Nancy Skinner (California politician)
Encyclopedia
Nancy Skinner is a member of the California State Assembly
from California's 14th Assembly District. She is a Democrat. She has served as a member of the East Bay Regional Park Board
, Ward 1 since 2006. She had previously founded and worked for several non-profit groups on global warming and other issues related to environmental policy. Skinner was a member of the Berkeley
City Council from 1984 to 1992. She ran unopposed in the general election for the California State Assembly seat in the 14th district which was held by incumbent Loni Hancock
who was termed out.
and earned a B.S. from the College of Natural Resources. She earned a Masters
in Education
from the UC Berkeley School of Education. As a student, she was a leader in the Anti-Apartheid Movement, and a founder of ASGE, the Union of Graduate Student Employees. Skinner later taught courses in native California plants and interned at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
.
Skinner served on the Berkeley City Council from 1984-1992. She was elected while she was attending Berkeley and is the last student to be elected to the council. During her time on the council, she helped establish Eastshore State Park
. She pushed for Berkeley to become the first city in the United States
to have a 50% recycling goal. She authored legislation to ban Styrofoam
at fast food
businesses, the first such legislation in the United States
. Skinner was an active member in PTA, helping campaign for a parcel tax to fund Berkeley schools. She was Chair of the Berkeley School Enrichment Program Committee at Martin Luther King Jr. High School. She is married with one daughter.
Skinner coordinated Loni Hancock
's 2002 State Assembly campaign and was a Field Manager for Barbara Lee
's 2002 Congressional campaign. She has worked for the campaigns of several local, state, and national democratic candidates that include Al Gore
and John Kerry
.
. Skinner was elected to the East Bay Regional Park Board in 2006 with 84% of the vote. Her park district includes parts of Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Emeryville, Kensington, Richmond, San Pablo, part of Pinole & Oakland.
Skinner was considered a likely candidate for the State Assembly since as early as 2006 and had previously considered a run in 2002. She announced her candidacy in late January 2008. She beat several opponents, the most well-known of which were Richmond
Councilmember Tony Thurmond, Berkeley Councilmember Kriss Worthington, and Berkeley resident Dr. Phil Polakoff.
On 19 January 2011 Skinner introduced similar legislation in the form of AB153. The bill requires out-of-state online sellers with affiliates in California to collect sales tax on purchases made by state residents. The affiliate provision was included to ensure that only sellers with a California nexus are taxed, as required by federal law. "This legislation will close the current loophole in tax law which has allowed out-of-state companies to avoid collecting California sales and use tax," stated Skinner. Skinner estimated that AB153 could produce between $250 million and $500 million per year in new revenue. She and other supporters of the bill believe that the election of Jerry Brown to the governorship and support from retailers such as Barnes & Noble will help the measure become law.
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
from California's 14th Assembly District. She is a Democrat. She has served as a member of the East Bay Regional Park Board
East Bay Regional Park District
The East Bay Regional Park District is a special district operating in Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California, within the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area...
, Ward 1 since 2006. She had previously founded and worked for several non-profit groups on global warming and other issues related to environmental policy. Skinner was a member of the Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
City Council from 1984 to 1992. She ran unopposed in the general election for the California State Assembly seat in the 14th district which was held by incumbent Loni Hancock
Loni Hancock
Loni Hancock is currently serving in her first term as the representative of California State Senate District 9. The 9th Senate District currently includes Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Dublin, El Sobrante, Emeryville, Livermore, Oakland, Piedmont, Richmond, and San Pablo...
who was termed out.
Early political career
Skinner attended the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and earned a B.S. from the College of Natural Resources. She earned a Masters
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
from the UC Berkeley School of Education. As a student, she was a leader in the Anti-Apartheid Movement, and a founder of ASGE, the Union of Graduate Student Employees. Skinner later taught courses in native California plants and interned at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area administered by the National Park Service that surrounds the San Francisco Bay area. It is one of the most visited units of the National Park system in the United States, with over 13 million visitors a year...
