Former Top Newsom Aide Hired as EDF West Coast Political Director

(San Francisco – July 29, 2009) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has hired a former top aide to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Wade Crowfoot, as its new West Coast Political Director. Crowfoot most recently served as director of climate protection initiatives for the city and county of San Francisco. In that position, he advanced groundbreaking landmark energy, transportation and waste policies. He also directed state and federal environmental agendas for Mayor Newsom and served as his senior environmental advisor. 

In the newly created position at EDF, Crowfoot will:
• Work with environmental leaders across California to pass and implement key climate, water and oceans policies;
• Broaden and enhance EDF’s relationships with key political, business and environmental leaders in California, including its congressional delegation; and,
• Build effective coalitions of diverse organizations within and outside of California to better achieve results.

“Environmental Defense Fund will benefit from Wade’s political insight and environmental expertise to help us solve the West’s most pressing environmental issues,” said David Festa, EDF’s vice president of West Coast operations.

During Crowfoot’s tenure, San Francisco gained recognition as one of America’s greenest cities for:
• Reducing its carbon emission levels five percent below 1990 levels;
• Passing the country’s strongest green building standards for construction;
• Implementing energy efficiency programs to save enough energy to power more than 30,000 homes;
• Converting its municipal diesel vehicle fleet to biodiesel and pursuing strategies to make San Francisco the electric vehicle capital of America; and
• Achieving the highest municipal recycling rate in the country.

Crowfoot formerly served as Mayor Newsom’s Director of Government Affairs and has worked in senior level positions for other elected officials. He also worked as a specialist in the fields of public opinion research and urban economic development.
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About Environmental Defense Fund
A leading national nonprofit organization, Environmental Defense Fund represents more than 700,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit www.edf.org.