Restoring the Salton Sea has long been an environmental challenge for local and state leaders, elected officials, and residents. In recent years the prospect of extracting lithium from the highly saline lake has complicated the issue, with proponents touting potential economic benefits and opponents expressing concerns about the environmental and health impacts of the extraction process. 

On Sept. 11, a panel of knowledgeable state and regional experts and advocates will explore the challenges, possible solutions, and next steps on this important topic, during the second annual Healthy Desert, Healthy You Environmental Health Summit. The most recent addition to the panel is Noemí Gallardo (pictured), who is serving her first term on the California Energy Commission.

Gallardo was appointed as an attorney member to the Commission in 2023 by Governor Gavin Newsom, but that was not her introduction to the organization. She joined the Commission as its public advisor in 2019 and then was named chief of staff for California Energy Commission Chairman David Hochschild.

Gallardo brings a wealth of legal and leadership experience to the Commission, including as a senior manager of public policy at Sunrun Inc., energy and telecommunications legal fellow at the Greenlining Institute, principal investigator at the Public Law Research Institute at the University of California College of Law, San Francisco, and more.

She is the first Latina appointed to the Commission, having earned a Juris Doctor degree from UC Law, a Master of Public Policy from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pepperdine University. Gallardo is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a proud mother of two children.

The five-member panel she will participate on is titled, "Restoring the Salton Sea & Lithium Extraction: Balancing Opportunity and Environmental & Health Impacts." It also includes:

• Michael Cohen, senior fellow at Pacific Institute, an Oakland, CA-based nonprofit organization, where he works on Salton Sea and Colorado River challenges. 
• Aydee Palomino, environmental justice campaign manager for Alianza Coachella Valley, with a focus on addressing how the climate crisis affects the Salton Sea and finding collaborative solutions that benefit the communities disproportionately impacted by it. 
• Eric Montoya Reyes, executive director and lead project organizer with Los Amigo de la Comunidad, Inc. He is an experienced community organizer and advocate for underserved communities in the Imperial Valley.
• Joe Shea, assistant secretary for Salton Sea Policy for the California Natural Resources Agency, leading the state's Salton Sea management program.

The panel, which is scheduled to begin at 3:40 p.m. at The Westin Mission Hills Resort in Rancho Mirage, will be moderated by Olivia Sandusky, an NBC Palm Springs news anchor who has extensively covered local environmental issues.

Check out our full schedule of panels, growing list of summit support, and learn how your organization can become a sponsor.

To attend the summit, which is a free event presented annually by the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation, please register below.

REGISTER HERE