.
Skinner served on the Berkeley City Council from 1984-1992. She was elected while she was attending Berkeley and is the last student to be elected to the council. During her time on the council, she helped establish Eastshore State Park
Eastshore State Park
Eastshore State Park is a state park and wildlife refuge along the San Francisco Bay shoreline of the East Bay between the cities of Richmond, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, and Oakland. It encompasses remnant natural wetlands, restored wetlands as well as landfill west of the Eastshore Freeway. It...
. She pushed for Berkeley to become the first city in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to have a 50% recycling goal. She authored legislation to ban Styrofoam
Styrofoam
Styrofoam is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company for closed-cell currently made for thermal insulation and craft applications. In 1941, researchers in Dow's Chemical Physics Lab found a way to make foamed polystyrene...
at fast food
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
businesses, the first such legislation in the United States
Environmental, education, and political activism
After serving on the City Council, Skinner worked in several non-profit organizations concerning the environment. She founded ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability and Cities for Climate Protection to help cities with environmental and global warming policy respectively. She was the U.S. director of The Climate Group, an international organization that works with businesses to address global warming. She coauthored the best selling book series Fifty Things You Can Do to Save the Earth. She has written a pair of articles concerning global warming for the San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
. Skinner was an active member in PTA, helping campaign for a parcel tax to fund Berkeley schools. She was Chair of the Berkeley School Enrichment Program Committee at Martin Luther King Jr. High School. She is married with one daughter.
Skinner coordinated Loni Hancock
Loni Hancock
Loni Hancock is currently serving in her first term as the representative of California State Senate District 9. The 9th Senate District currently includes Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Dublin, El Sobrante, Emeryville, Livermore, Oakland, Piedmont, Richmond, and San Pablo...
's 2002 State Assembly campaign and was a Field Manager for Barbara Lee
Barbara Lee
Barbara Jean Lee is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1998. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She is the first woman to represent that district. Lee was the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and was the Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus...
's 2002 Congressional campaign. She has worked for the campaigns of several local, state, and national democratic candidates that include Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
and John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
.
Recent political career
Skinner was appointed to the East Bay Regional Park Board of Directors in March 2006 to fill a vacancy caused by the death of incumbent Jean Siri. She was appointed by a 6-0 vote and beat several other candidates for the position that included former Berkeley mayor Shirley DeanShirley Dean
Shirley Ann Dean , considered moderate in Berkeley politics, is an American politician who served as the Mayor of Berkeley, California from 1994 to 2002...
. Skinner was elected to the East Bay Regional Park Board in 2006 with 84% of the vote. Her park district includes parts of Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Emeryville, Kensington, Richmond, San Pablo, part of Pinole & Oakland.
Skinner was considered a likely candidate for the State Assembly since as early as 2006 and had previously considered a run in 2002. She announced her candidacy in late January 2008. She beat several opponents, the most well-known of which were Richmond
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
Councilmember Tony Thurmond, Berkeley Councilmember Kriss Worthington, and Berkeley resident Dr. Phil Polakoff.
Taxation of online sales
Skinner pushed legislation to tax online sales that was approved in 2009 as part of the state budget. Gov. Arnold Schwarznegger vetoed the legislation.On 19 January 2011 Skinner introduced similar legislation in the form of AB153. The bill requires out-of-state online sellers with affiliates in California to collect sales tax on purchases made by state residents. The affiliate provision was included to ensure that only sellers with a California nexus are taxed, as required by federal law. "This legislation will close the current loophole in tax law which has allowed out-of-state companies to avoid collecting California sales and use tax," stated Skinner. Skinner estimated that AB153 could produce between $250 million and $500 million per year in new revenue. She and other supporters of the bill believe that the election of Jerry Brown to the governorship and support from retailers such as Barnes & Noble will help the measure become law.
External links
- Official Assembly Campaign Site
- California, low-carbon leader by Nancy Skinner
- 'Green' work can grow corporate bottom lines by Nancy Skinner and Martin Uden