Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

CNN political contributor Van Jones has been hailed as one who tries to “fight the right way.” He draws on his years of activism and political analysis to take aim at the failures of both parties and to show the nation how to focus on practical answers to problems that affect us regardless of region or political ideology. Join us as Jones shares his blueprint for the fight we must wage as a nation. He asks us to abandon the politics of accusation and set fire to the traditional ways of political problem-solving. Jones will challenge us to change the way we think about politics so we can all get down to the vital business of solving—together—some of our nation’s toughest problems.

Supervisor Joe Simitian notes that the Bay Area and much of California is a bubble, where just 32 percent of people voted for Donald Trump. Only 21 percent of people voted for Trump in Santa Clara County, while 12 percent voted for him in Palo Alto, Simitian’s hometown. Simitian says that in the immediate aftermath of the election, some were inclined to dismiss Trump voters as racist, sexist, homophobic, misogynistic or xenophobic. But is it fair to claim that 46 percent of the American electorate fits this profile? Simitian didn’t believe so, but he did wonder what prompted a large portion of the electorate, some of whom had previously voted for President Obama, to vote for President Trump. To get some answers, Supervisor Simitian traveled to three counties, in three states: Robeson County, North Carolina; Cambria County, Pennsylvania; and Macomb County, Michigan. There, Simitian had more than 100 conversations in places that had historically voted for Democratic candidates for president (including President Obama), but many of these voters “flipped” in 2016, voting for President Trump. Supervisor Simitian spent a week in each place, talking with cops, teachers, librarians, labor leaders, business people, academics, bankers, journalists, retirees, elected officials and party activists from both parties. Come hear what he learned about America beyond the Bay Area. Simitian was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 2012 and was reelected in 2016. His career in public service includes stints as a member of the California State Senate and the California State Assembly, mayor of Palo Alto, president of the Palo Alto School Board. He also served an earlier term on the Board of Supervisors. Simitian has served as an election observer/supervisor in El Salvador and Bosnia, and he has participated in refugee relief and resettlement efforts in Albania and Kosovo.

Rising temperatures is making hard outdoor jobs even harder. Health experts say agricultural and construction workers are especially vulnerable as it gets so hot that airplanes can’t take off and rail lines start to melt. What is being done to protect low-paid workers from heat exhaustion and dehydration? Join us for a conversation about how rising temperatures change the way our food is grown and our homes and yards maintained.

DeRay Mckesson has become one of the most recognizable faces in the fight for racial and social equality through his work as a Black Lives Matter leader. Mckesson leverages his extensive social media network to encourage others to speak out online and to turn out in the streets to protest police brutality. His work has inspired people from Ferguson to Baton Rouge and beyond to discover their power and to push back against injustices in their communities and fight for their rights. Last year, Mckesson gained national notoriety as one of more than 100 people arrested in Louisiana during a protest in response to the police shooting of Alton Sterling. Mckesson is one of the founders of Campaign Zero, a 10-point policy plan for police reform, and in 2016, he was a candidate for mayor of Baltimore. In addition to his role as an organizer, McKesson served in administrative positions in both the Minneapolis and Baltimore public school systems. He is a Teach For America alum. Recently, McKesson joined Crooked Media as the host of the podcast "Pod Save the People,” which is focused on activism, social justice, culture and politics. Recent guests include John Legend, Valerie Jarrett, Edward Snowden and Katy Perry.

The largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history is underway, and the ramifications will remake the world. Pioneering clean money investor and change agent Joel Solomon shares insights from his new book, The Clean Money Revolution. In the book, he explores this massive economic shift and explains how you can ride the $40 trillion wave to create the new, ethical and sustainable businesses that power local economies, restore ecosystems, and build social and financial equity. A must read for investors, aspiring business leaders and entrepreneurs looking to align values with assets and chart a unique and profitable life course, Solomon will provide a roadmap and a set of insights into this major emerging movement. Joel Solomon is chairman of Renewal Funds, a $98 million mission venture capital firm. He has invested in over 100 early growth-stage companies in North America, delivering above-market returns while catalyzing positive social and environmental change.

There's no denying the benefits of the Internet. But electronic immersion without a force to balance it creates a hole in the boat, draining our ability to pay attention, think clearly, be productive and creative. To combat these losses, our society seems to look everywhere but the natural domain for the building of better brains. Richard Louv explains why the more high tech our lives become, the more we need nature.

In the tech world and beyond, government is often seen as slow and tech illiterate—the antithesis to innovation. However, this misperception is rapidly changing. Governments in San Francisco and cities across the nation are starting to harness the power of technology to tackle the biggest problems we face today. By partnering with technology, government becomes more accessible and efficient, and citizens can engage in change like never before. Anne-Marie Slaughter has seen firsthand how this innovation is possible. She served as the director of policy planning at the State Department under Secretary Hillary Clinton and is currently the president and CEO of the nonpartisan think tank New America. She will talk about local changemakers and how civic technology can be the best way to encourage citizens to organize, participate and act in government.

Based on a decade of teaching and practice with integrative thinking, Roger Martin and Jennifer Riel offer us a practical methodology for how to tackle vexing business challenges that demand new answers and new ways of thinking; you’ll hear inspirational stories about leaders from all walks of life—from CEOs to school kids—who leveraged a new thinking tool to create great choices in the face of seemingly inevitable trade-offs. Jennifer Riel is an adjunct professor at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, specializing in creative problem-solving. Her focus is on helping everyone, from undergraduate students to business executives, to create better choices. An award-winning teacher, Jennifer leads training on integrative thinking, strategy and innovation at organizations of all types, from small nonprofits to some of the largest companies in the world. Roger Martin is an acclaimed author, consultant and professor. He is director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto (where he also served as dean from 1998–2013). Prior to this, Martin spent 13 years as a director of Monitor Company, a global strategy consulting firm. He served as co-head of the firm for two years. Martin is an adviser to CEOs on strategy, design and integrative thinking. He has written widely on these subjects and has published a dozen books, including The Opposable Mind, The Design of Business, Fixing the Game, Playing to Win (with A.G. Lafley) and Getting Beyond Better (with Sally Osberg).

One in five adults and half of those over 65 have arthritis. In this program, you will learn why certain foods aggravate inflammatory joint conditions and how reducing inflammation is the key to reducing pain. Discover how we can use spices and herbs to reduce inflammation, how food fats can powerfully decrease or increase the risk of arthritis pain, and what supplements can be helpful. Steve Blake will also cover which vitamins and minerals help build collagen to support healthy cartilage. This program is designed to teach you how to retain healthy cartilage and regain mobility. Come and find out more about foods that support the lubrication of joints.

In the U.S., there are approximately 100,000 inmates held in supermax prisons and isolation units, confined in 8 feet by 10 feet windowless holes for 23–24 hours a day. Terry Allen Kupers, one of the world's leading experts on the effects of solitary confinement, takes us inside the minds of some of the thousands of inmates in these cells. He provides constructive rehabilitation alternatives for solitary confinement. Kupers is an award-winning psychiatrist and a professor emeritus. As one of the nation's foremost experts on the mental health effects of solitary confinement, he has testified in over two dozen action lawsuits about jail and prison conditions.