California Civic Innovation Project Blog

During the last presidential election, the President and his Republican challenger held a debate promoted as a town hall meeting. In this event, ordinary people, rather than journalists, posed questions on topics as varied as gun control and national security. Commentators gushed about the eloquence of the public, explaining that the town hall format afforded an unique opportunity for candidates to get outside of the political-insider thinking that predominated in the Beltway.

Bostonians and the rest of the nation are grieving their shattered sense of security and the lives destroyed on Marathon Monday. Meanwhile, a combination of city, state and federal authorities are investigating the explosions that killed three people and injured scores more. Governmental staffers are seeking information from the public through hotlines and email. Only time will tell what insights evidence collection and analysis will yield.

By Bige Yilmaz    

Bige Yilmaz, PhD is a consultant with the California Civic Innovation Project. She is working on a project to explore the similarities and differences between the process of innovation in the private and public sectors.

Growing up in Southern California meant that spring break was a week filled with sunshine, outdoors, playing games, and hanging out with friends. When I was in junior high my family spent most spring breaks camping along the coast until we reached Half Moon Bay. Then we’d head back home, sun kissed, exhausted, and ready to tackle the next semester of school. But as I grew older, spring breaks tended to involve less family and more friends, and on more than one occasion recess included driving to Palm Springs, CA to party, meet new friends, and cruise the strip.