SBCCOG’s 25th Annual General Assembly Speakers
Jacki Bacharach
Executive Director, SBCCOG
Los Angeles, CA
Jacki Bacharach has been the executive director of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG) since 1998. Her duties include program and project management and grant administration, including oversight responsibility for the South Bay Environmental Services Center, transportation projects promoting slow-speed, zero-emission vehicles and the South Bay’s Measure R and Measure M transportation programs. Special initiatives are as diverse as services for homeless and for seniors, creation of the South Bay Fiber Network, climate action plan implementation strategies and legislative advocacy.
She is also a member and past chair of the Los Angeles County Quality and Productivity Commission appointed by LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn.
Additional career highlights include the following:
- Rancho Palos Verdes mayor and councilmember for 14 years
- Los Angeles County Transportation Commissioner (LACTC) for 12 years (LACTC is the agency that was responsible for transportation planning in Los Angeles until 1993 when Metro was formed). She chaired the commission’s Planning and Rail Construction Committees and the Commission itself. She led the committees through the development of the overall rail plan for LA County as well as overseeing the construction of the Metro Blue and Green Lines.
- Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink) Founding Chair, the five-county agency that is operating the Metrolink commuter rail system.
- Los Angeles-San Diego Rail Corridor Agency founding vice chair, which oversaw improvements to LA-San Diego Amtrak service.
- Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority charter board member, which dealt with landside access to the Ports of LA and Long Beach.
- League of California Cities Transportation and Communications Committee chair.
- National Commission on Intermodal Transportation member appointed by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Federico Peña.
- President Clinton’s Transition Team Transportation Cluster Group member
- California Elected Women’s Association for Education and Research president
In the two federal positions, she was the only member from California.
From 2004 to 2005, she was also the executive director of the Ventura County Council of Governments.
Jacki graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in political science.
Stephen Bourne
Project Director, AtkinsRealis
Atlanta, GA
Stephen (Steve) Bourne has 20 years of experience in climate research, water resources and civil engineering, and software development. Steve graduated from the world-class water resources engineering graduate program at Georgia Tech in the US. A common thread to Steve’s work is a focus on helping communities plan for the future through quantifying their ability to thrive under changing climate and other threats. A key part of this work is AtkinsRealis’ City Simulator tool, of which Steve is inventor lead developer. City Simulator creates a digital twin of a community and then evolves it over the 2025-2100-time frame, simulating both growth of the community and future climate change influenced threats like storms, heat waves and drought. Through its high-detail simulation, communities can quantify where their vulnerabilities lie and how vulnerable they are. They can then create scenarios for adaptation and mitigation and stress-test their plans to find the maximum return on investment approaches to increasing their resilience. City Simulator has been applied in more than a dozen locations around the world including two 200-mile transportation corridors in North Carolina, the state of Nevada, and the global supply chain moving through the Port of Prince Rupert in western Canada. It is capturing the imagination of global audiences looking for new ways to increase their resilience to future climate change.
During the many years he has resided in Gardena, councilmember Tanaka has been a distinguished leader with the Gardena Elks Lodge, an executive leader with Kiwanis International, and is an honoree on the City of Gardena Wall of Fame. He is sharing new ideas for the betterment of the city, its citizens, and members of the business community.
Amanda Hansen
Acting Senior Advisor for Climate, Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
Sacramento, CA
Amanda Hansen currently serves as the Acting Senior Advisor for Climate in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. In April 2019, she was appointed to the role of Deputy Secretary for Climate Change at the California Natural Resources Agency. She previously worked for the New York Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Department of State. She lives in El Dorado Hills, California.
Adam Howell
Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives, AtkinsRealis
Alexandria, VA
Adam Howell is AtkinsRealis’ National Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives, primarily supporting business solutions designed to serve cities and towns across the country. As a certified planner, Mr. Howell’s work with AtkinsRealis has been recognized around the country, and through international publications, helping to advance critical planning conversations for multimodal infrastructure investment and how to partner for success. Prior to joining AtkinsRealis in 2019, he held various public-sector roles, helping cities, regions and states prioritize and implement critical infrastructure and public transportation needs. With his background in transit and research applications on public health, Mr. Howell is eager to help cities and regions focus on the future with modern infrastructure solutions that enhance improved quality of life factors. Mr. Howell earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and a Master’s in City & Regional Planning from Morgan State University.
Michael Jenkins
Partner, Best Best & Krieger, LLP
General Council, SBCCOG
Los Angeles, CA
Michael Jenkins has practiced in the area of municipal law for forty-seven years, serving as city attorney and special counsel for many cities around the State. He has for many years served as General Counsel to the South Bay Cities Council of Governments. He is Of Counsel with the law firm of Best Best & Krieger.
