This Monday marks the 100th anniversary of California’s initiative and referendum process, which, after then Governor Hiram Johnson convinced legislators to put the reform measure on the October 10, 1911 ballot, was enacted by 76 percent of California voters. A day-long forum in Sacramento this Monday will celebrate the centennial event with debate and discussion about the state’s system of direct democracy by a very diverse group of speakers.
The “100th Anniversary Celebration of California’s Initiative & Referendum” begins at 10:00 am on Monday, October 10, at the Sheraton Grand Hotel on 1230 J Street, just blocks from the state capitol in downtown Sacramento. The event will feature a talk about the historic 1911 effort, a morning panel on the impact of a century of voter initiatives, a lunch debate on whether the initiative process is “the problem” or “the solution” for California governance, two afternoon panel discussions, the first on reform of the process followed by a look at what the next century may bring, and will conclude with a reception sponsored by the Consulate General of Switzerland for San Francisco from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, at which Wall Street Journal columnist and longtime FR friend John Fund will speak.
Other speakers include: Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association; Harvey Rosenfield, the founder of Consumer Watchdog; Jennifer Fearing, senior state director of The Humane Society of the United States; Peter Schrag, retired editor and columnist for the Sacramento Bee; Michael Salerno, clinical professor of law at UC Hastings College of the Law; Derek Cressman, regional director of state operations for Common Cause; Paul Jacob, a former national leader of the term limits movement and president of Citizens in Charge Foundation; Bettina Inclan, bi-lingual communications strategist for Poizner for Governor 2010; Robert Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies; Lenny Mendonca, a California Forward board member; Kim Alexander, founder of the California Voter Foundation; Dane Waters, founder of the Initiative & Referendum Institute at USC; Michael Marubio, co-founder of Verafirma, a firm specializing in electronic signature technology; Dr. David McCuan, a professor at Sonoma State University; Joe Mathews with the New America Foundation and the Los Angeles Times; and yours truly!
California Forward, Citizens in Charge Foundation and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation are sponsoring the day-long celebration. There are also a number of co-sponsoring groups, including: Arno Political Consultants, Ballotpedia, Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership at Pepperdine University, The Federalist Society of Sacramento, The Humane Society of the United States, New America Foundation, and XS Energy.
More information is available here. The event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP to Amanda@CitizensInCharge.org is required for registration.
What: 100th Anniversary Celebration of California’s Initiative & Referendum
When: Monday, October 10, 2011, from 10:00 am – 6:30 pm
Where: Sheraton Grand Hotel 1230 J Street, Sacramento, CA
P.S. It seems to be that by coming to this event on Columbus Day, you can also celebrate the fact that in 1492, Christopher Columbus first stepped foot onto what it now known as North America. Of course you can always just head down Interstate 80 where in Berkeley they celebrate “Indigenous Peoples Day” — of course.