Next Round

This is the final podcast recording of PRI's Annual Sacramento Policy Conference. The theme of this panel discussion is "Reimagining Our Cities." The panelists include Hon. Daniel Kolkey, PRI board member and chair of PRI's California Reform Committee; Tom Tait, former mayor of Anaheim on Anaheim's "freedom experiment" under his leadership; and Sal Rodriguez, a PRI senior fellow, Opinion Editor of the Southern California News Group and author of PRI's new mini book, Dynamism or Decay? Getting City Hall Out of the Way.

Our podcast this week features a panel from PRI's 5th Annual Ideas in Action Conference in Sacramento. The All-Star PRI panel on improving the quality of life in our cities includes PRI president and Thomas W. Smith fellow in Health Care Sally Pipes, who discusses the state of African American Health Care in our cities; Senior Director of Education Lance Izumi on improving inner-city schools; and senior fellow Steve Smith on crime and safety.

This podcast is a recording of a panel discussion on the conditions of America's largest cities from PRI's 5th Annual Ideas in Action Conference in Sacramento. It features an upcoming study by PRI senior fellow in business and economics Wayne Winegarden presented by PRI's COO Rowena Itchon; Margaret "Marjy" Stagmeier of Tristar Real Estate Investment and author of Blighted: A Story of People, Politics and American Housing; and The Hon. Steve McShane, Salinas City Councilmember and CEO of the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Our guest this week is Keith Knopf, President and CEO of Raley's. Mr. Knopf was the keynote speaker at this year's PRI Sacramento conference. He is a senior retail executive who brings deep expertise in strategic leadership, business transformation, consumer insights, sustainability and governance. Keith served in an executive capacity in three Fortune 200 companies including May Co., Victoria's Secret, and Kohl's before joining Raley's. Mr. Knopf discusses the problems facing businesses operating in the state from overregulation to crime to the high cost of living.

Our guest this week is best-selling author Michael Shellenberger who gave the closing remarks at this year's Sacramento policy conference. Michael is the author of San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities and Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All. He is cofounder of the California Peace Coalition, an alliance of parents of children killed by fentanyl, parents of homeless addicts, and recovering addicts. Michael is a leading investigative journalist who has broken major stories on crime and drug policy as well as homelessness.

Our guest this week is PRI senior fellow in urban studies Steve Smith. Steve is a former police officer, has helped organize peacekeeping forces abroad, and is a retired professor of justice administration. His new study, "Paradise Lost: Crime in the Golden State, 2011 – 2021" documents how a decade of dramatic criminal justice policy changes aimed at reducing incarceration – including AB 109 and Prop. 47 and 57 – and sweeping executive orders issued by Gov. Newsom during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to what Steve calls "mass victimization," of Californians and is now responsible for the increase in crime statewide.

Our all-star cast of former speechwriters are back to unpack the President's State of the Union Address. Lance Izumi, senior director of Education, was director of Gov. "Duke" Deukmejian's speechwriting team and was also a speechwriter for former Attorney General Edwin Meese; Tim Anaya, vice president of marketing and communications, was Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's speechwriter and also wrote speeches for senior California legislators; and Rowena Itchon, COO, was a speechwriter for Gov. Pete Wilson's and a researcher in President Reagan's speechwriting office.

Our guest this week is one of the nation's leading experts on China, Gordon Chang. His analysis and commentary have been published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Barron's, the National Review and other major media outlets. He's also appeared in many television news shows – including CNN, FOX News, CNBC, CBS, PBS, and the BBC. In these recorded remarks to PRI supporters, Gordon Chang discusses China's quest to remake the international order.

Our guest this week is Steve Greenhut, PRI director of its Free Cities Center and the author of PRI's book Winning the Water Wars. Steve discusses the damage from the January storms and the state's lack of water storage infrastructure that would have prevented the water from running out into the Pacific Ocean. Despite the heavy rains, the state may still be facing a drought in the summer months. It's time that the state's elected officials get serious about water storage and water markets.

Our guest this week is PRI Senior Director of Education Lance Izumi, who along with co-authors Wenyuan Wu and McKenzie Richards, launched PRI's latest book The Great Parent Revolt: How Parents and Grassroots Leaders Are Fighting Critical Race Theory in America's Schools. The book profiles ordinary people who have taken on the task of defeating perhaps the most divisive doctrine to ever threaten America's children. These courageous parents, grandparents, educators, students and community leaders, through their activism and advocacy, have successfully stopped the growth of these destructive policies in their communities. They serve as an inspiration for all Americans who are fighting against classroom indoctrination.