For the Central Valley, Sacramento is not abstract. State policy is the invisible hand shaping whether families can find housing they can afford, whether employers can hire and retain workers and whether communities can plan with confidence around water, energy and infrastructure.

That’s why the Fresno Business Council’s March 3 briefing on California’s policy landscape matters — not as a political exercise, but as a practical one. This conversation featured Tracy Hernandez, co-founder and CEO of the New California Coalition, who brought a statewide perspective grounded in organizing business and civic leaders around results, not rhetoric. Her remarks gave a clear-eyed view of where state policy is headed in 2026, where momentum exists for problem-solving and where regions like the Central Valley can engage more effectively rather than reactively.

Too often, policy debates generate more heat than solutions. But here in the Valley, we live with the downstream effects immediately. When housing production slows, working families get squeezed. When water and energy planning becomes politicized instead of pragmatic, costs rise and reliability suffers. When process replaces outcomes, inland regions are often left waiting the longest.

There is growing recognition across California that the real divide today is not left versus right, but results versus gridlock. That framing resonates here because our region depends on policies that work in practice, not just on paper. We need housing strategies that address the “missing middle,” infrastructure investments that support long-term growth and an all-of-the-above approach to water and energy reliability that keeps costs manageable for families and employers alike.

This is where the New California Coalition’s Heartland Chapter, housed within the Fresno Business Council, plays an important role. The Fresno Business Council is the Central Valley’s civic business platform, and the Heartland Chapter is one way we ensure our region’s real-world experience is represented in statewide policy discussions. Its regional chapter model exists for a reason: one-size-fits-all statewide conversations routinely miss regional nuance. The Heartland Chapter provides a structured way for Central Valley leaders to bring practical insight  into discussions that too often overlook inland realities.

The March 3 meeting was about understanding the policy environment and identifying where civic-minded business leadership can help advance workable solutions. The Central Valley’s voice is strongest when it is informed and persistent. These conversations are an invitation to engage and to help ensure that state policy reflects the real conditions, challenges and opportunities of our region.

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Genelle Taylor Kumpe is CEO of the San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance.