The 30th Annual Yosemite Policymakers Conference brings together over 100 mayors, city council members, county supervisors, city managers, and other senior executives in the breathtaking beauty of Yosemite National Park.
This intimate three-day gathering is designed to support local elected officials with tools and partnership opportunities to implement innovative solutions to our most pressing community challenges.
2022 Yosemite Policymakers Conference
Recovery & Resiliency
As our state imagines a path forward from the COVID-19 pandemic, and faces increasingly extreme climate events, we find ourselves at a historic crossroads. We have a chance to choose paths – in housing, transportation, and energy – that offer opportunities for resiliency and equity amid the pressing perils that threaten our communities.
The transportation path we pursue now will determine how we move from place to place in the future. The mobility landscape is rapidly evolving, and the decisions we make now can help our communities have a shared, electric, accessible, safe, people-powered mobility future. Our ability to pivot away from the current preoccupation with personal cars will affect how much we do – or don’t – exacerbate environmental degradation and expand social inequities.
Our housing decisions will also shape our ability to reverse a trajectory that will continue to degrade natural and working lands, place people in areas of high wildfire risk, worsen traffic problems, unnecessarily increase infrastructure costs, and pollute our air and water. The pandemic only strengthened the already urgent imperative to fix our housing crisis. The right choices can make our communities more resilient, healthy, and prosperous.
The third step we must take is in how we power our lives. The energy sector is experiencing widespread disruption and evolution, as we’ve seen with the recent PG&E bankruptcy and power shut offs as well as the rapid growth of Community Choice Energy. These energy impacts disparately affect different communities. The gap between the richest and the poorest U.S. households is the largest it has been in 50 years.
As we make decisions about the places where we live and work, how we get to and from those places, and how we power our lives, we must also empower the social and environmental equity that makes our communities strong.
From our individual and collective experiences, we know that the blueprint for the clearest path to our best future lies with local governments. Local governments invent, encourage, and implement the solutions to many of our pressing challenges—from affordable housing and climate-change responses to the transitions in our energy and mobility sectors. With all of these responsibilities, and the forthcoming influx of infrastructure funding, local leaders must come together at this momentous juncture to share ideas and best practices, and advance forward-thinking solutions.
The conference will take place from Thursday evening, March 17th to Sunday morning, March 20th. The below agenda will be updated as more speakers are confirmed.
THURSDAY, MARCH 17
6:00 PM
Conference Registration
Participants free for dinner on their own
7:30 – 9:00 PM
Opening Remarks: Crossroads for Policymakers
Kate Wright, Executive Director, Local Government Commission
Kickoff Plenary Session: Next Generation Movement and Mobility
Toks Omishakin, Caltrans (invited)
Panel:
• Roger Dickinson, Policy Director, Local Government Commission; Former Assemblymember
• Lori Pepper, Deputy Secretary for Innovative Mobility Solutions, CalSTA
FRIDAY, MARCH 18
Participants free for breakfast on their own
9:30 – 11:30 AM
Powering Our Communities: Advancing Clean Energy
• Josh Brock, Vice President of CCA Commercial Operations, Calpine Energy Solutions, LLC
• Tanya Peacock, Senior Director, Government Affairs and Policy, Bloom Energy
• Das Williams, Santa Barbara County Supervisor
Community Economic Resilience Fund
Micah Weinberg, CEO, California Forward
11:30 – 7:30 PM
Conference Break
Participants free for lunch and dinner on their own
7:30 – 9:00 PM
Recovery and Resiliency
• Carl Guardino, Executive Vice President, Global Government Affairs & Policy, Bloom Energy (facilitator)
• Wade Crowfoot, Secretary, Natural Resources Agency
• David Shabazian, Director, Department of Conservation
• Lynn von Koch-Liebert, Executive Director, Strategic Growth Council
SATURDAY, MARCH 19
8:00 – 9:00 AM
Continental Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 AM
Supporting Virtual Life Post-Pandemic
• Darren Suen, Vice Mayor, City of Elk Grove
• Mike Leddy, Vice President of Technology Innovation, Crown Castle
10:00 – 10:15 AM
Networking Break
10:15 – 12:00 PM
Addressing Systemic Racism
• BJ Snowden, Interim Associate Vice President of Equity and Institutional Effectiveness, American River College
• Alana Mathews, Director, Prosecutors Alliance California and Adjunct Professor, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Lunchtime Discussions (boxed lunch for registered conference attendees)
1:00 – 5:00 PM
Conference Break
5:00 – 6:45 PM
Networking Reception: Dinner and No Host Bar
6:45 – 9:00 PM
Addressing the Housing and Homelessness Crisis
• Jason Elliot, Senior Counselor, Governor Gavin Newsom (invited)
• Steve Hansen, Managing Partner, Sacramento Office, Lighthouse Public Affairs
• Matt Horton, Director, Center for Regional Economics and California Center, Milken Institute
• Meea Kang, Senior Vice President, Related California LLC
• Anu Natarajan, Lead, Facebook: Housing Initiative
SUNDAY, MARCH 20
8:00 – 9:00 AM
Continental Breakfast
9:00 – 11:00 AM
Regional Roundtables
11:30 AM
Conference Adjourns
Josh Brock, Vice President of CCA Commercial Operations, Calpine Energy Solutions LLC
Wade Crowfoot, Secretary for California Natural Resources
Roger Dickinson, Policy Director, Local Government Commission and former CA State Assemblymember
Carl Guardino, Executive Vice President, Bloom Energy
Steve Hansen, former Sacramento City Councilmember; Managing Partner, Lighthouse Public Affairs
Matt Horton, Director, Center for Regional Economics and California Center, Milken Institute
Meea Kang, Senior Vice President of Development, Related California
Mike Leddy, Vice President of Technology Innovation, Crown Castle
Alana Mathews, Director, Prosecutors Alliance California and Adjunct Professor, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law
Anu Natarajan, Lead, Facebook: Housing Initiative
Tanya Peacock, Senior Director of Government Affairs and Policy, Bloom Energy
David Shabazian, Director, CA Department of Conservation
BJ Snowden, Interim Associate VP of Equity and Institutional Effectiveness, American River College
Darren Suen, Vice Mayor, City of Elk Grove
Lynn von Koch-Liebert, Executive Director, California Strategic Growth Council
Micah Weinberg, CEO/President, CA FWD
Das Williams, Santa Barbara County Supervisor
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.
