Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ninety-Two: The Silent Revolt No One Saw Coming Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

Join us for an evening of film, data and dialogue exploring one of the most consequential workforce questions of our time, featuring the documentary Ninety-Two: The Silent Revolt No One Saw Coming.

Black women are among the fastest-growing groups of breadwinners in America. Yet despite their outsized contribution to families, communities and the economy, they continue to experience disproportionate levels of burnout, workplace inequity, financial strain and invisible labor.

What happens when the very people holding up the economy can no longer sustain the weight?

The event will feature a screening of Ninety-Two: The Silent Revolt No One Saw Coming, a documentary examining Black women’s evolving relationship with work, ambition, caregiving, exhaustion, and resistance.

Following the screening, attendees will join a moderated conversation featuring filmmaker and IKONI Institute founder Dr. Jade D. Singleton and executive producer Tara Jaye Frank, informed by emerging findings from the Global State of Black Women’s Labor Study—a multi-country research initiative examining the experiences of Black women across the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Together, we will examine:

The hidden costs of burnout and invisible labor
Why traditional workplace solutions are falling short
The growing gap between mentorship and meaningful access
The economic realities facing Black women breadwinners
The intersection of labor, leadership, well-being and economic mobility
What employers, philanthropists, policymakers and community leaders can do next

Designed for nonprofit leaders, philanthropists, researchers, employers, policymakers, advocates and civic leaders, this event moves beyond awareness and toward action.

An Arts Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.

Main image by Ku Nakagawa, cinematographer; all photos courtesy of the speakers.

Organizer: Robert Melton

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CLIMATE ONE: Benji Backer and Katharine Hayhoe on Finding Common Ground Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

At a time when nearly everything feels polarized, Benji Backer is trying to carve out a different path, one where caring about the natural world isn’t a partisan issue. As the founder of Nature Is Nonpartisan, he’s bringing together voices from across the political spectrum who might disagree on climate policy, but still share a desire to preserve public lands, wildlife, and the outdoors.

Similarly, climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe firmly believes conversation – even with people you disagree with – can be one of the most powerful tools for climate action. And it starts from a place of respect.

“If we begin a conversation by esteeming the other person rather than implicitly judging them, that conversation starts off with so much potential and can end in an incredibly surprising place,” Hayhoe says.

Can conservation still serve as common ground in a divided country? What does it take to make environmentalism resonate beyond traditional audiences? Is a bipartisan movement possible in today’s political climate?

Guests:

Benji Backer, Founder and CEO, Nature is Nonpartisan

Katharine Hayhoe, Climate scientist; Chief Scientist, The Nature Conservancy; Distinguished Professor, Texas Tech University

For show notes and related links, visit ⁠ClimateOne.org⁠.

Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction

05:50 – Benji Backer on the origin of Nature is Nonpartisan

09:30 – Making an organization that’s culturally relevant

13:24 – Backer’s work on the Make America Beautiful Again Conservation Commission

21:00 – Working to undo polarization in conversations around climate and environment

24:50 – Backer on avoiding the word “climate” in certain conversations

32:00 – How Katharine Hayhoe deals with hateful messages online

33:30 – How Hayhoe talked about climate change to a Rotary Club in Texas

40:00 – Should scientists be more emotionally open when discussing climate?

45:00 – Hayhoe on what Bible teachings say about caring for the environment

48:15 – Hayhoe on how her Christian faith intersects with her climate research

54:45 – The power of taking action and starting conversations about climate change

For show notes, transcripts, and related links, visit ⁠our episode page⁠ at ClimateOne.org

*** Join Climate One for an electric conversation on October 14 at 6 p.m. between PG&E CEO Patti Poppe and California State Senator Scott Wiener about energy affordability, outages, and whether cities like San Francisco are ready to break up with the investor owned utility model. Tickets available at ⁠climateone.org/events⁠

***

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Sen. Adam Schiff: The "Cost of Corruption" Under Donald Trump, And How Americans Are Paying The Price Aug 12, 2026

Show notes

In a recent floor speech, California Senator Adam Schiff outlined ways he says that President Trump has used the presidency to enrich himself and his family, and how it’s driving up costs from gas to groceries for families. Schiff’s remarks came after the president reported making more than $2 billion dollars in his first year in office, mostly from cryptocurrency businesses.

“The payments to the president and his family have been massive,” Schiff said. “The self-dealing and profiteering have been absolutely breathtaking in their scope.”

Schiff has a long history of political battles with the president, including serving as House impeachment manager during Donald Trump’s first trial in 2020. That continued after he was elected to the US Senate in 2024, winning the seat long held by Dianne Feinstein.

