2024 CivicWell Policymakers Conference

New Partners and Big Ideas

Climate disaster mitigation and recovery. Sustainable transportation infrastructure. Environmental justice. Long-term community resilience. 

Complex issues require out-of-the-box approaches. The most impactful initiatives may rely on multi-sector partnerships, bipartisan collaborations, and transformative thinking.

California is at an inflection point. This year has been marked by extreme weather events along with unprecedented levels of federal and state infrastructure investment. As local leaders advocate for the health, safety, and future of our communities, now is the time to learn from one another and collaborate on the solutions we need to meet the moment.

At this 32nd annual CivicWell Policymakers Conference, we will hear from visionary public and private sector leaders on what’s worked and what’s to come. We will share best practices to support innovative local projects. We will explore new ideas for groundbreaking win-win partnerships.

The conference will take place from Thursday evening, March 14th to Sunday morning, March 17th. All conference sessions will be held in the Garden Terrace Room at the Yosemite Valley Lodge.

The below agenda is tentative and subject to change at any time. Topics and speakers will be added as they are confirmed.

Thursday, March 14

6:00 – 7:30 pm
Registration

7:00 – 7:45 pm
Welcome Reception

7:45 – 8:00 pm
Opening Remarks

8:00 – 9:00 pm
Lessons on Cross-Jurisdictional Governance from Transportation

• Catherine Blakespear, State Senator for California’s 38th District
• John Robert Smith, Transportation for America Chairman/Senior Policy Advisor, Smart Growth America
• Moderator: Anna Klovstad, Councilmember, Town of Truckee

Friday, March 15

8:30 – 9:30 am
Breakfast

9:30 – 11:00 am
The Future of the Climate Movement

• Ulises Cabrera, Mayor, City of Moreno Valley
• Camille Graham, CivicSpark Fellow, City of Sacramento
• Karthick Ramakrishnan, Director of AAPI Data/Professor of Public Policy, UC Riverside
• Jason Scott-Sheets, CivicSpark Fellow, County of Sacramento
• Moderator: Lucas Frerichs, Supervisor, County of Yolo

11:00 – 11:15 am
Coffee Break

11:15 am – 12:30 pm
Networking Roundtables

12:30 – 1:30 pm
Lunch / Networking

1:30 – 7:30 pm
Break
Participants free for dinner on their own

7:30 – 9:00 pm
Sustainable Funding Strategies for Infrastructure

• James Cameron, Executive Director, Sonoma County Transportation Authority/Regional Climate Protection Authority
• Hunter Owens, Deputy Executive Director, California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP)
• Shalini Vajjhala, Executive Director, PRE Collective
• Moderator: Bernadette Austin, CEO, CivicWell

Saturday, March 16

8:30 – 9:30 am
Breakfast

9:30 – 10:45 am
Energy Innovations and Solutions

• Marc Costa, Local Government Sustainable Energy Coalition (LGSEC) Board Member, Director of Policy & Planning at The Energy Coalition
• Emily Douglas, Regional Director for Distributed Energy Resources, ENGIE
• Beth Vaughan, CEO, California Community Choice Association (CalCCA)
• Moderator: Dan Kalb, Councilmember, City of Oakland

10:45 – 11:15 am
Coffee Break

11:15 am – 12:30 pm
Electrification and Equity in Housing and Community Development

• Lisa A. Baker, Planner/Former CEO, Yolo Housing
• Jeremy Madsen, Executive Director, Build It Green
• Alicia Sebastian, Executive Director, California Coalition for Rural Housing
• Moderator: Stephen Honikman, VP Business Development, Electriq Power

12:30 – 5:30 pm
Break
Participants free for lunch on their own

5:30 – 7:00 pm
Dinner

6:30 – 7:00 pm
CivicWell Remarks

7:00 – 8:30 pm
Preparing for Disaster: Planning for Resilience and Recovery in a Disjointed Funding Landscape

• Lisa Craig, Mayor, City of Lodi
• Carl Guardino, VP Government Affairs and Policy, Tarana Wireless
• Geoffrey Ross, Director, Federal and State Programs, HORNE

8:30 – 9:00 pm
Dessert

Sunday, March 17

8:00 – 9:00 am
Continental Breakfast

There is no official programming on Sunday, March 17.

Registration is now closed.

This conference is for elected officials only. If you are not an elected official but would like to attend, we invite you to explore our sponsorship opportunities below.

*Special Note About Member Discount

Become a CivicWell member today! Individual memberships are $150, but if you add on a membership below you automatically get the member registration rate for the conference. This applies both for new members and for membership renewal. Because the member registration rate is $100 less than the non-member rate, the additional total for a year of membership is only $50!

CivicWell members receive event discounts, webinars with case studies on climate resilience and capacity-building projects, resources, and timely information about funding opportunities.

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Scholarships

A limited number of scholarships are available. If you are interested in requesting a scholarship, contact Kelsey Wolf-Cloud.

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Cancellation Policy

Registrations may be canceled up until February 23, 2024. The cancellation fee is $100.

In lieu of cancellation, registration may be transferred to another elected official at any time before March 7, 2024 free of charge by contacting hkillion@civicwell.org. After March 7, no refunds will be offered.

Looking to carpool with someone? Sign up here to hopefully find a travel companion.

LODGING UPDATE

At the most recent check, there IS availability for the dates of the conference. Lodging availability is regularly changing in Yosemite National Park — we recommend you check back if you don’t see availability because more rooms may become available.

An alternative is to book lodging at Yosemite View Lodge, outside the park. It is approximately a 30 minute drive from this hotel to the conference location. Your Yosemite entrance pass is good for one week.

We are continually working with both the Lodge and the Ahwahnee to try to secure more rooms for the conference.

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The 2024 CivicWell Policymakers Conference will be held at the Yosemite Valley Lodge in Yosemite National Park.

A limited number of rooms are available at a discounted rate using our group code 14Q66O at both the Yosemite Valley Lodge and the Ahwahnee Hotel. Our group rate for the Yosemite Valley Lodge is $300/night, and $616/night for the Ahwahnee Hotel. Book soon, as these will sell out! 

If you would like to reserve a room, visit travelyosemite.com or contact the hotel’s reservations office at 888-413-8869 option 1. You can find detailed instructions here.

The CivicWell Policymakers Conference is an excellent opportunity for sponsors to build meaningful relationships with local policymakers, highlight and deepen your commitment to sustainable communities, and raise your profile with community resilience leaders.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, view the Sponsorship Brochure and contact Kelsey Wolf-Cloud at kwolfcloud@civicwell.org for information.

Download the Sponsorship Brochure

For questions about registration and logistics, please contact:
Heather Killion
(916) 448-1198  x303
hkillion@civicwell.org

For questions about sponsorship or the program, please contact:
Kelsey Wolf-Cloud
kwolfcloud@civicwell.org