Ben Turner

Ben Turner is the Chief Policy and Planning Advisor at the California Department of Conservation. Formerly, he was the Program Manager of the Safety Management System Branch at the California Public Utilities Commission overseeing risk assessment and analysis, utility safety regulation, and safety culture investigations. Prior to Joining the Commission in 2020, Ben served as the Acting Deputy Secretary for Legislation at the Resources Agency and as Assistant Director for the Office of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs for the Department of Conservation. Most of his career has involved working with a broad array of stakeholders and policymakers on laws and regulations covering oil and gas, mining, energy, and land conservation. Prior to working for the Brown and Newsom Administrations, Ben served for seven years as a Legislative Director and Policy Consultant in the California State Assembly and State Senate. He earned his B.A. and M.A. in geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara.