Former California Senate Majority Leader Bill Monning reminds us that regardless of your political affiliation, voting provides the opportunity to make sure that your opinions and beliefs are represented at the local, state, and federal levels when decisions about public policy are being made. It is tempting to think that mid-term elections in which there are no major national candidates on the ballot are less important. However, every election provides you with the opportunity to make sure that your voice is heard.

Dr. Chad Harris reminds us that defending health care equity is a fundamental community value that is important to all of us. Dr. Harris serves as CEO of Natividad Medical Center, the safety-net hospital for Monterey County. He also serves on the executive committee of the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems that advocates for comprehensive, high quality, equitable health care services for all Californians, regardless of insurance status, immigration status, ability to pay, or other circumstance.

We desperately need access to trustworthy, fact-based information about key issues impacting our communities. "SideBar: Optimism in Action" welcomes Tani Cantil-Sakauye, president and CEO of the independent, nonpartisan, Public Policy Institute of California. PPIC has long been recognized as an independent, credible source of information on the most pressing issues facing California. From 2011 to 2022, she served as the 28th Chief Justice of California and led the judiciary as the chair of the Judicial Council—the constitutional policy and rule-making body of the judicial branch—the first person of color and the second woman to do so. 

Mindy Romero is the founder and director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy that is part of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy based in Sacramento, California. Romero is a political sociologist whose research focuses on political behavior and race/ethnicity. The research and reports of the Center seek to explain patterns of voting and political underrepresentation, particularly among youth and communities of color in California and the U.S.

Mindy Romero is the founder and director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy that is part of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy based in Sacramento, California. Romero is a political sociologist whose research focuses on political behavior and race/ethnicity. The research and reports of the Center seek to explain patterns of voting and political underrepresentation, particularly among youth and communities of color in California and the U.S.

For over 40 years, Louis Clark has led the Government Accountability Project (GAP), an organization dedicated to protecting whistleblowers and ensuring government accountability. During the Trump administration, GAP is overwhelmed with the number of government employees seeking support in disclosing illegal, unethical, and fraudulent conduct. It is also addressing a new form of retaliation against whistleblowers, physical harm, and death threats. Learn more about the organization and its work at https://whistleblower.org.