Linda is credited with a series of major land-use wins serving as a Ventura County Supervisor and a Thousand Oaks Councilmember and Mayor. She helped stop development of the 3,000-acre Ahmanson Ranch, enacted a first-of-its-kind zone that protects wildlife corridors, and championed a wildlife bridge over the 101 freeway. She established Growing Works, a nonprofit nursery that provides horticultural therapy and job training for people with mental illness. She sits on the boards of Mothers for Peace dedicated to decommissioning Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, the Environmental Defense Center, and Save Cuesta Inlet.

Steve currently serves in the California Assembly where he champions measures to address climate change. He was a high school teacher for 20 years teaching American History and Economics before being elected to the Ventura City Council and the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. Some highlights of his distinguished career include bringing forward a first of its kind Farmworker Resource Program that has dramatically improved Ventura County’s assistance to this vulnerable and valued population, increasing resources that improved placements for children in foster services and senior citizens in nursing facilities. Steve graduated from Brown University with an Honors Degree in Economics.

Merrill has served on the SOAR Board since 2014 as a representative from the Camarillo area. Her landscape consulting business focuses on native plant ecology and fire resistant landscapes. She was appointed for two terms to the Ventura County Resource Conservation Board, 2014-2022. Merrill is currently the Board Chair for CFROG (Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas), the oil and gas watchdog and clean energy advocacy organization for Ventura County. Merrill is also a leader of Sustainable Camarillo, a grassroots organization she helped form that succeeded in protecting hundreds of acres of farmland at the foot of the Conejo Grade.

Brian has been on the SOAR Board since it was founded. Brian is a policy advisor for the District 1 Supervisor of Ventura County and a Board member of the Casitas Water District. He is a past mayor and councilmember of the City of Ventura, and has served on the Coastal Commission. He is a strong advocate for the environment, sustainable communities and social justice and has been on the forefront of coastal and wetland protection policies. Brian has deep roots in Ventura where he has started up restaurants and breweries, and headed up both the Chamber of Commerce and Surfriders Foundation.

Mic is the Senior Director of Business Intelligence at The Trade Desk, providing expertise in data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Mic helped pass both the 1998 and 2016 SOAR Initiatives, as well as his own initiative, the successful Thousand Oaks Right to Vote Initiative. Mic’s dedication to public service and citizen participation includes 25 years of service on various Ventura County and City of Thousand Oaks commissions. He currently serves on the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission, is author of the book, “Local Democracy in America,” and holds a doctorate in Space Physics from UCLA.

Richard is the principal attorney for his firm, Law Offices of Richard L. Francis and Associates. He graduated from the University of California Hastings College of Law. He has served on the Ventura City Council, and as Mayor of Ventura. Always active in the community, Richard was president of the Coalition Against Household Violence, and was a charter member, establishing the non-profit corporate status for Friends of Channel Islands National Park. Richard was instrumental in authoring and helping pass SOAR and was recognized by the Southern California Association of Governments for his efforts. Richard currently serves on the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy, the Rubicon Theatre, and the Environmental Defense Center.

Candice is a biodiversity conservationist and recently received her Juris Doctorate, with an emphasis in environmental law. She is the Executive Director of Coastal Ranches Conservancy and currently sits on the board of Friends of the Santa Clara River, and as an appointed director representing the environmental community on the Fillmore and Piru Basins Groundwater Sustainability Agency. With twenty years of conservation and environmental advocacy under her belt, she has worked for CalTrout, with the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, and consulted on steelhead restoration and stakeholder engagement programs, and as an advisor on environmental affairs for District 2 Ventura County Supervisor.

Robert’s roots in Ventura County are intricately tied to SOAR. He moved from Indianapolis to Ventura County in 2016 specifically to assist SOAR’s signature gathering effort. His appreciation for SOAR goes beyond its protections of treasured open space lands, to SOAR’s role of requiring a vote of the people, thereby furthering the democratic process. Robert has applied his background in marketing and advertising to political campaigns and citizen engagement. Robert currently serves as an aide to Congressman Salud Carbajal. He previously served as the Chief of Staff for Ventura County Supervisor Vianey Lopez, and also served in that role for the late Chair of the Board of Supervisors, Carmen Ramirez.

Karen joined the SOAR Board in 2023 after being SOAR’s Executive Director for two decades. Karen is employed as Senior Director of Rates and Strategy at our nation’s most successful clean energy provider, Clean Power Alliance. Karen was instrumental in passing the 2016 SOAR renewal initiatives. Her career has spanned energy, climate change, land use, biological conservation, and sustainability issues. She has worked with The Nature Conservancy, Rocky Mountain Institute, American Farmland Trust, Los Angeles Food Policy Council Task Force, and numerous agricultural and renewable energy organizations. Karen holds an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University and an MS in biology and a BS in biology and environmental earth sciences from Stanford University.

Gabe Teran is a life-long Ventura County resident and 20-year professional in youth and community advocacy. He shares his expertise on substance use prevention and youth development with local, state and national audiences. A dedicated citizen to his hometown of Oxnard, he has served as a Neighborhood Council Chair, a Parks and Recreation Commissioner, and was re-elected in November 2022 to represent District 2 on the Oxnard City Council. Gabe holds a Master of Science degree in Management and Leadership.

Van spent much of his career as an entrepreneur, founding and overseeing companies. He shared his knowledge as a professor of business administration in the Los Angeles Community College District. An environmental activist, Van was involved in the incorporation of the City of Malibu to gain environmental protection and local control over the coastal lands. He recently organized and led a successful effort to create a Dark Sky ordinance in Ventura County’s unincorporated Malibu area to reduce light pollution. Van joined the SOAR Board with an emphasis on establishing a Planned Giving program to ensure the long-term viability of SOAR. He received his MBA from Arizona State University and was also a professional blues and jazz musician.