Terry Roberts
Terry Roberts is a land use planner with over 30 years of experience and leadership in state, regional, and local land use planning, with expertise in California planning and zoning law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and regional transportation planning. Her combined city government, state government, and private sector experience provide her with skills and perspectives for resolving complex interdisciplinary and multi-jurisdictional issues. From 2009-2017, she has served as a policy advisor to the California Air Resources Board where she worked with local and regional agencies in Southern California to implement sustainable land use and transportation policies that further the state's air quality and greenhouse gas reduction goals. She was the liaison to the SCAG and SANDAG metropolitan planning organizations as they developed and implemented their Sustainable Communities Strategies pursuant to Senate Bill 375. In addition, she represented the Board on a number of interagency work groups that influence clean air policies. From 1999 to 2009, Terry was the Director of the State Clearinghouse and Planning Unit in the Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR) which coordinates the state level review of environmental documents under CEQA and provides technical assistance to state and local agencies on land use planning matters. In addition to managing the state's CEQA assistance functions, she provided staff support to the Governor's Office on legislative analyses and statewide land use policy development. She was the key staff to develop OPR's draft CEQA Guidelines for greenhouse gas emissions, pursuant to Senate Bill 97. She participated on interagency task forces including the Floodplain Management Task Force, AB2717 Landscape Task Force, California Water Plan Steering Committee, and Governor's Red Team for siting of the UC Merced campus. She managed the development of all OPR publications including the 2003 General Plan Guidelines, 2003 LAFCO Incorporation Guidelines, 2005 Tribal Consultation Guidelines, 2008 CEQA and Climate Change technical advisory and annual updates of the California Planners' Book of Lists. Prior to OPR, she was a senior planner for the City of West Sacramento for nine years, handling current and advance planning issues. She participated in, or managed, varied projects that included development of the city's first general plan and landscaping ordinance, the Riverfront Master Plan, the Washington Specific Plan, and the Raley Field baseball park. Terry has also worked in the private sector as an environmental consultant, assisting municipalities and private applicants through the CEQA and permitting processes for projects including the City of Dixon Drainage Master Plan and Draft EIR/EIS for the Sierra Ski Ranch Expansion project. Ms. Roberts was born in Seoul, Korea. She holds a degree in zoology from the University of California at Berkeley.