California Environmental Protection Agency

State government agency. California, U.S.

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California Environmental Protection Agency

Logo of CalEPA

Agency overview
Formed| July 17, 1991; 33 years ago (1991-07-17)
Headquarters| Cal/EPA Building, Sacramento, California
Employees| 8,104 (2024)[1]
Annual budget| US$5.632 billion (2024-25)[1]
Agency executives|

* Yana Garcia, Secretary
* Serena McIlwain, Undersecretary

Child agencies|

* California Air Resources Board
* California Department of Toxic Substances Control
* California Department of Pesticide Regulation
* California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
* California State Water Resources Control Board
* California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery

Website| calepa.ca.gov

The California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) is a state cabinet-level agency within the government of California. The mission of CalEPA is to restore, protect and enhance the environment, to ensure public health, environmental quality and economic vitality.[2]

The current Secretary for Environmental Protection (Secretary of CalEPA) is Yana Garcia,[3] (formerly Jared Blumenfeld),[4] and is a member of Governor Gavin Newsom's cabinet.[5] The Office of the Secretary heads CalEPA and is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the activities of one office, two boards, and three departments dedicated to improving California's environment.[6]

The Secretary of CalEPA is also directly responsible for coordinating the administration of the Unified Program and certifying Unified Program Agencies. The CalEPA Unified Program coordinates, and makes consistent the administrative requirements, permits, inspections, and enforcement activities of six environmental and emergency response programs. The state agencies responsible for these programs set the standards for their program while local governments implement the standards. To date, there are 83 Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPAs), who are accountable for carrying out responsibilities previously handled by approximately 1,300 different state and local agencies.[7]

CalEPA should not be confused with the similarly named federal United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

## History

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CalEPA was created by Governor Pete Wilson by Executive Order W-5-91 in 1991, following on a "Big Green" initiative Wilson proposed during the 1990 state gubernatorial elections, promising a cabinet-level agency to oversee state environmental regulations and research.[8] Following inter-agency reorganizations led by the governor with review by both houses of the California State Legislature, the agency became a cabinet department on July 17, 1991. As of 2019, the statutory creation of the agency is in Government Code section 12800.[9]

CalEPA, and its departmental California Air Resources Board, were one of the key supporters of the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, making the state the first in the United States to cap all greenhouse gas emissions from major industries.[citation needed]

In June 2008, CalEPA announced that new global warming performance labels would be placed on all new cars effective on January 1, 2009. The stickers will provide two scores: a smog score and a global warming score with a grade from 1 to 10, where the higher the grade, the more environmentally friendly the vehicle.

## Executive Management

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* Yana Garcia, Secretary for Environmental Protection (Secretary of CalEPA) – appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom. Started role in September 2022. Formerly Jared Blumenfeld, Secretary for Environmental Protection (Secretary of CalEPA) – appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in January 2019. Retired 2022.
* Serena McIlwain, Undersecretary for Environmental Protection (Undersecretary of CalEPA)

Deputy/Assistant Secretaries

* Alexa Kleysteuber, Deputy Secretary for Border and Intergovernmental Relations
* Alex Barnum, Deputy Secretary for Communications and External Affairs
* Christiana Tiedemann, Deputy Secretary for Law Enforcement and Counsel
* Ashley Conrad-Saydah, Deputy Secretary for Climate Policy
* Grant Cope, Deputy Secretary for Environmental Policy
* Christine Hironaka, Deputy Secretary for Legislative Affairs
* Gina Solomon, Deputy Secretary for Science and Health
* Jason Boetzer, Assistant Secretary for Local Program Coordination and Emergency Response
* Eric Jarvis, Assistant Secretary for Fiscal & Administrative Programs
* Christie Vosburg, Assistant General Counsel for Enforcement
* Yana Garcia, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Justice and Tribal Affairs
* Alejandro Rodarte, Assistant Secretary for Border Affairs
* John Blue, Manager of Climate Programs
* Sergio Gutierrez, Agency Chief Information Officer

## Boards, Departments, and Offices

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* Office of the Secretary
* California Air Resources Board (CARB)
* Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)
* California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle)
* Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC)
* Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA)
* State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)

The California Integrated Waste Management Board, that focused on recycling and waste reduction, ceased in 2010. It was succeeded by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery—CalRecycle, also under CalEPA.[10]

## See also

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* California Department of Conservation
* Climate change in California
* Environment of California
* Environmentalism
* Kyoto Protocol
* Pollution in California
* United States Environmental Protection Agency

