California Air Resources Board

Name ​ 

Organizational Affiliation ​ 

Role​ 

Alex Mantanona​ 

Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE)​ 

Policy Advocate ​ 

Catherine Baltazar​ 

Climate Resolve​ 

Associate Director, Advocacy & Organizing​ 

Edidiong Mendie ​ 

Ezrach Brain Trust Association​ 

Executive Director​ 

Franco Pacheco​ 

Alternate: Karla Cervantes ​ 

Inland Valley Alliance for Environmental Justice​ 

Co-Founder​ 

Jeffrey Sanchez​ 

Sequoia Foundation (Bay Area Public Health Non-Profit)​ 

Executive Director​ 

Jennifer Elkins ​ 

Grassroots Organizers for Accountable Landfills (GOAL)​ 

Leadership Team ​ 

Kamillah Ealom​ 

Bayview Community Concerned Citizens​ 

Program Director​ 

Leonard Powell​ 

Alternate: Lawrence Brooks ​ 

Hopland Band of Pomo Indians 

Tribal Council Member  

Martha Dina Argüello​ 

Physicians for Social Responsibility- Los Angeles (PSR-LA)​ 

Executive Director ​ 

Rio Oxas ​ 

RAHOK​ 

Principal​ 

Thomas Helme ​ 

Valley Improvement Projects (VIP)​ 

Co-Founder/Co-Director​ 

Alex Mantanona, Ph.D. 

Alex J. Mantanona is an Environmental Justice Policy Advocate with the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), based in his hometown of Oxnard. A scientist by training, Alex holds a B.S. in Biochemistry and an M.S. in Chemistry from CSU Northridge, along with a Ph.D. in Chemistry from UC San Diego. His academic work spans analytical chemistry, materials science, and magnetism, and later expanded into environmental science researching methane-eating bacteria as a tool for mining waste remediation. 

After returning to Oxnard in 2024 and supporting fire recovery efforts in Los Angeles, Alex transitioned into policy advocacy with a focus on air pollution, climate emissions, and freight impacts from the Port of Hueneme. He joined the Committee to help advance just climate policies that address longstanding inequities and support a community-centered transition away from environmental injustice. 

Catherine Baltazar 

Catherine Baltazar is the Associate Director of Advocacy & Organizing at Climate Resolve, where she leads region-wide efforts to align community priorities with equitable climate investments across Los Angeles County. A Los Angeles native and daughter of Mayan Guatemalan immigrants, Catherine brings a decade of experience at the intersection of community organizing, climate policy, and environmental justice. 

Her work designing and implementing community-driven resilience projects strengthens local capacity, public health, and climate preparedness. Catherine applied to the Committee to help ensure statewide climate policy is grounded in community experience and practical implementation. She is committed to advancing AB 32 in ways that reduce emissions while improving health, expanding opportunity, and delivering lasting benefits to frontline neighborhoods. 

Edidiong Mendie, Ph.D. 

Dr. Edidiong Mendie is an environmental justice leader and Executive Director of the Ezrach Brain Trust Association, where she advances initiatives on air quality, waste management, climate resilience, and workforce development in South Los Angeles. She co-leads the Climate and Environmental Justice Action Team at Citizens’ Climate Lobby and serves on the Urban Resilience Advisory Task Force convened by Rising Communities. 

Dr. Mendie is also an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at CSU Long Beach. Her research and advocacy focus on ensuring that communities burdened by pollution are central to environmental decision-making. Dr. Mendie applied to the Committee because her career is rooted in the very principles the committee was created to uphold. She brings deep implementation expertise—including work on the Taylor Yard Equity Strategy—to support AB 32 policies that reflect community priorities and improve quality of life for overburdened areas. She holds a Ph.D. in Administration of Justice, an LL.M. in Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Law, and is a licensed attorney in Nigeria. 

Franco Pacheco 

Franco Pacheco is a lifelong resident of Riverside County with more than a decade of experience working as a heavy-duty mechanic in public transit. His work has given him firsthand insight into how transportation policies influence air quality and the experiences of workers who keep transit systems running. 

Franco is also an environmental advocate focused on the impacts of logistics expansion in the Inland Empire. Living in an environmental justice community, he brings a dual perspective as both transit labor and a community organizer. Franco applied to the Committee to elevate the voices of neighborhoods that bear some of the nation’s worst pollution burdens. He is committed to advancing strategies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and inspire positive, community-driven change. 

 Karla Cervantes  

Alternate for Franco Pacheco 

Karla Cervantes is a proud resident of Mead Valley who entered environmental justice advocacy after witnessing rapid industrial growth transform her community. Increased truck traffic and declining air quality motivated Karla to help neighbors understand and engage in decisions affecting their health and environment. 

