Day 1: February 27, 2025
8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Opening Session: Setting the Stage
Chair: Sam Assefa, Director, Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, California
- Cardinal Peter Kodwo Turkson, Chancellor, Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Social Sciences (Vatican)
- Wade Crowfoot, Secretary, California Natural Resources Agency
- Michael Drake, President, University of California
Commemoration of victims of the L.A. Fires:
- Sam Assefa, Director, Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, California
- Tina Christie, Dean, School of Education, UCLA
9:00 – 9:15 a.m.
Land Acknowledgement and Reflections
- Vincent LaPena, Traditional Ecological Knowledge Manager, Wilton Rancheria tribe
9:15 – 10:15 a.m.
Session 1: Climate Resilience – Perspectives on Governance
Chairs: Debra Gore-Mann, CRC2 Co-chair, Former President and CEO, The Greenlining Institute, Oakland; and Abby Edwards, Climate Deputy Director, Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation
- Maura Healey, Governor of Massachusetts
- Governor Kotaro Nagasaki, Governor, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
- Governor Wilber K. Ottichilo, Governor of Vihiga County, Kenya
- Deanne Criswell, Former FEMA Administrator, Washington D.C
10:15 – 11:00 a.m.
Session 2: Launch of a Global Climate Resilience Movement
Chairs: Cardinal Turkson and Louise Bedsworth, Executive Director, Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment, UC Berkeley
- Ram Ramanathan, Chair of CRC2, Council Member PAS/PASS, UC San Diego
- Sam Assefa, Director, Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, California
- Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, Chancellor, University of Massachusetts
11:00 – 11:40 a.m.
Session 3: Frontline Climate Extremes
Chair: Sigrid Wright, CEO, Community Environmental Center
- Rita Kampalath, Chief Sustainability Officer, County of Los Angeles
- Patricia Lock Dawson, Mayor, City of Riverside
- Joe LaCava, Council President, City of San Diego
- Alexis Fineman, Former Council Member and Former Mayor, Town of San Anselmo
11:40 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.
Session 4: Solutions to Systemic Resilience Issues
Chair: Rita Kampalath, Chief Sustainability Officer, County of Los Angeles
- Karen Ross, Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture
- Christina Curry, Chief Deputy Director, CalOES
- Fonna Forman, Director, Center on Global Justice, UC San Diego
12:20 – 1:20 p.m.
Lunch
1:25 – 2:00 p.m.
Post-Lunch Dialogue
Moderator: Sam Assefa, Director, Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, California
Participants:
- A VIP, Wade Crowfoot, California’s Secretary of Natural Resources Agency
- Liane Randolph, Chair, California Air Resources Board
2:00 – 2:45 p.m.
Session 5: Climate Actions – Youth Voices
Chairs: Karen Cowe, CEO, Ten Strands and Maryanne Wolf, Director, UCLA Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners and Social Justice
- Zachary Fox-DeVol, Westside Neighborhood School, Los Angeles
- Ananya Gupta, Geffen Academy, Los Angeles
- Grace Mancusi, UC Los Angeles Lab School, Los Angeles
- Andrew Rodriguez, West Los Angeles College, Los Angeles
- Bella Santos, UC Berkeley, Berkeley
- Willem Shpilsky, UC Los Angeles Lab School, Los Angeles
3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Session 6: National and State Climate Actions for Resilience
Chair: David Ackerly, Professor and Dean, Rausser College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley
- Jane Lubchenco, Former Climate Advisor at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (2021-2025); Oregon State University
- Melissa Hoffer, Climate Chief of Massachusetts
3:30 – 4:15 p.m.
Session 7: Financing Mitigation and Adaptation
Chair: Ken Alex, Project Climate, UC Berkeley
- Rob Engle - Nobel Economist, Stern School of Business, NYU
- Arunava Majumdar - Dean, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
- Nuin-Tara Key - Executive Director of Programs, California Forward
4:15 – 5:00 p.m.
Session 8: Public and Mental Health Resilience
Chair: Erminia Guarneri, MD, President, Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine; Medical Director, Guarneri Integrative Health, Inc.
- Sheri Weiser, Founding Director, University of California (UC) Center on Climate Change, Health and Equity, UC San Francisco
- Jyoti Mishra, Co-director, University of California (UC) Climate Change and Mental Health Initiative
- Linda Helland, MPH, CPH, Climate Change & Health Equity Branch Manager, Office of Health Equity, California Department of Public Health
5:00 – 5:45 p.m.
Session 9: Societal Transformation
Chair: Christina Christie, Dean, School of Education, UC Los Angeles
- Andra Yeghoian, CIO, Ten Strands
- Meighen Speiser, Executive Director, ecoAmerica
- Debra Gore-Mann, Former President and CEO, Greenlining Institute
- Erin Coutts, Executive Director, Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability
5:45 p.m.
Adjourn
Day 2: February 28, 2025
8:30 – 8:40 a.m.
