What Are You Grateful for in 2025?

As each year comes to a close, Valley Vision staff reflect on what we have been grateful for over the past year. It’s an annual tradition, and we are excited to share our reflections with you. Thank you for continuing to support and collaborate with us!

Building Momentum Around Biomass as an Economic Driver and Environmental Necessity

Highlights from Valley Vision’s Second Legislative Roundtable

Launched in 2025, the Legislators’ Roundtable builds on the success of the annual Livability Summit, bringing together the twenty-one state and federal District Directors representing our region with civic and nonprofit leaders. Meeting quarterly, these bipartisan convenings provide a powerful platform for strategic communication, relationship-building, and collaboration to directly shape solutions that impact communities across Sacramento.

As the regional convener for California Jobs First, Valley Vision is providing legislators with exclusive, real-time insights into the region’s most innovative and impactful work. This roundtable offers a first-hand look at groundbreaking data, research, and cross-sector initiatives that can help align efforts with legislative partners and drive meaningful progress in areas such as housing, education, workforce development, manufacturing, and economic mobility. By ensuring alignment between legislative offices and community leaders, the roundtable fosters collaboration that drives meaningful, lasting impact, equipping policymakers with the insights they need while empowering regional partners to advance shared priorities.

Takeaways from the August 14th Roundtable

We appreciate the dedication of the Capital Region delegation who continues to show up for their communities and join us in the Legislators’ Roundtable series. This second convening was designed to strengthen partnerships between policymakers and regional leaders, highlighting the momentum behind the region’s bioeconomy as a driver of innovation, resilience, and good jobs.

Federal and state district staff explored the current landscape of biomass utilization projects, identified key challenges, and discussed legislative strategies to accelerate progress.

Elizabeth Betancourt, Natural and Working Lands Policy Advisor with the California Department of Conservation, highlighted how biomass utilization aligns with several of the state’s most pressing priorities, including California’s commitment to carbon neutrality and zero-carbon electricity by 2025, while also addressing urgent wildfire prevention and forest management needs. She noted the potential to avoid more than $3.1 billion annually in public health costs by reducing wildfire damages and improving overall air quality. Her remarks underscored both the scale of the opportunity and the need to scale investments to realize these benefits.

A panel of industry and community leaders further highlighted opportunities in renewable fuels, grid resilience, rural manufacturing, and workforce development. They emphasized the importance of legislative and policy alignment to accelerate progress and overcome barriers in permitting, financing, and infrastructure that often delay project development.

Panel Facilitated by Lindsey Nitta, Camptonville Community Partnership

• Matt Boeger, COO, Regen Biofuels
• Dr. Matt Summers, COO, West Biofuels
• Sam Kang, COO, Pioneer Community Energy
• Amy Berry, CEO, Tahoe Fund

Attendees engaged in a candid exchange of ideas about the future of biomass in the Capital Region. Discussions reinforced the need for stable funding streams to scale projects, integration of biomass into California’s broader clean energy portfolio, and development of strong workforce pipelines so local communities can fully benefit from emerging opportunities. The Roundtable emphasized that sustained collaboration with legislators will be essential to scaling solutions and realizing these benefits.

Get Involved in Local Biomass Solutions

Encourage continued collaboration, investment, and advocacy to keep biomass at the forefront of the region’s clean economy strategies. 

Join us for the 2025 “Biomass & Beyond” Symposium on November 5th! Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1571550532949

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Gretchen James is a Project Manager focused on the Leadership & Civic Engagement and Clean Air & Climate impact areas. Outside of work, Gretchen enjoys spending time in nature and supporting local artists.

We Prosper Together Awards an Additional $4 Million to Advance 11 High-Impact Projects in the Capital Region

This completes the distribution of $9 million worth of funding aimed at advancing sustainable industry growth and economic resilience across the eight counties

MEDIA CONTACT – Ronit Sholkoff (valleyvision@wearerally.com)

SACRAMENTO, CA — August 5, 2025 —We Prosper Together is investing $4 million in 11 transformative initiatives across the eight-county Capital Region to advance economic resilience and prosperity. This round of funding completes We Prosper Together’s latest effort to fund local and regional projects that create, attract, and increase access to quality jobs. Projects selected in this round cover a diverse range of critical focus areas — including biotechnology, small business support, community health, and accessible workforce pathways. These projects are poised to address key community needs, expand economic opportunities, and drive impact for residents across the region. 

“These community-led projects will help unlock the potential of the Capital Region’s most promising industries, while investing in our workers and economy in the process. We’re excited to see how these projects, combined with the ones we selected during our first round of funding, will help residents build a more secure, prosperous, and sustainable future for themselves and their families,” said Evan Schmidt, CEO of Valley Vision. 

