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Congressional Daily Record
This section is a tribute, commemoration, or district-facing statement. It mentions members such as Michael Thompson. Extensions of Remarks are statements submitted for the official record, even if they were not spoken live on the floor.
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April 28, 2026
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Extensions of Remarks
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Download official Extensions PDFReturn to issue contextHON. MIKE THOMPSON
of california
in the house of representatives
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.