Opening Session - Land Acknowledgement and Reflections
- Vincent LaPena, Traditional Ecological Knowledge Manager, Wilton Rancheria tribe
8:40 – 9:10 a.m.
Session 1: Elements of Climate Resilience Blueprints
Facilitators: Louise Bedsworth, Executive Director, Center for Law, Energy, and the
Environment, UC Berkeley; Sigrid Wright, CEO, Community Environmental Center
- Nuin-Tara Key, Executive Director of Programs, California Forward
- Karalee Browne, Assistant Executive Director at the Institute for Local Government
10:15 – 11:00 a.m.
Session 2: Essential Elements of Blueprints: Resilient Communities and Centering Equity
Facilitator: Fonna Forman, Director, Center on Global Justice, UC San Diego
- Centering Equity and Community Engagement: Natalie Hernandez, Environmental Project Manager, Gateway Cities, Council of Governments
- Indigenous Knowledge in Planning: Connor Magee, Research and Data Applications Manager, Pala
- Affecting Climate Action in America’s Second Largest City: Kristen Torres Pawling, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy & Planning, Office of Los Angeles Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky
- Civic Education - The Role of AmeriCorps in Building Climate Resilience: Julia Kim, Partnerships Lead, Farrallon Strategies
- Equitable Resilience Planning in Higher Education: Matthew St. Clair, Chief
Sustainability Officer, University of California
10:15 – 11:10 a.m.
Session 3: Essential Elements of Blueprints: Weather and Climate Proofing California - Panel Discussion
Facilitator: Jonathan Parfrey, CEO, Climate Resolve
- Alexis Pelosi, Former Senior Advisor for Climate, US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- Apurva Pande, Owner, Principal, CHACOL, Inc.
- Samuel Carter, Founding Principal of Resilient Cities Catalyst
- Honorable Lindsey Horvath, Supervisor, District Three, County of Los Angeles
11:40 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.
Session 4: Essential Elements of Blueprints: Integrating Science, Finance and Insurance into Climate Resiliency Planning
Facilitator: Jonathan Parfrey - CEO, Climate Resolve
- Finance Strategies: Larry Kosmont, Chairman and CEO, Kosmont Companies
- Science Integration in Planning: Adrienne Greve, Associate Professor, City and Regional Planning Department, California Polytechnic State University (CalPoly), San Luis Obispo
- Discussion: Rex Richardson, Mayor, City of Long Beach
12:05 – 1:05 p.m.
Lunch
1:05 – 1:40 p.m.
Dialogue: Implementing Climate Resilience
Facilitator: Ram Ramanathan, Chair of CRC2, Council Member PAS/PASS, UC San Diego in conversation with
- Jerry Brown, 34th and 39th Governor of California
- Congressman Scott Peters, California’s 50th District, San Diego
1:40 – 2:10 p.m.
Session 5: Reflection on Governance and Urgent Implementation
Facilitator: Ken Alex, Project Climate Director, UC Berkeley
- Ricardo Lara, California Insurance Commissioner
- Ken Alex, Project Climate Director, UC B
3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Session 6: Essential Elements of Blueprints - Integrating Urgent Challenges
Facilitator: Amber Mace, Managing Director/Chief of Strategic Partnerships, California Academy of Sciences
- Public and Mental Health in Planning: Dr. Linda Rudolph, Director, Center for Climate Change and Health, PHI
- Climate Displacement and Migration: Carlos Martín, Vice President for Research and Policy, Resources for the Future
- Flood Risk and Sea Level Rise: Mike Anderson, State Climatologist, Department of Water Resources
- Biodiversity and Ecological Integration: David Ackerly, Professor and Dean, Rausser College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley, California
3:30 – 4:15 p.m.
Session 7: Three Breakouts - Climate Resilience in CA Communities
Breakout Facilitators:
- Rural: Em Johnson, Community Environmental Council Director of Climate Programs
- Urban: Shalini Vajjhala, Executive Director, PRE Collective
- Coastal Communities: Michael McCormick, President, Farallon Strategies
4:15 – 5:00 p.m.
Session 8: Mitigation and Beyond - Success Stories at the Local Level-benefits
Facilitator: Ken Alex, Project Climate Director, UC Berkeley
- Nicole Capretz, CEO, Climate Action Campaign
- Rex Parris, Mayor, City of Lancaster
- Dan Kammen, Distinguished Professor of Energy, UC Berkeley
4:40 – 5:00 p.m.
Blueprints - Next Steps
- Louise Bedsworth, Executive Director, Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment, UC Berkeley
- Sigrid Wright, CEO, Community Environmental Center
5:00 – 5:15 p.m.
Closing Reflections
Facilitator: Debra Gore-Mann, Former President and CEO, Greenlining Institute
- Ram Ramanathan, Chair of CRC2, Council Member PAS/PASS, UC San Diego
- Sam Assefa, Director, Land Use and Climate Innovation, CA Government
5:15 p.m.
Adjourn