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Zócalo An ASU Knowledge Enterprise Digital Daily Zócalo An ASU Knowledge Enterprise Digital Daily

David B. Smith

We’ll Build Our Own Darn Roads

The New Economic Realities Will Change Our Relationship to Government—Maybe For the Better

The sun-washed Polihale State Beach Park in Kauai seems an unlikely place to see the changing face of governance, but there we catch a glimpse of the new relationship forming between governments and citizens–one that is more participatory and inclusive.

While Polihale is formally a Hawaiian state park, its main feature is a 12-mile strip of beach, which sits just below the Na Pali cliffs in the southwestern portion of the island. Its remoteness and terrific surfing waves have made it a popular tourist spot.

When a tropical storm blew through the …

by David B. Smith and Pete Peterson | October 24, 2011

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Connecting California

Why California’s Weakest Local Governments Should Not Survive COVID-19

Instead of Mourning Their Collapse, We Should Consolidate Local Governments to Make Them More Powerful

Why California’s Weakest Local Governments Should Not Survive COVID-19 | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian
by Joe Mathews|May 5, 2020

California is finally getting the local government apocalypse it has long needed.

And, thankfully, it’s going to be even worse than I had hoped.

For the record, I love and revere local …

Connecting California

San Diego Has California’s Greatest Urban Park, but It’s Falling Apart

Balboa Park Has a Zoo and a Model Train Museum, What It Needs Is Leadership

by Joe Mathews |May 20, 2019

If I had a free Sunday and could spend it anywhere in California, I’d head for Balboa Park in San Diego.

The Golden State has some grand urban parks, from San …

Connecting California

To Make California a True Democracy, Give Non-Citizens the Right to Vote

If You Root for the Dodgers, Pay Taxes, and Battle Traffic, Are You Any Less Californian Than Me?

By Joe Mathews|August 8, 2017

President Trump claims that California allowed millions of non-citizens to cast ballots in the 2016 elections. This allegation, while totally bogus, has put California and its political leaders on the …

Essay

Did Democracy Bankrupt Our Cities?

Maybe Not. But If We Want To Prevent the Crises of San Bernardino and Stockton and Detroit, Self-Government Will Need Some Tune-Ups.

by Pete Peterson|September 11, 2013

In a recent bracing post titled “Detroit’s Death by Democracy,” George Will located the root of that city’s problems not in its lack of economic diversification but in our very …


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    • Letters to Zócalo
  • Viewings
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    • Sketchbook
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    • What It Means to Be American
    • Hawai’i in the Public Square
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    • Past Events
    • The Takeaway
    • In the Green Room
  • About
    • Mission
    • Masthead
    • Advisory Board
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