The funding represents the second and final round of investments in the Catalyst Phase, a critical step in enacting the strategies outlined in We Prosper Together’s Regional Plan: Strategies for a Thriving and Inclusive Economy. The Catalyst Phase funding is designed to get projects ready for full implementation and position them to compete effectively for future federal, state, or private funding. In total, the Catalyst Phase awarded $9 million to a total of 22 high-impact projects throughout the Capital Region’s eight counties. 

The selected projects of this round tackle critical regional challenges through activities like creating remote work opportunities for full-time caregivers, hiring Spanish-speaking small business advisors, laying the groundwork for a thriving local biotechnology workforce, and developing a sustainable program to train justice-impacted individuals for careers in fire service. 

“As someone who works with disinvested communities, especially mothers with children and caregivers, it was really affirming for me to be in a space where that population was being prioritized. In addition to that, being a part of this project broadened my perspective as to what economic development is, and reaffirmed for me that the work we’re doing at my organization is helping families across our region prosper and thrive.” said Jeneba Lahai, Executive Director of Yolo County’s Children Alliance (YCCA).

The full list of funding recipients is as follows: 

• AgHIRE Expansion Planning Initiative, Center for Land-Based Learning 
• Bio-Mass Recycle to Energy 7 County, Nevada-Sierra Connecting Point Public Authority 
• Colusa USDA and CDFA Certified Meat Processing Facility, City of Colusa 
• Community Health and Working Lands Workforce Pilot, Yolo County Children’s Alliance 
• Justice-Involved Fire Service Planning Project, Future Fire Academy 
• NextGen BioFab: AI-Powered Training for Tomorrow’s Biotech Innovators, University of California, Davis 
• Project IGNITE (Investigating Growth Needs in Inclusive Technical Education), Green Technical Education and Employment (Green Tech)
• Rooted to Rise: Working Lands Economic Master Plan, El Dorado Economic Generator & Germination Fund (Our EGG) of the El Dorado Community Foundation
• Tahoe Business Catalyst Pilot, Tahoe Prosperity Center 
• Working Lands Workforce Development Pipeline, Yuba College 
• WorkReady: Remote Careers for Moms and Caregivers in Business Services, Playzeum Yuba Sutter 

To learn more about the projects listed, visit our website: weprospertogether.org/catalyst-projects. 

The work of We Prosper Together is supported by the statewide initiative California Jobs First and builds on the newly released California Jobs First Economic Blueprint. 

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About We Prosper Together 

Representing eight counties in the Capital Region, over 150 organizations, and hundreds of community leaders and residents, We Prosper Together is driving a community-led approach to building a stronger regional economy. We Prosper Together is working to elevate diverse voices, encourage investments, amplify local solutions, and create living-wage jobs for families in Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties. Visit weprospertogether.org to learn more and get involved.

Cap-to-Cap 2025 Highlights from Valley Vision Staff

Valley Vision has a long history of participating in the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s Capitol-to-Capitol program, which serves as our region’s premier federal advocacy opportunity each year. This program provides opportunities to meet with the Sacramento Region’s federal legislators and encourages participants to meet with federal agencies, many of whom oversee competitive funding programs.

This year’s 53rd annual “Cap-to-Cap” was the largest on record, with 450+ leaders participating. Valley Vision staff led and supported many of the topic-based teams and, in keeping with tradition, have documented their experiences below.

Evan Schmidt, CEO (Business Climate Team): “As always, it is great to see our region coming together for common purpose. There really is nothing like travelling with 400+ regional leaders to make new connections across people and issues that help us all get things done! While funding constraints and rapid change in agencies are presenting challenges for the region, it is also clear that our regional elected leaders in DC are committed to creating wins for our region whenever possible. Our ability to lean in together on key asks and aligned goals will be critically important – Valley Vision is committed to helping shape that cohesive vision through our work.”

Trish Kelly, Managing Director (Food & Agriculture Team): “The 2025 Cap-to-Cap program was a different experience for our Food and Agriculture team from previous years given the intensity of budget negotiations; recent and pending program funding terminations that are affecting our region; changes and gaps in agency staffing; and overall uncertainty. It was a timely visit for us to communicate our priorities to the Senate and House Agriculture Committees which are negotiating the passage of the Farm Bill and facing difficult decisions to reach targeted budget cuts, especially for SNAP food security programs that also provide important revenues for our farmers, grocers and food producers. It’s very special to join our dedicated partners as we elevate the assets of our food system and break bread together in shared purpose.”

Renee John, Managing Director (Business Climate Team): “Cap to Cap provides a unique opportunity to connect with decision makers on key issues facing our region. From meetings on Capitol Hill, to networking events, and the spontaneous “walk and talk” that happens as we are hustling between meetings and events, the shared experience of this program encourages deeper conversations that can really move the needle on regional economic prosperity.”

Adrian Rehn, Director (Air Quality Team): “It was a very interesting year in D.C. I’ve been participating in Cap-to-Cap since 2019 and have not experienced the “vibe” of scarcity that we saw in 2025. Offices told us that there was little money for our programs, or – as in the case of U.S. EPA – that they would not be enforcing basic functions that business, government, and community members rely on. That said, there were some opportunities that became apparent to our Air Quality Team members – energy resilience is still a priority, and there is bipartisan interest in biomass utilization solutions that protect our landscapes from wildfire, create rural jobs, and generate high-value products. We look forward to pursuing these threads through the year through the Cleaner Air Partnership and other avenues.”

We Prosper Together Awards $5 Million to Advance 11 High-Impact Projects in the Capital Region

This marks the first of two rounds of funding aimed at catalyzing economic resilience in the eight-county region

MEDIA CONTACT – Sabina Li (valleyvision@wearerally.com)

SACRAMENTO, CA — March 6, 2024 — We Prosper Together is investing $5 million in 11 transformative initiatives across the Capital Region to advance economic resilience and create high-quality jobs. Spanning a diversity of sectors—including biotech, clean energy, food and agriculture, and precision manufacturing—these projects are poised to strengthen key industries, foster innovation, and expand economic opportunities for residents across all eight counties.

“We’re creating a pipeline of transformative projects that address our region’s economic challenges, leverage promising industry sectors, and create equitable economic growth. This funding is just the beginning. We’re excited to continue supporting high-impact projects that will help residents earn a living wage and build a more secure future for themselves and their families,” said Evan Schmidt, CEO of Valley Vision.

The funding represents the first round of investments in the Catalyst Phase, a critical step in enacting the strategies outlined in We Prosper Together’s Regional Plan: Strategies for a Thriving and Inclusive Economy. The Catalyst Phase funding is designed to get projects and ideas ready for full implementation and position them to compete effectively for future federal, state, or private funding. The second round of Catalyst Phase funding will open within the next three months and distribute an additional $4 million to projects across the region.

The selected projects tackle critical regional challenges from multiple angles, including expanding workforce training programs to address labor shortages, building opportunities in future-ready jobs, strengthening the local agricultural ecosystem through food hubs and incubators, and providing students with hands-on learning opportunities in high-demand careers.

“We Prosper Together is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring communities together to chart the future of good jobs in our region. This funding lets us take our workforce development programs into eight counties and work with community members of all ages to introduce them to jobs available now and the jobs that are coming up next,” said Orville Thomas, CEO of the California Mobility Center.

The full list of funding recipients is as follows:

• Building a Healthcare Talent Pipeline: Quality Jobs for Stronger Communities, Los Rios Community College District
• Capitol Region Biotech Talent Partnership, Sacramento Employment and Training Agency
• Cultivating Resilient Rural Food Ecosystems, Sierra Commons
• District Ranch Agritourism and Workforce Pilot, Nevada Joint Union High School District
• EPIC on the Road, Cal EPIC [California Energy, Power, and Innovation Collaborative], formerly the California Mobility Center
• Forest Biomass Business Center – Feasibility Study and Business Planning, Camptonville Community Partnership
• Greater Sacramento TPM Manufacturing Collaborative: Digital Tools Initiative, Roseville Area Chamber of Commerce
• Growing Quality Working Lands Jobs: Last-Mile Development of the Yolo Food Hub to Benefit Rural Agricultural Workers, Small Farms and Food Businesses, New Season Community Development Corporation
• Skilled Trades Workforce Pipeline Project, Sacramento Municipal Utility District
• The Plant Food and Agriculture Innovation Center Pre-Development Project, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Yuba Sutter Food Hub Feasibility Study, Yuba Sutter Food Bank

The work of We Prosper Together is supported by the statewide initiative California Jobs First and builds on the newly released California Jobs First Economic Blueprint.

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About We Prosper Together

Representing eight counties in the Capital Region, over 150 organizations, and hundreds of community leaders and residents, We Prosper Together is driving a community-led approach to building a stronger regional economy. We Prosper Together is working to elevate diverse voices, encourage investments, amplify local solutions, and create living-wage jobs for families in Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties. Visit weprospertogether.org to learn more and get involved.

