Why these environmental groups still aren't endorsing Harris

There's a corner of the left that's not fully on board the Kamala Harris bandwagon — and it's from her own state.

California environmental justice groups have mostly stayed quiet on Harris a week into her campaign for the presidency, even as she's leaned into her work addressing pollution in overburdened communities to draw a contrast with former President Donald Trump.

“It was the best move to get Biden out of this election, however there are remaining issues with the history that Kamala has, especially in California,” said Ana Gonzalez, executive director of the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, a Southern California-based group that as a 501(c)3 nonprofit can't make official endorsements.

National environmental groups have been quick to praise Harris' record , from her creation of one of the first environmental justice investigation units as San Francisco district attorney to sponsoring a Green New Deal bill as senator to championing lead pipe removal as vice president.

But some of the most influential California environmental justice groups with 501(c)4 advocacy arms that allow them to take political positions, including California Environmental Justice Alliance, Asian Pacific Environmental Network, and Communities for a Better Environment, have so far demurred, even when national organizations referred to them for comment.

Gonzalez — a Democratic National Committee delegate and board member of the umbrella group CEJA, which has yet to put out a statement on the election — credited Harris with leading the charge in directing billions of dollars of Inflation Reduction Act funding to clean up pollution in low-income communities, protecting the Mira Loma community in Riverside County from diesel truck traffic during her time as AG and being an ally on EJ issues generally. But she also cited Harris' time as a prosecutor that some justice reform advocates say perpetuated the mass incarceration of Black and brown people in the early 2000s.

“Police brutality aligns with environmental justice issues, because it's mostly our communities of color and the folks that are facing poverty that are more targeted," she said. "And so we didn't see her as a champion to that end.”

California environmental justice advocates are willing to give Harris plaudits in their individual capacity. But when it comes to organizational endorsements, they've mostly stayed mum.

“Harris has demonstrated her commitment to environmental justice through her actions in every one of the positions she has held in her distinguished career,” said Diane Takvorian, co-founder of Environmental Health Coalition and a California Air Resources Board member, who worked with Harris in 2011 when she challenged San Diego’s Regional Transportation Plan for failing to recognize air pollution impacts on overburdened communities.

Staff from several in-state EJ groups said they don't have capacity to weigh in on federal elections, or that groups are working with longer timelines to develop their positions. Some in-state groups might also be holding back criticism so as not to ruin Democrats’ rare moment of near-unity when the alternative is a candidate whose allies want to eliminate EPA's environmental justice and civil rights office and launch a comprehensive review that could block grants.

"There's something about watching a Democratic Party rise from the dead that means that a lot of people who might normally nitpick that one part of someone's record that feels like it's coming up a little short," said Manuel Pastor, professor and director of the University of Southern California's Equity Research Institute. "A lot of movement people are thinking, you know, 'Normally I throw a rock, but maybe I'll hold it back.'"

California environmental groups that have endorsed Harris said they wanted to make sure in-state issues stay relevant on the national stage.

"California is really seen as the political ATM machine nationally, and so part of our jobs as folks in these nonprofits is to try to also make sure that California isn't left behind as resources are organized nationally and for other states," said Mary Creasman, CEO of California EnviroVoters, which endorsed Harris a week ago.

But others are still analyzing her positions and looking for specific commitments before jumping in with support.

“We're looking at the possibilities," Gonzalez said. "Although this has been her history, can we find a path forward, so then we can inform her of the issues and have conversations with her directly while also addressing criminal justice reform and see if we can align those branches of what we call environmental justice, and see where she goes from there and see if we can get a commitment from her at this point.”

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