Ascent

Name: Ascent
Address: 455 Capitol Mall, Ste 300, Sacramento, CA, 95814, US
Telephone: +19164447301

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Planning | Design | Science | Kindness We seek to do the right thing, just because it is that.

Our People and Services:

We are planners and scientists, generalists and specialists, managers and heavy-lifters, and in a good way, nerds devoted to what we do. The firm’s success is measured by the success of our clients and our employees. We believe in the importance of giving back to our communities. With offices in Berkeley, Irvine, Lake Tahoe, Sacramento, and San Diego, we offer a diverse and devoted environmental. natural resources, planning, and urban design team of in-house professionals, along with other, on-call support personnel. In the 13 years since the firm was established, we have added technical and support staff, and we now number over 120 professionals. Ascent offers environmental planning and compliance, natural resources, climate change/greenhouse gas, air quality and noise, urban design, sustainability planning, and recreation planning services as our core endeavors. California Environmental Quality Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency environmental review are central to many of our projects. Technical and scientific services including wildlife biology, botany, wetland ecology, air quality and noise analysis, and greenhouse gas analysis and reduction strategies, Our planning services focus on climate action planning, climate resilience planning, state and regional park planning, trails planning, natural resources management, and urban design. We support a wide range of regulatory compliance requirements, including those related to endangered species, wetlands, streambed alteration, and water quality.

10/20/2026

Grateful to join partners from across California this week at the inaugural Resilient California Summit in Sacramento, where the focus is on moving resilience from planning to implementation.

On Tuesday, Erik de Kok joins fellow SB 254 study team members to explore how climate change is pressuring the state's energy, insurance, and community resilience goals and reflect on key insights from stakeholders about the path forward.

Tuesday, October 20 | 3:45 to 5:00 PM | Meeting Room 6

Look for Erik, Poonam Boparai, and Hannah Kornfeld throughout the Summit. We look forward to connecting!

10/14/2026

Honey Walters and Julia Wilson are headed to the 35th Annual Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite this week, October 15-18. Each year, this gathering brings together California's environmental, land use, and natural resources law community to discuss what's next.

This year is extra special. Jim Moose of Remy Moose Manley will receive the California Lawyers Association Environmental Law Section's 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jim has devoted four decades to CEQA. His litigation on behalf of cities, counties, developers, and environmental groups has produced dozens of published decisions that still guide practice today. From 1987 to 2007, he co-authored multiple editions of the Guide to the California Environmental Quality Act, a reference California's appellate courts and Supreme Court relied on often. He has invested just as deeply in people, teaching UC Davis Extension courses for over three decades, leading AEP's annual CEQA update courses, and mentoring countless attorneys, clients, and colleagues along the way.

We have a personal reason to celebrate, too. When Ascent was first getting started in 2010, Jim’s firm sublet office space to us. Since then, Jim has supported many Ascent projects with CEQA and environmental law guidance, and he introduced our team to Solar Cookers International, where several Ascent leaders have since served on the board. We remain grateful for his early generosity, our many collaborations, and his friendship.

Congratulations, Jim!

10/01/2026

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗕 𝟭𝟯𝟳𝟬 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

On September 29, 2026, Governor Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 1370 to among other things replace the temporary 2025 Emergency Proclamation streamlining process for critical wildfire risk reduction projects with an ongoing statutory program that will expedite an array of covered vegetation treatment projects. The statutory process includes procedural requirements, eligible project qualifications, compliance with the State Environmental Protection Plan, and an explicit exclusion of pesticide use (including herbicides). The Emergency Proclamation, which expired in May 2026, was described and compared to other streamlined processes in a prior Ascent article, Streamlining Synopsis for Expedited Environmental Review Opportunities for Wildfire Safety Projects (ascent.inc/wildfire-safety-project-streamling).

The article linked below summarizes key SB 1370 provisions important for all proponents, foresters, consultants, and lead agencies involved with vegetation treatment projects for wildfire risk reduction. For knowledge sharing, the article includes direct links to the SB 1370 statute text and other helpful information sites.

Full article: ascent.inc/sb-1370

09/29/2026

This Thursday, October 1, our team is heading to Humboldt County for the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force North Coast Regional Meeting.

Thank you to the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria for hosting and to the North Coast Resource Partnership, Humboldt County RCD, Inner Coast Collaborative, and Northern Sacramento Valley Coalition for bringing the region together.

Stop by our Resource Fair table to connect with Alex Herr, RPF, Lara Rachowicz, PhD, and Heather Blair and talk about how public-private partnerships and efficient environmental review are accelerating wildfire risk reduction across California.

09/22/2026

Ascent is headed to APA California, October 3–6, in Los Angeles.

This year’s theme, 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲: 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, feels especially fitting for the planning community. At 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝟮𝟭𝟲, we’re inviting attendees to help us tell a small part of that story.

Stop by and add a pin to our California map marking a place where you’ve crossed paths with an Ascentian. Maybe it was on a project, at a former workplace, at school, through the planning community, or for the first time at this year’s conference.