Cleaner Air Partnership Ready to Respond to Shifts at Federal Level

by Gretchen Bennitt, Yolo-Solano AQMD & Debbie Wells, CEMEX (Co-Chairs of the Cleaner Air Partnership)

The longstanding Cleaner Air Partnership (CAP), the premier public-private coalition focused on improving air quality in California’s Capital Region, is ready to adjust to the changes in Federal policy and funding dynamics brought on by the Trump Administration. This partnership is unlike any other in the state – where air quality regulators, industry, and the nonprofit sector work together on air quality issues of common concern, for the benefit of all. From the statehouse to the U.S. Capitol, we are consistently told that our innovative model for collaboration is something that people haven’t seen before – breaking barriers and enabling progress. This approach is needed now more than ever.

CAP has accomplished much over the years, from (1) reducing pollution impacts from the San Francisco Bay Area by catalyzing their adherence to Smog Check II, (2) establishing support for SMAQMD to create and implement Check Before You Burn policies that became the national standard for particulate control, (3) securing Capital Region representation on the CA Air Resources Board, and (4) successfully advocating for South Sacramento’s designation as an AB 617 Community Air Protection community for targeted air quality investments and incentives. In all of these cases, business, government, and the community came out ahead. Good air quality is good for business.

Reframing Our Priorities:

The new Federal Administration has clearly emphasized investment in business and industry. Considering CAP’s longtime focus on incentives for cleaner vehicles, equipment, and more to transition toward lower environmental impact, we see an opportunity to look for some common ground. One of our approaches for engagement with newly minted Federal leaders will focus on preserving consumer choice, and is expected to serve as a role model for other areas of the nation and state. One vital CAP role will be to help educate leaders about potential regional impacts and opportunities related to changing regulatory landscapes. At the same time – while priorities are changing, we know that we still have overburdened communities with a disproportionate amount of air pollution and related health impacts that need to be addressed.

The Cleaner Air Partnership is currently gearing up to take part in the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s “Capitol-to-Capitol” program, which will bring 400 regional leaders to Washington, D.C. in May 2025 to advocate for our region’s Federal policy and funding priorities. Each year, CAP helps to lead two of the thirteen issue-focused teams – ‘Air Quality’ and ‘Wildfire & Forest Management.’ New leadership means a new way of talking about our priorities – something we’re taking very seriously as we build out a gameplan for this year’s program. For example, adequate staffing levels at Federal agencies help government be responsive to business needs. Investing in American-made battery storage and grid resilience supports energy independence. And biomass-to-energy solutions prevent wildfires and support rural jobs. This reframing will be critical to relationship-building in D.C. and getting things done for our communities.

Attaining Air Quality Goals:

Since 1986, this collaborative of air quality regulators, industry, public health organizations, and nonprofits have successfully weathered seven Presidents, multiple economic downturns, and big changes to technology while continuously advocating for cleaner air. In fact – we are pleased to share the news that the Sacramento Federal Nonattainment Area is expecting to demonstrate attainment of the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Ozone in 2024! We will also continue working with U.S. EPA, CARB, air districts, and our regulated community towards attaining the 2015 Federal Ozone Standard. Local air quality regulators work hard to meet and maintain Federal air quality health standards by adopting and enforcing air quality programs, maintaining air monitoring networks, and administering federal, state and local air quality grant programs. Attainment of the 2008 ozone standard is a huge milestone that has been decades in the making, and speaks to the progress that we can make when diverse partners come together around a common mission.

The Cleaner Air Partnership looks forward to continuing our important work – to make progress on public health and economic growth through improvements in air quality now and into the future.

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The Cleaner Air Partnership a unique public-private partnership across business, transportation, the environment, health, and local government that promotes cleaner air in the Sacramento region. Originally founded in 1986 by Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails and the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and later joined by Valley Vision, the Cleaner Air Partnership’s purpose is to protect our health and promote economic growth by supporting green industry, smart land use, and leading-edge research while lowering emissions. The Partnership is led by two co-equal co-leads from the public and private sectors, respectively.

The Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District’s mission is to protect human health and property from the harmful effects of air pollution. As a public health agency, the District is responsible for safeguarding air quality and overseeing air pollution control in Yolo and northeastern Solano counties. For more information, visit www.ysaqmd.org.

Cemex is a global building materials company committed to providing innovative and sustainable solutions for the construction industry. Cemex has set an ambitious goal to become a net-zero CO2 company by 2050, striving to make sustainability a part of its everyday decision-making processes. For more information, visit www.cemex.com.