Reforming California’s dysfunctional government has become a boom industry. The legislature, foundations, activists, and reformers of all stripes are trying to find the golden key to set California straight. Now academic institutions are offering symposiums to study the problem and perhaps move toward solutions.
Two conferences are set in the coming weeks. Both are free to the public. Academics will join interest group leaders and policymakers to explore the state of the state. (I’ll be a panelist at both events.)
On Wednesday, October 14 the conference at the Sacramento Convention Center is titled: Getting to Reform: Avenues to Constitutional Change in California. Sponsored by UC Berkeley’s Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics & Public Service; Center for California Studies at Cal State Sacramento; and Stanford’s Bill Lane Center for the Study of the American West, the one-day conference will examine the advantages and drawbacks of alternative paths to constitutional change, including a look at a potential constitutional convention. See the conference agenda here.
UC Berkeley is hosting the October 23 all day conference to try to find the answer to, “What Ails California?” The program asks is the problem: “Gridlock in the legislature? The legacy of Prop 13? A vicious cycle of distrust in government? Partisan polarization?” The program continues: “Before we fix California’s government, we need a clear understanding of the fundamental problems. Otherwise, institutional reforms may address the symptoms rather than the causes.” The conference agenda is here.
Registration information for this conference can be found here.