SACRAMENTO, 5 January 2011 — Newly elected Governor Jerry Brown has appointed John Laird as Secretary of the California Resources Agency. John Laird, a former Democratic Assemblymember from the Central Coast, co-authored with former Assemblymember Republican Tim Leslie the legislation that created the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Their bi-partisan campaign to pass this legislation was hailed as one of their most important accomplishments as well as a signature accomplishment of former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who signed the Conservancy into law in 2004. The Sierra Fund was one of two official sponsors of this legislation.