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Improving governance in the Golden State

Event Information

California governance has been the target of significant criticism over the past year from across the political spectrum. Conservatives regularly pillory California for issues like homelessness, disorder, and unaffordability. Liberals, many associated with the abundance movement, have criticized California’s inability to efficiently build housing and infrastructure. Other liberals have criticized the state’s challenges providing critical social services.

Join us at BESI as our panel of scholars and practitioners explores underlying drivers of governance problems and policy implementation failures in California, and examines potential remedies. Among other topics, we will pay particular attention to: 

  • Reduced party competition and lack of attention to state and local elections
  • The power of interest groups to influence policy in Sacramento 
  • Fragmentation of governance between state and local governments in California

Co-sponsored by Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies

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Panelists

Melissa Breach, Founder and CEO, Prosperity California

Thad Kousser, Professor of Political Science, UC San Diego

Ted Lempert, President, Children Now

Nancy Skinner, Commissioner, California Energy Commission

Date & Time

Date & Time
December 03, 2025
4:00 pm - 5:45 pm

Location

Berkeley Economy & Society Initiative
820 Social Sciences Building
Berkeley, 94720
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