LIZ HARRIS
Feb 8, 2022
While in Sacramento, he was a board member at Congregation B’nai Israel, one of three area synagogues firebombed in 1999. “That woke me up,” Schwartz says, adding that it strengthened his commitment to the importance of working across faith communities to combat hate.
Steve Schwartz, of Sebastopol, was the chief of staff for two California assembly members and has led nonprofit organizations for more than 25 years. Much of his work has been focused on sustainable agriculture and supporting farmers, and he runs a small organic farm in Sonoma County. As the founder and director of the Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative, Schwartz works to bring together congregations with local farmers, giving people access to organic foods and helping the local economy. He has served as a board member of the Gravenstein Union School District, International Farm Transition Network, California Reinvestment Coalition and Sonoma County Farm Trails, as well as on the steering committee of the Marin Food Policy Council.