National, state, local leaders ponder California’s future at upcoming conference

Businessman and former U. S. Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros will be among dozens of national, state and local leaders who will consider the future of the state at the 15th annual "Envisioning California Conference," jointly produced by Cal State University Northridge’s Center for Southern California Studies and the Center for California Studies at California State University, Sacramento on Thurs., Sept. 25 and Fri., Sept. 26 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City.

This year’s conference, titled "Dynamic Diversity: Expanding the California Dream," will present a rare opportunity for business leaders, community activists, politicians and educators to have frank discussions on what California’s diversity means and on how they envision the state’s various sectors serving its diverse populations.

"California is a state where many of us come because we believe it is a place that will allow a way of life that is abundant with opportunities and choices we might not have been exposed to elsewhere," said Stella Theodoulou, interim dean of CSUN’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, where the Center for Southern California Studies is housed.

"It is true that we are rich in the diversity of our people and environment. However, in 2003, concerns remain about equal access to all of the state’s resources.

"As the nation’s largest and the world’s seventh largest economy, California’s dynamism and attitudes make it a bellwether of social, economic and environmental trends in the United States and internationally," Theodoulou said.

"It is incumbent upon us to consider the consequences of social, spatial and environmental inequity and its potential to spark conflict or create positive solutions. That is what we hope to do at the conference."

Conference topics include transportation, urban justice, developing downtown housing stock, diversity in business and technology, sustainable communities, the state’s informal and formal economies, education, health care, food, literature, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered communities.

Cisneros, a key player in national Latin politics, is currently chairman and CEO of American CityVista, an urban construction venture. He’ll deliver the keynote address on Sept. 25.

For more information about the conference, call (818) 677-6815.