By the end of the conference, we hope the map tells its own story about the people, places, and connections that bring our planning community together.

Representing Ascent this year: Christine Babla, Chad Beckstrom, Matt Gelbman, Tanya Jones, Hannah Kornfeld, Paul Kronser, Chelsey Norton Payne, Rebecca Pope, Christy Ryan, Elena Savignano, and Honey Walters.

Two of our team members are also presenting:

► 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲𝘆 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗼𝗻 joins the panel for the “2026 Legislative Update” (October 4, 10:00 AM, Diamond Ballroom), covering the year’s key planning legislation and what it means for implementation.

► 𝗧𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 joins the panel for “If It's Not in the Record, It's Not the Story: Building a Defensible Administrative Record” (October 5, 8:30 AM, Gold 2), sharing the statutory and case law requirements that shape a defensible CEQA and land use record.

📌Come find us at 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝟮𝟭𝟲, add your pin, and say hello!

09/17/2026

𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗮'𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀. During the 2023/2024 rainy season alone, a series of atmospheric river storms caused widespread flooding, infrastructure failures, and landslides, prompting multiple state emergency proclamations and billions of dollars in damage.

Looking ahead, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) current forecast indicates a greater than 90 percent chance of a very strong El Niño this fall and winter. For infrastructure owners, managers, and other project proponents, that outlook underscores the value of assessing vulnerable assets now and understanding how emergency repairs could be authorized under accelerated regulatory pathways.

Permit requirements do not disappear because of an emergency. Work may need to proceed quickly while still addressing any impacts on wetlands, waterways, special-status species, and other sensitive resources.

Read the full article at ascent.inc/emergency-project-work to learn how to prepare regulatory and permitting strategies in advance, before an emergency makes them urgent.

09/10/2026

This November, California voters will decide on 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟰𝟱, a ballot initiative that would create a new, expedited CEQA compliance track for eight categories of "essential projects," including housing, clean energy, water, and transportation. The initiative does not exempt these projects from CEQA. Instead, it introduces firm application and documentation timelines, a new tribal consultation framework, and substantial changes to how impact significance and legal challenges are evaluated.

We break down what Prop 45 would and would not do, from vesting rights and comment period limits to a narrowed alternatives analysis for EIRs. Read the full article at ascent.inc/proposition-45 to understand how this initiative could reshape environmental review for qualifying projects across the state.

08/27/2026

Four bumble bee species, Crotch’s bumble bee (𝘉𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘪), Franklin’s bumble bee (𝘉𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘪), western bumble bee (𝘉𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴), and Suckley’s cuckoo bumble bee (𝘉𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘺𝘪), are candidates for listing under the California Endangered Species Act and receive the same take protections as listed species during candidacy. New non-regulatory guidance from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife summarizes the species’ ecology and life histories, and provides recommendations for habitat assessment, surveys, impact avoidance and minimization at various stages of the life cycle, and best management practices for common project activities.

When suitable habitat is present, project proponents should consider whether take authorization may be needed, even if candidate bumble bees are not detected during surveys. Early evaluation of habitat and potential impacts can help project proponents and land managers incorporate feasible avoidance measures into project designs and determine whether surveys and/or take authorization may be needed.

Read the full article, linked in the comments, to see what the new guidance recommends for habitat evaluation, survey timing, and avoidance measures.

08/06/2026

We're celebrating another successful year of the Environmental, Engineering, and Planning Internship and Charrette (EEPIC), this time with the City of San Diego.

Each year, we partner with our colleagues at Dudek, EPS, ESA, Fehr & Peers, PlaceWorks, and Rincon to provide an exceptional learning experience for talented interns, giving them the opportunity to tackle a real-world project during an intensive two weeks. This year EEPIC assisted the City of San Diego with updating the Community Plan for the Otay Mesa-Nestor Community Plan Area (CPA).

Beyond strengthening their technical skills, the program challenges interns to grow through collaboration, problem-solving, and teamwork. We are incredibly proud of everything all the EEPIC interns accomplished in such a short amount of time.

A special shout-out to Ascent's own interns, Katelyn Chen and Celeste Han, on a job well done. Congratulations on your outstanding work!

07/30/2026

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗔𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘆!

Each summer, we welcome a group of emerging professionals who bring fresh perspectives, curiosity, and a willingness to learn. Through hands-on experience, mentorship, and meaningful project work, our internship program is designed to help bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace while giving interns the opportunity to grow their skills alongside our team.

This year, we're excited to recognize three outstanding interns who have made a positive impact at Ascent: Katelyn Chen, Celeste Han, and Cecelia Thomsak. Thank you for your hard work, enthusiasm, and the unique perspectives you've brought to our organization.

Happy National Intern Day to all interns who are building the future of our industry—we're grateful to be part of your journey.

Address

455 Capitol Mall, Ste 300
Sacramento, CA
95814

Telephone

+19164447301

Website

http://www.ascent.inc/

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