Creating Civic Engagement

Most people agree that California’s political system is broken, and experts say one major hurdle to fixing it is citizens’ disengagement. The voter registration rate is among the lowest in the country, and just one-third of residents report talking about politics at least a few times a week – putting the state 46th nationwide. Zócalo presents a panel of experts including Pete Peterson, executive director of Pepperdine's Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership; political scientist R. Michael Alvarez; education professor and founder of UCLA's Institute for Democracy, Education and Access John Rogers; and Alliance For Innovation president Karen Thoreson to discuss why Californians don't talk about politics, and what can be done about it