Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Drug Use, the Pandemic, and LGBTQ People Sep 16, 2021

Show notes

COVID-19 has disrupted many of our lives, with impacts ranging from job loss to housing changes, physical health issues to mental health challenges. At the same time, drug use has increased since the pandemic first struck and has deeply affected many LGBTQ people.

Join us for an important discussion on the impact of drugs and the search for healthy ways of coping with the pandemic and life's other challenges.

SPEAKERS

Kristen Marshall

Associate Director of San Francisco Programs, National Harm Reduction Coalition

Wayne Rafus

Manager of Contingency Management, 6th Street Harm Reduction Center

Sister Roma

Member, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence; Entertainer; Activist

Juniper Yun

Artist, Director of Cultural Affairs, The Transgender District in San Francisco

Michelle Meow

Producer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show," KBCW TV and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors; Twitter @msmichellemeow—Host

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on September 9th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Craig Whitlock: Inside the War in Afghanistan Sep 16, 2021

Show notes

Unlike the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan had near-unanimous public support at the time. Their goals were straightforward: defeat Al-Qaeda and prevent a repeat of 9/11. But after the Taliban was ousted from power, U.S. officials lost sight of their original objectives as the military became mired in an unwinnable guerrilla conflict in a country it did not understand.

Washington Post reporter Craig Whitlock brings us The Afghanistan Papers, which, similarly to the Pentagon Papers after Vietnam, contains startling revelations from people who played a direct role in the war, certain to change the public’s understanding of the conflict. From leaders in the White House and Pentagon to soldiers and aid workers on the front lines, many are candidly admitting that the U.S. government’s strategies were a mess, that the nation-building project was a colossal failure, and that drugs and corruption gained a stronghold over their allies in the Afghan government. Whitlock’s account is based on interviews with more than 1,000 people who knew that the U.S. government was presenting a distorted, and sometimes entirely fabricated, version of the facts on the ground—all upheld by three presidents unwilling to admit failure.

Join us for this timely event with Craig Whitlock as he reveals the alarming truth behind the longest war in American history, forcing us to reckon with what went so horribly wrong in Afghanistan.

SPEAKERS

Craig Whitlock

Investigative Reporter, The Washington Post; Author The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War

In Conversation with Mitch Jeserich

Host, "Letters and Politics," KPFA Radio

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on September 8th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Renewal: From Crisis to Transformation with Anne-Marie Slaughter Sep 15, 2021

Show notes

Americans today face a deeply divided nation beset with political dysfunction. It is here in the United States where identity is questioned, equality is fought for, and history is debated. How can we face the past and simultaneously envision a new future? In her new book Renewal, lawyer and foreign policy analyst Anne-Marie Slaughter encourages self-reflection and growth to change the way individuals and institutions lead and learn.

Slaughter’s years of government service, particularly as the former director of policy planning for the U.S. Department of State, has prepared her for understanding how identity and values shape the crisis America now faces. Through personal reflections and insights on the latest research in the social sciences, Slaughter will explain how to understand how our country must accept its past, renew, and face the future. Renewal highlights a story of crisis and change that can help us find renewed honesty and purpose in our personal and political lives.

Join us as Anne-Marie Slaughter offers honesty and hope in this essential reading for change makers of tomorrow.

SPEAKERS

Anne-Marie Slaughter

CEO, New America; Author, Renewal: From Crisis to Transformation in Our Lives, Work, and Politics

In Conversation with Lenny Mendonca

Former Chief Economic and Business Advisor, State of California; Director Emeritus, McKinsey & Company

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The 20th Anniversary of 9/11 and the Homeland Today: With Janet Napolitano, Anthony Romero and Amy Zegart Sep 15, 2021

Show notes

As the country reflects on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, join us for a special 90-minute conversation focused on the state of homeland security today and looking ahead. Homeland security is a term that has evolved over the past two decades since the deadly terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. At first, it was a subject primarily focused on protecting the country from international terrorism, including Osama Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda, then ISIS, as well as affiliated terrorist organizations. Over the past several years and culminating on January 6 earlier this year, the phrase has also expanded to include domestic extremism and threats from within the United States.

A high-level panel featuring former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napoliano, ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero and Hoover Institution Senior Fellow and cybersecurity expert Dr. Amy Zegart will discuss a range of issues related to homeland security, including civil liberties and technology. The program will explore our changing understanding of homeland security, what we have learned about keeping the country safe over the past 20 years, and what the trade-offs have been for the country’s citizens and the country itself.

SPEAKERS

Janet Napolitano

Professor of Public Policy, Director of the Center for Security in Politics, and Former President, University of California; U.S Homeland Security Secretary Under President Obama; Former Governor, Arizona

Anthony Romero

Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union

Amy Zegart

Sr. Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies; Morris Arnold & Nona Jean Cox Sr. Fellow, Hoover Institution; Professor, by courtesy, of Political Science, Stanford University; Author, Spies, Lies, and Algorithms (forthcoming)

Dina Temple-Raston

Senior Correspondent, The Record by Recorded Future; Former National Security & Investigations Correspondent, National Public Radio—Moderator

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on September 10th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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The Future of California Tourism in Challenging Times Sep 15, 2021

Show notes

Travel and tourism make up one of California’s most important and powerful industries. Every day before the pandemic of 2020, travelers injected hundreds of millions of dollars into communities across the Golden State, infusing hundreds of billions of dollars into the state’s economy. In 2019, this spending generated $12.2 billion in local and state tax revenue and supported 1.2 million jobs for Californians.

That all changed when the pandemic spread in March 2020, and the tourism industry largely shut down, hitting cities like San Francisco particularly hard. The industry recovery began to take shape earlier in 2021. However, just as the pandemic was receding and the tourism economy was starting to recover, the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus has again negatively impacted the tourism economy, slowing chances of a full recovery any time soon and raising questions about the future of the industry and, most important, the workers who rely on it for employment. These issues are particularly challenging in the Bay Area, as it is significantly impacted by shifts in tourism to San Francisco.

As one of the most challenging periods in the state's tourism history continues, we are pleased to be joined by two of the state's top tourism leaders, as well as tourism workers directly impacted by the changes brought about by the pandemic, to discuss the future of the industry in the fifth-largest economy in the world, The discussion will touch upon why the tourism economy is so important to the California economy, why travel and tourism is so significant to all Californians, and what we all can do to support the industry and its workers during this challenging time.

NOTES

This program is funded by a grant from The California Wellness Foundation (Cal Wellness). The foundation’s mission is to improve the health of Californians. Cal Wellness is dedicated to promoting equity through advocacy and access.

SPEAKERS

Caroline Beteta

President & CEO, Visit California

Joe D'Alessandro

President and CEO, SF Travel

Daniela Puccinelli

Director of Event Management, The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square

Spud Hilton

Former Travel Editor, San Francisco Chronicle; Editor, Where Traveler Magazine, San Francisco Bay Area Edition

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CLIMATE ONE: Water and Civilization: Resilience and Collapse Sep 10, 2021

Show notes

Water is essential for life, and throughout history we have sought to control and make use of it. As Giulio Boccaletti explores in his new book, Water: A Biography, that relationship with water has underpinned human civilization, forming an integral part of society, government and land use systems. But despite its essential nature, access to water has never been equal or entirely fair.

Climate disruption will further destabilize the systems we’ve built to control water in our environment – even as it remains a public good without fair and equal public access. What can 10,000 years of history teach us about how we should handle water in our current and future climate?

Guests:

Giulio Boccaletti, Author, Water: A Biography

Sara Aminzadeh, Vice President of Partnerships, U.S. Water Alliance

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Extraction: Art on the Edge of the Abyss Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

Extraction: Art on the Edge of the Abyss is a special project of the Codex Foundation. Extraction is a multimedia, multi-venue, cross-border art intervention focused on the suicidal consumption of the planet’s natural resources, which the artists say is the most pressing environmental issue of our time, encompassing all others, including climate change.

Extraction is an international "art ruckus" for 2021! Peter Koch's intervention includes a multimedia focus on dual aspects of Northern California and his native state of Montana and the impact of Extraction.

The project is culminating in a constellation of nearly 50 overlapping exhibitions, performances, installations, site-specific work, land art, street art, publications, poetry readings and cross-media events throughout 2021 and beyond.

