A City that Doesn’t Leave Politics to the Politicians
In Long Beach, Residents Get a Chance to Deliver Their Own ‘State of the City’
The president of the United States gives a State of the Union address. Governors offer speeches on the states of the state. Even mayors often deliver a state of the city.
This tradition of addresses—of officials, by officials, and mostly for officials—begs the question of what would happen if you let citizens define the condition of their communities instead. Would that generate fresh ideas about how to tackle the biggest challenges?
Long Beach Rising!, a civic engagement program run by a collection of local organizations, is trying to answer that question. On …
