California is at a crossroads. 175 years in, does the state’s government still work? Is California well-governed – or misgoverned – after decades of one party control? Is California facing a permanent brain drain or economic exodus driven by affordability, tax policy, and the cost of living?

CLICK HERE TO WATCH: "California at 175: Stuck or Moving Forward? | Panel #1 – Ballot Initiatives 2026"

Click here to read the execuitive summary and full transcript of "California at 175: Stuck or Moving Forward? | Panel #1 – Ballot Initiatives 2026"

CLICK HERE TO WATCH: "California at 175: Stuck or Moving Forward? | Panel #2 – The Trends that Turned California from Red to Blue" 

Click here to read the execuitive summary and full transcript of "California at 175: Stuck or Moving Forward? | Panel #2 – The Trends that Turned California from Red to Blue" 

CLICK HERE TO WATCH: "California at 175: Stuck or Moving Forward? | Panel #3 – First in Taxes, First in Results?" 

Click here to read the execuitive summary and full transcript of "California at 175: Stuck or Moving Forward? | Panel #3 – First in Taxes, First in Results?" 

Join the USC Center for the Political Future at its upcoming conference, "California at 175: Stuck or Moving Forward?" This timely conference will explore these questions and more on Wednesday, March 4 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the USC Town & Gown Ballroom.

Throughout the day, panels featuring experts in politics, policy, campaigns, and strategy will analyze some of the most pressing questions facing the Golden State today. Panelists will also explore California’s evolving role in national politics, including how figures like Donald Trump continue to shape political narratives in the state, and what recent moments, from federal-state tensions to high-profile local leadership challenges, reveal about California’s political future. Together, these conversations will ask whether California is stuck at a crossroads or positioned to move forward. 

The Center for the Political Future is proud to host this event in partnership with the USC Open Dialogue Project and the USC Casden Institute, as well as the student organizations USC Political Union (a chapter of BridgeUSA). the Trojan Democrats, and the USC College Republicans.

Schedule 

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Check-in

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM: Lunch

1:00 PM - 1:10 PM: Opening Remarks

1:10 pm to 2:25 pm: Panel #1: Ballot Initiatives 2026

• Seema Mehta (Moderator) – Veteran Political Reporter, Los Angeles Times
• Mike Bonin – Director, CSULA Pat Brown Institute & Former Member, Los Angeles City Council
• Fernando Guerra – Director, LMU Center for the Study of Los Angeles
• Mike Murphy – Co-Director, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future
• Amy Thoma Tan – President, Cobalt Public Affairs

2:35 pm to 4:00 pm: Panel #2: The Trends that Turned California from Red to Blue

• Douglas Becker – Professor of International Relations, USC 
• Susan Estrich – Legal Expert; Political Strategist
• Ken Khachigian – Aide to President Nixon; Chief Speechwriter for President Reagan
• Hank Plante – Peabody and Emmy Award Winning Journalist

4:10 pm to 5:20 pm: Panel #3: First in Taxes, First in Results?

• Ron Galperin (Moderator) – Former Controller, City of Los Angeles
• David Crane – Co-Founder and President, Govern for California
• Bob Hertzberg – Former Speaker, California State Assembly; Former Majority Leader, California State Senate
• Richard Leib – Chair, Board of UC Regents & President and CEO, Dunleer Strategies

5:15 PM - 5:20 PM: Closing Remarks

CLICK HERE TO WATCH: "California at 175: Stuck or Moving Forward? | Panel #1 – Ballot Initiatives 2026"

Click here to read the execuitive summary and full transcript of "California at 175: Stuck or Moving Forward? | Panel #1 – Ballot Initiatives 2026"

CLICK HERE TO WATCH: "California at 175: Stuck or Moving Forward? | Panel #2 – The Trends that Turned California from Red to Blue" 

Click here to read the execuitive summary and full transcript of "California at 175: Stuck or Moving Forward? | Panel #2 – The Trends that Turned California from Red to Blue" 

CLICK HERE TO WATCH: "California at 175: Stuck or Moving Forward? | Panel #3 – First in Taxes, First in Results?" 

Click here to read the execuitive summary and full transcript of "California at 175: Stuck or Moving Forward? | Panel #3 – First in Taxes, First in Results?"