Green-jobs evangelist sells Obama's ambitious plans

WASHINGTON — When Van Jones — Oakland activist, best-selling author and "green jobs" proselytizer — spoke to online political organizers this past fall, he couldn't resist kidding them: "You've really messed up. You're about to win this election."

Their favorite candidate, Barack Obama, was going to inherit a mess, Jones predicted: "It will be like cleaning out the barn with a straw. I don't know why he even wants the job."

Now Jones has signed on to help clean out the barn.

Obama has lured the 40-year-old Jones into his administration to work on clean-energy issues and become a major spokesman for the president's energy policies. Jones was given the unwieldy title "special adviser for green jobs, enterprise and innovation."

In the Bay Area, Jones gained a reputation as a fierce advocate for racial and economic justice. He shed a spotlight on police abuse in Oakland and San Francisco, successfully fought a "super-jail" for juveniles and became adept at mixing cajolery with confrontation.