Katie Valenzuela

For more than 25 years, Katie Valenzuela has empowered communities, organizations, and coalitions to engage in state and local policy. She has built legislative campaigns for education justice, civil rights, food access, public safety, public health, housing access, and environmental justice. Recognizing that systemic change requires deep partnership with affected communities, she uses the tools of policy advocacy and community organizing to fight for social justice. As Policy Consultant for Everyday Impact Consulting, her clients include the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition and the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, as well as several other social justice organizations. Katie’s experience includes serving as a member of the Sacramento City Council from December 2020 to 2024, as Policy and Political Director for the California Environmental Justice Alliance, as Principal Consultant for the California Legislature’s Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies, and as founding board member of the Sacramento Community Land Trust. She has shared her expertise as an invited speaker and training session leader at venues across the country, including Yale University, Stanford University, and the University of California at Berkeley. Katie holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in community development from UC Davis.