California and Sonora sign memorandum on climate and trade in Sacramento

California and the Mexican state of Sonora signed a memorandum of understanding on climate change and trade during a signing ceremony at the Stanford Mansion in Sacramento, officials said.

Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis opened the event and welcomed Sonora’s delegation on behalf of Gov. Gavin Newsom. "Welcome to the historic Stanford Mansion in Sacramento for today's signing ceremony of a new memorandum of understanding on climate change and trade between the Mexican state of Sonora and the state of California," Kounalakis said.

The agreement, signed on stage by representatives of both governments, frames a cooperative effort on low‑carbon economic growth, climate resilience and related trade opportunities. The ceremony brought together state officials, legislative leaders and agency heads, including California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild and Francisco Acuña, executive director of the Council for the Sustainable Development of Sonora, who joined the signatories at the table.

Sonora Gov. Alfonso Durazo Montaño said the pact reflects a shared responsibility to future generations. "We can say that the world was not inherited from our parents. We are borrowing from our children," Durazo said, urging joint action on climate impacts he described as already harming the most vulnerable.

Gov. Gavin Newsom framed the memorandum as part of a broader low‑carbon growth agenda and underscored recent extreme weather and wildfire impacts in California. "The hot's getting hotter, the dry's getting drier, the wet's getting wetter," Newsom said, citing examples of communities devastated by fire and thanking Mexican firefighters and other international partners who assisted during emergencies.

The text of the memorandum itself defines the two governments’ intent to cooperate on climate mitigation and adaptation measures and to explore trade and technology partnerships that support a transition to lower emissions. The ceremony was described as a formal, ceremonial signing; no vote or local legislative action was recorded at the event.

Officials noted economic ties between California and Mexico as part of the rationale for deeper cooperation. Newsom referenced the state's size and diversity in his remarks, and cited that California’s combined population is larger than many nations and that roughly "27% of the state" is foreign born when discussing the state's role in international partnerships.

The signing concluded the event. "If you could please come to the table along with California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild, to sign the memorandum of cooperation," Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis said before the parties signed. "That concludes the ceremony. Thank you everyone for coming."