350 Bay Area Action is pleased to endorse Sonja Shephard for Pittsburg City Council. Sonja’s extensive work in service of her community reflects a strong commitment to the City of Pittsburg and the well-being of its residents. She belongs to the Pittsburg Unified School District Student Attendance Review Board, the City of Pittsburg Community Advisory Commission, and serves on a newly formed joint council of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission operating at the intersection of transit and land use, housing, and environmental justice policy.

If elected to the Pittsburg City Council, Sonja envisions the relationships she has cultivated within her community enabling her to effectively communicate the benefits of transitioning to renewable energy sources, and raise local awareness of programs that alleviate the cost of this transition for low-income households. She was instrumental in facilitating a partnership between the City of Pittsburg and GRID Alternatives, an organization that oversees the installation of renewable energy infrastructure in traditionally underserved communities. Her efforts helped establish a pre-apprenticeship training program in clean-energy construction. As a member of 350 Contra Costa Action, Sonja has also worked in support of the Healthy Homes initiative, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by installing high-efficiency, all-electric appliances in qualifying low-income households. 

Sonja’s deep roots in Pittsburg give her an understanding of the work necessary to overcome the challenges its legacy as an industrial town presents in the areas of environmental health and justice, and allow her to identify opportunities for the city to embrace renewable energy sources and mitigate the harmful effects of climate change, while still pursuing economic growth.

Campaign website: https://votesonjashephard.com/

Volunteer some time: https://votesonjashephard.com/volunteer

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Image credit: Sonja Shephard, used with permission