Jill Sanford
Communications Director
Phone: 530.582.4800
As Director of Communications at Sierra Business Council, Jill Sanford leads the organization’s messaging, marketing, branding, and storytelling efforts, serving as a strategic connector across programs and audiences. She advances network development and fundraising campaigns while partnering closely with SBC’s government affairs, energy and climate planning, workforce housing, and economic empowerment teams to align communications with policy and programmatic impact.
Jill currently serves as Board President of Sierra Watershed Education Partnership, where she supports environmental stewardship through watershed education and service-learning that connects students to their local communities. She is also on the Board of the Sugarloaf Station Foundation, a nonprofit that supports youth visual and performing arts programming in El Dorado County by providing scholarships and increasing access to Sugarloaf Fine Arts Camp.
A third-generation Sierra Nevada resident, Jill grew up in Placerville and is now based in Truckee. She is deeply committed to the vitality of the region’s small towns, forests, and open spaces. Prior to joining SBC, Jill was a nationally published outdoor industry reporter and digital communications consultant. She holds a BA from the University of Puget Sound.
Outside of work, you’ll likely find Jill on a trail or at the lake with her dog June, with a book or sketchpad in hand, or in the art studio exploring new creative projects.
Blogs by Jill Sanford
Convening the Sierra – Fall 2026
Join SBC at these Upcoming Events Across the Region
2026 Legislative Session: What It Means for Wildfire & Climate Resilience
California’s 2026-27 legislative session wrapped up September 1 after a turbulent final week of negotiations over wildfire policy, funding, and the state budget. While a last-minute proposal on wildfire liability ultimately stalled, the Legislature did restore and increase funding for climate resilience through Proposition 4 and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF)—a meaningful outcome for Sierra communities amid a challenging state budget year.
The final plan includes $329.5 million for wildfire and forest resilience through Prop 4 and $118 million for wildfire prevention through GGRF. While these investments are an improvement over the June budget, wildfire resilience funding remains near historic lows, with no clear plan for sustained investment in future years.
Read more about the final budget, Prop 4 and GGRF allocations, and what’s next for wildfire and climate resilience in the Sierra.
Prop 45 – Oppose
Prop. 45 would make significant changes to California’s environmental review and permitting processes for certain projects.
SBC supports thoughtful efforts to streamline permitting for projects that address urgent needs, including housing and wildfire resilience. However, we believe the changes proposed by Prop. 45 are too broad and could reduce important environmental protections, public participation, and local decision-making while placing additional demands on already-limited local government capacity.