Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson Named to California Air Resources Board
Published: 4/30/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 30, 2025
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Phil Pitchford
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Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson Named to California Air Resources Board
Riverside native adds her voice to the struggle for clean air in California
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson has been appointed to the California Air Resources Board, which provides oversight to the powerful state agency that aims to protect the public from the harmful effects of air pollution and fight climate change.
Lock Dawson is a longtime advocate for environmental sustainability. Most recently, she championed the development of Riverside’s "Clean and Green Tech Hub," attracting national and international clean technology firms to establish headquarters in the city. She envisions Riverside as a leader in sustainability-driven economic development and innovation.
“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. “That is largely due to the efforts by agencies such as CARB and the work they have done to help our communities breathe easier.”
CARB’s work is crucial to California’s leadership in the U.S. and abroad regarding the transition to clean energy. Most recently, CARB has drafted and approved regulations that advance clean fleets, set carbon fuel standards, and reduce the smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted from conventional heavy-duty engines.
CARB, which moved its Southern California headquarters to Riverside in 2021, conducts research that is closely followed by air quality organizations around the world. 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.
Lock Dawson’s appointment was announced recently by Gov. Newsom. The position is unpaid.
The appointment is the second influential position for Lock Dawson in the last year. Last October, she was chosen to chair the California Big City Mayors Coalition made up of the 13 largest cities in the state. She also serves on the Legislative, Communications & Membership Committee of the Southern California Association of Governments; and the boards of Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), the Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Despite decades of progress, Lock Dawson noted that Riverside and San Bernardino Counties recently were ranked as the most ozone-polluted counties in California, indicating there remains much work to do in reducing air pollution. Riverside is 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. She previously was a Trustee of the Board of Education at the Riverside Unified School District from 2011 to 2020; and President and Owner at PLD Consulting Governmental Affairs from 2001 to 2020. She served three political appointments on the California Board of Behavioral Sciences under two gubernatorial administrations (2010–2017).
Lock Dawson holds a Master of Business Administration from Claremont Graduate University, a Master of Science degree in Forestry from the University of Washington, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology (Ecology) from the University of California, Riverside.
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