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The California Civic Engagement Project (CCEP)
at the UC Davis Center for Regional Change
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Engage!
CCEP Newsletter
May 27, 2016
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Welcome to the CCEP's new monthly newsletter,
Engage!
Our civic landscape is heating up as we approach the June 7 California Primary. Take a look at some of the many exciting and inspiring civic engagement efforts that are happening around our state, including new developments at CCEP. Please read and share!
Mindy Romero, Ph.D.
Director
The CCEP is now on Twitter. Follow us!
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Greg has joined the
CCEP
as Our New Research Associate!
Greg Keidan is a new Research Associate with the California Civic Engagement Project at the Center for Regional Change. Greg worked previously with the nonprofit organizations AmericaSpeaks
, The Common Knowledge Group, and the Institute for Local Government. He studied public engagement strategies with The Institute for Sustained Dialogue & Fielding Graduate University. His articles on civic engagement strategies have appeared in Western Cities Magazine
and The National Civic Review
, and he authored several research reports for the Institute for Local Government including
A Local Official's Guide to Immigrant Civic Engagement
. He holds a B.S. in Biology from the College of Wooster and a Ph.D. A.B.D. from the University of New Mexico in Neuroscience. Greg enjoys live music, deliberative democracy, science fiction, the culinary arts and walking his dog.
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Spotlight on the Civic Engagement Field
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Each month, the CCEP highlights the work of a community organization that has made a meaningful impact on civic engagement.
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2016 Primary California Online Voter Guide Released
All state and federal candidates featured at
www.calvoter.org
Voters looking for reliable information to help them prepare to vote in California's June 7, 2016 Primary Election will find it online at
www.calvoter.org.
The California Voter Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization recently released its new California Online Voter Guide, a comprehensive listing of all state and federal candidates on California's ballot.
The guide lists all 39 candidates running in six different parties for President, 34 candidates running for the U.S. Senate, and hundreds of state and congressional candidates running for the State Legislature and U.S. House of Representatives.
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National Institute for Civil Discourse Launches Revive Civility Campaign
The National Institute for Civil Discourse kicked off their Revive Civility Campaign this week in response to alarming levels of incivility in the 2016 presidential race. Recent polling by Weber Shandwick found that 95 percent of Americans think civility is a problem, with 74 percent reporting that it has gotten worse in recent years. Seventy percent think that incivility has risen to "crisis" levels, an increase from 2014.
The campaign will focus on defining civility, fostering conversations that will help candidates and elected officials transcend their political differences, and empowering the public to hold politicians accountable for their actions. There are three essential components to this campaign:
1. Standards of Conduct for Campaigns: NICD, in collaboration with political leaders, state legislators, leading researchers and civility experts, is rolling out a
Standards of Conduct for Campaigns. The Standards should serve as a guide for candidates, the media, and the public as they bear witness to the election season. As the nation becomes consumed by the heated rhetoric of a divisive campaign season, having clear, research-backed definitions is essential to building a dialogue on this important issue.
2. Citizen Toolkits: We are empowering citizens to get off the sidelines. We must call on our elected officials to act civilly, denounce examples of bad behavior, and not compromise on this foundational element of our democracy. NICD's
Citizen Toolkit provides actions that citizens can take to get off the sidelines and start Reviving Civility in our politics and in our everyday lives.
3. Text, Talk, Revive Civility: Through an innovative text messaging platform,
Text, Talk, Revive Civility will bring together thousands of citizens across the country to educate them on how civility strengthens our democracy, how to advance a more civil discourse, and how to hold elected officials and candidates accountable when they do not uphold our ideals.
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SeePolitical Releases Video Short on Prop 50
California Voters to Decide on Suspension of Legislators Initiative via June 7 Ballot
SeePolitical is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that makes the electoral process and ballot propositions entertaining and easy to understand. They recently released a very short video designed to help California Voters make an informed decision when they vote yes or no on Prop. 50 in the June 7 Primary Election.
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The California Roast
Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin De Leon
Tuesday, May 31st, 2016
Sheraton Grand Sacramento
The California Roast, presented by the California Center for Civic Participation, is one of Sacramento's most prestigious political events. The spirited exchange provides humor and insights about participants and the history and future of California's politics. This year's roastee is
Senate President pro Tempore Kevin De Leon. The M.C. will be Assembly Member Fabian Núñez and roasters include state Republican party chair Speaker Emeritus Toni Atkins, Speaker Anthony Rendon, and Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson.
Limited tickets are still available at $400 each. To reserve your seat call 916-443
-2229 or
email muldavin@californiacenter.org.
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Mindy Romero Delivers TEDx Talk on The Power of The Youth Vote
On Monday May 1, Mindy Romero was a featured speaker at the UC Davis annual TEDx conference. Now in its sixth year, this event was held at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts and the theme was "Igniting X." Check out Mindy's inspiring 15 minute
presentation on the power of the youth vote, and please share it with young people.
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Dr. Romero Presents New CCEP Research at University of California Center Sacramento
Talk Highlights Possible Impacts of California Election Reforms on Voter Turnout
On Friday May 6, Mindy Romero presented a lecture titled "What to Expect this June and November? The Effect of New Election Reforms on California's Voter Turnout" at the University of California Center Sacramento. This event marked the debut of CCEP's newest fact sheet,
"California Turnout Rates in Primary Elections: 2004-2014."
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Mindy Romero Featured Panelist at California State Association of Counties Conference
Mindy Romero participated in a panel at the May 18 California State Association of Counties Legislative Conference session, "
November Election Action" at the Sacramento Convention Center. She spoke about voter registration trends and the impact election reforms have on voter turnout. For more information about the conference, visit the CSAC website.
