Guzman named EPA Regional Administrator • Women In Leadership for Diverse Representation

COMMUNITY NEWS

Guzman named EPA Regional Administrator

Dec. 9, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan announced that President Biden will appoint Martha Guzman to become EPA’s Regional Administrator for Region 9.

Guzman will lead the implementation of the Biden-Harris environmental agenda in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and 148 Tribal Nations.

“Given Martha’s extensive background in successfully delivering access to underserved communities, I am confident she is an excellent choice to lead our Region 9 team,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said. “Martha is an experienced leader that values economic justice and will represent the best interests of the residents in the region.”

“I am honored to be appointed by President Biden to serve as Administrator of EPA Region 9 under the leadership of Administrator Regan,” said Guzman. “And I am grateful for the opportunity to work with the resilient staff at Region 9 as we tackle the chronic and emerging environmental issues in our communities.”

Martha Guzman has served as a Commissioner at the California Public Utilities

Commission (CPUC) for the last five years, appointed by Governor Jerry Brown. Her portfolio included leadership on issues related to fiscal oversight of utilities, broadband for all, water affordability, increasing access to clean energy programs and preventing disconnections of basic utilities for Disadvantaged Communities. Guzman spearheaded the Interagency Solar Consumer Protection Taskforce, the Tribal Land Policy, and the Covid Arrears Response. Prior to joining the CPUC she served as Deputy Legislative Affairs Secretary in the Office of the Governor where Martha Guzman she worked on the passage of the Human Right to Water and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, re-organized the Safe Drinking Water Program, and helped to shape climate goals related to short-lived climate pollutants and renewable energy legislation. Earlier in her career, she was the Sustainable Communities program director for the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation where she worked for Swanton Berry Farm on human resource issues. Guzman started her career as the legislative coordinator for the United Farm Workers. n

Women In Leadership for Diverse Representation

Women make up more than half of the American electorate.

However, California remains one of 19 states that have never had a female governor. One reason is there are fewer women in the political pipeline to advance to the top office.

California has 120 members of the Legislature, and 32 percent are women.

The Institute for Elected Women: California is the nation’s first non-partisan training and mentoring program for women newly elected to a state legislature, facilitated and taught exclusively by women members, both former and current, of that legislature.

In 2009, under a contract with former California Assembly Speaker, now Congresswoman Karen Bass, former State Assemblywoman Patty Berg designed the training and mentoring program for women elected to the California State Legislature in 2010. Shirley Weber For details, see California Secretary of Statehttps://www.ncsl. org/legislators-staff/legislators/ womens-legislative-network/institute-forelected-women-california.aspx.

A 2021 report by the Center for American Women and Politics found women hold 30.5 percent of municipal offices, which is less than one–third.

“Women Representatives” page 26