More than 500 people turned out for the second annual CalMatters Ideas Festival, a daylong gathering that brought together elected officials, educators, students and community members for candid discussions on the issues shaping California’s future.
Across 14 sessions, 33 speakers took the stage to weigh in on topics ranging from the tense relationship between state and federal government to the fiscal and political obstacles awaiting California’s next governor. Attendees also explored the state’s outsized role in the national debate over artificial intelligence, with audience members able to ask questions and interact with panelists throughout the day.
The event drew a notably diverse crowd. In partnership with the California Association of Nonprofits, organizers invited nonprofit directors from across the state, broadening both the geographic reach of attendees and the relevance of the conversations to those directly affected by the policies discussed.
A high school newspaper adviser and her student journalists from Roseville spent the full day covering the festival, landing extended interviews with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano — a rare opportunity for young reporters to question two prominent public figures at length.
The festival also served as a gathering point for California’s Latino Media Collaborative, whose members met to discuss shared editorial and business challenges while also reporting on the day’s events. Meanwhile, organizers held the first meeting of what will become the CalMatters Creators Circle, bringing in digital content creators who cover the news and issues CalMatters reports on. Those creators were given a dedicated interview space in the green room and had the chance to sit down one-on-one with many of the day’s speakers, followed by a half-day workshop after the main event concluded.
Sessions throughout the day covered a wide range of subjects. CalMatters CEO Neil Chase and Editor-in-Chief Kristen Go opened the festival alongside California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick, who reflected on the state through verse, in a discussion moderated by CalMatters Board Chair Hema Sareen Mohan.
Other panels examined the widening distance between government institutions and the communities they serve, featuring Amy E. Lerman of UC Berkeley’s Possibility Lab. A keynote conversation with Cesar Fernandez of the AI company Anthropic explored whether California can lead the nation in both developing and regulating artificial intelligence, a theme picked up again in a follow-up panel featuring UC Berkeley law professor Deirdre K. Mulligan and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan.
Immigration enforcement and its ripple effects on communities were addressed in a session featuring Julián Castro, CEO of the Latino Community Foundation, and CalMatters health reporter Kristen Hwang. The tension between state and federal authority took center stage in a conversation between Attorney General Bonta and Napolitano, while Lincoln Project co-founders Mike Madrid and Rick Wilson offered their take on lessons learned from recent political battles.
Workforce and education issues were front and center in a panel featuring Alysia Bell of UNITE-LA, Don Howard of the James Irvine Foundation, and Eloy Ortiz Oakley of the College Futures Foundation, who discussed how the state must adapt to shifting labor demands.
Looking ahead to California’s next gubernatorial race, Hoover Institution fellow Lanhee Chen, California Federation of Labor Unions President Lorena Gonzalez, and CalMatters columnist Dan Walters outlined the steep challenges — from budget pressures to political gridlock — that will confront whoever takes office next.
The festival closed with a discussion on the state’s ongoing housing crisis, featuring Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty, and Gustavo Velasquez, director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development, who acknowledged progress made in recent years while emphasizing how much work remains.
Video recordings of all 10 mainstage sessions are available for public viewing through CalMatters’ online archive.
Original source: CalMatters