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CCEP Research on California Election Reforms Presented at State Capitol
Dr. Romero presented new CCEP research on recent California election reforms at the State Capitol building on May 20th. Her presentation examined the recent surge in
online voter registration in the state, vote-by-mail use and the pot
ential effect of possible new reforms on California's historically low national ranking in voter turnout.
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Sierra Health Foundation Speaker Series Event
"Brown is the New White: Harnessing the Power of the New American Majority"
On May 25th, the Sierra Health Foundation's Speaker Series held an event,
Brown is the New White:
Harnessing the Power of the New American Majority
. The event took place at the Sierra Health Foundation's Sacramento headquarters and was telecast live at the Center for Health Program Management in Merced. Dr. Mindy Romero was one of the featured panelists. Click here to learn more about the Sierra Health Foundation's Speaker Series.
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Community Impact Success Story
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Sonoma County Residents Successfully Push for Santa Rosa Rent Control Ordinance
Thanks to the combined advocacy efforts of students, faculty, faith and labor groups, the Santa Rosa City Council recently directed staff to draft a rent ordinance by a 4-3 vote. The ordinance would cap rent increases at 3% per year on apartments built before 1995, as well as passed a 45 day moratorium on rent control. This action by the Santa Rosa City Council couldn't be more timely, as Santa Rosa
rents have increased nearly 40 percent in the past four years
. The efforts of the hundreds who advocated tirelessly for this issue could inspire others to demand renters protection and affordable housing. Learn more here.
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CCEP Outreach: In the Media
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CCEP data and analyses on civic engagement trends are widely cited in the media. Take a look!
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CCEP Participates in California Counts T
own Hall
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Los Angeles Public Radio Show "Press Play" Discusses Voter Engagement
CCEP Director Mindy Romero was a guest today on "Press Play" with Madaline
Brand on the Los Angeles based National Public Radio affiliate KCRW. She discussed engagement of Central Valley residents in the upcoming election. Listen here
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New San Francisco Chronicle Article
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Capitol Weekly Article on Voter Engagement
CCEP Director Mindy Romero was quoted in a May 24 Capitol Weekly article ti
tled, "
Hey Voters, Watch the Birdee
." The focus of the article is work being done by our partners at
SeePolitical, a Los Angeles-based non-profit aimed educating voters and increasing election turnout.
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I Didn't Vote! Civic DisEngagement and the DisInterested Voter
CCEP Director Mindy Romero was a featured guest on the Maddy Report on April 28. She discussed reasons behind voter disengagement with Maddy Institute Executive Director Mar
k Keppler.
View the brief discussion here.
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Forum On The Road: Young Voters Speak Out
KQED's weekday morning show Forum invited Mindy Romero to participate in an "On the Road" panel discussion at Sonoma State University on April 27. The topic was courting the millenial vote, and included discussions with Sonoma State University students about the political buzz on campus and what issues are most important to them.
Learn more here.
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Should 16 Year Olds Be Allowed to Vote?
Romero was a panelist on Forum again on May 11th for a discussion about whether 16 year olds should have the right to vote in local San Francisco elections. The county and city Board of Supervisors recently approved a ballot measure for the November election that would lower the city's voting age to 16. Panelists also included members of the San Francisco Youth Commission
, which heavily promoted the measure, arguing that a lower voting age will increase
voter engagement. The discussion covered similar legislation that has passed in other cities and explored what voting at 16
would mean for elections and politics.
Check out the story.
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UC Davis California Civic Engagement Project
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Kim Alexander
President and Founder
California Voter Foundation
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Matt A. Barreto
Professor, Dept. of Political Science
Professor, Dept. of Chicana/o Studies
University of California, Los Angeles
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Jonathan Fox
Professor,
School of International Service American University
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Luis R. Fraga
Arthur Foundation Endowed Professor of Transformative Latino Leadership
Professor of Political Science University of Notre Dame
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Lisa Garcia Bedolla
Chancellor's Professor of Education and Political Science
University of California, Berkeley
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Bruce Haynes
Associate Professor, Dept. of Sociology University of California, Davis
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Jongho Lee
Professor
Dept. of Political Science
Western Illinois University
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Peter Levine
Lincoln Filene Professor of Citizenship & Public Affairs
Director of CIRCLE: The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, Tufts University
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Matt Mahan
Cofounder and CEO
Brigade
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James Muldavin
Executive Director
California Center for Civic Participation and Youth Development
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Karthick Ramakrishnan
Professor of Public Policy
University of California, Riverside
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Ricardo Ramirez
Associate Professor, Dept. of Political Science
University of Notre Dame
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Director of Research
Kirwan Institute
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Cruz Reynoso
Professor of Law Emeritus
University of California, Davis
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Dan Schnur
Director
Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics
University of Southern California
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California Civic Engagement Project
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The California Civic Engagement Project (CCEP) is housed at the UC Davis Center for Regional Change and was established to inform the public dialogue on representative governance in California. The CCEP is engaging in pioneering research to identify disparities in civic participation across place and population. It is well positioned to inform and empower a wide range of policy and organizing efforts in California to reduce disparities in state and regional patterns of well-being and opportunity. Key audiences include public officials, advocacy groups, political researchers and communities themselves.
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UC Davis Center for Regional Change
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The UC Davis Center for Regional Change (CRC). The CRC is a catalyst for innovative, collaborative, and action-oriented research. It brings together faculty and students from different disciplines, and builds bridges between university, policy, advocacy, business, philanthropy and other sectors. The CRC's goal is to support the building of healthy, equitable, prosperous, and sustainable regions in California and beyond.
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