Phil Isenberg

Phil Isenberg is the former chair of the Delta Stewardship Council. He was elected to PPIC’s Board of Directors in 2013. His long career in state and local government includes serving as a Sacramento city council member (1971–74), mayor of Sacramento (1975–82), and a member of the California Assembly, representing portions of Sacramento, Contra Costa, and San Joaquin Counties (1982–96). As an elected official, he focused on land use planning, water and resource issues, state budget and fiscal matters, redevelopment reform, and health care issues. More recently, he has served as chair of the California Marine Life Protection Act Blue Ribbon Task Force (2004–06) and as chair of the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force (2007–08). The recommendations of the Delta Vision Task Force provided much of the structure for the major changes in water and Delta policy enacted in 2009. He has also run his own private law practice and served as president of Isenberg-O’Haren Government Relations (2004–10). He brings this experience and expertise to the PPIC Water Policy Center Advisory Council. He holds a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BA in social science and government from California State University, Sacramento.