NOTES

MLF: Arts

SPEAKERS

Peter Koch

Peter Koch Printers

Sam Pelts

Coordinator, Extraction Project

Dr. Anne W. Smith

Co-Chair, Arts Member-Led Forum, The Commonwealth Club of California—Moderator

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on August 31st, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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The Economic State of Black America Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

As with many aspects of American life, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted BIPOC communities. For Black businesses, this meant closing their doors and for Black workers, either being laid off or made to work in unsafe conditions. In a system where Black workers are proportionally overrepresented in low-wage work and sharply underrepresented in executive positions, this negative impact is exacerbated. However discouraging this reality is, it serves as a call to action to close the wide, possibly widening, racial gap.

At INFORUM, a panel of experts on the economic state of Black America will provide insight on what a path to equal and just recovery looks like, expanding upon research by McKinsey & Company. Further, juxtaposing the current reality with the prosperity offered by a better future, they will drive home the need to make change, and do so quickly.

SPEAKERS

Shelley Stewart III

Partner, McKinsey & Company; Co-author, "The economic state of Black America: What is and what could be"

Michael Chui

Partner, McKinsey Global Institute; Co-author, "The economic state of Black America: What is and what could be"

Dr. Kristen E. Broady

Ph.D., Fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program, The Brookings Institution

Jeffery Wallace

CEO and President, LeadersUp

Jennifer Ablan

U.S. Assistant Managing Editor, Financial Times—Moderator

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on August 27th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Engaging and Empowering Returned Peace Corps Women Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

Join us as we discover and learn how these four dynamic returned women Peace Corps volunteers crafted their careers to become important leaders. We will also find out what hurdles they had to overcome and how they became influential and creative leaders. Their stories are valuable for all to hear, and we can all learn from their experiences.

Lisa Curtis is the founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli, the leading brand pioneering the sustainably sourced superfood moringa. Kuli Kuli works with farmers in the developing world to access the nutritional power and economic opportunities of moringa. Curtis began working on Kuli Kuli while serving in the Peace Corps in Niger and has grown it into a multi-million dollar social enterprise. Previously, Lisa wrote political briefings for President Obama in the White House, served as a United Nations Environment Programme Youth Advisor, and worked at an impact investment firm in India.

The moderator for today's program is Frank Price, the vice president of the Northern California Peace Corps Association and Shriver Circle Member of the National Peace Corps Association. Price served in the Peace Corps in Côte d'Ivoire. He is currently president of the Stewardship of the Commons Foundation

MLF ORGANIZER

Frank Price

NOTES

MLF: International Relations

SPEAKERS

Lisa Curtis

Founder & CEO of Kuli Kuli; Served in Niger

Karen DeWitt

Journalist; Digital Newsroom Director, School of Global Journalism and Communication, Morgan State University; Served in Ethiopia

Nalini Elkins

CEO and Founder of Inside Products, Inc.; Served in Togo

Rahama Wright

Founder and CEO of Shea Yeleen Health and Beauty; Served in Ghana

Frank Price

Vice President, Northern California Peace Corps Association; Shriver Circle Member, National Peace Corps Association; Served in Côte d'Ivoire

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on August 26th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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U.C. Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky: The Supreme Court and Racist Policing Sep 08, 2021

Show notes

U.C. Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky is one of the country's most respected constitutional scholars. In his new book Presumed Guilty, he says that the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the perpetuation of racist policing by presuming that suspects, especially people of color, are guilty before being charged.

Dean Chemerinsky argues that the fact that police are nine times more likely to kill Black men than other Americans is no accident but rather the result of an elaborate body of doctrines. He says the pro-defendant Warren Court was a only brief historical aberration and that this more liberal era ended with Nixon’s presidency and the ascendance of conservative justices, whose rulings have permitted stops and frisks, limited suits to reform police departments, and even abetted the use of chokeholds.

Come hear Dean Chemerinsky's thoughts on necessary steps to create a more robust court system that will enhance civil rights.

SPEAKERS

Erwin Chemerinsky

Dean, University of California, Berkeley, Law School; Author, Presumed Guilty: How the Supreme Court Empowered the Police and Subverted Civil Rights

In conversation with Brian Watt

KQED News Anchor

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on August 30th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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