Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson has been appointed to the California Air Resources Board, which provides oversight for state regulations that address pollution and climate change, city officials announced Wednesday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Lock Dawson’s CARB appointment April 24.
Lock Dawson, a longtime advocate for environmental sustainability, most recently led the call to develop Riverside’s Clean and Green Tech Hub, according to a city statement. The aim of the hub is to attract national and international clean technology firms to set up headquarters in Riverside. The mayor sees Riverside as a leader in sustainability-driven economic development and technology innovation, officials said.
“Clean air is essential for Californians’ health, and I have seen firsthand how air pollution has improved in our region during the last 50 years,” Lock Dawson said in a statement. “That is largely due to the efforts by agencies such as CARB and the work they have done to help our communities breathe easier.”
City officials noted the board’s influential role in the U.S. and abroad regarding the transition to clean energy. CARB’s recent moves include establishing regulations that advance clean fleets, set carbon fuel standards and reduce smog-forming nitrogen oxides that emit from conventional heavy-duty engines.
CARB, which since 2021 has based its Southern California headquarters in Riverside, does research “that is closely followed by air quality organizations around the world,” according to the city. “The fact that its research and vehicle emissions testing facility is just a short distance from UC Riverside is credited with helping Riverside recruit green tech companies like Ohmio, Voltu, Hyundai Rotem and Green Power.”
The seat on the Air Resources Board, which is an unpaid position, is the second appointment for Lock Dawson in the last year. In October, she was selected to chair the California Big City Mayors Coalition consisting of the state’s 13 largest cities.
The mayor also serves on the Legislative, Communications & Membership Committee of the Southern California Association of Governments and the boards of Local Governments for Sustainability, the Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority and the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Despite decades of data showing improving air quality, Lock Dawson noted that Riverside and San Bernardino counties recently ranked as the most ozone-polluted counties in the state. She said there remains much work to do in reducing air pollution, with Riverside poised to make a major contribution.
“We’re a region that is leading sustainability and green tech innovation,” Lock Dawson said. “This appointment is more than a personal milestone — it’s an opportunity to protect our community’s health, advance our local economy, and help shape a cleaner, more equitable California.”
Lock Dawson has been Mayor since 2020. Previously she was a Riverside Unified School District board trustee from 2011-20 and owned PLD Consulting, a political consulting firm from 2001-20. She served on the California Board of Behavioral Sciences under two gubernatorial administrations from 2010-17.
Lock Dawson has a master’s degree in business administration from Claremont Graduate University, a master’s in the science of forestry from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree in biology an ecology from UC Riverside.
