In conversation with VX News, climate veteran Lauren Faber O’Connor—now at Lowercarbon Capital and formerly with the City of Los Angeles, CalEPA, EDF, and the UK Foreign Office—argues that the next era of decarbonization won’t hinge on policy ambition, but on technologies that simply outperform the fossil economy. Her message is direct: if governments drop their perfectionism and engage early with innovators, and if private capital keeps scaling these breakthroughs, we have the tools to unf**k the planet while actually improving daily life.

In conversation with VX News, LA County ISD’s Tessa Charnofsky reflects on the vision behind the Future Green Leaders Summit and the broader mandate of SoCalREN—authorized in 2012 by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to deliver energy-efficiency and workforce programs across 13 Southern California counties, with a specific focus on disadvantaged communities. Charnofsky shares why early exposure, community-designed programs, and partnerships that extend beyond the classroom are essential to growing California’s clean-energy workforce pipeline.

Long-time city attorney Michael Colantuono reflects on California’s enduring state–local fiscal dysfunction and legislature usurpation of local control. From a recent “bullet dodged” by local government to the legacy of Prop 13, Colantuono traces decades of underfunding by the State of local government, legislative overreach, and judicial decisions that have hamstrung localities' ambitions.

As Los Angeles prepares to host global mobility leaders for CoMotion Los Angeles, VX News caught up with Nick Perloff-Giles, Program Coordinator at the Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC) and co-host of CoMotion’s Fast Forward podcast, to preview the themes shaping this year’s conference.

Departing his role as General Manager of the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, where he has served since 2019, to lead the Metropolitan Water District in the same capacity, Shivaji Deshmukh reflects with VX News on advancing local water reliability through innovation and collaboration.

In conversation with VX News, established climate journalist Sammy Roth, formerly of the LA Times and now writing independently on Climate-Colored Goggles, explores how culture, communication, and accountability shape climate progress.

Former California Senate Majority Leader and Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg is championing the proposed Middle-Class Homeownership and Family Home Construction Act, a 2026 ballot initiative aimed at expanding housing opportunities for middle-income Californians.