Grassroots in Action: A Case Study in Advocacy for Family Farms

While statewide ballot initiatives have been relatively quiet in recent years, advocacy activity has remained strong at the local level. Join California Farm Bureau Federation and Sonoma County Farm Bureau for a timely discussion of how Farm Bureau organized a coalition to defeat a local initiative in northern California that would have been destructive to family farms and learn how their success could be replicated throughout the country.

Speakers:

• Renata Brillinger, Executive Director, California Climate & Action Network
• Steven Fenaroli, Director, Political Advocacy, California Farm Bureau
• Dayna Ghirardelli, Sonoma County Farm Bureau
• Lynda Hopkins, Sonoma Board of Supervisors

---

Speaker Details

Renata Brillinger

Renata co-founded CalCAN in 2009 and is responsible for overseeing all policy, fundraising, communications and administrative aspects of the coalition. She also manages the National Healthy Soils Policy Network which includes members from 30 states working to advance climate resilient agriculture policy. CalCAN is also an active member of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, co-leading its federal climate subcommittee. Renata has 30 years of experience in sustainable agriculture policy and food systems projects and non-profit administration. Prior to CalCAN, she was Energy and Agriculture Program Director at the Climate Protection Campaign (now The Climate Center). She has lived in Sonoma County for 26 years.

Steven Fenaroli

Steven Fenaroli’s experience in California politics includes winning political campaigns and successes in legislative affairs, political advocacy, and public affairs.

Prior to joining California Farm Bureau, Steven worked as Director of Political Affairs at Meridian Pacific Inc, a nationally recognized consulting firm. There, Steven serviced a wide range of clients including members of the Legislature, Members of Congress, local ballot measures, and elected officials at the county and city level. He ran campaigns and elections across California and helped elect a number of individuals to office. He also has experience with advising membership organizations on the political landscape throughout California and nationally.

Steven has worked with several private industry and local government clients to improve their standing and relationships throughout local communities and the state. In his work, he formed relationships with non-profits, charities, aid organizations, and municipalities.

Steven got his start in the California State Senate working for both Senator Bob Huff and Senator Jean Fuller during their time as Senate Republican Leader before serving as the Deputy Communications Director for the Senate Republican Caucus. In this role, he advised legislators on increasing their outreach, visibility, and presence in their districts.

A Woodland, California native, Steven spent his childhood summers at the tomato cannery. To this day, summers in Northern California aren’t complete until the smell of tomato harvest is underway.

Steven caught the political bug while in high school. He later attended Oregon State University where he pursued his undergraduate degree in political science with a minor in business and entrepreneurship.

While at Oregon State, Steven played rugby and began his rugby-refereeing career. He spends most weekends refereeing in the Northern California area or at national tournaments. When his weekends don’t involve rugby, he is busy exploring somewhere new with his dog Ranger, a very energetic German Shorthair Pointer.

Dayna Ghirardelli

Grew up in Petaluma, California. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture with an Animal Industries option, which includes animal science and ag business, from California State University, Chico in 1995. Dayna started her career with UC Cooperative Extension as the Dairy Program Representative for Sonoma and Marin Counties, where she focused on assisting dairy farmers in creating ranch plans, teaching water quality monitoring, and providing compliance guidance on the ever-changing regulatory landscape. Dayna eventually spent nearly 12 years with Petaluma-based milk processor Clover Sonoma as their Producer Relations Manager. In this role, she served as a liaison between producer and processor by overseeing Clover Sonoma’s on-farm programs, many of which focused on high milk quality standards, animal welfare certifications, organic certifications, milk balancing, and maintaining relationships. Just before Covid, she changed roles to serve as the Director of Producer Relations for the California Milk Advisory Board. In August 2022, she found herself back in Sonoma County as the Farm Bureau's Executive Director.

Lynda Hopkins

Supervisor Lynda Hopkins is in her third term representing the geographically vast and economically diverse Fifth District of Sonoma County, which includes the entire Sonoma County coastline, the lower Russian River, many small rural villages, the City of Sebastopol, and the Northwestern portion of the City of Santa Rosa. Lynda is the Chair of the Regional Climate Protection Authority, Sonoma County Transportation Authority, Sonoma Clean Power, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, as well as a Director of the Russian River Watershed Association, Santa Rosa Groundwater Sustainability Agency and Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District. Lynda’s interest in public policy began while attending Stanford University, where she studied interdisciplinary environmental sciences. Along with her husband, she founded and ran a row crop farm for more than ten years. She also served as executive director of Sonoma County Farm Trails. She is a passionate advocate for data-driven climate policy, regenerative agriculture, clean air, wildfire resilience, coastal climate adaptation, affordable housing, social justice, parks, sea otters, and early childhood education. When she’s not working, Lynda can be found exploring the wonders of West County with her husband and three children, or tending to her herd of dairy goats.