build a new economy based on good jobs, thriving communities and a healthy environment. For the past 17 years, LAANE has proven itself to be one of the country’s most innovative and effective advocacy organizations. From groundbreaking living wage campaigns to leading-edge green jobs initiatives, LAANE has pioneered a new approach to economic development that has become a model in cities across the U.S.

LAANE played a pivotal role in the passage of one of the country’s most sweeping anti-pollution and anti-poverty measures, a Clean Truck Program for the region’s ports that has dramatically improved air quality and will raise the standard of living for more than 10,000 truck drivers. LAANE also helped enact the nation’s first Construction Careers and Green Jobs Policy, which will ensure middle-class green jobs for thousands of construction workers and open a path to good careers for at risk populations.

LAANE’s efforts to transform conditions in key industries have led to significant economic and environmental improvements for communities throughout the region. LAANE has also published a series of influential reports, including studies on working poverty and the impact of Wal-Mart on urban America.

LAANE is a co-founder of the Partnership for Working Families, a rapidly growing national alliance that advocates for good jobs and healthy communities in nearly 20 major metropolitan areas.

LAANE and its leadership have received numerous honors, including awards from the Mayor of Los Angeles, the Speaker of the California Assembly, the UCLA School of Law and the Los Angeles Roman Catholic Archdiocese. We look forward to working with LAANE to continue electing officials who care about these values.

Our top sponsor was Bingham McCutchen, with additional high level sponsors including: The Boeing Company, Recology, Renewable Resources Group, Waste Management, the California Nurses Association PAC, Clean Energy, NextEra Energy Resources, The Honorable Linda Sanchez, Amy Fisch Solomon, AECOM, Better World Group, Change to Win, CLCV, Glen Dake, Gerry Gero, Gladstein, Neandross & Associates, Lillian Kawasaki, Adi Liberman, Jonathan Parfrey, Pension Consulting Alliance, Richard Polak, The Honorable Anthony Portantino, Rehrig Pacific Company, SG&A, Joan Satt, Moe Stavnezer, Teamsters Local 396, Teamsters Local JC 42, and Rick Zbur.

To provide compostable products and education for guests at the event, LALCV hired Pasadena-based Waste Less Living, an award-winning zero-waste event planning and composting service, whose mission is to minimize waste going into landfills, reduce reliance on plastic products, promote the use of environmental product alternatives and educate consumers about waste issues.