Message From the Chair

Last month was productive and exciting for many of us. Environmental Law Section members Leuwam Tesfai, Cara Horowitz, and Tom McHenry participated alongside global climate leaders at COP 30 in Belem, Brazil, for strategic talks on clean energy, methane emissions, deforestation, climate financing, and other key environmental topics. ELS was also making a difference locally: On November 22, ELS Advisor Marisa Choy teamed up with the Friends of Ballona Wetlands for an enjoyable Saturday morning carrying out wetlands restoration work. You can find more details about their experiences below.

As winter approaches, the Environmental Law Section is preparing to start its nearly year-long planning effort for the annual Environmental Law Conference
at Yosemite, scheduled for October 15-18, 2026. ELS members are encouraged to help shape the conference by:

• Submitting a panel recommendation on critical or emerging issues by January 2026;
• Nominating a California attorney for our esteemed Lifetime Achievement Award by May 2026; and
• Nominating a candidate for the Trailblazer Award for their innovative and impactful work by May 2026.

If you’d like other opportunities to get involved or share feedback, I invite you to join our upcoming Chair’s Corner on December 18, 2025. This month, I will co-host our monthly Zoom call with New Lawyers Section Chair Daniel Cheung as we welcome 2017 ELS Chair Eric Adair to discuss how CLA became an organization independent of the State Bar in 2018.

Lastly, December marks the final opportunity to apply to our Mentorship Program—both mentors and mentees are welcome (Deadline: December 19, 2025) – as well as the last chance for law students to apply for our Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship Program (Deadline: December 30, 2025). Please consider lending your support to these programs and help us create positive change, one lawyer at a time.

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Peter Ton
Chair, Environmental Law Section