Democracy on the Brink: California's Special Election
October 31, 2005
Scholars, Journalists and Political Consultants Examine the Issues at USC Law
On the eve of California's first special election in a decade, scholars, journalists and practitioners will discuss the impact of the election on democracy here and throughout the nation at a Nov. 1 conference sponsored by the USC Gould School of Law.
The half-day symposium will unveil some of the most recent scholarly research on the country's initiative process and the policy implications for education, campaign finance, redistricting and California state politics.
A second panel moderated by Nick Goldberg, op-ed editor of the Los Angeles Times, will look at all sides of the heated initiative battle and what the initiative explosion means for state government.
The California Special Election will give voters a chance to change some of the most fundamental features of politics and governance in the state.
"As this critical election approaches, the symposium will look at what the election portends for California, the national trendsetter in ballot box lawmaking," said John Matsusaka, president of the Initiative and Referendum Institute, which is sponsoring the conference with the USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law and Politics.
"Throughout the nation, lawmakers and voters are watching this election," Matsusaka said. "Whatever happens in California could have a major impact on the long-run development of American democracy. We have brought together a stellar panel of people who are watching how California's initiative battle will impact democracy here and across the nation."
The first set of panelists will discuss "New Research on Ballot Box Governance." Moderated by Dan Rodriguez, professor of law at University of San Diego and a visiting professor at USC Law, panelists include Joe Mathews, staff writer with the Los Angeles Times; Jonathan Katz, political science professor at Caltech; Richard Seder, director of the Education Policy Program at the USC California Policy Institute; and John de Figueiredo, a UCLA professor.
The second panel, a roundtable discussion on the broad implications of the special election, includes Kam Kuwata, a democratic consultant; Joel Fox, co-chair of Citizens to Save California; Elizabeth Garrett and R. Michael Alvarez, both affiliated with the USC-Caltech Center for Law and Politics; Judy Muller of ABC News and Annenberg School for Communication; and Dane Waters, founder of the Initiative and Referendum Institute.
The conference will take place at the James Ackerman Auditorium at the USC Gould School of Law.
New scholarly research on the initiative process will take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. A discussion on the use of initiatives and the California Special Election runs from 11:10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Contact: Betsey Hawkins, USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law and Politics, (213) 821-5438, or Gilien Silsby, USC Gould School of Law Media Relations, (213) 740-9690