Don Knabe
Supervisor, Fourth District (Ret.) County of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Supervisor Don Knabe was first elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in November of 1996 and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012. Supervisor Knabe retired in December 2016 after attending 5,985 chicken dinners at public events.
Supervisor Knabe represented the Fourth District, which is a uniquely diverse area that is home to over two million residents and includes two of the nation’s largest economic hubs; the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and Los Angeles International Airport. The Fourth District is also geographically diverse, stretching from Marina del Rey to the Palos Verdes Peninsula to Long Beach all the way east to Diamond Bar and dozens of cities in between. The Fourth District also includes Catalina Island and San Clemente Island.
Supervisor Knabe has spent much of his political career working to protect the innocent and vulnerable children in Los Angeles County. He established the Safe Surrender program in Los Angeles County which allows someone to surrender an infant within 72 hours of birth, as long as the infant shows no signs of abuse. Since 2001, over 160 babies have been safely surrendered in Los Angeles County. In 2015, Supervisor Knabe launched a scholarship program to benefit children who have been safely surrendered.
Supervisor Knabe is also known as a national leader on the issue of child sex trafficking. In 2012, he launched a county-wide awareness campaign to spread the word that young girls are being sexually exploited for money right here in southern California. In 2013, he testified on the issue of child sex trafficking at a hearing before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in Washington, D.C., and, in 2014, he advocated for stiffer penalties for the buyers and sellers of young girls at the National Press Club with Congressman Ted Poe of Texas.
Supervisor Knabe is a leader in regional transportation currently serving as a Director for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Supervisor Knabe is a member of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink), where he serves on the Executive Management and Audit Committee.
Supervisor Knabe has a true passion for the arts and attributes much of his own personal success to an early involvement with music. His enthusiasm for the arts has resulted in the creation of several innovative youth programs, such as the Pediatric Arts Program at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, and the Arts Education Partnership Program, which provides grants to schools and community-based organizations to fund visual art, dance, music, and theatre programs for students.
In 2014, Supervisor Knabe announced the start of “Operation Libraries,” a plan to invest $45 million to upgrade county libraries in communities throughout the Fourth District.
“Enriching Lives”
Supervisor Knabe is an advocate for environmental initiatives throughout Los Angeles County. In 2012, Supervisor Knabe called upon federal and state legislators to amend decades-old laws and regulations to encourage the development of innovative conversion technologies in Los Angeles County, as an alternative to landfills. Through conversion technologies, trash that would get dumped in a landfill would be converted into fuels and energy sources. In addition, Supervisor Knabe has led the County’s efforts to improve overall water quality, including 19 projects within the Fourth District that will lower pollution and divert storm water from the ocean, including the Dominguez Gap Wetlands Project, which was completed in 2008, improved water quality, created recreation opportunities for residents and visitors an enhanced the environment by creating an open space habitat for the community.
Supervisor Knabe is respected for the strength of his grassroots support and considerable experience in local government, which have made him a highly regarded voice, not only at home in the Fourth District, but in Sacramento and Washington D.C. He was elected to the Cerritos City Council in 1980 and served as a Councilman for eight years, including two terms as Mayor. Supervisor Knabe was Mayor during the Cerritos Air Crash in 1986.
Supervisor Knabe is an avid golfer, and hosts the Knabe Cup, a CIF sanctioned golf tournament for high school boys and girls teams in the Fourth District. He also supports junior golf clinics for kids to develop a love for the game of golf at a young age.
As Chief of Staff to the late Fourth District Supervisor Deane Dana, Supervisor Knabe gained invaluable insight into crucial Federal, State and Local issues and the needs of the Fourth District’s two million constituents.
Supervisor Knabe is a veteran having served in the United States Navy. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa. Supervisor Knabe and his wife, Julie, have been married for 50 years. They have two married sons, and four incredible grandchildren.
Lujuana Medina
Environmental Initiatives Division Manager – SoCalREN, Energy & Environmental Services, County of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
With over 16 years in the energy industry and now a local government leader, Lujuana is responsible for managing and operating environmental initiatives programs administered by the County of Los Angeles. This includes the Southern California Regional Energy Network (a portfolio of energy efficiency programs) and the SoCal EVen Access (a portfolio of EV infrastructure programs). Her work focuses on the opportunities that climate change presents to redesign existing systems and processes while collaborating with diverse partners to implement equitable, innovative, and comprehensive climate solutions.
