CPF's "California at 175: Stuck or Moving Forward?" conference begins with welcome remarks from CPF Co-Director Mike Murphy, CPF Managing Director Kamy Akhavan, and Neeraj Sood, USC Open Dialogue Project Director. Spring 2026 CPF Fellow Seema Mehta moderates a conversation with political experts Mike Bonin, Fernando Guerra, Mike Murphy, and Amy Thoma Tan on the 2026 ballot initiatives in California. They discuss the most impactful ballot measures in California history, how Democrats and Republicans utilize ballot initiatives, and the initiatives in the upcoming 2026 midterms. This conference is in partnership with the USC Open Dialogue Project and USC Casden Institute.
Featuring:
-Mike Bonin: Director, CSULA Pat Brown Institute; Former Member, Los Angeles City Council; Former Fellow, USC Center for the Political Future
-Fernando Guerra: Director, LMU Center for the Study of Los Angeles
-Mike Murphy: Co-Director, USC Center for the Political Future
-Amy Thoma Tan: President, Cobalt Public Affairs
-Seema Mehta: Veteran Political Reporter, Los Angeles Times; Spring 2026 Fellow, USC Center for the Political Future
-Kamy Akhavan: Managing Director, USC Center for the Political Future
-Neeraj Sood: Director, USC Open Dialogue Project