documented endorsement process · 2022
Sierra Club's 2022 Culver City endorsement process
Internal Sierra Club Angeles Chapter records document the 2022 Culver City City Council endorsement process involving Alex Fisch and Freddy Puza, including two Political Committee votes on Fisch that did not reach the required endorsement threshold and an October 2 appeal asking the Angeles Chapter Executive Committee to review those results.
Timeline
The Culver City endorsement recommendation team recommended Alex Fisch and Freddy Puza for Culver City City Council. The West Los Angeles Group Executive Committee approved the recommendation 5 yes, 2 no, with 2 recusals.
The Angeles Chapter Political Committee considered the recommendation for Alex Fisch and Freddy Puza. The motion failed 18 yes, 3 no, 5 abstentions; 21 yes votes were required.
Wendy-Sue Rosen submitted written objections concerning Alex Fisch and stated that she had previously raised concerns with West Los Angeles Group leadership before the Political Committee vote.
The West Los Angeles Group Executive Committee reconsidered the candidates separately. Puza was reapproved 6 yes, 1 no, with 2 recusals; Fisch was reapproved 5 yes, 2 no, with 2 recusals.
The endorsement team issued Report #2 and a detailed response to objections concerning Fisch and Puza. The response recorded strong support for Fisch from Meghan Sahli-Wells and Monica Embrey.
At a special Angeles Chapter Political Committee meeting, Puza's endorsement recommendation passed 23 yes, 2 no, 1 abstention. Fisch's endorsement recommendation failed 18 yes, 5 no, 0 abstentions; 22 yes votes were required.
David Haake, Meghan Sahli-Wells, Howard Strauss, Marlene Esquivel, and Frank Gruber signed an appeal to the Angeles Chapter Executive Committee seeking review of the Political Committee's September 12 and September 19 failures to support an endorsement of Fisch.
Who was involved — and why they appear here
Inclusion in this table means only that the person had a documented role in this endorsement process or was specifically identified in the archival record. It does not imply misconduct.
| Person | Role at the time | Documented involvement |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Fisch | Incumbent Culver City councilmember and candidate | Subject of the endorsement recommendation, two failed Political Committee endorsement votes, internal objections, the endorsement team's response, and the October 2 appeal. |
| Freddy Puza | Culver City council candidate | Recommended alongside Fisch; his endorsement recommendation passed the Political Committee on September 19. |
| David Haake | West Los Angeles Group chair; representative to the Angeles Chapter Political Committee; Culver City endorsement-team lead | Led the Culver City endorsement process, presented the recommendations, and co-signed the October 2 appeal. |
| Meghan Sahli-Wells | Member and Secretary of the National Sierra Club Board of Directors; West Los Angeles Group Executive Committee member | Spoke strongly in support of Fisch during the endorsement dispute and co-signed the October 2 appeal. |
| Howard Strauss | Culver City endorsement-team member; former chair of the Angeles Chapter Political Committee | Participated in the endorsement recommendation process and co-signed the October 2 appeal. |
| Marlene Esquivel | Co-chair, Angeles Chapter Political Committee | Co-signed the October 2 appeal. |
| Frank Gruber | Vice-chair for endorsements, Angeles Chapter Political Committee | Co-signed the October 2 appeal. |
| Wendy-Sue Rosen | Sierra Club participant in the endorsement proceedings | Raised and submitted objections concerning Fisch's conduct and stated that she had warned West Los Angeles Group leadership before the first Political Committee vote. Her allegations are preserved as attributed claims, not independent findings. |
| Monica Embrey | Senior Associate Director, Sierra Club National Energy Campaigns | The endorsement team's response records that Embrey spoke in support of Fisch based on her working relationship with him and her team. |
| Nancy Barba | Culver City Planning Commission chair; West Los Angeles Group Executive Committee member | The endorsement report identified Barba as a Fisch appointee and a West Los Angeles Group Executive Committee member and stated that she recused from the endorsement vote. |
| Yasmine-Imani McMorrin | Culver City councilmember | Named in the endorsement team's response as a Fisch supporter and endorser. |
| Khin Khin Gyi | Culver City council candidate and Sierra Club volunteer | Interviewed in the same endorsement process; the recommendation team did not recommend her for endorsement. |
| Denice Renteria | Culver City council candidate | Named in the endorsement process as an alternative candidate; the archive states that her campaign did not submit a completed candidate questionnaire. |
What the record establishes
On September 12, Fisch's endorsement recommendation received 18 yes votes, 3 no votes and 5 abstentions, short of the 21 yes votes required. On September 19, it received 18 yes votes and 5 no votes, short of the 22 yes votes required. Puza's recommendation passed on September 19. On October 2, Haake, Sahli-Wells, Strauss, Esquivel and Gruber signed an appeal asking the Angeles Chapter Executive Committee to review the two failures to support Fisch's endorsement.
The archival compilation reviewed for this page does not establish the final disposition of the October 2 appeal.
The objections and the response
Wendy-Sue Rosen submitted objections concerning Fisch's conduct and stated that she had raised concerns with West Los Angeles Group leadership before the Political Committee vote. The endorsement team disputed her characterization of the evidence and issued a detailed response. That response recorded support for Fisch from Meghan Sahli-Wells and Monica Embrey. This page preserves those positions as attributed statements rather than treating either side's characterization as an independent factual finding.
Why Meghan Sahli-Wells appears in this record
The October 2 appeal identified Sahli-Wells as a member and Secretary of the National Sierra Club Board of Directors and a member of the West Los Angeles Group Executive Committee. The endorsement team's response also recorded that she spoke strongly in support of Fisch during the dispute. She was one of the five signers of the October 2 appeal.
Why David Haake appears in this record
The appeal identified Haake as chair of the West Los Angeles Group, its representative to the Angeles Chapter Political Committee and lead of the Culver City endorsement team. He participated in the recommendation process and was one of the five signers of the October 2 appeal.
Nancy Barba's documented role
The endorsement report described Nancy Barba as chair of the Culver City Planning Commission, an Alex Fisch appointee and a member of the West Los Angeles Group Executive Committee. The report states that she recused from the endorsement vote for that reason.
About the source
The source reviewed for this record is an 87-page internal compilation containing endorsement reports, candidate questionnaires, Political Committee minutes, objections, responses and the October 2, 2022 appeal. Because it contains confidential correspondence and private contact information, CCE is using it as an archival source rather than reproducing the document itself. The page is intentionally limited to information necessary to document the organizational process and relationships.