Democracy Is

In this special episode of Democracy Is, we feature CCC's newest project, the California Initiative for Technology and Democracy -- CITED, for short -- that seeks solutions to the dangers that AI, disinformation, and deepfakes pose to our elections.Today, we bring you a recording from CITED’s capitol briefing earlier this year. These two panels feature speakers with unparalle

The LA City Council entails one of the biggest metropolitan governments, right here in California. This episode unravels the corruption scandals shaking Los Angeles City Hall—from Councilmember Jose Huizar's federal charges to Nury Martinez's gerrymandering controversy. Journey through LA's political history, exploring Mayor Sam Yorty's tenure and the 1980s Librar

Did you know that there are only three places in the United States where all incarcerated people can vote? Only Vermont and Maine have had the right to vote for all written into their constitutions since their founding. As of 2020, Washington D.C. became the only state or district to have fully restored the right to vote for all incarcerated people. In this episode of Democracy Is,

On Democracy Is, we embark on a thought-provoking exploration of the intricate challenges posed by misinformation and disinformation in our digital age. How are social media algorithms weaponized to alter election outcomes? Continuing our journey, we navigate the ever-shifting terrain of social media regulation and privacy reform. How are policies evolving to address the growing co

For this episode of Democracy Is, we take a break from our usual California-focused programming to discuss the recent Supreme Court case Moore vs Harper. Typically, we wouldn’t cover a national case that didn’t directly involve California but this SCOTUS case is unique in that one of the main advocate groups championing it was Common Cause. In this episode, we are joined by Com

Welcome back to Democracy Is! This episode explores the history, context, and relevance of the Political Reform Act. What is it? What does it do? Why is it so important?We’ll be exploring what this overlooked piece of legislation means for you, the voter, and why the PRA still works at combating the influence of money in politics, almost fifty after its introduction. Featuring in

Welcome back to Democracy Is! We hope you are ready for Season 2! In this episode, we discuss language access and why it is so critical in order for all communities to fully participate in our democracy. There are over 200 languages spoken in the state of California alone yet only a handful are covered under federal and state law. Find out why and hear from organizers and policy ma

It's that time of the year - ELECTION SEASON! We know that you have been bombarded with advertisements, Twitter rants, Facebook posts, and candidate mailers. Election Season can be overwhelming and you may be wondering what CA Common Cause does to make our elections more accessible & transparent. Join us as we explore how multiple players prepare for November 8th!Featuring

Now more than ever, Californians are hearing about recalls and witnessing them happening at all levels of government. We will be exploring Recalls and examining the history, impact, and relevance of this little-known corner of California’s democracy. We will discuss how we can improve the recall process to better serve our political system and our communities. This episode also f

On this episode of Democracy Is, we take a look at Money in Politics and how it affects our democracy. Understanding how money impacts our politics is essential in the fight for equity! How did we get to this current iteration of our system? How does money impact everyday voters? How much power do wealthy individuals and corporations really have over our elections? We will discuss