Senator Steve Padilla was elected to the Senate in November 2022, representing the counties of San Diego, Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino. Senator Padilla is a native of San Diego, a graduate of Bonita Vista High school, and lifelong Chula Vista resident. Senator Padilla has dedicated his life to public service. Before becoming an elected official, he served 13 years in law enforcement, beginning in the City of Chula Vista and concluding in the City of Coronado, where he served as a Detective, specializing in domestic violence and child abuse. Senator Padilla’s interest in public affairs began early in life, as did his service to Chula Vista, where he served as a member of the Board of Ethics and Safety Commission. He was elected for the first time to the City Council in 1994 and served two terms. In 2002, Steve was elected the City’s 38th Mayor and served from 2002 – 2006. Senator Padilla returned to elected office in 2016 and, only one year later, was appointed for the second time to the California Coastal Commission, where he served as Chairman from 2019-2021. Prior to being elected to the State Senate, Steve worked with a variety of private entities, non-profit organizations, and public interest groups advocating on economic development projects, and transportation, housing, environmental and social justice issues. In 2008, he served as a member of the Independent Task Force on U.S. Immigration Policy for the Council on Foreign Relations. Senator Padilla is noted for being the first person of color ever elected to City office in Chula Vista history, the first Latino Mayor, and the first openly LGBT person to serve or be elected to city office. He holds undergraduate degrees in Liberal Arts and Public Administration from Southwestern College and National University, and studied law at Western State University, College of Law. He has been a published columnist writing on local, state, and national policy issues. Senator Padilla is proud father to Ashleigh, an accomplished professional in political and policy advocacy, and his son-in-law, Nelson, a former political staffer and current U.S. Naval officer. https://sd18.senate.ca.gov/biography

Martha Guzman has over 25 years of experience in state and federal government where she has focused on developing and implementing equity-based solutions in the energy, water, agriculture and environment sectors. As Regional Administrator (RA) for the US EPA she led efforts to protect public health and the environment for the region spanning Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the U.S. Pacific Islands territories, and 148 Tribal Nations. As RA, she led the listing of the first superfund site on the Navajo Nation’s- the Lukachukai district, coordinated the EPA clean up and recovery efforts in Maui, and led the enforcement efforts in Oahu requiring the Navy to shut down the 250 million gallons Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. Before the EPA, Martha served as a Commissioner at the California Public Utilities Commission, where she developed new strategies to expand Broadband for All, including the development of a tribal technical assistance fund to assist tribal nations in their project development. Martha also focused on energy and water affordability strategies, like increasing access to clean energy programs for Disadvantaged Communities, preventing disconnections of basic utilities during the Covid Response and spearheaded the Interagency Solar Consumer Protection Taskforce. She championed the Tribal Land Policy which provides tribes the right of first refusal for utility property that is sold/donated. Prior to joining the CPUC she served as Deputy Legislative Affairs Secretary in the Office of the Governor where she worked on the passage of the Human Right to Water, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, the Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy and multiple renewable energy and environment issues. Earlier in her career, she focused on issues around agriculturally based rural communities. She was the Sustainable Communities program director for the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation where she focused on the lack of basic infrastructure and services in rural communities, as well as issues of health and safety like pesticide drift exposure and heat illnesses. She worked for Swanton Berry Farm on human resource issues, and before that, she was the legislative coordinator for United Farm Workers focused on improving the rights of agricultural workers. Throughout her career, Martha has worked on local, state and federal political campaigns. She co-founded Communities for a New California, a 501(c)4 focused on engaging voters in the Central Valley and Coachella Valley. Martha earned a Master of Science degree in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of California, Davis, and a Bachelor of Science in International Economics from Georgetown University.

Andrew Bowen has been the metro reporter for KPBS since 2015. He covers local politics with a focus on the intersection between housing, transportation and the environment. His coverage of San Diego's infrastructure challenges in the face of climate change won the 2025 Distinguished Coverage Award from the San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He's also the creator and host of the award-winning podcast, Freeway Exit, which tells the forgotten history of San Diego's urban freeways through the lens of racial and environmental justice.

Adria Tinnin joined TURN in March 2022 as Race Impact Policy Analyst and took on the role of Director of Race Equity and Legislative Policy in late 2024. Adria examines TURN’s policies and positions on utility-consumer advocacy and state legislative work to eradicate structural and/or institutional racism that exists in utility regulatory practice and ultimately improve energy and telecommunications outcomes for Black, Indigenous and People of Color. Before coming to TURN, Adria was a researcher and lecturer in the Political Science Department at UCLA, teaching courses in American politics and the politics of environmental racism. Her research focused on inequities in regulatory enforcement in low-income communities and communities of color. Adria earned a B.A, M.A. and PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is currently based in Sacramento, CA. https://www.turn.org/atinnin

Chloe joined Sunstone Strategies in 2020 and for the past six years, she’s been leading communications campaigns for some of the most successful climate initiatives in California, particularly related to 100% clean energy, electricity affordability and building decarbonization. Prior to joining Sunstone, Chloe worked as a 2019 editorial fellow at Sierra magazine, where she wrote about climate change and the environment. Chloe developed a dedication to climate issues while interning for the Political Climate podcast, which focuses on the intersection between politics and the climate crisis.