SACRAMENTO, CA— Today, the California Budget & Policy Center (Budget Center) announced the official plenaries for its annual conference, Policy Insights, which will take place on Tuesday, April 16.
“Policy Insights isn’t just a conference, but where we connect the dots from idea to action,” said Chris Hoene, executive director at the California Budget & Policy Center. “With the presence of distinguished state leaders, advocates, and leading policy experts during the events’ plenaries, we are not only discussing policy but shaping our collective future. Together, we are crafting a more equitable California, where opportunity knows no bounds.”
The event will include three plenaries: morning, luncheon, and afternoon, and are as follows, respectively:
State Leaders, the Budget Deficit, and Making Progress for Californians
This plenary session will examine what California’s legislative budget leaders are doing to protect the state’s progress, advance opportunities, and ensure equitable outcomes for Californians. The session will feature Senator Scott Wiener, chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee for the California State Senate, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, chair of the Assembly Budget Committee for the California State Assembly, and Budget Center Research Director Laura Pryor.
Policy Pathways to Reparations
This plenary session will explore policy pathways for reparations following a report from 2023 that profiles the ongoing and compound harms experienced by African Americans as a result of slavery and the ongoing effect on American society today. The session will feature CA Black Power Network Executive Director James Woodson, Equal Justice Society President Lisa Holder, and Minami Tamaki LLP Senior Counsel Don Tamaki, who are leaders from the CA State Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans and the Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation, and Truth (ARRT).
The Economy We Deserve
This plenary session will discuss the economy Americans deserve in terms of housing, health care, college education, dignified work, family care, and more, and the steps it would take to get there. The session will feature President and Co-founder of the Economic Security Project Natalie Foster, Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Tomiquia Moss, Executive Director at SEIU California Tia Orr, and End Poverty in California President Devon Gray. Additionally, the session will be inspired by Foster’s new book, The Guarantee, which celebrates the decades of on-the-ground organizing and political pressure required to make these seismic shifts possible.
To purchase tickets, view the full schedule and list of speakers, or view answers to FAQs, please visit CalBudgetCenter.org/policy-insights-2024-conference.
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The California Budget & Policy Center (Budget Center) is a nonpartisan research and analysis nonprofit advancing public policies that expand opportunities and promote well-being for all Californians.
