THOMPSON ANNOUNCES 2026 NAPA COUNTY CLIMATE CRISIS CHAMPION

St. Helena, CA - Sunday, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) announced that Christina Benz was chosen as the 2026 Napa County Climate Crisis Champion. Each year, Rep. Thompson recognizes community members across California's Fourth Congressional District to honor for their outstanding efforts to address our ongoing climate crisis.

"Ms. Benz has made a real impact on our community through her work strengthening and building organizations dedicated to sustainability," said Thompson. "Ms. Benz helps to organize and plan the Napa Climate Summit each year, regularly contributes to the Napa Valley Register's Climate Connections column to inform our community of ways to take action, and even drafted part of the Climate Change and Sustainability provision in the 2040 City of Napa General Plan. I am honored to name Chris Benz a Climate Crisis Champion."

Rep. Thompson was honored to award this year's Climate Crisis Champions across each of our five counties in the 4th District: Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo. Champions are selected for their significant efforts to combat our continuing climate crisis and protect our environment at home in our communities. Through their advocacy, Climate Crisis Champions are helping to build a more sustainable future for all.

This year's venue, Crocker & Starr, is an industry leader in environmental awareness and winery sustainability. Being a Napa Certified Green Winery is at the core of Crocker & Starr as they have always strived to be good stewards of the land.

A complete list of 2026 Climate Crisis Champions include:

• Luis Santana - Lake County Climate Crisis Champion
• Christina Benz - Napa County Climate Crisis Champion
• Sean McNamara - Solano County Climate Crisis Champion
• Richard Dale - Sonoma County Climate Crisis Champion
• Dr. Ruihong Zhang - Yolo County Climate Crisis Champion