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NewsOn June 8th at the Depot, local members celebrated the 57th annual meeting and election of officers at the League of Women Voters Torrance Area.
Our speaker this year was Ashley Trim-Labosier (MPP '09), Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine School of Public Policy and Executive Director of the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement & Civic Leadership.
Professor Labosier explained how we can have civil discourse in today's age. Ideas matter, words matter, society depends on it!
Her program prepares leaders who can re-vitalize public involvement and help lead and inspire residents in the often-arduous work of self-government at a time when distrust, apathy, and cynicism in government and other institutions are at an all-time high.
The participants in the program must have the ability to listen to diverse viewpoints and to determine potential options. In other words, they need to engage with all the messiness of community and culture for the purpose of identifying consensus solutions. Below are just a few examples of the recent challenges the State has experienced:
- A small city that is now a booming suburb of San Francisco was a sleepy farming community just a few decades ago. Long-time residents don't want to become victims of urban sprawl, but a young workforce desperately needs affordable middle-class housing.
- After a school shooting in a Southern California, city parents want assurance that children are safe, but no one wants a school that resembles a high-security prison complex.
- The state of California has legalized marijuana, and one city in a relatively conservative part of the state is trying to figure out how to regulate sale and use. Some residents are ready to hop on the 420 bandwagon but most are worried about long-term implications.
Her program is sorely needed in this era of polarization of parties and divisiveness on all levels of governing. Consensus is not a dirty word!
League to which this content belongs:
Torrance Area