Eleanor Murphy
Project Coordinator, SBCCOG
Los Angeles, CA
Eleanor Murphy is an Energy Efficiency Project Coordinator for the South Bay Cities Council of Governments. She graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in environmental science and a minor in public affairs. In UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability she was a student researcher for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) researching warehouse pollution in the Inland Empire. She has also worked as an intern at an educational non-profit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is passionate about environmental justice and community engagement and works on increasing energy efficiency in public agencies (cities and schools) as well as implementing direct install programs in underserved homes and businesses. Along with technical assistance, she works on social media and communications projects and event planning.
Jake Romoff
Project Coordinator, SBCCOG
Los Angeles, CA
Jake Romoff joined the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG) in 2024 as a project coordinator for Transportation and Land Use. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2023 with a degree in geography. During his time at UCLA, Jake worked as the Sustainability Growth Manager for an emerging EV-based start-up. At the Council of Governments, Jake focuses on program research and advancement for the Local Travel Network, Digital Equity, and the South Bay Fiber Network. He strongly believes in sustainable and equitable access to mobility and digital tools for all.
Wally Siembab
Research Director, SBCCOG
Los Angeles, CA
Wally Siembab has served as the South Bay Cities Council of Governments’ (SBCCOG) research director since 2003. He is responsible for integrating land use, transportation and technology into an equitable sustainability strategy for the SBCCOG and South Bay cities. Key projects include designing and directing the South Bay Transportation Study, South Bay Sustainability Strategy, Neighborhood Electric Demonstration, Battery Electric Demonstration, and Land Use and Transportation Chapter of the SBCCOG’s Climate Action Plan. He currently advises on the implementation of the Local Travel Network and develops strategies for the South Bay Fiber Network and the Digital Equity program.
Wally has lived in the LA area since 1955 and is a triple Bruin. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics, a Master of Science in urban and land economics, and an “all but dissertation” PhD in urban planning & regional planning and social information processing from the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior jobs include serving as an economist for Daniel, Mann, Johnson and Mendenhall and Voorhies Trindle & Nelson Orange County. He also served as the chief of long-range planning for the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Telecommunications.
Wally owns a consulting firm. Before his time with the SBCCOG, his clients included the cities of Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Los Angeles, Fontana, Seattle, Portland, Dayton, and Atlanta. Highlights include designing the Hudson County Cyber District; acting as technology adviser and co-lead educator on telecommunication policies for local elected officials for the League of California Cities; authoring the Metro Net policy for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro); designing and developing the Blue Line TeleVillage for Metro; designing and developing the Telework Facilities Exchange for AQMD and designing the Riverdale e-Village for the Village of Riverdale (Chicago suburb). He has spoken at several international conferences, published many peer-reviewed articles on land use and digital broadband, and had award-winning designs in City of the Future competitions.
Wally enjoys collecting photography and records from around the world.
Dan Sturges
Mobilitee, LLC
Boulder, CO
Dan Sturges is the Cofounder and visionary of Mobilitee, LLC, a design consultancy focused on creating integrated mobility options – enabling residents in U.S. suburban households to live great, connected lives – without needing to own a second automobile.
For nearly 40 years, Dan has been a pioneer in sustainable mobility, blending vehicle innovation, urban planning, and system design to transform how people move. He designed and launched the first Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) – now known as the GEM car – helping to establish the Low-Speed Vehicle (LSV) category with NHTSA. Dan has worked at General Motors, frogdesign, Calstart, and Local Motors, leading efforts in shared mobility, human-centered design, and open vehicle innovation.
His latest book, Near to Far, lays out a vision for multimodal, equitable transportation systems that enhance communities and reduce dependency on highway-capable automobiles. Through his work with MPOs, cities, and advocacy organizations, Dan continues to advance policies and solutions that make mobility more accessible, efficient, and sustainable for everyone.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.mobilitee.us
Terry Tamminen
President / CEO, AltaSea
San Pedro, CA
Terry Tamminen is the President/CEO of the non-profit “blue economy” hub AltaSea in the Port of Los Angeles. In 2003, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed him Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and later Cabinet Secretary, the Chief Policy Advisor to the Governor. He cofounded the R20 Regions of Climate Action, a public-private partnership working globally to deploy climate solutions at scale, and provides climate policy advice to 7th Generation Advisors, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Pegasus Capital Advisors, and the UN Green Climate Fund. An accomplished author, Terry’s books include “Watercolors: How JJ the Whale Saved Us” and “Cracking the Carbon Code: The Keys to Sustainable Profits in the New Economy”. The Guardian ranked Terry No. 1 in its “Top 50 People Who Can Save the Planet.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Tamminen
Rodney Tanaka
Mayor Pro Tem, City of Gardena
Chair, SBCCOG
Los Angeles, CA
Mayor Pro Tem Rodney G. Tanaka was first elected to the Gardena City Council in March 2017, and re-elected in June 2022 for a second term. He is a retired City of Gardena Police Department lieutenant. Rodney will serve in his second term until June 2026. He has also served in the capacity as mayor pro tem from April, 2018-April, 2019 and from March, 2021-July, 2022.
