OAKLAND, Calif.— The Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, the 501(c)(4) political arm of the Center for Biological Diversity, and Third Act Initiative, the 501(c)(4) political arm of Third Act, jointly announced their endorsement of Tom Steyer for California Governor.

Steyer received the top “A” grade on the Center for Biological Diversity’s environmental scorecard ranking the top five candidates on five key issues.

“Tom Steyer is the champion our state needs to protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the precious wildlife we cherish,” said Kassie Siegel, California political director at the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund. “With Steyer as governor, California can lead the world to a clean, affordable energy future while making polluters pay for their climate damage.”

“Tom Steyer has earned the overwhelming support of the three California Third Act Working Groups because of his decades tackling the existential threat of climate change, the core focus of Third Act,” said Martha Sellers, co-facilitator of the Bay Area Third Act Working Group. “Third Act recognizes Tom's decades of commitment to passing landmark climate legislation and his support of nonprofit environmental advocacy organizations, especially for youth. We believe he has the energy, passion, and expertise to be the climate champion California needs.”

Steyer has built a national reputation as a progressive climate leader who understands that the affordability crisis is inextricable from the climate crisis. He is the founder of NextGen, which works to oppose the environmental attacks launched by President Trump and advance progressive policies and youth voter engagement, and the author of the New York Times best-seller “Cheaper, Faster, Better: How We’ll Win the Climate War.”

Steyer has vowed to make Big Oil and electric utilities pay their fair share while lowering costs for Californians. He’s the only candidate to make this a central campaign issue. He has committed to implementing a polluters pay climate superfund to ensure that major fossil fuel companies pay for the climate damage they have caused. And he supports imposing a windfall profits tax on domestic oil producers.

Steyer has promised to break up monopoly utilities and invest in distributed rooftop solar, battery storage, and microgrids to ensure that the transition to electric vehicles and home electrification is affordable for everyone.