Urban Challenges: Homelessness and Politics

The 2020 elections brought in a wave of progressive politicians from mayors to district attorneys. But many of those leaders were subjected to recalls or even ousted from office. In a piece for the New York Times, columnist Nicholas Kristof, who recently ran for governor of Oregon, offered this rejoinder to critics of liberals running cities struggling with rising crime and homelessness: “[T]he problem isn’t with liberalism. It’s with West Coast liberalism.” According to Kristof, in governance, progressives were valuing intentions over outcomes. As San Francisco prepares to elect its next mayor, and as Oakland decides whether to recall theirs, we launch a new Forum series examining progressive politics in our region. To kick off this series, we talk to experts about the state of progressive politics and hear from you: How do you feel about progressivism? What has it done right? What has it done wrong?

Guests:

Alicia John-Baptiste, president and CEO, SPUR

Jessica Trounstine, centennial chair and professor of political science, Vanderbilt University; author, "Segregation by Design: Local Politics and Inequality in American Cities" and "Political Monopolies in American Cities: The Rise and Fall of Bosses and Reformers."

Nithya Raman, urban planner, member of LA City Council, representing district 4

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