Aug 16, 2018, 6:03 PM ETConference Presentation, Keynote, Panel, Fireside Chat

Opening Remarks and Keynote

The conference was hosted by Dan Schnur, Director of the Sacramento Bee's California Influencers Project, and convened by the Milken Institute to foster collaboration across public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
The primary goal is not to solve state challenges in a single day, but to establish a foundational, ongoing dialogue regarding housing, job creation, higher education, and gender equity.
Attendees were encouraged to view the event as the start of a continuous series of conversations rather than a "one-shot deal" to address California's complex policy issues.

Polling data from the USC Los Angeles Times statewide political survey (conducted 5–6 years ago) indicated that Californians hold low levels of trust in elected officials, private sector CEOs, and nonprofit leaders individually.
The survey revealed that trust levels increase significantly only when the public, private, and nonprofit sectors collaborate; the "three legs of the stool" must stand together to regain public confidence.
Current attendees include key figures expected to represent these sectors, such as State Treasurer John Chung, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, and Sacramento Mayor Daryl Steinberg, though they are noted as exceptions to the broader lack of trust.

Demand for college graduates is projected to outstrip supply by 2030, creating a critical gap in the workforce.
Supply is being simultaneously discouraged due to dramatically increased tuition fees at UC, CSU, and private institutions, which hinders access for smart young people.
California's diverse college population remains unevenly distributed, failing to leverage the state's demographic richness to fill future graduate ranks.
A female labor force participation rate in California is currently lower than the national average, correlated with a female education gap and stagnation of women in STEM fields.
JPMorgan Chase announced an investment of $1.75 billion over the next five years to drive inclusive growth, focusing on workforce skills development, small business expansion, and neighborhood revitalization.
The Milken Institute's "Preparing California for the Future of Work" project aims to address economic transformation driven by automation and AI, specifically targeting workers at risk of being left behind.

California faces a "missing middle" housing crisis where residents earning 60–100% of area median income struggle to find affordable homes.
The "Financing Innovative Housing Solutions" project seeks to assist policymakers in identifying new financing mechanisms and incentives to accelerate housing supply for this demographic.
California's infrastructure financing shortfall is estimated to exceed $400 billion over the next 10 years, far outpacing current funding capabilities.
The national infrastructure gap is estimated at $4 trillion, requiring urgent public-private partnerships to fund climate-resilient systems.
The state budget approved a record $1.2 billion for housing and $500 million for homelessness, yet regulatory barriers at the local level continue to hinder development.

State Treasurer John Chung announced that California is the first state to sign the "Green Bond Pledge," committing to using green bonds to finance large-scale environmental transformation.
This pledge aims to address the $400 billion infrastructure shortfall and counter the destructive effects of the carbon economy, particularly regarding wildfires and climate change.
California plans to host the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) in San Francisco in mid-September to showcase the Green Bond Pledge and other initiatives aligned with the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The Milken Institute and the Treasurer's Office released a second report on the green bonds market, recommending improved market standardization and streamlined pricing to spur growth.
Green bond markets, which grew to over $4 billion in issuance by 2007 from both the World Bank and European Investment Bank, are being leveraged to fund clean water, mass transit, and green housing projects.

California is currently processing approximately 1,000 legislative bills in the final weeks of the session, addressing a range of issues from poverty to education.
The state budget is described as the best in a generation, with significant increases in K-12 Prop 98 funding ($78.4 billion total) and a shift from a $26 billion deficit to a $16 billion rainy-day fund.
State Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins highlighted the difficulty of balancing regulatory values (such as a green economy) with business climate concerns, particularly in the agriculture sector.
Atkins identified the "toxic" political environment and the tendency toward an all-or-nothing approach as major obstacles to sustainable policy solutions.
Proposed legislation (SB 1004) aims to reallocate mental health funding to target young people early, rather than spreading resources thinly, with the goal of preventing homelessness caused by untreated mental illness.

Major sponsors include Blue Shield California and JP Morgan Chase, alongside numerous strategic partners supporting the Milken Institute's ongoing policy work.
The Sacramento Bee's California Influencers Project will continue the dialogue by publishing weekly summaries from 60 political and policy leaders on pressing state issues.
Wi-Fi access was provided with credentials (username: capolicy2018, password: milken2018) to facilitate connectivity for attendees, with the host noting that the event is part of a larger ecosystem of information sharing.