As Chapter Coordinator for the Sierra Club San Gorgonio Chapter, Karla supports regional organizing efforts and advocates for policies that protect local communities. She applied to the Committee to deepen her policy knowledge and help ensure AB 32 implementation delivers meaningful improvements in emissions reduction, public health, and equity for communities across the Inland Empire. 

Jeffrey Sanchez

Jeffrey (Jeff) Sanchez is an environmental public health professional and nonprofit leader with more than 30 years of experience advancing community air quality, environmental health education, and youth workforce development. As Executive Director of Sequoia Foundation (Bay Area Public Health Non-Profit), he builds partnerships that serve communities facing disproportionate pollution impacts. 

Jeff also serves on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Community Advisory Council, where he helps bridge diverse perspectives and identify practical solutions. He applied to the Committee to ensure that California’s climate and air quality policies meaningfully reflect community expertise. Jeff brings a career dedicated to translating technical information into actionable, community-centered strategies that support equitable implementation of AB 32. 

Jennifer Elkins

Jennifer Elkins is a mother of three and a leading advocate for communities living near landfills. She became a central voice for residents affected by the ongoing underground fire at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, organizing community outreach, media engagement, and legal actions to demand accountability. 

Her advocacy helped lead California to adopt the nation’s strongest landfill emissions standards in 2025. Jennifer also co-founded Grassroots Organizers for Accountable Landfills, a national network of frontline advocates working toward responsible waste management. Her efforts center on transparency, clean air and water, and equitable protection for communities impacted by mismanaged landfills. 

Kamillah Ealom

Kamillah Ealom is a community leader from Bayview Hunters Point dedicated to advancing environmental and social justice for fenceline and shoreline neighborhoods. She works to educate and empower residents while ensuring Bayview families are represented in decisions affecting their health and environment. 

Kamillah applied to the Committee to help bring forth strong frontline leadership in shaping California’s climate policies. Her interest in AB 32 centers on accountability, transparency, and equitable investment. She advocates for solutions that reduce emissions, improve public health, and address disparities that have long affected life expectancy and wellbeing in historically overburdened communities. 

Leonard Powell, J.D. 

Leonard “Lenny” Powell has built his career on improving community health through pollution reduction, healthy housing, and collaborative partnerships with Tribal governments and state agencies. His early work included 15 years as a Smog Check technician, reducing vehicle emissions across public and private sectors. 

Lenny currently serves as an elected tribal Council Member for the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians and has held executive positions with tribal governments throughout California. His work with CARB’s Racial Equity Lens initiative and tribal energy resilience efforts supports policy development grounded in community voices. Lenny applied to the Committee to ensure AB 32 reflects the needs and experiences of tribal, rural, and underserved communities statewide. 

Lawrence Washington Brooks 

Alternate for Leonard Powell

Lawrence Washington Brooks is a Healthy Housing Specialist working with the Regional Asthma Management Prevention Advisory Committee and the National Center for Healthy Housing. He is an active member of the California Healthy Housing Coalition and a Lead Paint Hazard consultant, and he serves on the Board of Directors for the National Lead and Environmental Hazards Association. 

Before retiring in 2025, Mr. Brooks held leadership roles in Sacramento and Alameda counties, including Director of Alameda County’s Healthy Homes Department and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. He applied to the Committee to support housing and climate policy solutions, drawing on extensive experience partnering with Lenny Powell on healthy housing and climate-related issues. 

Martha Dina Argüello​

For nearly 50 years, Martha Argüello has been a champion for public health, social justice, and environmental justice. Beginning her work as a youth organizer, she has become a respected coalition builder and advocate for community-driven solutions to California’s most pressing environmental and health challenges. Her lifelong commitment to equity and community empowerment continues to shape policy conversations statewide. 

Rio Oxas

Río Oxas is a Two-Spirit person of Nawat and Mayan descent from Yaanga Village (Los Angeles). Rio works as a consultant, educator, speaker, and mindful real estate agent with the family business RAHOK, which promotes “Eco-Hoods” that integrate race, ancestors, health, outdoor access, and knowledge. They also participate in an intergenerational, multicultural land care collective in Tulare County. 

Rio joined the Committee to advance climate justice through an ancestral lens and address systemic inequities affecting marginalized communities. Their focus on AB 32 centers on ensuring equitable implementation grounded in community wisdom, cultural knowledge, and climate resilience for future generations. 

 Thomas Helme, J.D.

Tom is the Co-Founder of Valley Improvement Projects (VIP), one of the only grassroots environmental justice organizations in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. VIP recently achieved its long-standing goal of shutting down California’s last municipal waste incinerator and continues to lead local efforts in zero waste, air monitoring, pesticide safety, and climate justice advocacy. 

Tom also coordinates the California Environmental Justice Coalition (CEJC), the state’s largest EJ coalition, representing nearly 100 groups committed to reducing pollution in overburdened communities. His work reflects a deep commitment to grassroots leadership and transformative environmental justice across California.