Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Immigration policy has long divided America and continues to be one of the country’s biggest issues. Substantive discussion gets sidelined by predispositions that people hold for their opposition. Movements to restrict immigration is assumed to be reinforced by cruel, racist and nativist intentions. However, Reihan Salam, executive editor of National Review and the son of two Bangladeshi immigrants, delivers his rational and considerate argument against open borders. In his book Melting Pot or Civil War?, Salam argues that uncontrolled immigration simply reorganizes low-skilled immigrants into immobile social and economic classes. The melting pot ideal is overshadowed by the reality of a declining demand for less-skilled labor and gentrification of low-income neighborhoods. Ultimately, an immigration policy based on open border principles will create a new ethnic underclass and stimulate racial segregation. Join Salam for a stirring conversation beyond the partisan stereotypes that surround immigration policy and why he believes a rethink of policy will help America.

Join Matt Nathanson, singer, songwriter and Bay Area local, in conversation with author Kelly Corrigan about his brand new album, Sings His Sad Heart, due out October 5—as well as a special solo acoustic performance by Nathanson. All tickets include a copy of a signed Sings His Sad Heart lithograph, and copies of the album will be on sale. Nathanson is a multiplatinum-selling, chart-topping acclaimed singer-songwriter; O magazine calls Corrigan "the voice of her generation," and The Huffington Post calls her "the poet laureate of the ordinary.” Nathanson and Corrigan are friends joining up for a rare live evening together. Based in San Francisco, Nathanson has evolved into one of the most applauded songwriters and engaging performers on the music scene today. His 2007 album, Some Mad Hope, yielded his breakthrough, multiplatinum hit "Come on Get Higher.” His 2013 release, Last of the Great Pretenders, debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard top 200 while hitting No. 1 on iTunes' alternative albums chart. Nathanson's latest album, Show Me Your Fangs, was hailed as his most adventurous and prolific album to date, featuring the songs, "Giants," "Bill Murray" and "Adrenaline.” This year, Nathanson has announced that his new album, Sings His Sad Heart, will be released on October 5. The album comes on the heels of Pyromattia, which shot to No. 1 on iTunes alternative chart upon its release. Pyromattia featured a Def Leppard-approved cover album, based on their iconic Pyromania. Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott called the album “an amazing reinterpretation” with “heart & soul.” Nathanson has been featured as a VH1 You Oughta Know artist and has performed on “The Howard Stern Show,” “Ellen,” “Conan,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Rachael Ray” and the CMA Awards. **THIS PROGRAM CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE**

World War I propelled the United States into the 20th century and served as a powerful catalyst for the making of modern California, expanding the role of the government and enlarging private citizens’ associations. Never before had so many Californians taken such a dynamic part in community, state, national and international affairs. Diane North not only writes about transformative battlefield experiences, but she also documents how daily life has changed for everyone on the home front—factory and farm workers, housewives and children, pacifists and politicians. Even before the United States entered the war, California’s economy flourished because its industrialized agriculture helped feed British troops. The war also provided a boost to the faltering Hollywood film industry and increased the military’s presence through the addition of Army and Navy training camps and construction and research contracts. Most citizens embraced wartime restrictions with patriotic zeal without foreseeing the retreat into suspicion, loyalty oaths and unwarranted surveillance, all of which set the stage for the beginnings of our modern security state. MLF Organizer Name: George Hammond Notes MLF: Humanities

From #MeToo in Hollywood to the women's marches across the country, women’s anger and rage has been at the center of major cultural shifts and, more importantly, has brought to light how far society has come and how far it has left to go. Cultural depictions of women are often framed around emotion, and anger has especially sparked national conversations across politics, news, television and literature in recent years. Join Rebecca Traister, journalist and author of Good and Mad, and Alicia Garza, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, as they dissect these portrayals of emotion and trace them throughout social movements in U.S. history. They will discuss the immense power that comes with mobilizing “angry” women despite double standards, and they will explore how indignation is perceived differently depending on who is exerting it and who is experiencing it—a crucial difference in today’s political climate.

