John, you’re probably being bombarded with end-of-month fundraising appeals lately. Well, this isn’t one of those emails. I hope you’ll take a moment to read it through to the end — it’s a longer read, but I promise, it’s a story that’s worth your while.

When I was a young Assistant U.S. Attorney, I set up the first federal environmental crime unit in Southern California. One of my first big cases involved a corporation which hired toxic waste haulers to smuggle hazardous materials across the border into Mexico.

The U.S. government had just put in place additional environmental regulations to protect our drinking water and our communities. This made it harder to dump chemicals and toxic waste in the U.S., and was absolutely critical for water safety.

The corporation in the case — a laminating company — paid the haulers to smuggle the waste across the border, and dump it in Mexico. We found dozens of drums of hazardous waste there, from paints to flammable solvents and other toxic materials. We had also intercepted a fair amount of other cargo intended to be dumped. Tragically, people living there emptied the drums, filled them with water, and washed clothes in them, among other unknowingly dangerous uses.

As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, I took on this waste dumping corporation — and won.

It was the first federal prosecution for across-the-border toxic waste dumping ever. It set an important precedent: that no company, big or small, could avoid accountability when harming our planet and putting the health of communities at risk, at home or abroad.

The case generated a lot of press coverage at the time, and represented a significant step forward in prosecuting environmental crimes:

“Companies realize it’s cheaper to pollute than to dispose of hazardous material properly,” said Assistant U.S. Atty. Adam B. Schiff, who is helping to prosecute the cases. “We hope the announcement of the indictments and the task force will impress individuals that the calculus is changing dramatically, that the costs are going up dramatically.” — Los Angeles Times, May 11, 1990

“This is a very significant case because it is the first time that the export of hazardous waste has been charged in federal court,” Assistant US Attorney Adam Schiff said. “We hope that this will be the first of many cases.” — Orange County Register, May 11, 1990

The task force that I helped to assemble included the FBI, EPA, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the California Highway Patrol, and the California Department of Health Services.

It was one of the first occasions that I worked with state and federal law enforcement and government agencies to hold criminal actors accountable under the law. But it also wasn’t the last. I also prosecuted Chevron for dumping excess oil and gas into the ocean.

Of course, my caseload went well beyond environmental crimes. I also successfully prosecuted Richard Miller, the first FBI agent indicted for and convicted of espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union. Miller had gotten off in his first two trials — one declared a mistrial and another overturned on appeal. But after I picked up the case and tried him — he was convicted and sentenced.

My experience investigating criminal conduct came in all too handy during the Trump Administration, when I served as the lead manager of Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, and when I served on the January 6th Committee.

I still carry my early environmental crimes prosecution experience with me today — as the same EPA I worked with all those years ago faces attacks from corporations and their allies on the Supreme Court, who are trying to make it easy for companies to pollute once again. It’s also why I’m a strong supporter of a Green New Deal, and why my campaign is so focused on the need to save the planet.

I hope this story gives you a bit more background as to how I’ve used my experience to best protect Californians, and ensure that the United States upholds its commitment to the environment.

This is the voice I will bring to the Senate. And if you feel inspired to help my campaign after reading this, I would appreciate any support you can give — even $3, $10, or $25 goes a long way.

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Thanks for reading, and take care.

— Adam

P.S. I can't leave without sharing this absolutely righteous photo of me from those days, standing right outside the courthouse. Take a look: