Brews and Views at HMB Brewing Company, Sept 30 & Oct 7

Half Moon Bay Brewing Company presents two special Brews and Views:  "California Crackup" with authors Joe Mathews And Mark Paul On Sept. 30 and "A Speaker’s View" With Assemblywoman Fiona Ma On Oct. 7

Free public forums to be moderated by Ted Lempert, President of Children Now and Alex Evans, President and Founder of EMC Research

On Thursday, Sept. 30, the Brewing Company welcomes special guests Joe Mathews and Mark Paul, authors of the critically acclaimed new book, California Crack Up: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It (University of California Press, 2010). The veteran journalists explore the history and drivers behind the state’s current political and economic crises. They also share innovative solutions that rebalance power among California citizens, its politicians, and the institutions intended to serve the Golden State. Moderator Ted Lempert is the President of Children Now, a national research and advocacy organization based in Oakland.  He is also a Lecturer in the Political Science Department at UC Berkeley and serves on the San Mateo County Board of Education. 

On Thursday, October 7, Fiona Ma, California Assemblywoman and Speaker pro Tempore, joins Brews and Views for "A Speaker’s View." In the run up to critical local, state and national elections, Assemblywoman Ma will provide the unique perspective that only one of Sacramento’s senior elected officials can offer.  From high-speed rail to state budget woes, expect the hard-hitting and engaging conversation that has been the hallmark of Brews and Views. The moderator for this lively discussion is Alex Evans, President and Founder of EMC Research, a recognized expert in California for all forms of opinion research, focus groups, voter polls, strategic design and development, and public policy analysis.

Ten percent of proceeds from all dinner sales at Half Moon Bay Brewing Company on both evenings will be donated to Cabrillo Education Foundation.

When:
"California Crackup" - Thursday, September 30, 2010
"A Speaker’s View" - Thursday, October 7, 2010
6 to 8 p.m.

Where:
The Half Moon Bay Brewing Company
390 Capistrano Road, Princeton-by-the-Sea, Calif.

Cost: Admission and snacks are complimentary. Beer, wine and other beverages will be available for sale at the event.

For more information:
Call 650-728-2739 or visit http://www.hmbbrewingco.com

Who:

Joe Mathews, a fourth-generation Californian, writes about his home state and its politics, media, labor, and real estate. He is the author of The People’s Machine: Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of Blockbuster Democracy (PublicAffairs, 2006), an account of Governor Schwarzenegger’s first term and his use of ballot measures as governing tools.

Before joining the New America Foundation as a Senior Fellow, Mr. Mathews was a reporter for eight years at the Los Angeles Times, where he covered state and presidential politics, education, labor and the city of Compton, and previously covered the Justice Department for The Wall Street Journal. He began his career in 1994 as a reporter on the city desk of the Baltimore Sun, where he wrote about urban issues and the environment. His coverage of a down-on-its-luck neighborhood of former slaughterhouses earned him the incomparable title, "Bard of Pigtown." His stories have appeared in The New Republic, The Washington Post, Politico, and Condé Nast Portfolio.

Mark Paul is senior scholar at the New America Foundation and a visiting scholar at the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley. He has written about California policy and politics for three decades as a journalist, policy thinker, and state official.

Before joining New America, he was editorial page editor of the Oakland Tribune and, for nineteen years, an editorial writer, columnist, and deputy editorial page editor at the Sacramento Bee, where he won the 2000 Best in the West award for his editorials on the Gray Davis administration. He later served as deputy treasurer of the state of California and was policy director for the 2006 California gubernatorial campaign of Phil Angelides.

Mr. Paul’s recent work on California issues has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, the Sacramento Bee, The California Journal of Politics and Policy, and The American Interest. He has been a visiting lecturer in the Department of History at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, and a visiting instructor at Stanford University.

Fiona Ma was elected to a second term in November 2008 to represent the people of California’s 12th Assembly District. The district includes San Francisco, Daly City, Colma and Broadmoor. Assemblywoman Ma serves as Speaker pro Tempore, where she presides over Assembly Floor Sessions and policy deliberations. As presiding officer and member of Speaker Perez’ leadership team, Assemblywoman Ma guides Members through the daily business of the house, responds to parliamentary inquiries, issue rulings on points of order when necessary, and is responsible for guiding legislative priorities. She is a member of key committees including Agriculture, Business and Professions, Governmental Organization, Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security, and Utilities and Commerce.

Assemblywoman Ma has authored groundbreaking legislation to protect young children from dangerous chemicals, help California’s working families pay the bills, prevent the spread of Hepatitis B, increase access to quality healthcare, provide equal rights for all Californians, and grow the state’s economy. She has also been a strong advocate for better neighborhoods, authoring laws to combat graffiti, recycling theft and disabled placard abuse.

Moderators:

Ted Lempert is the President of Children Now, a national research and advocacy organization based in Oakland, Calif. Previously, he was the founding CEO and co-founder of EdVoice, a California grassroots organization advocating for education reform and support for public education. He also serves on the San Mateo County Board of Education.

Mr. Lempert was a California State Assemblymember representing San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties from 1996 to 2000 and 1988 to 1992. He served as chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee and the Select Committees on Education Technology and Coastal Protection, and co-chair of the Joint Committee to Develop a Master Plan for Education.

Mr. Lempert authored landmark legislation during his eight years in the Assembly, including the Lempert-Keene Oil Spill Prevention & Response Act (1990), the Golden State Scholarshare Trust (California’s College Savings Plan) (1997), the Internet Tax Freedom Act (1998) and the Local School Construction Bond Act (2000). He had more than 70 other bills signed by Governors Deukmejian, Wilson and Davis, including major laws in the areas of education, health care, children and families, tax policy and the environment.

Mr. Lempert also served on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, where he was President of the Board in 1995. He was the founder of the County’s Youth Commission and chaired the Task Force on Violence Against Women. Prior to holding public office, Mr. Lempert was special counsel and an associate for the law firm of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter and Hampton in San Francisco.

Alex Evans is President and founding partner of EMC Research.  He has extensive experience in the design and execution of stratified proportional sampling plans, questionnaire development, all forms of opinion research, focus groups, voter polls, strategic design and development, and public policy analysis.
Mr. Evans has conducted over two thousand public opinion studies and has polled in every state and throughout the western United States. He has completed survey research at every level of politics and government and for large and small corporations, government institutions, and universities. Alex is considered one of the finest analysts of public opinion in the nation and is frequently asked to speak on the subject at some of the country’s top universities. He has directed accounts for some of the nation’s largest corporations, Presidential campaigns in this country and abroad, statewide elections, and hundreds of projects on regional and local issues.

Prior to forming EMC Research, Mr. Evans was Executive Vice President at Cambridge Survey Research (CSR) where he worked with world-renowned pollster Patrick H. Caddell.

Mr. Evans has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Michigan. He also recently retired from the Richmond, Calif., City Council.