This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Miriam Pawel's panoramic history of California, from the Gold Rush to Silicon Valley, is told through the lens of the Brown family political dynasty. When Governor Jerry Brown finishes his fourth term at the end of 2018, he will have served as both the youngest and the oldest governor of California. His father, Pat Brown, served two terms starting in 1959. Almost half of the state's modern history has happened under a Governor Brown. As Pawel weaves a narrative that is essential to understanding California and the way it has shaped our nation, she brings to life four generations of the Brown family. Pawel also offers correctives for those who confuse stereotypes and legends for history. She opens new vistas for readers only vaguely familiar with the state habitually viewed from afar with a mix of envy, awe, disdain and fascination. MLF ORGANIZER NAME George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities In association with the California Historical Society

In 2014, Mother Jones journalist Shane Bauer made national headlines when he went not-so-undercover as a guard at Winn Correctional Center, a private prison in Louisiana. He used his real name, and due to lack of any real background checks, remained employed for four months. In that short time, Bauer witnessed firsthand the horrific conditions both prisoners and guards faced at the hands of the billion-dollar private prison industry and wrote an exposé that became Mother Jones’ most read piece of all time. He argues that the private prison system is rarely held accountable for the atrocities that happen quietly within its concrete walls. Join Bauer as he discusses his unique experience, the for-profit prison industry’s past and present in American history, and the state of justice at that intersection of our legal system, capitalism and mass incarceration.

This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

Miriam Pawel's panoramic history of California, from the Gold Rush to Silicon Valley, is told through the lens of the Brown family political dynasty. When Governor Jerry Brown finishes his fourth term at the end of 2018, he will have served as both the youngest and the oldest governor of California. His father, Pat Brown, served two terms starting in 1959. Almost half of the state's modern history has happened under a Governor Brown. As Pawel weaves a narrative that is essential to understanding California and the way it has shaped our nation, she brings to life four generations of the Brown family. Pawel also offers correctives for those who confuse stereotypes and legends for history. She opens new vistas for readers only vaguely familiar with the state habitually viewed from afar with a mix of envy, awe, disdain and fascination.

MLF ORGANIZER NAME

George Hammond

NOTES

MLF: Humanities

In association with the California Historical Society

Join us as Michelle Meow brings her long-running daily radio show to The Commonwealth Club one day each week. Meet fascinating—and often controversial—people discussing important issues of interest to the LGBTQ community, and have your questions ready. Our guest this week: Ignatius Bau on the impact of the expected proposed Public Charge Regulation on LGBTQ immigrants and their families. Ignatius Bau is an independent public policy consultant, working with private foundations, state health departments, physician organizations and community-based organizations who serve communities of color. He previously worked for 10 years as an immigration attorney in San Francisco, helping to draft the city's original sanctuary law, campaigning against California's Proposition 187, litigating against the detention of Haitian refugees at Guantanamo, and representing a lesbian from Russia in the first federal court decision to recognize a claim to asylum based on persecution because of sexual orientation. He also has served on the boards of directors of the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance Community HIV Project, National Minority AIDS Council, and Funders for LGBTQ Issues. See more upcoming Michelle Meow Shows at The Commonwealth Club here.

William Overholt, the author who originally predicted China's rise, now believes that China's future is uncertain. Like an entrepreneur whose business has grown so complex that it needs restructuring, China's success now requires economic and political transformation. Overholt's analysis of China's situation and of President Xi Jinping’s role departs sharply from the conventional wisdom. Come join us for a discussion on China’s future. MLF ORGANIZER NAME Linda Calhoun NOTES MLF: International Relations

Richard Caro will describe the Longevity Explorers’ most recent explorations. The explorers are a unique sharing, evaluation and ideation community made up of older adults (in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s) and their friends, families and caregivers. The presentation will include promising products the explorers have tried, ideas the explorers have been discussing related to improving the quality of life for older adults and some ideas for products we wish someone would develop. The Longevity Explorers program is an initiative enabled by Tech-enhanced Life.

MLF ORGANIZER NAME

John Milford

NOTES

MLF: Grownups