Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Katherine Gehl and Michael Porter: Why Competition in the Politics Industry Is Failing America Apr 01, 2019

Show notes

Many Americans are horrified about the dysfunction and abysmal results from Washington, D.C., say Katherine Gehl and Michael Porter, and they argue that they have a realistic approach to changing this. They say our political problems are not due to a single cause but rather to a failure of the nature of the political competition that has been created—a systems problem. Come for a rare visit with two of America’s top business thinkers as they turn their focus to realigning America’s political system through the Gehl Porter politics industry theory. Katherine M. Gehl is a business leader, author and speaker. She was president and CEO of Gehl Foods, a $250 million high-tech food manufacturing company in Wisconsin, where she led a transformational growth strategy and received multiple awards before selling the company in 2015—in part to dedicate more time to political reform. Her career includes roles in the private and public sectors including at Oracle Corporation, Bernstein Investment Research and Management, Mayor Richard M. Daley’s office at the city of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. In 2018, she co-founded Democracy Found, a Wisconsin-based initiative mobilizing a bipartisan group of leaders to implement electoral innovations in Wisconsin. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame and holds an MA from Catholic University and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Michael E. Porter is an economist, researcher, author, advisor, speaker and teacher. Throughout his lifetime career at Harvard Business School, he has brought economic theory and strategy concepts to bear on many of the most challenging problems facing corporations, economies and societies, including market competition and company strategy, economic development, the environment and health care. He is the author of 19 books and over 130 articles and is the most-cited scholar today in economics and business. Porter graduated from Princeton University and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a doctorate from Harvard’s department of economics.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CLIMATE ONE: Insane Mode: Tesla’s Wild Ride Mar 31, 2019

Show notes

Despite having the top-selling luxury car in 2018, and a loyal if not rabid customer base, Tesla has been facing major challenges. In August, maverick CEO Elon Musk was slapped with SEC charges over some rather misleading tweets. That move cost him and the company millions in fines and forced Musk to step down as chairman. Other skid-marks for Tesla include production delays, shareholder skittishness and some well-publicized workplace complaints. Host Greg Dalton invites three journalists and Tesla-watchers to assess the health of Tesla, its overall impact on the auto industry and its future as a leader in the green economy.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amy Webb: The Dangers of AI Mar 31, 2019

Show notes

Some would say that the magic of artificial intelligence, or AI, is that its users are its primary source of power. As we navigate a Facebook page or ask Alexa a question, we provide data inputs at virtually no cost. Others, such as Amy Webb, would argue that this is AI’s most dangerous characteristic. This is because our data contributions are subject to such limited oversight. Webb is the founder of the Future Today Institute, a leading foresight and strategy firm that advises Fortune 500 companies, international nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and government agencies. A clear lover of new experiences, reporting and data, today she is a self-described quantitative futurist. Since future trends are usually present on the fringe of society before they appear in the mainstream, Webb’s line of work uses data-driven models to report on the probabilities of the future. Her latest predictions, as laid out in her book The Big Nine: How Tech Titans and Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity, give three scenarios for the future of artificial intelligence—optimistic, pragmatic and catastrophic. For each scenario, she provides practical measures that can be taken to address the most pressing issues. Her lesson in foresight is an important one as AI becomes more powerful and embedded within our everyday lives. Join us for a compelling discussion on the future of artificial intelligence—and what we can do about it.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An Evening with Governor Jerry Brown and Anne Gust Brown Mar 30, 2019

Show notes

Join us for the first joint public appearance by the former governor and first lady since leaving office. Here’s a rare opportunity to hear their views on issues impacting the state, the United States and the world, in addition to learning about their unique relationship. Come for an engaging, unabashed and lively conversation, and bring your questions. Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown Jr. served four terms as California’s governor in addition to being the state’s attorney general and mayor of Oakland. He graduated from UC Berkeley and attended Yale Law School. His achievements include: eliminating the state’s multibillion dollar budget deficit, cutting the state’s unemployment rate to a record low, adding nearly three million new jobs, expanding health coverage, and enacting sweeping reforms in the areas of public safety, immigration, workers’ compensation, water, pension, education, housing and economic development. Under Brown, California also established nation-leading targets to protect the environment and fight climate change. Anne Gust Brown married Governor Brown in 2005 and served as unpaid special counsel to the governor. Gust Brown grew up in Michigan and graduated from Stanford University and the University of Michigan Law School. She previously served as general counsel and chief administrative officer at Gap Inc. and helped run a number of Governor Brown’s successful campaigns.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taraji P. Henson: The Best of Enemies Mar 30, 2019

Show notes

Join Golden Globe-winning actress Taraji P. Henson, director Robin Bissell and producer Dominique Telson for a powerful conversation about the civil rights era and their new film, The Best of Enemies. While the 1960s in the United States were rife with violent racial tensions, Durham, North Carolina is a crucial anchor in the history of the civil rights movement. From hosting the country’s first sit-in to various visits from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, the city is the birthplace of many unsung heroes in the movement, including Ann Atwater. In 1971, civil rights activist Ann Atwater teamed up with an unlikely ally, KKK member C.P. Ellis, after a decade-long feud. Together, they shared a goal to reduce school violence and ensure peaceful desegregation. Atwater’s story and her friendship with Ellis is finally being told for audiences around the world in the upcoming film The Best of Enemies, starring Taraji P. Henson. Henson rose to fame with powerful roles in the television show “Empire” and the films Hidden Figures and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Join Henson, Bissell and Telson at INFORUM as they all discuss the making of the film, Atwater’s incredible life and the immense power of finding a common ground with everyone. ** This Podcast Contains Explicit Language **

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mayor Pete Buttigieg: Democratic Presidential Candidate Mar 29, 2019

Show notes

At 37 years old, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg already has a few firsts under his belt. In 2011 and at the age of 29, he was elected mayor of South Bend, IN, making him the youngest mayor of a U.S. city with at least 100,000 residents, and the first openly gay municipal executive in Indiana. In December 2018, he announced his 2020 campaign for the presidency and is now the first millennial and the first openly gay presidential candidate. With fellow politicians like President Barack Obama touting him as the future of the Democratic Party, Buttigieg is seemingly in for an incredible year. Join INFORUM for a conversation with the presidential hopeful, moderated by Mother Jones Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery, as they discuss Buttigieg’s quickly rising star, the importance of representation in American politics, and his desire to be the “fresh start” he feels our country needs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Water from the Wilderness: San Francisco's Water Supply Post 1906 and in the Era of Climate Change Mar 28, 2019

Show notes

A 100+ years ago, no one might have imagined putting a dam in a national park. But San Francisco did just that after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Building the O'Shaughnessy Dam was not easy. Some fought the process; others still want to see the dam dismantled. Yet, for more than a 100 years, the dam has been the water center for San Francisco and millions of Californians who rely on pure water and clean energy. But can our Hetch Hetchy water and energy systems survive a changing climate? Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Jim Yager will share his new documentary film, Water from the Wilderness, about the past, present and changing climates and times. MLF ORGANIZER NAME Ann Clark NOTES MLF: Environment & Natural Resources

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chancellor Carol Christ: The New Initiatives at UC Berkeley Mar 28, 2019

Show notes

It is not news that UC Berkeley is under continual financial pressure due to a challenging mix of increased enrollment, insufficient state funding and a tuition freeze. But by July 2019 Berkeley is expected to return to a balanced budget and financial health, and Chancellor Carol Christ is already looking to the future. Hear her discuss a new vision for undergraduate education that goes beyond the completion of assignments to immersion in the discovery and the creation of knowledge. Christ’s signature Initiatives include: translating UCB’s research into inventions, governmental policies and services that advance the greater good; emphasizing research initiatives like Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, which span the old dividing lines between disciplines, departments and even institutions; supporting the exploding interest in data science across the full range of academic disciplines; implementing a new free speech policy that sustains a commitment to the First Amendment while supporting the campus community’s values and protecting Berkeley’s actual operations from unnecessary disruption; and promoting diversity as an essential element for a campus that seeks to embody and represent California and that needs to prepare students to succeed in a multicultural world. MLF ORGANIZER NAME George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly: Managing Inflation in the Current Economy Mar 28, 2019

Show notes

The Bumpy Road to Two Percent Ten years into a historic economic expansion, inflation remains surprisingly subdued. Is this a problem or a benefit? San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Mary Daly will talk about navigating this debate and finding clarity as a policymaker. Daly became president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco on October 1, 2018. In this role, she participates on the Federal Open Market Committee, bringing the 12th district’s perspective to monetary policy discussions in Washington, D.C. Daly is a widely respected expert on labor markets with an unusual breadth of personal experience. She dropped out of high school at the age of 15, working in a doughnut shop and at Target before a friend persuaded her to earn a general education diploma. She worked her way through college at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, then earned a doctorate from Syracuse University before joining the Fed in 1996. Prior to her appointment to president, Daly served as the bank’s executive vice president and director of research. Daly has become a strong voice for increasing diversity among the leadership ranks of the Federal Reserve System by building the pipeline of women and minorities entering the economics profession. Come hear a unique perspective from an official responsible for supporting a safe, sound and stable American financial system.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Way to Find One's Purpose (and, Coincidentally, Happiness and Contentment) Mar 26, 2019

Show notes

A fable: A man is seen riding a horse galloping at top speed, careening through the main street of town. His friend shouts to him as he goes by, “Where are you going?” “I don’t know,” the man yells back. “Ask the horse.” If this story seems familiar, if you're scrambling to find your path, or if you have the sinking feeling that you're doing a great job on what is probably the wrong path, then consider taking a contemplative, spiritual pause—a chance to reflect and reorient—with Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian. O’Brian—ordained in the path of Kriya Yoga by Roy Eugene Davis, direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda—will lead a discussion of how to find one's life's purpose from a spiritual perspective. We'll look at how to find that purpose, and how to move towards its realization. O’Brian will show us a way to meditate and will share some surprisingly useful, millennia-tested methods for staying focused on one's goals even when tired, overwhelmed, doubtful or resistant. MLF Organizer Name: Eric Siegel MLF: Personal Growth

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices