[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 28, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E381]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING CHRISTINA BENZ

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 28, 2026

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor 
Christina Benz, whom I have named the California 4th District's 2026 
Climate Crisis Champion of the Year for Napa County, in recognition of 
her leadership in strengthening our community's commitment to a 
sustainable future.
  Born in Concord, Massachusetts, Mrs. Benz graduated from the 
University of California, Berkeley in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science 
in Chemistry. After growing interested in viticulture, she went on to 
pursue a Master of Science in Food Science at the University of 
California, Davis. She then moved to Napa and began to work with our 
wine community. During that period, she worked at Murphy-Goode and 
Laird Family Estates as a Winemaker and then as a Winery Production 
Manager for 37 Vintages. She has since retired and grown more active in 
Napa County's political and environmental groups.
  Mrs. Benz has helped to strengthen and build organizations that are 
dedicated to making our county more sustainable and cleaner. Over the 
last four years she has helped to organize and plan the ``Annual Napa 
Climate Summit,'' an event that has become a staple of Napa County and 
regularly attracts audiences of 200 or more. Additionally, the event 
puts a much-needed spotlight on the existential threat of climate 
change and how residents of the Napa Valley can help mitigate its 
harmful effects. She is also a frequent contributor to the Napa 
Register's Climate Connections column, where she informs concerned 
citizens across the Napa Valley of local progress and ways to 
participate in taking climate action. Most prominently, she drafted and 
advocated for a ``Climate Change and Sustainability'' element in the 
2040 City of Napa General Plan that was adopted in 2022. This element 
is especially important as it embeds sustainability as a core principle 
of the City of Napa's General Plan and commits that the city will have 
net-zero climate pollutants by 2030. She was also able to secure 
funding for the Napa River Ecology Center in American Canyon from the 
Sierra Club. The Ecology Center will create a community gathering space 
for future generations. It is dedicated to educating the public about 
the importance of the Napa River's wetlands and working to defend them.
  Mrs. Benz is a staple of our Napa Valley community and participates 
in numerous organizations dedicated to the health of North Bay and Napa 
County. She has served on the Executive Committee of the Napa Group of 
the Sierra Club, the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Napa Valley 
Transportation Authority, and the Board of the Napa Valley Vine Trail. 
She has helped guide our Napa County community as the Treasurer of Napa 
Green, a member of the Executive Committee of the Democrats of Napa 
Valley, and as a board member of Feeding It Forward.
  Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Christina Benz has dedicated herself to protecting 
our environment and educating others about its importance. Her selfless 
commitment towards our community and the people who live within it is 
unmatched. For these reasons and more, it is fitting and proper that we 
recognize her today as Napa County's 2026 Climate Crisis Champion of 
the Year.

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