Friday, September 12, 2008

PBI Announces Fall Schedule of Events on Civic Engagement, Immigration and Annual California Policy Issues Conference

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ADVISORY

Friday, September 12, 2008
For Immediate Release
PBI Contact – Jacqueline Ruiz, 323.343.3770
Media Contact – Edward Headington, 818.720.7181
Website – http://www.patbrowninstitute.org/

Los Angeles, CA. For almost three decades, the Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute of Public Affairs (PBI) has focused on state and community issues—dedicated to the quest for social justice and equality of opportunity, enlightened civic engagement, and enhancing the quality of life for all Californians. In this spirit, PBI announces its fall schedule of events:

* September 24th – California Agenda Panel Discussion on “Technology and the Future of Civic Engagement” (RSVP @ www.patbrowninstitute.org/events/226/)

8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. @ the Los Angeles Marriott Downtown

From touch-screen voting to online campaigning, technology is shaping the future of civic engagement. But what does this mean for e-democracy—especially for those individuals and communities without access to the latest technology? This panel will consider the promise of technology and how it may enable us to acquire and disseminate information. In debating various notions of e-democracy, the panel will look at the degree to which the digital divide may hinder any aspect of these expectations. Our experts also will address what local, state, and national policy initiatives are designed to address the anticipated problems.

* October 22nd – California Agenda Panel Discussion on “Immigration, Immigrants and the 2008 Elections” (RSVP @ www.patbrowninstitute.org/register/227/)

6 p.m. to 8 p.m. @ the City Club on Bunker Hill

Less than two weeks away from the national elections, this panel discussion will focus on the importance of immigration policy and its role in various campaigns. Do the candidates differ from each other in their immigration policy proposals? If immigration has not been fully debated, what factors may explain that? Will this issue resurface in 2009 as a topic, because of the November elections? And in an exciting departure from typical analysis of immigration policy analysis, this panel will also address the degree to which immigrants may have played a role in the 2008 elections.

* November 12th – “PBI 16th Annual California Policy Issues Conference”

8 a.m. to 3 p.m. @ the Millennium Biltmore Hotel

California’s Future on the Horizon: Implications of the 2008 Elections

Full line up of speakers and breakout sessions TBA

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The Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute of Public Affairs, a presidentially chartered institute at California State University, Los Angeles, is a non-partisan public policy center dedicated to sustaining vision and legacy of former California Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown through convening public policy forums, engaging multi sector stakeholders and diverse communities, and conducting timely policy research and community driven initiatives. For more information, go to www.PatBrownInstitute.org/.