Citizens in Charge

Next month in San Francisco, I’ll participate in a panel discussion entitled, “How Do We Put The People Back in The Initiative Process?”

The title is far too negative, as I’ll be pointing out that the people of California are already “in the initiative process,” relishing their power to vote on every measure, defeating even the biggest spending issues backed by special interests, passing needed reforms. Yet, there are important ways to improve the process.

The discussion will feature Kim Alexander of the California Voter Foundation; Bruno Kaufmann, Swiss-Swedish journalist and president of the Initiative & Referendum Institute Europe; and myself, as president of the Citizens in Charge Foundation. The panel will be moderated by Joe Mathews, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation. It is a Zócalo Public Square/New America Foundation Connecting California Event in partnership with the Bill Lane Center for the American West.

The event takes place on Wednesday, September 21, at 7:00 pm at Fort Mason, Golden Gate Room at the Conference Center, Building A, at the intersection of Marina Blvd and Buchanan St in San Francisco.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of California’s famed citizen initiative process. In addition to this event, I’ll be in California again on October 10, the actual anniversary date, to take part in a day-long celebration sponsored by Citizens in Charge Foundation at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento.