Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel, 1230 J St, Sacramento, CA 95814
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The fifth annual California Climate Policy Summit took place on Monday, April 13, 2026, in Sacramento.
As our federal government relentlessly attacks climate progress, thank you to the more than 400 elected officials, climate activists, business leaders, environmental justice advocates, scientists, and policy experts who joined us to explore how to continue California’s world-leading climate progress. Videos, transcripts, slides, and other resources from the Summit will be available within a few days.
Agenda and speaker information are available via Eventleaf. Please reach out to info@theclimatecenter.org with any questions, and stay tuned for an update about next year’s Summit!
Featured Speakers
Keynote: Secretary Wade Crowfoot
California’s Natural Resources Secretary
Wade Crowfoot has served as Secretary since 2019 and advises Governor Newsom as a member of his cabinet. He oversees an agency of over 25,000 employees charged with stewarding California’s forests and natural lands, rivers and water supplies, and coast and ocean.
Josh Becker is a California State Senator representing most of Silicon Valley. In the Legislature, Senator Becker has authored landmark legislation on clean energy, affordability, data privacy and consumer protection, and justice reform. His work has helped position California as a national leader on climate action, digital privacy rights, and policies that strengthen economic opportunity while protecting vulnerable communities. Senator Becker currently serves as Chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water and as a member of the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications, among other committees.
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan represents California’s 55th Assembly District. He is Chair of the Committee on Natural Resources. Isaac’s legislative accomplishments include establishing extreme heat mitigation planning in local communities and phasing out the Inglewood Oil Field and other oil drilling near homes and communities in California. He has secured over $36 million in funding for green infrastructure projects, climate change education, and clean tech development. In 2024, he coauthored a bill establishing a $10 billion climate bond to finance projects for safe drinking water, drought preparedness, extreme heat mitigation, wildfire prevention, clean air programs, and other efforts to protect communities from the effects of climate change.
Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin
California State Assemblymember, District 42
Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin represents California’s 42nd Assembly District, which includes portions of both Ventura and Los Angeles Counties Assemblymember Irwin currently chairs the Joint Committee on Climate Change Policies, and is a member of the Agriculture Committee, Business & Professions Committee, Privacy & Consumer Protection Committee, Rules Committee, and the Utilities & Energy Committee. Assemblymember Irwin also chairs the Assembly Select Committee on Cybersecurity, and Co-chairs the National Conference of State Legislatures Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, Privacy, and Cybersecurity.
Senator Jerry McNerney has been working on renewable and clean energy and water issues for four decades. He was elected to the California state Senate in November 2024, after serving in Congress for 16 years. In the Senate, Sen. McNerney serves on the Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee and Budget Subcommittee #2 on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy. He is also the chair of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee. In 2025, three of McNerney’s environmental bills were signed into law: SB 31, which will expand the use of recycled water, SB 86, which will create more clean energy manufacturing jobs in the state, and SB 279, which will expand the composting of organic waste at farms, vineyards, and community composting programs.
Commissioner Siva Gunda is serving his first term on the California Energy Commission. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Gunda in February 2021 to serve as the Energy Commission’s public member. Gunda was later appointed as Vice Chair in September 2021.
Sammy Roth is a former climate columnist for the Los Angeles Times, where he wrote the weekly Boiling Point newsletter and hosted the Boiling Point podcast. He now writes the independent newsletter Climate-Colored Goggles. He previously reported for the Desert Sun and USA Today, where he covered renewable energy and public lands.
Anton Vonk Associate Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara
Leah Stokes, PhD, is Anton Vonk Associate Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has a doctorate from MIT and was recognized on the 2022 TIME100 Next and Business Insider Climate Action 30 lists. She has helped lead successful campaigns for federal, local, and state policy, including the Inflation Reduction Act.
Walker Wright is the VP of Public Policy for Sunrun, the leading distributed solar, energy storage, and energy services company in the United States. Over the years, Walker has held numerous leadership positions in the clean energy space. Previously, Walker was VP of Policy for Green Charge, a leading energy storage software and development company, acquired by ENGIE (the world’s largest Independent Power Producer). At ENGIE Walker provided policy leadership to numerous subsidiaries, which included the top Public Sector energy services provider in California.
The Climate Center CEO Ellie Cohen and Assemblymember Isaac Bryan on stage at the California Climate Leadership Award reception. Photo by Lara Aburamadan / The Climate Center.
The Climate Center is honored to present Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes and Assemblymember Isaac Bryan with the 2026 California Climate Leadership Awards
Assemblymember Dawn Addis, Senator Josh Becker, and Assemblymember Jaqui Irwin at the 2025 California Climate Policy Summit. Photo by Lara Aburamadan / Survival Media Agency.
See last year’s lineup of speakers, sponsors, breakout sessions, and more
Thank you to our sponsors
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