April Manatt and the Problem Solvers

Our 400th episode! On today's show we welcome April Manatt, Executive Director of the California Problem Solvers Foundation. The California Problem Solvers' mission is to help elected officials find solutions through collaboration and mutual respect, and work in service to the people they represent. In short, to "put people over party," a nearly radical idea in today's hyper-partisan political environment. Prior to joining the Problem Solvers, Manatt ran the California Legislative Staff Education Institute. CLSE, a program of Capitol Impact, is dedicated to professional development for legislative staff, offering opportunities for staff to gain a deeper understanding of complex policy issues through discussions with experts, field trips and engagement with other staffers. Manatt spoke with us about her work in both of these organizations, and the importance of bipartisanship in policy making bridging the divide. Plus, as always, we tell you Who Had the Worst Week Week in California Politics. :20 400th Episode 3:38 What's new at Capitol Weekly 5:07 Speaking of interns: Ellie Appleby and Leah Lentz 9:14 April Manatt 9:47 California Problem Solvers Foundation and Caucus 12:53 "A labor of love" 13:20 A challenging time to be doing this work 15:18 Your role in the org 16:43 Who funds the Foundation? 19:20 California Legislative Staff Education Institute 24:00 Relationship building 24:39 How do staff participate? 26:55 Attitude of the Problem Solvers Caucus 31:56 Getting legislators out of the building to see what they are voting on 32:57 Obligatory Alex Vassar mention 33:57 What efforts have the Problem Solvers been involved in? 37:06 What's on the agenda for the Foundation? 40:03 #WWCA Want to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation here: capitolweekly.net/donations/ Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang "#WorstWeekCA" Beat provided by freebeats.io Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.