After eight years, there is a wholesale changing of state government in California this year. Both the governor and lieutenant governor positions are open, and there is a large group of candidates for both offices. Today we are interviewing Janelle Kellman (she/her), a gay woman who is the former mayor of Sausalito. She is an environmental attorney and the founder and CEO of the nonprofit Center for Sea Rise Solutions. A passionate climate justice warrior, Janelle points out that the Lieutenant Governor sits on the State Lands Commission and the Coastal Commission. The lieutenant governor also sits on the University of California Board of Regents, the California State University Board of Trustees, and the Commission for Economic Development. Through these positions, Janelle plans to use the power of the office to to advance climate resilience, public education, housing, good jobs, and a more equitable economy.

Photo courtesy of Janelle Kellman campaign

Where are you based?
I am based in Sausalito, California, in Marin County, and I have spent my career working with communities across California on climate resilience, coastal protection, local government, infrastructure, and economic development.

What position are you running for?
I am running for Lieutenant Governor of California.

How would you briefly summarize your platform?
My platform is about making the Lieutenant Governor’s office a real engine for opportunity, affordability, climate resilience, and justice.

That means using the actual powers of the office — seats on the UC Regents, CSU Board of Trustees, State Lands Commission, Coastal Commission, and the Commission for Economic Development — to make California more affordable, more inclusive, and more prepared for the future.

I want to expand access to public higher education, make community college more affordable, build stronger workforce pathways into good union jobs, advance climate and coastal resilience, protect public lands and oceans, support housing solutions tied to public institutions and infrastructure, and defend reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, and civil rights.

California needs leadership that is progressive, practical, and accountable. We need big values matched with real implementation and someone who has the experience to execute.

What inspired you to run?
I am running because I believe the Lieutenant Governor’s office is one of the most underused tools in California government — and yet its core responsibilities are actually an outline for California’s success.

This office touches higher education, public lands, coastal protection, economic development, ports, infrastructure, housing, and climate resilience. Those are exactly the places where California’s biggest challenges are converging. And they are also the places where I have spent my career doing the work.

As the founder of the Center for Sea Rise Solutions, I have worked with communities, ports, local governments, maritime leaders, and international partners to address sea level rise, climate risk, coastal resilience, insurance, risk transfer, and the future of the blue economy. I have worked on port and ocean resilience with partners connected to the United Nations Ocean Conference, the World Ocean Council, and leaders across the maritime sector. I have helped convene conversations about how ports and harbors can become anchors for climate action, workforce development, infrastructure investment, and economic opportunity.

I have also worked directly on the connection between climate risk and affordability — including the growing insurance crisis facing communities as wildfire, flooding, sea level rise, and extreme weather reshape the cost of living in California. I understand that climate policy is not abstract. It affects whether families can insure their homes, whether communities can rebuild, whether infrastructure can withstand the next disaster, and whether working people can afford to stay in the places they love.

At the same time, I have focused on workforce development, community colleges, and the blue economy because I believe California’s climate future must also be a jobs future. We need stronger pathways from public education into good careers in coastal resilience, ports, clean energy, restoration, construction, maritime operations, advanced manufacturing, and climate technology. That is exactly the kind of work the Lieutenant Governor can help drive through the UC Regents, CSU Board of Trustees, State Lands Commission, Coastal Commission, and Commission for Economic Development.

I have worked as an environmental lawyer, a small-business owner, a nonprofit founder, a planning commissioner, a city council member, and a mayor. I have seen what happens when government works — and I have seen what happens when it fails people. I am not running to figure out this job after I get there. I am running because I am ready to do the work on day one.

Californians deserve leaders who understand the office, know how to use the levers of government, and are willing to fight for people being squeezed by the cost of living, climate risk, housing instability, and unequal access to opportunity. This job is not ceremonial to me. It is a platform for building a more affordable, resilient, inclusive, and future-ready California.

What change are you hoping to bring to your district and country?
This is a statewide race, so the “district” is all of California. The change I want to bring is a more connected, more accountable vision for the state.

Right now, too many issues are treated in silos. Housing is treated separately from climate. Education is treated separately from jobs. Ports and public lands are treated separately from economic development. But in real life, these issues are deeply connected.

I want California to build a roadmap for success that links public higher education to workforce development, apprenticeships, vocational training, housing, climate resilience, ports, public lands, and economic opportunity. We need to make it easier for people to afford school, find meaningful work, live near opportunity, and build a future here.

Nationally, I hope California can again lead with both values and competence. That means defending democracy, civil rights, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ equality, immigrant communities, workers, and the environment — while also showing that progressive government can deliver real results.

What do you consider to be your major accomplishments so far?
I previously served in local government in Sausalito, including as a planning commissioner, city councilmember, and mayor.

Some of the accomplishments I am proudest of include helping secure nearly $2 million for local adaptation and infrastructure, coordinating with FEMA and CalOES to help bring recovery resources after a major landslide, advancing Sausalito’s first-ever Pride celebration, and helping address a difficult park-based encampment crisis in a way that unlocked outside funding and led to humane housing outcomes.

I am also proud of my work outside elected office. I founded the Center for Sea Rise Solutions to help communities, ports, and local governments address sea level rise, coastal risk, climate resilience, and innovative financing. I have worked internationally and locally on ocean and climate issues, including with ports, maritime leaders, and community stakeholders.

For me, the through-line is simple: I try to bring people together around hard problems and move from talk to implementation.

What do you feel are the most important issues right now, why, and how do you plan to tackle them?
The most important issues right now are affordability, housing, climate resilience, education, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, racial and economic justice, and the future of work.

Affordability is the defining issue for so many Californians. People are working hard and still asking whether they can afford rent, groceries, childcare, healthcare, tuition, or a future in this state. We need to lower barriers to education, expand workforce pathways, support good-paying jobs, and make government more focused on the real pressure points in people’s lives.

On education, I want California to move toward tuition-free community college for in-state students and tie that effort to clear workforce pathways in healthcare, teaching, climate resilience, ports, construction, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing. Community colleges are one of the most powerful tools we have for equity and economic mobility.

On climate, I believe we need to treat climate resilience as an affordability and justice issue. Wildfire, flooding, sea level rise, insurance instability, and extreme heat are already affecting housing, health, infrastructure, and family budgets. We need to invest in communities before disaster strikes, especially communities that have historically been under-resourced.

On rights, I will be a strong voice for reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ equality, and civil rights. California must remain a place where people can live safely and openly, make decisions about their own bodies, and access opportunity without discrimination.

America is extremely divided these days. How would you hope to bridge that divide with your constituents to better unite Americans?
I believe the way to bridge division is not to water down our values. It is to lead with honesty, respect, and a focus on real problems.

People across California are worried about many of the same things: Can I afford to live here? Can my kids get a good education? Will there be jobs? Will my community be safe from fire, flood, or extreme heat? Will my rights be protected? Will government actually listen?

I believe in meeting people where they are, including people who may not agree with me on everything. That does not mean compromising on fundamental rights. I will never compromise on equality, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, or the dignity of immigrant communities. But I do believe we can build broader coalitions when we focus on practical solutions, accountability, and shared stakes.

I have done that work in local government. I have worked with environmental advocates, business owners, public agencies, ports, community groups, and residents who do not always start in the same place. The goal is not performative agreement. The goal is progress.

How do you see your unique identity and background to be an asset to you in office?

I bring a combination of lived experience, professional expertise, and public service that is unusual for this race.

I am an openly LGBTQ+ candidate, and I know how important it is for people to see leaders who are willing to stand openly and proudly in who they are. Representation matters — especially at a time when LGBTQ+ people, trans people, and young people are facing attacks across the country.

I am also a former mayor, environmental lawyer, small business owner, climate resilience leader, and endurance athlete. I have worked on local government, land use, public infrastructure, coastal protection, disaster recovery, and economic development. I understand how decisions get made, how projects get blocked, and how to bring people together to solve complicated problems.

My background helps me see connections that others may miss: between climate and housing, education and jobs, ports and economic development, public lands and justice, resilience and affordability. That is exactly what the Lieutenant Governor’s office should be used for.

What is your motto in life?
We can do hard things.

I believe in endurance, integrity, and showing up — especially when the work is difficult, unglamorous, or uncomfortable. Real leadership is not just having the right values. It is doing the work to turn those values into results.

Where can we find out more about you?
You can learn more at:

Website: https://www.janellekellman.com/

Instagram: @janellekellmanforltg

Facebook: janellekellmanforltg

X / Twitter: @JanelleKellman

And people can follow the campaign for updates as we travel across California, meet voters, and build momentum toward the June 2 primary.