John Laird: A letter home from the state’s natural resources chief

By John Laird / Santa Cruz Sentinel

This month I start my fifth year as California’s Secretary for Natural Resources. Even though I am home in Santa Cruz every weekend, it’s a strange sensation to log on to the Sentinel early weekday mornings to read about local developments that for the past few decades I would have been otherwise involved with.

But I enjoy the challenging opportunity of managing the state’s natural resources through an agency with a $9 billion dollar budget and 19,000 employees. Add to that working for a governor who is fearless in taking on intractable long-term issues one by one, applying good values in the process, working with stakeholders across the spectrum, and making sure there’s actually an outcome.

Many major issues we face are not chosen by us. Nothing better describes that than being on point for the issues of water and fire amidst the three driest years in California history.

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Photo Credit: Della Huff