In 1959, American folk singer and political activist Pete Seeger first reminded us that “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…”

We are reminded of that popular song as we reflect on the past almost nine years that Sierra Forward has functioned as an effective and respected political action organization in the Sierra, its foothills and adjacent valleys. Founded in the wake of the electoral setbacks—local and national—of 2016, Sierra Forward was established to fill a void in the region, as there was no organization around—including the Democratic Party—focused solely on defeating then-4th District Republican Representative Tom McClintock. Sierra Forward’s founders and original leaders sought and secured funding, sponsored voter registration drives, and—notably—conducted three district-wide opinion surveys, research that helped form the strategic basis for candidates in the 2018 midterm election.
We didn’t succeed in defeating McClintock (then or ever), but his victory margin dropped from 26 points in 2016 to 8 points in 2018. That year’s Democratic nominee, Jessica Morse, with help from Sierra Forward, moved the district from hopeless to competitive. The advantages of incumbency and in voter registration continued to pay off for McClintock in subsequent cycles, but his dominance was no longer a given.

Starting in 2021, Sierra Forward adjusted its mission to include support for candidates up and down the ballot. Our “brand” and our capacity brought candidates to us— responsibly progressive and moderate Independents, Democrats and even a few Republicans. We also expanded into the North State and now have a presence in two dozen counties.

In 2024, Sierra Forward became the first organization in our part of the state to endorse Adam Schiff for the U.S. Senate, a fact which he remembers and continues to acknowledge and appreciate (including during a recent Zoom Town Hall, which is available on our website).

Along the way, other entities were attracted to and began organizing in the region; they include the CADEM (state Democratic Party), the Community Governance Project, and Indivisible, among others. Sierra Forward has been delighted to become engaged with, and supportive of, each of those efforts. In other words, the void we sought to fill in 2017 no longer exists and lots of good, hard work is being done by staff and volunteers across the region. Note, in particular, the stunning success of “No Kings Day” on October 18. Unlike what Mike Johnson said, those of us who participated in these events do so because we love America – we just hate what Donald Trump and Mike Johnson are doing to it.

With all of these factors, and others, in mind, the leadership of Sierra Forward began asking themselves these questions: Is our organization still necessary? Is the need we first identified in late 2016/early 2017, still there? Why should we compete with other organizations for limited human and financial resources? Can the overall goals we all share be met in better, more effective ways?

So after long, and at times painful, conversations we decided that “the time and purpose” of Sierra Forward—as an independent, identifiable, and separate organization— has passed. It is time to turn the page, and to devote our individual talents and resources to other entities (as mentioned above). So it is with mixed feelings that we announce that Sierra Forward will be closing its (virtual) doors effective December 31, 2025. At that time, any remaining funds in our treasury will be shared with Sierra Forward-endorsed candidates Neva Parker (AD 5) and Jaron Brandon (SD 4).

To put it simply, our “season” is over, and our purpose turns elsewhere. But we do so with pride in our efforts and with tremendous gratitude to those who supported us along the way. And we urge you to continue our mission of supporting causes, campaigns and candidates that are focused on achieving mainstream solutions using fact-based decision-making, and to, as John Lewis said, get in good trouble. Thank you for your support!

To visit our prior home page and view all the videos and events we have hosted, click here.