California Climate Action: Why it Matters to Us All

When it comes to bold action aimed at protecting our planet and communities from climate disaster, California is a trendsetter for the rest of the nation. For example, the Golden State banned the sale of new gas-powered cars after 2035. Now, more than 17 other states are considered similar moves.

Jane Fonda (Founder, Fire Drill Fridays), Manuel Pastor, Ph.D. (Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of Southern California), and Christine Cordero (Co-Director, Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)), discuss why the future of our climate – and politics – may lie with California.

Manuel Pastor, Ph.D.

Manuel Pastor, Ph.D. is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of Southern California where he currently directs the Equity Research Institute. Pastor’s research has generally focused on issues of the economic, environmental, and social conditions facing low-income urban communities — and the social movements seeking to change those realities. His most recent book is Solidarity Economics: Why Mutuality and Movements Matter (co-authored with Chris Benner); his previous 2018 book, State of Resistance: What California’s Dizzying Descent and Remarkable Resurgence Means for America’s Future, was lauded in a New York Times review as “concise, clear and convincing.”

Christine Cordero

Raised by a Filipino immigrant family in the working class town of Pittsburg, CA, Christine Cordero acts from the deep belief that we are stronger together and can go farther together than we ever could alone. She is Co-Director of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), organizing with immigrants and refugees for a healthy environment and thriving economy for all communities. For over 20 years, Christine has strategized, organized, and built coalitions across environmental health and justice, workers rights, and economic and racial justice issues. Previously, she was Executive Director at the Center for Story-based Strategy, training 2,000+ people and working with 200+ groups to reinvigorate narrative strategies for social justice. Christine is an ordained priest of the Chozen-ji line of Rinzai Zen, and trains in Oakland, CA and Kalihi Valley, HI.