Join us to hear Schiff talk about what he calls President Trump’s “self-enrichment schemes,” how it’s contributing to an affordability crisis, and why he is speaking out about them. We’ll also check in with the senator about his political and legislative priorities, the state of the economy, the November midterm elections, and the Iran war, among other topics.

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Tremendous Telescopes: The Future of American Space Observation Aug 12, 2026

Show notes

For 500 years, telescopes have opened windows on the cosmos with increasing power and precision. Beginning with the historic telescopes funded by Andrew Carnegie and built by George Ellery Hale atop Pasadena’s Mount Wilson, where Edwin Hubble confirmed the existence of the universe beyond our Milky Way galaxy and revealed its continual expansion, the United States has stood at the vanguard of observational technology.

Through the past century, our country has developed ground- and space-based telescopes that have revolutionized how astronomers understand the cosmos and humanity’s place in it, from the Hubble Space Telescope and JWST to the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which came online last year. When the National Science Foundation advanced the Giant Magellan Telescope (currently under construction at Carnegie Science’s Las Campanas Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert) to its Final Design Review phase last summer, astronomers again felt the promise that American technology could soon unlock some of the biggest mysteries still puzzling the scientific community, including the nature of dark matter and the origins of some of the universe’s oldest galaxies.

The technological ability to bring distant worlds and their atmospheres into sharper focus than was ever possible before could reveal more about the conditions that lead to life, and how our own planet continues to change and evolve. But as the cost of innovation rises and other nations increase their investment, can the United States maintain its position at the forefront in this modern space race?

Join Carnegie Science President and astronomer Dr. John Mulchaey, in conversation with George Hammond, for a discussion of the current and future developments in telescope innovation, the state of national investment in those developments, the global collaboration on Extremely Large Telescopes such as the Giant Magellan, and the future of American leadership in this particular leg of the modern space race.

ORGANIZER George Hammond

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Investing in a Resilient Future: From Climate Finance to Human Health Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

Natural and human-made extreme weather events are disrupting food systems worldwide, threatening the long-term economic stability and health of already vulnerable populations. Across the globe, 80 percent of the poorest live in rural communities and rely on smallholder farming for their household food and income. And smallholder farmers produce around one-third of the total share of the world’s food, yet are disproportionately affected by climate risks, uncertainty, and poverty, often having limited resources to adapt to these changes.

Then how are these communities building resilience and developing better strategies to cope with a changing climate?

This panel brings in two perspectives within the climate field: financial need in scaling climate solutions, and research on how climate change impacts agricultural systems and human health. Mercedes de la Vega is an associate director of climate partnerships at Acumen, leading strategic partnerships at the intersection of climate solutions and poverty. She helps mobilize capital to serve businesses, driving change for the climate-vulnerable communities, strengthening their ecosystems. Tammy Nicastro is a researcher affiliate at UCSF who focuses on studies of climate-sensitive agricultural livelihood interventions and their impacts on improving agricultural productivity and income, and household nutrition and health for smallholder farmers to support individuals’ health and nutritional needs.

As climate pressures intensify, research, innovations, and investments in improving healthier food systems, improving health outcomes, and building resilience will shape the lives of future generations living in areas most vulnerable to climate disasters.

An International Relations Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.

Organizer: Frank Price

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Ecocivilization: Making a World That Works for Al Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

It has been said that it is easier to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine the end of capitalism. Yet Jeremy Lent says that is what this historical moment urgently calls for. As climate chaos, inequality and social fragmentation intensify, humanity faces an imminent choice: continue with a system built on extraction and endless growth, or reimagine civilization itself. He says incremental policy improvements are no longer enough, and what is needed is a deep transformation of our current civilization to continue to survive.

Lent offers up such a reimagination, grounded in proven design principles of ecosystems and in humankind’s evolved inclinations. He prescribes a robust framework incorporating his own expertise, and the experiences of those on the ground already putting ecological civilization’s core tenets into practice: justice, mutuality, diversity and symbiosis.

From the global economy to universal housing and income, from infrastructure to agriculture, Lent says every major aspect of our society could be redesigned to work together as a coherent whole, setting the conditions for all people to flourish. Join us as Lent discusses why he believes this future is not only desirable, but entirely feasible.

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Former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller on “Security Through Cooperation" Aug 10, 2026

Show notes

Russian officials and experts often voice the view that the United States was hell-bent on undermining, even destroying Russia during the turbulent period of the Soviet breakup 30 years ago. The primary U.S. goal, in this telling, was to expand NATO to Russia’s borders to isolate and threaten the Russian state.

Former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller, drawing from the historical record and her own professional experience, refutes this notion. Gottemoeller argues that, to the contrary, successive American presidents were convinced that deep cooperation with Russia is essential to international security and stability. This conviction was born during the George H.W. Bush administration and took definitive shape during the administration of Bill Clinton, when he and his Russian counterpart Boris Yeltsin agreed to develop technological cooperation that would be useful to both countries.

