Elected to the Assembly in 2008, Nancy Skinner represents AD 15 incorporating the East Bay communities that stretch along the I-80 corridor from Hercules to Oakland. Nancy currently chairs the Assembly Rules Committee setting the rules of the house, assigning bills to committees and overseeing Assembly personnel, budgets, and other administrative functions. Skinner formerly served as Chair of the Assembly's Natural Resources Committee.
Nancy brings to the Assembly experience as an employer and business owner, a long history of public service, and a record of environmental and social justice leadership. She served on the Berkeley City Council and the East Bay Regional Park District Board, owned a small business, was active in student government at UC Berkeley and co-founded the international association Local Governments for Sustainability.
Nancy has an extensive background in climate change. She coordinated the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign and the 2005 Summit between CEOs, which included Governor Schwarzenegger and British Prime Minister Blair, and which helped lead to the signing of California's Global Warming Solutions Act.
As a legislator, Nancy Skinner is perhaps best known for her E-Fairness bill requiring Amazon and other internet retailers to collect sales tax -- legislation that is expected to bring California up to $500 million in new revenue and save thousands of jobs.
In the Assembly, Nancy has also authored legislation to increase solar energy use, improve the energy efficiency of homes and businesses, make food stamps more accessible to eligible families and expand awareness of the Earned Income Tax Credit--federal dollars that could put needed cash into the households of over 800,000 eligible Californians. Nancy also authored legislation to protect renters as part of the groundbreaking "California Homeowner Bill of Rights," sponsored by Attorney General Harris.
Nancy and her staff love her East Bay District and look for every chance to honor constituents for their achievements, such as her annual Women of the Year event, and to host programs such as tax preparation assistance, vaccination and health check-ups, recidivism prevention, small business assistance and more.
As a student at UC Berkeley, Nancy was a founding member of the union representing graduate student instructors, a campus organizer of the South Africa divestment effort and helped write the City of Berkeley's ordinances mandating energy efficient retrofits for residential and commercial buildings. Later, as a member of Berkeley's Solid Waste Management Commission Nancy was instrumental in setting the nation's first 50% recycling goal, passed by Berkeley voters in 1982.
In 1984, Nancy was elected to the Berkeley City Council—becoming the first and only UC Berkeley student to serve on the Council. Nancy played a key role in many of Berkeley's ground-breaking policies, including Berkeley being the first city to offer its employees domestic partner benefits and the waterfront protection policies that led to the establishment of Eastshore State Park. Nancy's introduction of Berkeley's 1988 ban on Styrofoam, the first in the nation, was the spark that led McDonald's to pull Styrofoam out of all of its U.S. outlets.
Nancy initiated the 'green jobs' training program at Berkeley's Youth Employment Services and authored the legislation to establish Berkeley's Community Energy Services Corporation, which continues to provide energy efficiency services to small businesses and homeowners throughout the East Bay. In 1991, Nancy joined the team of writers at Earthworks Press that wrote and published a bestselling book series—including 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth.
A nationally renowned leader in the fight against global warming, Nancy founded ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, an organization dedicated to helping local governments around the world become environmental leaders and launched the Cities for Climate Protection program that now involves over 500 U.S. cities and counties.
Nancy co-founded Women in Power, a PAC that supports Democratic women running for state office, and has served on the board of directors of Community Conservation Centers Inc., a recycling buy-back and materials processing center, the Alameda County chapter of the National Women's Political Caucus and the David Brower Center, a project that mixes affordable housing for families with offices for non-profits.
Highlights of Nancy Skinner's public service and professional work:
- UC Berkeley Graduate - M.A. School of Education, B.S. Conservation of Natural Resources
- Active at Cal in undergraduate and graduate student government: ASUC Academic Affairs VP, Administrative Director Graduate Assembly, founding member of Graduate Student Instructors Union, coordinator of Free Speech Movement 20th Anniversary, leader of UC South Africa Divestment campaign.
- Small business owner: restaurant and catering business.
- Member of the City of Berkeley Energy Commission. Authored Berkeley's residential and commercial energy efficiency retrofit ordinances.
- Member of the City of Berkeley Solid Waste Management Commission. Co-authored 1984 50% recycling, waste reduction goal, the first in the U.S.
- Elected to Berkeley City Council (1984 -1992). First UC Berkeley student elected, introduced Berkeley's 1988 Styrofoam ban, making Berkeley the first U.S. city to set these goals, enacted waterfront protections leading to the establishment of the Eastshore State Park, established the Community Energy Services Corporation, which continues to provide energy efficiency services to homeowners and small businesses throughout the East Bay.
- Writing team of EarthWorks Press. Produced best-selling book series 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save The Earth.
- Served on Alameda County Training and Employment Board (1985-1991) and Source Reduction and Recycling Board (1992-1996).
- Founded ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, a membership association of over 2,000 cities worldwide.
- Launched Cities for Climate Protection, a national movement of U.S. cities and counties working to stop global warming, led U.S. Mayor's delegation to 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
- US Director of The Climate Group. Authored publication "California: Low Carbon Leader", organized July 2006 Climate & Energy Roundtable with Governor Schwarzenegger, Prime Minister Blair, Assembly Speaker Nunez & Fortune 500 CEOs.
- Board Member of David Brower Center, Community Conservation Centers, Inc.
- Executive Board Member of National Women's Political Caucus-Alameda North.
- Mayoral appointee to San Francisco Clean Technology Advisory Committee.
- Elected Board Member to East Bay Regional Park District 2006 -2008.
- Elected to California State Assembly, 15th Assembly District 2008 to present.
