Ada Waelder is a senior state legislative representative for the California Regional Office. Ada joined Earthjustice in January 2025, to spearhead the organization’s legislative and regulatory efforts in and around Sacramento. She brings with her over a decade of experience working on energy and environmental policy at the local, state, and federal levels.

Prior to Earthjustice, Ada worked with the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) as a Legislative Advocate focused on energy, environment, public lands, cannabis, waste & recycling, and home insurance issues. In this role, she represented all 58 counties in California in front of the Legislature and state agencies.

Before joining CSAC, Ada was based in Washington, D.C., with the United States Senate where she most recently served as a Professional Staff Member on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee. In her time with the Senate, Ada worked on a variety of policy areas including appropriations, energy, the environment, public lands, cybersecurity, and the American insular areas.

Ada holds a B.A. from the University of Washington, Seattle.