Public Policy Education Program
The Pat Brown Institute's Public Policy Education Program serves as the umbrella for the Annual California Policy Issues Conference, California Agenda, policy roundtables, policy briefs and white papers.
Working in the bipartisan spirit of Governor Brown, the Institute's Public Policy Education Program (PPEP) serves as the vehicle to convene, educate and involve a diverse group of California decision-makers from across the sectors on timely and significant regional and statewide public policy issues through information sharing, dialogue, and debate.
Each year, the California Policy Issues Conference, the annual anchor of PPEP, engages Californians across the sectors in spirited discussions, debate, and dialogue on the most significant public policy issues of the day. The one-day conference focuses on governance and civil society issues and reaches a live audience of up to 400 people, and an additional 5,000 through cable broadcast and other media coverage. Filmed versions of the conference are made available for extended community and classroom audiences and printed highlights are made available to a broad leadership audience in California through the PBI website and our California Policy Issues Annual publication. In 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger provided the keynote address, speaking on the future of California's infrastructure needs. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa delivered the keynote address in 2007. Assembly Speaker Bass delivered the keynote address in 2008. The conference is preceded by a pre-conference reception that is well attended as a high profile event in itself.
The California Agenda public policy forum series is another key element of PPEP. The purpose of the California Agenda is to educate and engage California leaders and individuals from across the sectors on significant state, regional and local public policy issues. The California Agenda series consists of six public policy forums that focus on issues of significance to California, reaching 80 attendees per forum and an extended manuscript and media coverage audiences. Recent lecture and panel discussion topics have included education in Los Angeles, transportation, immigration, housing, economic and community development, environmental justice, infrastructure, health, and youth violence.
Public Policy Briefs parallel the California Agenda, serving as a tool to better comprehend public policy issues. Six policy briefs are published yearly, illuminating key public policy issues, providing case study and best practices examples, and well-considered policy recommendations. The briefs are made available via the PBI website.