Rodney has already made leadership commitments to the city by accepting assignments to represent the city council and citizens of Gardena as a delegate to the League of California Cities – Los Angeles County Division, to the South Bay Regional Public Communications Authority, and to the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG). He is also representing Gardena as an alternate delegate to the Independent Cities Association (ICA), and the California Cities Gaming Authority.
During the many years he has resided in Gardena, councilmember Tanaka has been a distinguished leader with the Gardena Elks Lodge, an executive leader with Kiwanis International, and is an honoree on the City of Gardena Wall of Fame. He is sharing new ideas for the betterment of the city, its citizens, and members of the business community.
Zoran Trifunovic
CivicSpark Fellow, SBCCOG
Long Beach, CA
Zoran Trifunovic is one of two CivicSpark Fellows at the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG). His focus at the SBCCOG is helping with outreach efforts for the South Bay Environmental Services Center (SBESC) where he helps implement partner programs in the community as well as general communication. Zoran graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies in 2024. During his time at UC Santa Cruz, he gained hands-on conservation experience at the Younger Lagoon Reserve, where he contributed to the remediation of a local wetland impacted by post-agricultural activity. Additionally, he served as a research assistant in the Karen Holl Lab, supporting a PhD candidate’s study on the role of ants in seed dispersal within monoculture farmlands. Driven by a passion for creating tangible community impact, Zoran is dedicated to advancing initiatives in energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, and beyond. His long-term goal is to lead and manage large-scale projects that drive sustainable, equitable change.
Kevin Truong
CivicSpark Fellow, SBCCOG
Orange County, CA
Kevin Truong is a CivicSpark Fellow for the South Bay Cities Council of Governments. He graduated from UCLA in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a minor in Environmental Systems and Society. During Kevin’s time at UCLA, he conducted a senior project where he identified strategies for improving waste management and quantified emissions for event procurement at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Additionally, he worked as a data analyst at UCLA Anderson Center for Impact, where he compiled sustainability data from S&P 500 companies. After graduating, Kevin completed his first CivicSpark term with Los Angeles County Public Works, where he supported the development of a roadmap to integrate sustainability, resilience, and equity into the county department’s operations and services.
As a Fellow with the SBCCOG, Kevin primarily works with public agencies on energy efficiency projects and programs as well as the development of greenhouse gas emissions inventories of the SBCCOG’s member cities. He is passionate about leveraging sustainability to improve the well-being of communities as well as how organizations operate.
Anne Tsai
Project Coordinator, SBCCOG
Lomita, CA
Anne Tsai is a Transportation Project Coordinator for the South Bay Cities Council of Governments, primarily supporting implementation of the South Bay Local Travel Network and managing Measure R and Measure M programs. She graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in ecology, behavior, and evolution and a minor in public affairs. During her time at UCLA, she was a project consultant for the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, where she led a student project on LADOT’s Universal Basic Mobility Project (UBM). Tsai also studied climate warming effects on insect development as a student researcher for the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and earned her scuba diving license in order to participate in UCLA’s Marine Biology Quarter. As a South Bay native, she is passionate about promoting a culture of sustainability in the subregion.
Miranda Werts
Project Coordinator, SBCCOG
Los Angeles, CA
Miranda Werts is a Homeless Services Project Coordinator for the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG). She received her BA from UC Berkeley in 2018 and her Master of Public Health from UCLA in 2024. Miranda has extensive experience in health and healthcare policy research as an analyst at the UCSF Healthforce Center and is passionate about health equity and social justice. During her time at UCLA, she was the Co-Chair of the Public Health Evaluation team for the UCLA Mobile Clinic Project, a student-run clinic serving the unhoused community in Los Angeles that aims to connect clients with healthcare and social services. Working with our unhoused neighbors, hearing their stories and the challenges they face in accessing services and housing, she found her passion to address barriers in housing and homeless services in order to advance health equity and improve health outcomes for marginalized communities. As a Homeless Services Project Coordinator, Miranda identifies affordable housing opportunities, coordinates rental assistance programs, such as the SBCCOG Time Limited Subsidies program, and analyzes homeless services policies and data to support data-driven decision making.