While today is starkly different from the 1990s, Gottemoeller’s new book Security Through Cooperation takes the lessons learned and considers what it would take—when Russia exits its horrific adventure in Ukraine and atones for the damage it has done—to resume cooperation for the sake of global security.

Join Rose Gottemoeller to hear about the issues raised in her book as well as her thoughts on the future of NATO, and her analysis of the Iran war.

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The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People’s Constitutio Aug 10, 2026

Show notes

Founding Father James Wilson’s bold vision for American democracy was lost to scandal. As a young lawyer, Wilson made the case for American independence in an essay that inspired the famous words “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” He wrote the first draft of the Constitution and, along with the much more famous James Madison, played an essential role in its creation.

Wilson believed that the people are the ultimate source of all power. He argued successfully for a strong central government and a powerful presidency, but fought unsuccessfully for a direct vote for the president and the Senate. Appointed as a justice to the first Supreme Court, Wilson was later brought down by reckless land speculation and died of malaria in the back room of a North Carolina tavern while hiding from his creditors.

Because of that scandal, instead of being remembered as one of our nation’s great political thinkers, Wilson has been virtually written out of American history books. But journalist Jesse Wegman brings to life this most prescient of our earliest patriots and makes a convincing argument that scandal should not have diminished the life and impact of a brilliant, complicated man whose vision for our country could not be more relevant today.

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Connected to Place: Regenerating Nature, Community, and Local Economies through Systems Change Aug 09, 2026

Show notes

Join Matt Biggar, Ph.D., for a lively discussion of his new book, Connected to Place: Regenerating Nature, Community, and Local Economies Through Systems Change, followed by the introduction of Transforming Our Region, a new Member-led Forum at Commonwealth Club World Affairs. This new forum will apply the systems change approach featured in Connected to Place to the Bay Area through expert presentations and interactive activities.

Biggar discusses place-based systems change as a real-world solution to our growing environmental and social challenges. He says at the core of accelerating climate change and biodiversity loss, rising economic inequality, and growing social division lies a deeper crisis of disconnectedness. Dominant economic forces continually push us away from nature, community and each other. Place-based systems offer an alternative model and are gaining traction in places around the world, both urban and rural.

In Connected to Place, Biggar presents a vision that reorients people’s daily lives around their neighborhoods, cities and regions. Through place-based living, we can create lasting, regenerative change that addresses our biggest problems while boosting the quality of everyday life.

Most important, Biggar shows us how we can get there with a practical guide to systems change that draws on real-world examples from his research and practice. By reframing our approach to social progress, he outlines the way toward rebuilding connection with nature and local community and revitalizing local and regional economies. Join us as Biggar shares how this is happening and how you can be a part of it here in the Bay Area.

About the Speaker

Matt Biggar, Ph.D., is a place-based strategy consultant, systems thinker, speaker, writer and university lecturer. He is the principal and founder of Connected to Place, a strategy consulting firm that supports place-based collaboratives, nonprofits, government agencies, and schools with facilitation, strategic planning, and community engagement. Biggar earned his Ph.D. from Stanford University, where his research involved behavioral science, sustainability, transportation and collective impact. He is the author of Connected to Place: Regenerating Nature, Community, and Local Economies through Systems Change (Cornell University Press, 2025) and several published articles in academic journals, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and other outlets.

A Transforming Our Region Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.

Organizer: Anne Smith & Matt Biggar

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Ben Wikler with Bradley Whitford: How to End America's Meltdown and Save Democracy Aug 09, 2026

Show notes

Wisconsin was written off by many Democrats after the GOP gained total control over the state’s executive, judicial, and legislative branches. For a while, the state—once known for clean government and transparency—became a national symbol of a highly gerrymandered state. But the Democrats figured out how to win, and they slowly and methodically rebuilt their power, regaining the governor’s office, cutting into legislative majorities, and are now on a run of consecutive landslide election victories for Democratic-leaning state supreme court justices, who are in the majority.
How did it happen?
Get an inside look when Ben Wikler visits Commonwealth Club World Affairs. Wikler, who has been hailed as the “preeminent state party chair” by Nancy Pelosi, led Wisconsin Democrats through a series of hold-your-breath fights against right-wingers that resulted, against the odds, in the unrigging of the political system of the most divided state in the nation.
Now, he draws on decades of experience in everything from school-board races to presidential elections to bring people inside the hidden web of power that shapes their lives. At every step, he shows what individuals and small groups can do to help build a future where democracy thrives and our country works for everyone. Join us as he draws on that experience and his new book This Is the Plan, an idealistic-yet-practical guide to turning the present crisis into a better future.

Note: This podcast may contain explicit language.

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