California 100 Announces the Selection of an Intergenerational Commission of Experts to Guide Its Work

The California 100 executive team announced today the selection of a 26-member expert and intergenerational California 100 Commission which will draw on an extraordinary group of leaders who reflect diversity by region and industry, and the perspectives of communities who have been historically marginalized or excluded. Valuing the input of young Californians and the role they will play in shaping the future, half of the commission will be next generation leaders who have already demonstrated significant impact in their areas of expertise. 

The California 100 Commission is a working commission. Commissioners will be deeply engaged in all aspects of California 100’s work and be heavily involved in crafting a vision and strategy that prepares us for the challenges and opportunities the next century will bring. In particular, commissioners will review and provide feedback on California 100’s 13 research reports and meet with each research team for a “deep dive” review of their findings.

Part of the research work is examining potential scenarios for California’s future. Commissioners will work with the research teams to assist in revising and refining their future scenarios work to make them more useful for stakeholders and residents alike through deliberation and listening sessions in 2022. Throughout their two-year term, commissioners will also ensure that the work of California 100 remains true to the interconnectedness of its 13 issue areas and throughlines that inform its core values. 

“We are thrilled to draw on the expertise of these transformative leaders who are making a difference in their respective fields and already leaving a mark on California,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, executive director of California 100. “Their unique perspectives will inform our work to create a vision and strategy for California’s future — one that is inclusive, equitable and sustainable. California 100 belongs to Californians and we are excited to begin our partnership with these dynamic leaders who represent the best of our state — and the best of what’s to come.”

Introducing the California 100 Commissioners and their areas of expertise:

(*titles for identification purposes only, presented alphabetically by first name)

Advanced Technology and Basic Research

• Ernestine Fu, Investment Partner, Alsop Louie Partners*
• Nidhi Kalra, Senior Information Scientist, RAND Corporation*

Arts, Culture, and Entertainment

• Cinny Kennard, Executive Director, Annenberg Foundation*
• Damon Packwood, Creator and Executive Director, Gameheads*

Education

• Alvin Lee, Executive Director, GENup*
• Sasha Renée Perez, Public Affairs Manager, The Campaign for College Opportunity*

Economic Mobility, Inequality, and Workforce

• Geneva Wiki, Yurok Tribal Member*
• Michael Tubbs, Special Advisor for Economic Mobility and Opportunity to Gov. Gavin Newsom
  Founder, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income*

Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources

• Danny Kennedy, CEO at New Energy Nexus*
• Louise Bedsworth, Director, Land Use Program at the Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment, UC Berkeley School of Law*

Federalism and Foreign Policy

• Ahilan Arulanantham, Faculty Co-Director, UCLA School of Law, Center for Immigration Law and Policy*
• Nina Hachigian, Deputy Mayor of International Affairs, City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office*

Fiscal Reform

• Jake Segal, Vice President, Social Finance*
• Sal Rodriguez, Editor at the Southern California News Group*

Governance, Media, and Civil Society

• Dan Schnur, Former Chairman, California Fair Political Practices Commission*
• Jonathan Mehta Stein, Executive Director, Common Cause*

Health and Wellness

• Jeffrey Reynoso, Executive Director, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California*
• Tavae Samuelu, Executive Director,  Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)*

Housing and Community Development

• Annie Fryman, Director of Cities at Abodu*
• Lisa Hershey, Executive Director, Housing California*

Immigrant Integration

• Cinthia N. Flores, Board Member, California Agricultural Labor Relations Board*
• Cynthia Buiza, Executive Director, California Immigrant Policy Center*

Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform

• Daniel Zingale, Activist and Public Servant
• Edgar Ernesto Ibarra Gutierrez, Leadership and Program Coordinator, MILPA Collective*

Transportation and Urban Planning

• Andrea Vidaurre, Co-Founder and Policy Lead, People’s Collective for Environmental Justice*
• Hasan Ikhrata, Chief Executive Officer, San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)*

Each of the 26 commissioners were selected because of their vast expertise in the 13 issue areas of focus for California 100. The open nomination process welcomed elected officials, academics, community organizers, as well as advocacy and youth organizations to submit candidates for consideration. After months of interviews, these leaders emerged as the most forward-thinking and disruptive in their fields with a shared vision for exploring big ideas that can transform California for the better into the next century. Commissioners will be paired, with two serving in each of the 13 focus areas and many intergenerational pairings to encourage mentorship and collaboration. 

California 100 announced research awards in July to 18 centers and institutes across the state that will examine future scenarios with the potential to shape California’s leadership in the coming century, with a focus on 13 priority research areas. Each center or institute has begun its research and will share findings with the Commission. The findings will be shared with the public and later tested through deliberative polling exercises and engagement sessions directly with Californians in 2022. 

The goal of California 100 is to lift up and support transformative ideas, people and projects that accelerate progress with a focus on inspiring a vision and strategy for California’s next century that is innovative, sustainable, and equitable. In addition to sponsoring original work, the California 100 Platform will promote the best of what is happening in California. Through these various projects and activities, California 100 seeks to move California towards an aspirational vision—changing policies and practices, attitudes and mindsets, for a more vibrant future.

California 100 is organized among interrelated streams of work: research, policy innovation, advanced technology and engagement. Each stream is led by a director and strengthened through a growing list of partners in the public and private sector.