Symposium on California’s recall election to examine implications of historic vote

The USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law and Politics, in conjunction with several USC schools, will host a symposium on Thursday and Friday to examine the lessons and implications of the historic California recall election. The event is free and open to the public.

The two-day Post-Mortem on the Recall will feature speakers from academia, politics and the media who will discuss how the recall occurred, what it means for the future of California, and how money and the media played a role in its outcome. On Thursday, the conference begins with two panels from 7 to 10 p.m., in the USC Seeley G. Mudd Auditorium. On Friday, the symposium moves to USC Law, Room 103, from 1 to 5 p.m.

Among the panelists scheduled to appear on the first day are George Gorton, campaign director for Schwarzenegger for Governor; Shawn Steel, co-founder of Davis Recall; Donna Warren, Southern California chair of Camejo for Governor; and Tim Rutten, a Los Angeles Times media columnist. On the second day, speakers include Assemblyman Mark Ridley-Thomas, Joel Fox, consultant for Schwarzenegger for Governor; and M. Dane Waters, president and founder of the Initiative and Referendum Institute. USC law professor Elizabeth Garrett will moderate a panel discussion on the legal and constitutional reforms that have been proposed in the wake of the recall. Other USC professors include John Matsusaka, Howard Gillman, Ann Crigler and Bill Boyarsky.

Along with CSLP, the event is being sponsored by the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, the Annenberg School for Communication, the Initiative and Referendum Institute, the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles and the California Center for Education in Public Affairs.