By Andrew Lachman, Santa Cruz Sentinel

John Laird

For John Laird, California Secretary for Natural Resources, a commitment to conservation is a natural outgrowth of fishing at Bodega Bay and hiking along the Russian River as a child as well as exploring the backcountry above the family cabin nestled between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park.

“When you are up in the High Sierra mountains you just know you have arrived when you have been there long enough that you are constantly hearing the wind before it gets to you,” Laird said.

His dedication to public service emanates naturally from parents who moved from the Midwest to California and eventually settled in Vallejo where they strived to advance the civil rights and opportunities of all its residents.

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