## References

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1. ^ a b "Ebudget". Retrieved November 19, 2024.
2. ^ "Boards, Departments, and Offices". California Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
3. ^ "Yana Garcia, Secretary for Environmental Protection | CalEPA". Retrieved September 12, 2022.
4. ^ "California environmental secretary Jared Blumenfeld leaving Newsom administration". www.cbsnews.com. August 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
5. ^ "Executive Management". California Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
6. ^ "About CalEPA". California Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
7. ^ "CalEPA Unified Program". California Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
8. ^ "History". California Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on July 11, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2007.
9. ^ "TITLE 2. GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA CHAPTER 1. Administration [12800 - 12838.14]". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
10. ^ Calrecycle.ca.gov: California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery—CalRecycle . accessed 2.14.2014

## External links

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* Calepa.ca.gov: Official California Environmental Protection Agency website

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Executive state agencies, departments and other entities of the State of California

Cabinet-level superagencies|

* Business, Consumer Services and Housing
* Government Operations
* Environmental Protection
* Health and Human Services
* Labor and Workforce Development
* Natural Resources
* Transportation

Cabinet-level departments|

* Corrections and Rehabilitation
* Education
* Finance
* Food and Agriculture
* Insurance
* Justice
* Military

Cabinet-level offices|

* Governor's Office of Emergency Services
* Governor's Office of Planning and Research
* Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development

BCSH departments|

* Consumer Affairs
* Board of Accountancy
* Bureau of Automotive Repair
* Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
* Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers
* Contractors State License Board
* Medical Board
* Fair Employment and Housing
* Housing and Community Development
* Housing Finance Agency
* Business Oversight
* Real Estate
* Alcoholic Beverage Control
* Alcoholic Beverage Control Appeals Board
* Horse Racing Board

GOA departments|

* CalPERS
* CalSTRS
* Franchise Tax Board
* FI$CAL
* General Services
* Human Resources
* State Personnel Board
* Tax and Fee Administration
* Technology
* Office of Administrative Law
* Complete Count Committee
* Victim Compensation Board

CalEPA departments|

* Air Resources Board
* Pesticide Regulation
* CalRecycle
* Toxic Substances Control
* Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
* State Water Resources Control Board

HHS departments|

* Aging
* Child Support Services
* Community Services and Development
* Developmental Services
* Medical Services Authority
* Health Care Services
* Managed Health Care
* Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board
* Public Health
* Rehabilitation
* Social Services
* State Hospitals
* Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development
* Office of Health Information Integrity
* Office of Law Enforcement Support
* Office of the Patient Advocate

LWDA departments|

* Industrial Relations
* Agricultural Labor Relations Board
* Employment Development Department
* Public Employment Relations Board
* Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board
* Workforce Development Board
* Employment Training Panel

CNRA departments|

* Conservation
* Conservation Corps
* Fish and Wildlife
* Forestry and Fire Protection
* Parks and Recreation
* Water Resources
* CALFED Bay-Delta Program
* Coastal Commission
* Energy Commission
* State Lands Commission
* San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission
* Colorado River Board

CalSTA departments|

* Motor Vehicles
* Caltrans
* Highway Patrol
* Board of Pilot Commissioners
* Transportation Commission
* High-Speed Rail Authority
* New Motor Vehicle Board
* Office of Traffic Safety

Independent entities|

* University of California
* Board of Regents
* California State University
* California Community Colleges
* Public Utilities Commission
* State Auditor
* Fair Political Practices Commission
* Little Hoover Commission

* v
* t
* e

Housing in California

Issues|

* Homelessness
* San Francisco Bay Area
* Housing shortage
* San Francisco
* Gentrification
* Silicon Valley

State laws|

| Laws|

* FEHA (1959)
* CEQA (1970)
* Proposition 13 (1978)
* DBL (1979)
* HAA (1982)
* SB 1534 (1982)
* Costa–Hawkins (1995)
* SB 35 (2017)
* HOME Act (SB 9) (2021)
* AB 2097 (2022)
* AB 2011 and SB 6 (2022)
* SB 4 (2023)
* SB 684 (2023)

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Mandates|

* RHNA

Proposals|

* SB 50 (2019)
* Proposition 21 (2020)

Agencies|

* HCD
* CalHFA
* CCC
* CARB
* CalEPA

Related|

* Zoning
* Missing middle housing
* NIMBY
* Parking mandates
* Single-family zoning
* YIMBY
* Housing in the United States

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Israel

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