| Regular Rate until Feb 27 | Late Registration Rate until Mar 10 | |
| $550 | $600 |
Conference registration includes conference materials; breakfast, box lunch, and dinner on Saturday; and breakfast on Sunday.
Refund requests will be honored if received in writing by February 27, 2022. All refunds are subject to a $100 processing fee. Refunds will be issued via the original payment method used at the time of registration.
After February 27, 2022, NO REFUNDS will be offered.
After February 27, should you need to cancel and replace yourself (send a substitute if you can no longer attend), you must contact aramsay@lgc.org with the replacement contact information no later than March 10, 2022.
UPDATE: Lodging is now sold out at both the Yosemite Valley Lodge and the Ahwahnee Hotel. If you have not yet booked your lodging for the conference, you have two options (or a combination of the two):
- Book your lodging at the 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.
- Sign up for our roommate request list. Contact Alana Ramsay if you would also like to be added to the waitlist for single room cancellations.
Please note that we are working with both the Lodge and the Ahwahnee to try to secure more rooms for the conference, but there is no guarantee. We will update this page should we be able to.
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The 2022 Yosemite 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 13929T at both the Yosemite Valley Lodge and the Ahwahnee Hotel. Our group rate for the Ahwahnee Hotel is $549/night, and $278/night for the Yosemite Valley Lodge. Book soon, as these will sell out!
If you would like to reserve a room, visit www.travelyosemite.com or contact the hotel’s reservations office at 888-413-8869 option 1 and reserve a room from our block using the group code 13929T. You can find detailed instructions here.
Are you interested in sharing a room and/or setting up a rideshare? If so, fill out this form to be matched with another interested attendee.
We are looking for Conference Sponsors – agencies, organizations, foundations, and companies – who are leading the way in innovative resiliency solutions and smart growth strategies.
Our flagship event is an excellent opportunity for sponsors to build meaningful relationships with local policymakers, highlight and deepen your commitment to livable communities, and raise your profile in the smart growth arena.
To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, view the Sponsorship Brochure or contact Kathy Chow at kchow@lgc.org for information.
COVID-19 Prevention Statement
The Local Government Commission is committed to preventing the spread of COVID-19. For the safety of all guests, we ask that all attendees either 1) submit proof of vaccination or 2) show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the event at check-in. Registrants who fail to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test will not be permitted entrance to the event and no refund will be issued.
In addition, LGC will be taking other measures as recommended by the CDC to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. These measures may include but are not limited to: social distancing, masking, hand-washing, and sanitization of commonly used spaces and materials.
Subject to change dependent on CDC Guidelines.
COVID-Related Cancellation Policy
We currently do not anticipate the conference being canceled due to COVID-19, but are monitoring the CDC, State, and applicable County guidelines. We plan to hold the event following the most current COVID-19 safety protocols.
Registered attendees requesting a refund due to individual COVID-19 concerns will be held to our existing refund policy (see Registration section). If the National Park Service prevents us from holding the event, or external factors arise that prevent us from holding the event, we will issue full refunds to registered attendees.
As of now, we are requiring proof of full vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test 24-hours prior to registration check-in to attend the event. We may update these requirements in accordance with CDC, State, and County guidelines. Please check our website regularly. If you have already registered, information will be sent to you directly on any new changes.
No refunds will be issued to registrants who refuse to follow COVID-19 protocols; however, we will issue a partial refund (the registration fee paid less a $100 administrative fee) to those who submit proof of a positive COVID-19 test within 7 days of the start of the event.
For questions on the conference, please contact:
Alana Ramsay
Administrative and HR Coordinator
(916) 448-1198 ex 313
aramsay@lgc.org
Thank you to our 2022 Conference Sponsors!
Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Beneficial State Bank
California Air Resources Board
Sacramento Metro Air Quality Management District
Southern California Association of Governments
Thank you to our Business Partners!
The Yosemite Policymakers Conference is presented by the Local Government Commission.
