Tracy Hernandez, CEO of the New California Coalition, addresses a packed room of Fresno-area business and civic leaders Tuesday morning at Oakhill Wine + Bistro during the Fresno Business Council's member meeting. Photo by Ashley Webster

A full room of Fresno-area business and civic leaders gathered Tuesday morning at Oakhill Wine + Bistro for the Fresno Business Council’s member meeting, where Tracy Hernandez, CEO of the New California Coalition (NCC), delivered a timely briefing on the state policy landscape heading into 2026.

The event drew a notable cross-section of regional influence, including Will Oliver of the Fresno County Economic Development Corp., Fred Ruiz of Ruiz Foods, Clint Olivier of the Central Valley Business Federation and Deborah Nankivell of the Fresno Stewardship Foundation, among others.

Hernandez introduced the NCC’s 2025 impact report, offering an overview of the organization’s growing footprint across California. The NCC describes itself as a non-partisan civic action movement focused on building a new political center in the state, with four core policy priorities: middle-income job growth, rapid housing production, water and energy security, and effective homelessness solutions.

The coalition reached a significant milestone in 2025, surpassing 1,000 partner organizations statewide, with more than 500 actively engaged in its work. Over the course of the year, NCC facilitated 19 legislative engagements, held 10 in-district meetings, and hosted nine partner Zoom sessions.

Perhaps the most striking data point from Hernandez’s presentation: of the 1,538 California voters surveyed across 14 in-person focus groups, not a single one could identify their state Assembly or Senate representative. The finding underscored a central challenge the NCC is working to address — a deep disconnect between California residents and the elected officials shaping policy that affects their daily lives.

The meeting adjourned at 10 a.m., with the conversation serving as a reminder of both the stakes and the opportunity for regional business leaders to engage more actively in state-level policy.