Zócalo Public Square

Virtually every U.S. President in the modern era has tried in some way to assert executive authority over Congress and the courts, the other two branches of government. But is the White House’s growing clout upsetting our system of checks and balances? This was the question at the heart of a lively Zócalo/UCLA event entitled “Does the Expansion of Presidential Power Threaten the Constitution?” before a packed house at the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Los Angeles. Moderator Ronald Brownstein, senior editor of The Atlantic and a CNN senior political analyst, was joined by John T. Woolley, a University of California at Santa Barbara political scientist and co-director of the American Presidency Project website, Joel Aberbach, director of UCLA’s Center for American Politics and Public Policy, UCLA political scientist Lynn Vavreck, and UCLA constitutional law scholar Adam Winkler, to discuss how and why recent presidents have done end-runs around other government branches.

David Simon, the author, former Baltimore Sun journalist, screenwriter and producer known for such acclaimed TV series as The Wire and Treme talks about the relationship between journalism and popular culture, and how his own career transitioned from newspapers to television screenwriting. Simon was speaking on a panel at a Zócalo/Getty “Open Art” panel discussion, “Does Art Capture Reality Better Than the News?” at The Getty Center in Los Angeles.

David Simon, the author, former Baltimore Sun journalist, screenwriter and producer known for such acclaimed TV series as The Wire and Treme talks about the relationship between journalism and popular culture, and how his own career transitioned from newspapers to television screenwriting. Simon was speaking on a panel at a Zócalo/Getty “Open Art” panel discussion, “Does Art Capture Reality Better Than the News?” at The Getty Center in Los Angeles.

Why is globalization disparaged as a boon to very few, at the expense of most? This was the question at the heart of a lively Zócalo/UCLA event entitled “Does Globalization Only Serve Elites?” before a packed house at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. Moderator Steven Greenhouse, former New York Times labor reporter and author of The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker, was joined by UCLA Anderson economist Jerry Nickelsburg, business and policy entrepreneur Kati Suominen, UCLA legal scholar and labor policy expert Katherine Stone, and Los Angeles World Trade Center President Stephen Cheung in discussing who wins and who loses in globalization.

Why is globalization disparaged as a boon to very few, at the expense of most? This was the question at the heart of a lively Zócalo/UCLA event entitled “Does Globalization Only Serve Elites?” before a packed house at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. Moderator Steven Greenhouse, former New York Times labor reporter and author of The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker, was joined by UCLA Anderson economist Jerry Nickelsburg, business and policy entrepreneur Kati Suominen, UCLA legal scholar and labor policy expert Katherine Stone, and Los Angeles World Trade Center President Stephen Cheung in discussing who wins and who loses in globalization.

"Can television bring America together?” was the question tackled by several writers and creators of television shows that have challenged traditional cultural and social boundaries before a full house at a Smithsonian/Zócalo “What It Means to Be American” event at the Landmark Theaters in Los Angeles. Moderator John Bowman was joined by creator and writer of Martin, was joined by Jennie Snyder Urman, Jane the Virgin showrunner, Dan O’Shannon, former executive producer of Modern Family, Gloria Calderón Kellett, co-showrunner and executive producer of Netflix’s One Day at a Time.

"Can television bring America together?” was the question tackled by several writers and creators of television shows that have challenged traditional cultural and social boundaries before a full house at a Smithsonian/Zócalo “What It Means to Be American” event at the Landmark Theaters in Los Angeles. Moderator John Bowman was joined by creator and writer of Martin, was joined by Jennie Snyder Urman, Jane the Virgin showrunner, Dan O’Shannon, former executive producer of Modern Family, Gloria Calderón Kellett, co-showrunner and executive producer of Netflix’s One Day at a Time.

California’s Central Valley is widely regarded as rural and agricultural, even by those who live there. But its reality and future are profoundly urban. The valley’s cities appear small only in comparison with the mega-metropolitan regions along the California coast. After struggling to build infrastructure equal to their growing size and importance, valley cities finally seem to be catching up with their urban needs—adding more cultural venues, revamping downtowns, and developing new transit and water systems. The Sacramento Bee editorial page editor Dan Morain, Fresno State president Joseph I. Castro, Valley Vision managing director Meg Arnold, Davis City Manager Dirk Brazil, and Placer County Schools superintendent Gayle Garbolino-Mojica examined those questions at a Feb. 15 Zócalo/The California Wellness Foundation event at the Capitol Event Center in downtown Sacramento.

California’s Central Valley is widely regarded as rural and agricultural, even by those who live there. But its reality and future are profoundly urban. The valley’s cities appear small only in comparison with the mega-metropolitan regions along the California coast. After struggling to build infrastructure equal to their growing size and importance, valley cities finally seem to be catching up with their urban needs—adding more cultural venues, revamping downtowns, and developing new transit and water systems. The Sacramento Bee editorial page editor Dan Morain, Fresno State president Joseph I. Castro, Valley Vision managing director Meg Arnold, Davis City Manager Dirk Brazil, and Placer County Schools superintendent Gayle Garbolino-Mojica examined those questions at a Feb. 15 Zócalo/The California Wellness Foundation event at the Capitol Event Center in downtown Sacramento.

The possibility that a Donald Trump administration might restrict Muslim immigration and compile a registry of Muslim Americans has raised alarms among ethnic and religious groups, civil libertarians, and others. Ann Burroughs, interim president and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum and chair of the board of directors of Amnesty International USA, moderated a Zócalo/UCLA panel, in partnership with the Japanese American National Museum, on how the mass internment of Japanese Americans during World War II provides a case study of what could happen if a tragic incident were to trigger a federal crackdown against a particular religious or ethnic group. She was joined by Hiroshi Motomura, a scholar of immigration and citizenship law at the UCLA School of Law; Lane Ryo Hirabayashi, a sociocultural anthropologist in UCLA’s Department of Asian American Studies; and Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum.