Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Bill Whalen, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University C.W. Nevius, Columnist, San Francisco Chronicle Melissa Griffin Caen, Contributor, KPIX-TV and San Francisco Magazine; Attorney In the heat of the summer, political commentators sometimes get too heated during their discussions. At Week to Week, we bring together San Francisco's cool summer breezes with expert commentary by panelists who are smart, are civil, and have a good sense of humor. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our news quiz! This program was recorded at The Commonwealth Club of California on July 28, 2014

Debra J. Saunders, Columnist, San Francisco Chronicle; “Token Conservative” Blogger, SFGate.com Josh Richman, State and National Politics Reporter, Bay Area News Group, San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times Carla Marinucci, Senior Political Writer, San Francisco Chronicle John Zipperer, Vice President of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth Club – Host Our mid-summer political check-in will keep you up-to-date on the political issues and personalities in the news. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our news quiz! This program was recorded at The Commonwealth Club of California on July 14, 2014

Melissa Griffin Caen, Contributor, KPIX-TV and San Francisco Magazine; Attorney Mollie Reilly, Deputy Politics Editor, Huffington Post Martin G. Reynolds, Senior Editor, Community Engagement and Training, Bay Area News Group/Digital First Media; Co-founder, Voices The primaries are over, the fall election is months away. Meanwhile the Bay Area, the state, and the nation continue to deal with economic growth concerns, political warfare in the nation's capital, and jockeying over 2016. Week to Week takes a look at the issues and the people in our politics. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our news quiz! This program was recorded at The Commonwealth Club of California on June 30, 2014

Kenneth Turan, Film Critic, LA Times and NPR’s "Morning Edition"; Author, Not to be Missed: Fifty-Four Favorites from a Lifetime of Film Brian Hackney, Reporter, KPIX TV – Moderator Turan’s favorite films span a century of the world’s most satisfying romances and funniest comedies, the most heart-stopping dramas and chilling thrillers from All About Eve to Seven Samurai to Sherlock Jr. Come hear about these timeless films – classic and contemporary, familiar and obscure, with budgets big and small – and judge for yourself the truth of director Ingmar Bergman’s observation that “no form of art goes beyond ordinary consciousness as film does, straight to our emotions, deep into the twilight room of the soul.” This program was recorded at The Commonwealth Club of California on June 23, 2014

Steven Levitt, Author, Think Like a Freak, Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics Stephen Dubner, Author, Think Like a Freak, Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics In conversation with Kishore Hari, Director, Bay Area Science Festival Now, it’s time for you to think like a “freak.” Levitt and Dubner’s newest masterpiece helps us get wacky to analyze the decisions we make, the plans we create and even the morals we chose. Get freaky – and these statistic gurus will teach you how to make smarter, harder and better decisions. With practical insights from “The Upside of Quitting” to “How to Succeed – With No Talent,” Levitt and Dubner have again turned our brains inside out and made statistics sexy. There’s a hidden side to everything. Get the inside scope from freakonomists Dubner and Levitt. This program was recorded at The Commonwealth Club of California on May 20, 2014

Larry Gerston, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, San Jose State University; Political Analyst, NBC Bay Area; Author, Not So Golden After All: The Rise and Fall of CaliforniaCarla Marinucci, Senior Political Writer, San Francisco Chronicle Bill Whalen, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University John Zipperer, Vice President of Media & Editorial, Commonwealth Club - Host What do you think Karl Rove meant with his recent comments? Is The New York Times a good place for female journalists to get ahead? Which GOP challenger is going to attempt to unseat Governor Brown? California's electing new leaders this year, and issues like income inequality and affordability are dominating the headlines. Week to Week will take a look at the issues and the people in local, state and national politics. In its first two years, Week to Week has become a must-attend political discussion and social event. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events and our news quiz! This program was recorded at The Commonwealth Club of California on May 19, 2014

Willie Brown, Former Mayor, San Francisco; Former Speaker, California State Assembly Former San Francisco Mayor Brown gives his annual lecture on national and regional political trends. A two-term mayor of San Francisco, powerful speaker of the California State Assembly and widely regarded as one of the most influential African-American politicians of the late 20th century, Brown has been at the center of California politics, government and civic life for an astonishing four decades. Most recently, a myriad of celebrities gathered to celebrate the naming of the western portion of the Bay Bridge in his honor. This program was recorded at The Commonwealth Club of California on May 8, 2014