Jackson to Chair Environmental Panel

Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) has been named chairwoman of the Assembly’s Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. She is one of seven freshmen appointed by Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa to lead Assembly committees.

“I wanted to be on the committee. I did not specifically seek out a chair assignment,” Jackson said Tuesday. “As a freshman, I thought that would be a little presumptuous of me.”

Created as a standing committee in 1981, the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee oversees programs in state government designed to regulate the use and disposal of hazardous materials and to ensure that California’s drinking water, other water sources, air resources, food supply, soil and consumer products are safe from dangers presented by hazardous materials.

Jackson, who represents Ojai, Ventura, Santa Paula and most of Santa Barbara County, assumes the “very challenging committee assignment” from Howard Wayne (D-San Diego). Wayne will head the Natural Resources committee.

Jackson is still waiting to hear about her other committee appointments. Assembly members generally sit on no more than four committees.

“I’ve asked for committees that I think reflect the issues of concern to the community. Judiciary is one of the committees that I’d really like to serve on, and I’m hopeful that I’ll get that assignment,” she said, adding that assignments dealing with higher education and health are also attractive.