Team

Executive Director

Joanna is a former Administrative Law Judge and advisor at the California Public Utilities Commission, where she oversaw billions of dollars in public funds. She grew Urban Environmentalists, a YIMBY Action initiative, to 11,000 activists, and recently completed a research fellowship on state constitutional design. She holds a master’s in mechanical engineering from Stanford.

Board Member

Louise is an environmental attorney at Hanson Bridgett and a recognized expert on California infrastructure governance, with a JD and a PhD in history from UC Berkeley. She is the author of two books: Paying the Toll - Local Power, Regional Politics, and the Golden Gate Bridge, and California Cuisine and Just Food (as coauthor).

Council of Advisors

Cliff is a member of the California Air Resources Board, a former California Public Utilities Commissioner, and a former Senior Advisor to Governor Jerry Brown. He previously served as Special Assistant Attorney General at the California Department of Justice and co-founded the Environmental Law and Justice Clinic at Golden Gate University School of Law. He holds a JD from Yale Law School.

Council of Advisors

Rahmin is the founder and director of American Public Trust, which advances deliberative, participatory, and digital democracy. He has nearly 20 years of experience across social benefit startups and not-for-profit organizations, including developing the California’s participatory democracy program, Engaged California. Rahmin holds degrees in engineering from Duke University.

Council of Advisors

Muhammad is Director of Growth at California YIMBY. Previously he was a Policy Associate at UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation, an advisor to homeownership startup BuildCasa, and a board member of The Greenlining Institute. A graduate of UC Berkeley who is originally from Stockton, Muhammad now resides in San Diego.