Californians Deliberate Statewide on Healthcare ReformProject DescriptionIn an amazing display of citizen engagement on a major policy issue, more than 4,000 Californians gathered on Saturday, August 11, at eight different sites around the state to discuss and come to conclusions about the various healthcare reform proposals that are currently before the State Legislature. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, Senate President pro Tem Don Perata, Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines and several other Congressional leaders attended at least one of the locations to see deliberative democracy in action. The event, titled “CaliforniaSpeaks”, is a “21st Century Town Meeting” – a methodology of getting citizen input on an issue on a large and immediate scale – developed by AmericaSpeaks, based in Washington, D.C.. Similar “Town Meetings” have garnered citizen input around rebuilding plans in New Orleans, redevelopment strategies in Ohio, and a national conversation on healthcare that was endorsed by the Federal Government. Common Sense California’s RoleAs a statewide leader in bringing citizen engagement solutions, CSC brought together the Founder and President of AmericaSpeaks, Carolyn Lukensmeyer, with political leaders in Sacramento who were searching for an efficient yet effective way of getting feedback from “everyday” Californians on the vital issue of healthcare reform. At the time of the introduction, Carolyn was speaking at our “Deliberative Democracy in California” conference held in Malibu earlier this year. Learn more about CaliforniaSpeaks. 
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