Retrofitting California:  Rethinking Policy and Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future 

17th Annual Envisioning California Conference

September 22-23, 2005

Warner Center Marriott In the Woodland Hills section of the City of Los Angeles, California
 

Conference Schedule
Panel Descriptions
Click here for a Full Conference Program   
 
Conference Theme:  The state’s dominant infrastructure was created in the 1950s and 1960s — energy, transportation, medical services, harbors and ports, schools and universities, flood control and water systems all received significant investment in the post-war period, and very little since. The challenges facing the state are increasingly complex, overwhelming our infrastructure at every level. 

This year’s Envisioning California Conference examines the state of the state’s infrastructure — including its physical, political, social, economic and environmental systems — in an effort to align the state’s existing and emerging needs with the state’s capacity to meet those needs. As always, the conference will bring together diverse experts from throughout the state to engage in an informed discussion leading to concrete recommendations.

Speakers:  Keynote speakers include the Honorable Fabian Núñez, Speaker of the California State Assembly, Patt Morrison, author and columnist with the Los Angeles Times, and former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Michael Dukakis. In addition, the California Legacy Project will present a spoken-word presentation on the California landscape.

Breakout session topics include “From Adobes to New Urbanism: California’s Land Use in Perspective,” “Changing Political Infrastructure: Improving the Initiative Process,” “Political Reform: Examining the Possibilities,” “California’s Economy in Transition: Energy, Technology, and Infrastructure,” California’s Environmental Infrastructure: Water, Air Quality, Coastal Resources,” “Revisiting Neighborhood Infrastructure: Grassroots and Nonprofits in the Community,” “The Social Infrastructure: Immigration,” “Health Services in California: From Crisis to Opportunity,” and “Environmental Justice in California: Examining Ethnicity, Economics and Environmental Toxicity.”   Click here for list of Panelists.

Conveners:  The Center for Southern California Studies (CSCS) was established in 1996 to provide research, education, and service on public policy issues facing Southern California. Driven by the goal of achieving well-informed public policy decisions, the Center offers diverse programs that facilitate pathways to productive policy dialogue aimed at building community capacity and participation. The Center works collaboratively with its Community Advisory Board and its Faculty Advisory Board to define and fulfill its mission. 

The Center for California Studies is a public service, educational support, and applied research institute of California State University, Sacramento. It is dedicated to promoting a better understanding of California’s government, politics, peoples, cultures and history. Founded in 1984 and located on the capital campus of the California State University, the Center possesses a unique trust: to bring the resources of the state’s largest university system to the service of public discourse, civic education and state government.