Morning Plenary Session
9:00 am to 10:45 am

VIDEO

Morning Breakout Sessions
11:00 am to 12:45 pm

Status of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA): What’s Working and What’s Not?
Room 1001

SGMA was passed in 2014, prescribing a path to comprehensively regulate groundwater in California for the first time. In that time Sustainable Groundwater Agencies for each of California’s groundwater basins have been formed, and the first round of management plans for those basins have been developed. Yet after a decade since SGMA was passed, questions remain about the efficacy of these plans and how they are governed. This panel will examine what has worked well so far for SGMA implementation, and what hasn’t, and what changes may still be needed for the process.

Moderator: Pablo Garza, Chief Consultant, California State Assembly, Committee on Water, Parks & Wildlife

Panelists:
Bridget Gibbons, Groundwater Project Director, California Water Program at The Nature Conservancy
Kyle Jones, Principal, Lepe Jones Consulting
Ryan Ojakian, Manager of Government Relations, Sacramento Regional Water Authority (Slides PDF)
Sarge Green, Research Scientist, California Water Institute (Slides PDF)
Kristin Sicke, General Manager, Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency (Slides PDF)

VIDEO

Updating The Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008: Where Do We Go From Here?
Room 1002

SB 375 passed in 2008 as a first-of-its-kind climate law that revolutionized the coordination of land use and transportation planning in California, in an effort to reduce distances between jobs, housing, and services and, in turn, reduce driving as needed to meet State GHG reduction mandates. Since then, the state’s regions have produced innovative plans to meet these climate targets, while also preserving natural and working lands, improving public health outcomes, and providing more equitable access to opportunity—but 17 years later, land use patterns and transportation investments have largely followed the status quo, and driving has continued to increase in all regions of the state.

There is a brewing conversation in the Capitol about the need for 375 reforms, and this panel will examine the ways we could get the law to work and finally realize the outcomes our regional plans envision.

Moderator: Dr. Amy Lee, Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis

Panelists:
Jeanie Ward-Waller, Director of Transportation Advocacy, Fearless Advocacy
Chanell Fletcher, Deputy Executive Officer – Equity, Communities & Environmental Justice, California Air Resources Board
Kacey Lizon, Deputy Executive Director for Planning and Programs, Sacramento Area Council of Governments
Phoebe Seaton, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability

VIDEO

California’s Affordable Housing Crisis: How Can the State Get a Grip? –
Room 1301

California’s affordable housing crisis remains one of the most pressing challenges of our time. Even as the state’s population declines, the demand for housing far outpaces supply. Legislative efforts have sought to accelerate development—streamlining environmental review, encouraging density near transit, and penalizing jurisdictions that fail to meet housing targets.  Yet the gap persists. Policies such as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) have struggled to deliver meaningful progress, and critics argue they have sometimes pushed development into unsafe or environmentally vulnerable areas.

This panel will take a hard look at what it will take for California to close the affordability gap while ensuring that new housing is built in climate‑resilient, sustainable locations. Panelists will explore:

• Why past policies have fallen short
• How to balance affordability, equity, and environmental responsibility
• What strategies can realistically move the needle on housing supply
• The role of local governments, regional planning, and state oversight

Join us for a candid discussion on how California can reset its housing agenda and chart a path toward a more affordable, resilient future.

Moderator: Terry Watt, Principal, Terrell Watt Planning Consultants & PCL Board of Directors

(Group Panels Slides PDF)
(James Corless Slides PDF)

Panelists:
Cara Lacey, Program Director in the Climate Program, The Nature Conservancy
Ken Alex, Director, Project Climate, UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy & the Environment
James Corless, Executive Director, Sacramento Area Council of Governments
Ethan Elkind, Director, Climate Program, UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy & the Environment

VIDEO

Keynote Address & Lunch
Starting at 1:00 pm

California State Senator Christopher Cabaldon

VIDEO

Mid-day Plenary Session
1:45 pm to 3:00 pm

CEQA Exemptions For Advanced Manufacturing – What Could Go Wrong?
Room 1001, overflow Room 1002

The new State Budget Language exempts “advanced manufacturing” from CEQA, a category broad enough to include chemical recycling, strip mining, metal forging, and a range of other heavy industrial facilities. Panelists will address the potential negative environmental impacts of advanced manufacturing, the pollution burdens faced by environmental justice communities across the state, and possible paths to mitigate the expected local and regional impacts of this exemption.

Moderator: Bernadette Austin, Chief Executive Officer of CivicWell

Panelists:
Asha Sharma, State Policy Manager, Leadership Council for Justice & Accountability
Lenny Siegel, President of the Pacific Studies Center and former Mayor of Mountain View
Aaron Vad, Chief of Staff, Office of Senator Damon Connolly

VIDEO

Afternoon Plenary Session
3:15 pm to 5:00 pm

Abundance and Accountability: Are Communities, Democracy, and the Environment At Risk?
Room 1001, overflow Room 1002

This panel will explore how the Abundance Agenda of reduced regulatory controls, supposedly in the name of infrastructure and other priorities, does not necessarily result in better outcomes. Instead, the Abundance framework described in the book “Abundance” has been co-opted too often to dismantle necessary environmental protections for communities and wielded as a cudgel against common-sense regulations promoting growth with equity. The California Legislature’s rollback of environmental protections in the summer of 2025- under the influence of the philosophy- was unprecedented and may be a possible prelude to more in upcoming years statewide and nationally. This panel will describe the current state of affairs and outline a path to restoring environmental protections, safeguarding democracy, and promoting equity.

Moderator: Doug Carstens, Managing Partner, Carstens, Black & Minteer LLP & President, PCL Board of Directors

Panelists:
Ebony Twilley Martin, Founder, The Regenerative Leadership Lab & former CEO of Greenpeace USA
Asha Sharma, State Policy Manager, Leadership Council for Justice & Accountability
Jennifer Ganata, Legal Department Co-Director, Communities for a Better Environment
Dylan Gyauch-Lewis, Senior Researcher, Revolving Door Project
Corey Brown, Environmental Attorney
Gregory Weaver, Environment Reporter, Fresnoland

VIDEO

Assembly Reception
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm