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California mayors, city council members, county supervisors, city managers and other high level department heads all came together in the middle of the breathtaking beauty of Yosemite National Park at the 27th Annual Building Livable Communities Conference in March 2018.
This popular conference always features a timely and inspirational agenda designed to provide California’s policymakers with tools and innovative solutions to address community needs.
2018 Yosemite Policymakers Conference
Challenging times open the door for creativity and innovation – and last year certainly had its challenges. From federal decisions that compel us to expand and accelerate our state’s leadership on resource stewardship and social justice to firestorms that devastated northern and southern communities and forests, there was no shortage of immediate needs and long-term problems to tackle.
Californians are resilient and local leaders are stepping forward into 2018 with even more passion and persistence.
The 27th Annual Yosemite Conference will equip local policymakers with practical strategies and accessible tools to implement innovative solutions with a focus on recovering from immediate economic, social and environmental challenges while increasing longer-term community resilience to prosper in the future.
The conference program will cover a broad range of issues, from recovering from natural disasters and shifts to important federal affordable housing tools to improving resilience in a rapidly changing environment. Our speakers will discuss emerging trends and promising strategies on topics including decarbonization, Community Choice Aggregation, autonomous vehicles and social mobility.
At this ever-popular conference, local thought leaders will discover new partners, renewed inspiration and a united resolve to make lasting changes that will lead to a stronger, healthier, more equitable communities.
The conference often sells out because attendees say the format is uniquely structured to address today’s most pressing problems and showcase fresh ideas with hands-on discussion of how to implement them. The conference program begins at 7:30pm on Thursday, March 14, and continues through noon on Sunday, March 17.
We encourage you to bring your family, attend the opening session on Thursday evening, and use the session breaks to ski, hike, skate or just enjoy the breathtaking beauty of Yosemite in the winter. All conference sessions will be held at the Yosemite Lodge.
The conference program will be available in early 2019. Please visit our webpage frequently for updates on this exciting event.
Thursday, March 15
Opening Remarks
Kickoff plenary — Investing in Decarbonization
Friday, March 16
Social Equity Era of Sustainable Smart Growth
- Elizabeth Baca, Governor’s Office of Planning and Research
- Veronic Garibay, Co-Director, Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability
Keynote Address
California Communities United
Saturday, March 17
Leveraging Energy Industry Disruptions
- Howard Choy, President & CEO, Howard Choy Consulting, LLC
- Rachel Golden, Senior Campaigning Representative, Sierra Club
- Wendy Goodfriend, Climate Program Manager, City of San Francisco
- Lucas Frerichs, Councilmember, City of Davis
Transportation Innovation and Disruptions
- Ben Foss, Vice President of Public Partnerships, Volta Charging (Moderator)
- Greg Rodriguez, Counsel, BBK Law
- Alberto Ayala, Executive Director, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District
Communication and Change Management
Sunday, March 18
Accessible Housing for All
Elizabeth Baca
Senior Health Advisor
Governor’s Office of Planning and Research
Panama Bartholomy
Director
Investor Confidence Project
Amanda Blackwood
Owner and Managing Partner
OE Consulting Group
Tyrone Buckley
Policy Director
Housing California
Howard Choy
Owner
Howard Choy Consulting, LLC
Richard Corey
Executive Officer
California Air Resources Board
Chris Coursey
Mayor
City of Santa Rosa
Lucas Frerichs
Councilmember
City of Davis
Veronica Garibay
Co-founder
Leadership Counsel
Rachel Golden
Senior Campaign Representative
Sierra Club
Wendy Goodfriend
Climate Program Manager
City of San Francisco
James Gore
Supervisor
County of Sonoma
Carl Guardino
CEO & President
Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Colin Parent
Executive Director and General Counsel
Circulate San Diego/La Mesa City Council
Tina Reynolds
CEO/Founder
Uptown Studios
Greg Rodriguez
Counsel
Best Best & Krieger Law
Daniel Sperling
Author and Professor
University of California Davis
Sarita Turner
Associate Director
PolicyLink
Das Williams
Supervisor
County of Santa Barabara
Victoria Fierce
Co-Executive Director
California Renters Legal Advocacy and Education Fund
We are looking for Conference Sponsors – agencies, organizations, foundations and companies – that are leading the way in creating innovative solutions for increasing resiliency and implementing smart-growth strategies in a time of rapid change.
These high-profile sponsorship opportunities offer many ways to interact with local policymakers and underscore your commitment to making our communities more sustainable and resilient while also providing for people’s basic housing, transportation, food and work needs.
To learn more about partnership opportunities, view the Yosemite Conference Sponsorship Opportunities Brochure. Contact Carissa Gutierrez (916.448.1198 x323 / cgutierrez@lgc.org) for information on how to become a conference sponsor.
Download the Sponsorship Brochure
Thank you to our 2018 Conference Sponsors!
Sponsors
For questions on the conference program:
Dunstanette Macauley
Events Coordinator
(916) 448-1198 x320
dmacauley@lgc.org
The Yosemite Policymakers Conference is presented by the Local Government Commission.
