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Political Reform Advocate to Speak at UCR Extension
Discussion will feature Steven Hill, political reform director at the New America Foundation.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Steven Hill, director of the Political Reform Program at the New America Foundation, will discuss “Ten Steps to Repair American Democracy” on Tuesday, Feb. 19, from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at UCR Extension, 1200 University Ave., conference rooms D and E.
 
Hill is an expert on national and California politics as well as political reform, including campaign finance reform, instant runoff voting, redistricting and presidential elections. His presentation is free and open to the public.
 
The New America Foundation, based in Washington, D.C. and California, with offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento, is a nonprofit, post-partisan, public-policy institute that advocates for a range of policies, including political and electoral reform.
 
Among the political reforms Hill advocates is creating a sensible primary schedule, grouping states of similar size in four multi-state elections from March through June. That would avoid the chaos of this year when 24 states scheduled primaries on Feb. 5, a date that Hill refers to as “Super Stupid Tuesday.”
 
Hill was campaign manager in San Francisco and Oakland for the recent successful efforts that passed instant runoff voting for electing local offices and was one of the organizers of successful efforts to pass public financing of elections for local campaigns.
 
He is the author of several books, including “10 Steps to Repair American Democracy,” “Fixing Elections: The Failure of America’s Winner Take All Politics” and “Whose Vote Counts.” His articles and commentaries have appeared in many national publications, including the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal.

Hill’s appearance is sponsored by UCR’s Political Science Department and UCR Extension’s LIFE Society. The event is free and open to the public.
 
To receive a free UCR Extension catalog, call (951) 827-3806. To register, visit www.extension.ucr.edu or call (951) 827-4105 or dial toll-free at (800) 442-4990.
 
UCR Extension is the continuing education division of the University of California, Riverside. Extension offers more than 3,800 courses and 90 certificate programs in a variety of academic programs, including agriculture and landscape, arts and humanities, business and management, education, teacher’s credentialing, English, environmental management, forensic investigations and public safety, geospatial analysis and technology, health services and behavioral sciences, information technology, languages, law and public policy, Native American studies, natural sciences and yoga.
 

Links to include in the press release:
New America Foundation,  http://www.newamerica.net  
Steven Hill,  http://www.newamerica.net/people/steven_hill
Los Angeles Daily News Op-Ed, http://www.dailynews.com/editorial/ci_7992553
San Francisco Chronicle Op-Ed, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/20/INTAUFOBH.DTL
Shaun Bowler, shaun.bowler@ucr.edu
Steven Hill, hill@newamerica.net

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