Debbie Franco

California is already experiencing the impacts of climate change. Drier periods last longer and are punctuated by shorter, wetter periods. There is growing consensus among water-climate scientists that the amount of precipitation across California is likely to remain about the same. The challenge California faces is that the form and timing will shift. California will be particularly challenged by less snow and longer dry periods. Ms. Franco’s presentation will begin with a brief description of current conditions and water management challenges in California. She will then turn to a discussion of California’s evolution toward a more flexible water management system focused on achieving balance. Finally, Ms. Franco will share several lessons California is learning about how to be climate resilient.

Debbie Franco is the community and rural affairs advisor and local drought liaison in the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR). She works on a range of issues related to water and to rural communities. Debbie was a member of the Governor’s Drought Task Force, part of the team that developed the Sustainable  Groundwater Management Act, and oversees the Rural Economic Development Steering Committee. Before joining OPR, Debbie served as the policy director at the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water. She holds a master’s degree in social ecology from the University of California, Irvine, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis.