Why California Will Matter More in the 2020 Election

With an Earlier Primary Date, the Golden State May Sway National Debates and Even the Presidential Contest

The California presidential primary traditionally has taken place in June, often well after the presidential candidates for all parties have been decided. But next year, California will join 12 other states for the Super Tuesday primary on March 3rd, 2020. What effect will this have on the election? Could California primary voters pick the next president?

This was the question panelists at a Zócalo/UCLA Downtown Event explored on May 15, at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in downtown Los Angeles. Zócalo Public Square California & Innovation Editor Joe …

by Kianoosh Hashemzadeh | May 16, 2019

More In: The Takeaway

Is New Mexico an ‘Incomplete Project’ of the United States?

Brought Into the Union Through Conquest, the State’s Untidy Identity and History of Autonomy Persist

by Kianoosh Hashemzadeh | May 14, 2019

New Mexico has an uneasy and complicated history. After joining the United States by conquest—through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848—its residents didn’t automatically …

The Holocaust in This Small Polish Town Had ‘No Bystanders,’ Says Omer Bartov

The Zócalo Book Prize Winner Explains How a Community Came to Commit an Intimate Genocide

by Sarah Rothbard | May 3, 2019

How can human connectedness be ripped apart? This is the question at the center of Omer Bartov’s book, Anatomy of a Genocide: The Life and Death of a Town Called …

We Know Another Recession Is Coming. And We’re Still Not Ready.

Economists Say America’s Next Economic Downturn Won’t Be as Bad as the Great Recession. But It Will Be Worse Than It Has to Be.

by Kianoosh Hashemzadeh | April 12, 2019

Panelists at a Zócalo/UCLA Anderson School of Management event gathered in downtown Los Angeles to investigate the question: Is America ready for the next recession?

The decisive answer: No.

The panelists, speaking …

The Crisis of Fake News Isn’t News At All

Technological Change, Skepticism of Authority, and Relentless Politicization Have Always Undermined the Power of Facts

by Kianoosh Hashemzadeh | March 14, 2019

To be human is to have cognitive bias. And these human biases—and the institutions that benefit from promoting these biases—have fueled the current epidemic of fake news and the rejection …

Voters—Not Mueller or Congress—Will End Trump’s Presidency

Legal and Political Realities Make It Difficult to Remove a President, Even If He’s Broken the Law

by Kianoosh Hashemzadeh | March 7, 2019

Can a sitting president be indicted? Can a president pardon himself? These were just some of the questions UCLA constitutional law scholar Jon D. Michaels, Wake Forest political scientist Katy Harriger, and Joel …

More In: The Takeaway

Here Are Two Voting Reforms That Could Counter America’s Hyperpolarization

When Used Together, ‘Ranked Choice’ and ‘Top Two’ Elections Would Strengthen Major Parties and Favor Moderate Politicians

How Will Redistricting Affect Constituents?

Debating Whether New Boundaries Can Bring True Change

Why Does the 2020 Presidential Campaign Feel So Loud and Angry?

In an Age of ‘Post-Rhetorical’ Politics, Candidates Now Compete, Rather Than Cooperate, With the Media

The Real Reason Why Californians Don’t Vote

It’s Not Just Registration Problems and Bad Candidates. People Are Also Really Busy.

Get More Zócalo