Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes
Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes is a fabulous leader for justice, for women, for our communities, the environment, and for education. I had the honor of attending the global United Nations Climate Conference, COP 27, in Egypt with her in 2022.
She is a brilliant leader with a huge heart. Senator Reyes is a proud daughter of immigrants and is known for championing worker protections, education, and legal aid. She was the first Latina to open a law firm in the Inland Empire, where she provided critical legal services to underserved communities.
After serving in the Assembly for eight years in several key positions, including Majority Whip, Senator Reyes was elected to represent California’s 29th Senate District in 2024, continuing a long and distinguished career of public service to the Inland Empire. She is chair of the Budget Subcommittee #2 on Resources, Environmental Protection, and Energy, a member of the Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, and a member of Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee.
Senator Reyes’ climate justice leadership is exemplified by some of the laws she has led on, including:
- SB 352 (2025), which established in perpetuity the Office of Environmental Justice at the Attorney General’s Office.
- The Environmental Justice Protection Act (2025), which strengthens air quality monitoring programs in vulnerable communities and holds state leaders accountable for progress.
- AB 126 (2023), which reauthorized the Clean Transportation Program at the California Energy Commission to continue funding zero-emission vehicle infrastructure across California.
- AB 98 (2024), which requires new and expanded warehouses over 250,000 square feet to adhere to specific standards, including setbacks from sensitive sites (homes, schools, and hospitals), electric truck charging stations, and sound walls. The Inland Empire has more than 4,000 warehouses generating an estimated 600,000 truck trips daily, with numerous health and other impacts on the communities living there.
- Although her 2020 bill AB 961 did not become law, the California Energy Commission launched a proceeding on non-energy benefits of distributed energy resources, building momentum for action.
We are delighted to recognize Senator Eloise Gomez Reyes as a recipient of our 2026 Climate Leadership Award! And many thanks to Senate pro Tempore Monique Limon for joining us today to recognize Senator Reyes.
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan represents California’s 55th Assembly District, including Baldwin Hills, Culver City, and large parts of South Los Angeles. He is a community organizer, policy expert, published scholar, and a climate and environmental justice champion.
Assemblymember Bryan championed a local ballot measure to address racial injustice in Los Angeles. He was the director of public policy at the UCLA Ralph J. Bunche Center, the founding director of the think tank the UCLA Black Policy Project, and much more.
In the Assembly, he served as Majority Leader, now serves as chair of the Committee on Natural Resources, and serves on the Select Committee on Wildfire Prevention, the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies, and numerous other committees.
Assemblymember Bryan’s impressive policy record speaks for itself. Here are a handful of highlights:
- AB 2716 (2024) stopped the operation of low-producing wells in the Inglewood Oil Field, the largest urban oil field in the nation. It also directs the collected funds back into the communities that are negatively impacted by the drilling. More than 1 million people live within five miles of the Inglewood Oil Field and experience higher rates of asthma, respiratory illness, pre-term births, and cancer. This bill makes polluters pay, and we are so grateful to Assemblymember Bryan for his leadership on this.
- AB 2684 (2024) requires cities and counties to include extreme heat in their hazard mitigation plans so they are better prepared to protect residents and can qualify for federal funding programs. Extreme heat is the deadliest impact of climate change, with an average mortality rate in California equivalent to that caused by auto accidents. Nearly 40 percent of California cities are projected to experience average temperatures above 90 degrees by 2050.
- ACA 16 (2024) would have amended the California Constitution to declare, “The people shall have a right to clean air and water and a healthy environment.” While it didn’t pass, there was an enormous outpouring of support, including from all of us at The Climate Center.
Assemblymember Bryan established the first climate change education center at a California community college, West Los Angeles College, to provide students with career pathways to the clean energy and climate technology industries. It is home to the nation’s first Associate Degree in Climate Change and Environmental Studies. He also secured millions in the state budget for the Culver City Bus Electrification program.
We are thrilled to recognize Assemblymember Bryan’s outstanding climate and climate justice leadership with the 2026 Climate Leadership Award!
