Welcome

Welcome to the California Future Society!

We’re living through frothy times in the Golden State. We have the worst poverty in the nation, our homeless population could fill up 3 Dodgers Stadiums, and for the first time in our state’s history, more people believe they be better off leaving California instead of staying.

And yet … the California dream flickers on.

The state’s bold ideals remain intact. We remain the 5th largest economy in the world. We are home to world-leading companies and universities. We are still setting the frontier of innovation and building technology and culture that the rest of the world consumes.

California remains one of the most influential corners of the globe, but it’s unclear where things are heading. Are we in the twilight of a golden age, slowly regressing into mediocrity? Are we slipping into a spiraling doom loop, set for a spectacular implosion? Or are brighter days ahead just beyond the horizon?

I’m writing this because for me, it’s personal. I owe a lot to California. My mom’s family left the Midwestern farm in the Depression to grow oranges and find opportunity in SoCal and never left. My father, the product of generations of poverty, packed his belongings into his hatchback, and drove west from Alabama to get educated and build a life.

I am one of the tens of millions recipients of the great California inheritance, the people whose families came here, worked hard, and found opportunities to improve their standing in life. In response, I want to steward the state so even more people can share in that inheritance.

I’ve spent the last few years studying the state’s past, reading over 3,000 pages of history books, trying to figure out how we got here. I now turn my eyes to the future. I want to peek around the corner to see where we’re going.

So what is the California Future Society? It’s my effort to understand California’s future and unite with others who share this passion. If that sounds like you, sign up and shoot me a note on what you’d want to read about.

I’ll consider the newsletter portion of CFS a success if it serves as the following:

1. Bat-Signal for the Bold: I know I’m one of millions who care about California’s future. If any of what I write resonates with you, consider me Commissioner Gordon lighting the bat signal calling you into action. Subscribe and send me a note (email, X) - I want to meet, hear your ideas, and find ways to shape the state’s future together.

2. Blueprints for the Future: Lots of brilliant people are thinking about California’s future. I want to find them, put a spotlight on their ideas, and share it with people who can help make it happen. The future isn’t fixed. Let’s nudge it in the right direction.

3. Breadcrumbs for the Curious: Someone out there is sitting where I was a few years ago - passionate about California’s future, wanting to learn more, but unsure of what to do. I still have a lot to learn, but I’m a few years down the trail. Consider these posts a record of my thoughts for others to build on and join me on the path.

Lastly, a bit about me. I’m a 4th-generation Californian born and raised in San Bernardino County, educated on the Central Coast, and now working in Santa Monica. I started my career in politics, dipped my toe in startups, and was trained as a researcher at the RAND Corporation, where I became obsessed with how we make policy for new technology (ask me about my dissertation on e-scooters). The day-to-day drudgery of academia didn’t suit me, so now I help companies navigate politics at a public affairs firm.¹ I’m married with a daughter, and my ultimate career goal is for her to live in the Golden Age of California.

1  Normal disclosures, all opinions are personal, not a reflection of my employer