3rd MCAP Annual Convening

Los Angeles, California, April 14-17, 2026

Living Labs
California

April 14-17, 2026

Overview

Living labs are demonstrations of programs, policies or projects within a territory that help practitioners to understand the history and origins of local resilience challenges, their current status and critical actors, and help practitioners to envision a stronger future by considering new solutions or approaches. 

California’s Living Labs in their largest city Los Angeles, located in Southern California, will serve four primary purposes:

  • Immerse MCAP members in California’s overall resilience narrative - and elevate the region’s risks and on-the-ground solutions and opportunities

  • Uplift projects, policies and programs underway in Los Angeles and throughout the state that illustrate diverse approaches to tackling climate risk and underlying vulnerabilities

  • Provide an opportunity to elevate important local resilience leaders from diverse sectors

  • Inspire attending MCAP members with new insights and tactics that can inform their climate resilience work as a collective and back at home

Over the course of four days, MCAP members will have the opportunity to hear from an array of local experts working together to tackle the region’s challenges at the nexus of drought, extreme heat, and wildfire.

Attire

Throughout the convening we will be traveling via bus to multiple locations and spending some time outdoors. Please bring comfortable walking shoes as an option to change into, should you like to. As a Mediterranean climate, Los Angeles experiences cooler weather in the morning and evening, along with bright sun throughout the day, so we recommend you have layers available for multiple climate types. There will be space to store items securely both at each living lab site and on the bus.

Living Labs
California
Sites, Agenda, & Resources

Tuesday, April 14th

SMEs & Speakers in Transit:

  • Rita Kampalath, Acting Chief Sustainability Officer, LA County Chief Sustainability Office

  • Ali Frazzini, Policy Director, LA County Chief Sustainability Office

13:00 – 13:45

Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook

14:15 – 15:00

Los Angeles CleanTech Incubator (LACI)

15:00 – 15:45

Exposition Park

Learning Objectives:

  • Building community resiliency hubs (via Baldwin Hills Community & Access Plan)

  • Nature-based solutions to extreme heat

  • Heat planning and implementation

  • Strategic partnerships across government and non-governmental organizations to secure grants

Speakers:

  • David McNeill, Baldwin Hills Conservancy

  • Richard Fink, Superintendent, Dept. of Parks and Recreation

  • Alina Bokde, Chief Deputy Director and Norma Edith García-Gonzalez, Director, Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation

  • Jonathan Parfrey, Executive Director Climate Resolve and Janelle Vidal, Climate Resolve

Site #2

Learning Objectives:

  • Reducing the Urban Heat Island Effect through built infrastructure: cool pavements

  • Advancing climate resilience technologies and sustainable building practices through innovation centers and city policy

  • De-paving and tree-planting strategies to improve climate resilience

  • Building community resilience networks

Speakers:

  • Adrienne Lindgren, Executive Vice President, Unlocking Innovation & Campus Management, LA Cleantech Incubator 

  • Davis Koleas, Climate and Sustainability Business Development Specialist, CoolSeal by TopGuard

  • Aaron Gross, Chairman, 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games Energy Council, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

  • Deborah Weinstein Bloome & Devon Provo, Accelerating Resilience Los Angeles (ARLA)

Resources

Resources

Site #1

Site #3

Learning Objectives:

  • LA Olympics: Planning heat-resilient events for the 2028 Olympics while supporting long-term community resilience.

  • Los Angeles’ historical context: how LA's history and water infrastructure have shaped its growth, environment, and long-term resilience challenges.

Speakers:

  • Ricardo Mendoza, Deputy General Manager of Exposition Par

  • Meredith McCarthy, Senior Manager, Sustainability Partnerships, LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games

Resources

Wednesday, April 15th

SMEs & Speakers in Transit:

  • Chief Pat Sprengel, Assistant Fire Chief, LA County, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)

  • Chief Burlew, Chief Deputy Director, Operations, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)

  • Chief Tony Meacham, Battalion Chief, San Diego Unit, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)

  • Chief Shane Littlefield, Unit Chief, San Bernadino/Inyo/Mono Unit, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)

  • Sloane Viola, Senior Deputy Director, California Conservation Corps (CCC)

11:00 – 11:45

Arroyo Seco Park South

12:05 – 12:40

Eaton Canyon Reservoir

13:00 – 13:20

Altadena

13:00 – 13:20

Mary W. Jackson STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Multilingual Magnet Elementary

Learning Objectives:

  • California Conservation Corps wildfire management practices: urban fuel reduction and vegetation management demonstration 

  • California Conservation Corps workforce development and youth empowerment program: paid youth training in emergency response and conservation

Speakers: 

  • Duane Wilson, Regional Deputy Director and Former Corpsmember, California Conservation Corps (CCC)

  • Nikki Morales, District Director, Pomona District

  • Mike West, Conservationist Supervisor, Los Angeles Center

  • Including City of Pasadena Partners and various CCC Corps Members for demonstrations

Site #2

Learning Objectives:

  • Lessons learned and impacts from January 2025 Eaton fire to inform future wildfire response and resilience planning 

  • Post-wildfire recovery case studies: Eaton Landscape Recovery Center and Farnsworth Fire Recovery Project 

  • Wildfire mitigation strategies: targeted fuel reduction in the wildland-urban interface 

Speakers: 

  • Mark Stanley, Executive Officer, San Gabriel & Lower Los Angeles Rivers & Mountains Conservancy

  • Blair Crossman, Programs & Partnerships Officer, San Gabriel & Lower Los Angeles Rivers & Mountains Conservancy

  • Sofia Sotomayor, Project Manager, San Gabriel & Lower Los Angeles Rivers & Mountains Conservancy

  • CCC Factsheet / Press Kit

  • Wildfire Firefighting Program

  • Pasadena Info Sheet

Resources

Site #1

Site #3

Learning Objectives: 

  • Modular Homes as opportunities for efficient and equitable rebuilding in post-wildfire landscapes 

  • Wildfire mitigation: home hardening strategies 

  • Equity in emergency response  

Speakers: 

  • Steve Gibson, Altadena Resident

  • Calley Bilgram, Global Emergency Relief, Recovery and Reconstruction (GER3)

Site #4

Learning Objectives:

  • Urban Greening initiatives: Cal FIRE’s Urban and Community Forestry Program and California Natural Resource Agency’s Urban Greening Program

  • Wildfire mitigation at Jackson STEAM STEAM Multilingual Magnet Elementary: green oases as fire deterrents

Speakers:

  • Veronica Villagrana, Principal, Jackson STEAM Multilingual Magnet Elementary

  • Claire Robinson, Executive Director, Amigos de los Rios

  • Henry Herrera, Urban Forestry Supervisor, Southern California, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)

Resources

Resources

Resources

Thursday, April 16th

SMEs & Speakers in Transit:

  • Erinn Wilson-Olgin, South Coast Region (Region 5) Regional Manager, CA Department of Fish and Wildlife

10:45 - 11:15

Destination Crenshaw

11:30 – 12:30

SoFi Stadium

14:00 - 15:30

Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant

15:45 - 16:15

Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant

17:15 - 17:45

Ballona Wetland Ecological Preserve

Learning Objectives:

  • Applying urban design and revitalization strategies to create resilient, climate-adaptive communities 

  • Integrating cultural heritage preservation and equitable public space design 

  • Community resilience through art

Speakers:

  • Jason Foster, President & Chief Executive Officer, Destination Crenshaw

Site #2

Learning Objectives:

  • Implementing sustainable landscape practices: stormwater capture and reuse and native drought-resistant planting

  • Heat mitigation through materials and layout: light-covered surfaces and shading elements

Speakers:

  • Mia Lehrer, FASLA, Founder and President, Studio-MLA

  • Kush Parekh, PLA, ASLA, Principal, Studio ML

Resources

Resources

Site #3

Learning Objectives:

  • Wetland ecology, habitat restoration, and watershed health

  • Biodiversity, conservation of flora/fauna, and preservation of bird migration

  • Youth education, community engagement, and environmental stewardship

Speakers: 

  • Erinn Wilson-Olgin, South Coast Region (Region 5) Regional Manager, CA Department of Fish and Wildlife

Resources

Site #1

Site #3

Learning Objectives:

  • Climate resiliency and recycled water

  • Pure Water Los Angeles: advanced recycled water system for groundwater recharge and potable reuse

  • Applications of sustainable water use and waste recycling in agriculture

Speakers: 

  • Doug Walters, Chief Sustainability Officer & Chief Resiliency Officer/Division Manager, City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Sanitation & Environment (LASAN) 

  • Traci Minamide, Interim Director and General Manager, LA Sanitation & Environment (LASAN)

  • Hi-Sang Kim, Hyperion Executive Plant Manager, LA Sanitation & Environment (LASAN)

  • Huub Cox, Water Recycling Implementation Division Manager, LA Sanitation & Environment (LASAN)

  • Rafael Villegas, Program Manager, LA Department of Water & Power (LADWP)

  • Virginia Wei, Water Policy Analyst, LA Mayor’s Office

  • Andrea Greene, Deputy Mayor of Infrastructure, LA Mayor’s Office

  • Shelley Luce, Luce Consulting

Site #3

Learning Objectives:

  • Agriculture and MWD’s responses to water scarcity

  • Conservation efforts and recycled water use

Panel Discussion:

  • Karen Ross, Secretary of Agriculture, California Department of Food and Agriculture

  • Adán Ortega, Chairman of the Board, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

  • Paula Daniels, Executive Director, LA County Office of Food Systems

Resources

Resources

The MCAP Living Labs were co-design and coordinated by:

Special thanks to all our local implementation partners for sharing their solutions with the Partnership!