Steve Veres Elected Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Chair

LOS ANGELES (February 27, 2024) At its first meeting of 2024, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy unanimously elected Hon. Steve Veres Chairperson of the Conservancy. Veres is the Public Member appointed by the Senate Rules Committee.

Steve Veres has served as a Trustee of the Los Angeles Community College District since 2011.  He has led efforts to improve graduation and transfer rates and workforce and career pathway programs. He led the adoption of the District’s Award-winning Clean Energy and Sustainability Program and has presided over nearly $4B in facility improvements at all nine Colleges. Under Steve’s leadership, LACCD has built more LEED Certified/ Energy Efficient facilities than any other Community College District in the nation. With over 20 years of public service in the San Fernando Valley, he worked as a teacher, college instructor, journalist, and news editor. He is the former mayor of the City of San Fernando.  Steve has also worked for the California State Legislature for nearly 20 years. He is currently the Deputy Chief of Staff to Senator Maria Elena Durazo.

California State Senator (ret.) Fran Pavley, the Designee of  Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath, was elected Vice Chair. The former Chair of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, Pavley received a master’s degree in environmental planning from California State University, Northridge; taught middle school for 28 years; and completed her teaching career in Moorpark. In 1982, she was elected as the first mayor of the City of Agoura Hills and served for four terms on the city council. She won election to the California State Assembly in 2000, and to the State Senate in 2008. During her 14 years in the Legislature, Senator Pavley received national acclaim for her work on three historic pieces of climate legislation that established California as a worldwide leader in promoting clean energy and reducing climate pollution.

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is composed of nine voting members and three ex officio members. The nine voting members represent local, state, and federal government including the Superintendent of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, a member appointed by the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles, a public member appointed by the Governor, a public member appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, one public member appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, a member appointed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, a member appointed by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, the designee of the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency of California, and the Superintendent of the Angeles District of California State Parks. Ex Officio Members include the Supervisor of the Angeles National Forest and appointees of the California Coastal Conservancy and the California Coastal Commission.

A 26-member Advisory Committee consisting of representatives of local jurisdictions and members appointed by the Governor, the Senate Rules Committee, and the Speaker of the Assembly advise the Conservancy. Hon. Illece Buckley Weber was elected Chairperson for 2024.  Sean Anderson, Ph.D., Representative of the County of Ventura, was elected Vice Chairperson.

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy was established by the State Legislature in 1980. Since that time, it has helped to preserve over 75,000 acres of parkland in both wilderness and urban settings. Its mission is to strategically buy back, preserve, protect, restore, and enhance treasured pieces of Southern California to form an interlinking system of urban, rural, and river parks, open space, trails, and wildlife habitats that are easily accessible to the general public.