Blog

Tackling Affordable Housing

8/9/2018

Through Deliberative Engagement

Deliberative Dialogue at the San Diego Library

Try talking with someone about housing affordability in San Diego County. After exchanging sensational numbers on the latest rental rate hikes, home prices, or lengthening commute times, the conversation can end in a hopeless conclusion about the intractable situation.

The San Diego Deliberation Network has been focused on how the San Diego community can come together to deliberate about our housing affordability crisis.   We seek to tap into the community’s capacity to think through the facts about this issue and participate in problem-solving, as area cities, San Diego County, and California legislators respond to the urgent needs of our most vulnerable residents and impacted employers.

While the key driver of the crisis is the insufficient supply of housing to meet the demand, there are many inter-related issues that make potential solutions complex. We've framed a discussion guide that offers broad, competing perspectives to explore the tensions of housing affordability in San Diego.

Coming together as a community to talk about and assess the competing trade-offs about housing affordability can increase our community’s capacity to make decisions on our collective critical problem.

Contact us about holding a dialogue on affordable housing in your community.

Intentional Beginnings

5/4/2017

by Kim Quinney, Ph. D.

At San Diego’s 2017 Restoring Respect Conference held at the University of San Diego, Kim Quinney reflected on how the San Diego Deliberation Network was formed, citing the benefits and challenges of launching a collaborative initiative.

Kim Quinney speaking at the 2017 Restoring Respect Conference.

“Build the plane while you’re flying it” is an idiom that has become particularly popular in Silicon Valley—the notion being that if software isn’t quite right, you send it out anyhow (bugs and all), and fix it through iteration after iteration. The only way to have founded the San Diego Deliberation Network (SDDN) was to build while flying. There just wasn’t another way to do it. So, I wanted to take just a few minutes to explain the benefits and the challenges of doing so:

Building the Plane:
SDDN is a regional cohort of representatives from the major San Diego Universities. It grew out of an invitation by the Kettering Foundation to participate in Learning Exchanges with Centers of Public Life in 2014-15. Although not a participant in the exchange, Carl Luna acted as our captain/ point of contact.

We participated in the exchange, and we learned a lot about the Kettering approach to deliberation. We adopted tools, such as “naming and framing” an issue; relying on a document to provide context and possible options with regard to resolving that issue (an Issue Guide) and best practices for facilitating deliberation.

The only way to fly the plane is to fly the plane. The only way to do deliberative democracy is to do deliberative democracy.

At Kettering, we began to draft plans for flying, long before we were off the ground. But the only way to fly the plane is to fly the plane. The only way to do deliberative democracy is to do deliberative democracy. Deliberation demands significant planning, and logistics, and organizing. But there is no deliberation without people in the room DOING it.

Our 5-Year map charted in 2014

FLYING the Plane
So, we started flying, while still grappling with what we should be called, our vision and mission and objectives, and commitments from our respective affiliations—one of the most tricky pieces of all in launching a collaboration such as ours.

We decided that an appropriate name would be the San Diego Deliberation Network. And we collectively drafted our mission.

Mission:

To promote civil dialogue and deliberation on issues that impact the community by engaging the people of the region.

We facilitated several dialogues, some to capture ideas for action on improving communities and others using Kettering Issues Guides on national topics. And we kept flying and we kept building:

We had monthly meetings, then moved to quarterly meetings
We launched a website
We did more deliberations (e.g. on the national issue of health care, when use of alcohol & drugs become a problem, and California’s issues on managing our water).
We rehearsed roles and responsibilities, and means for capacity building
We drafted a detailed strategic plan
And we did yet more deliberations…

Who we are is changing-- and NOT changing. Our mission remains the same, but our membership is naturally evolving. What had been a small team of founders is now expanding to include community members who are eager to participate in this work. We are now a proud affiliate of the Institute for Civil Civic Engagement at the University of San Diego.

What became clear to all of us as we managed through the various iterations of SDDN—what we are and what we are becoming—is that the very process of founding the collaborative was in and of itself a process of deliberative democracy. Process matters.

Words Matter

5/23/2016

This is a re-posting of an article which appeared May 19, 2016 in the Charleston Gazette-Mail.

Dr. Carolyn Lukensmeyer is the executive director of the National Institute for Civil Discourse.

Violent words lead to violent actions

On May 22, 1856, Charles Sumner was beaten unconscious because of what he believed.
Sumner was repeatedly struck with a metal-topped cane while his attacker’s accomplice stood with a pistol, threatening any onlookers that would intervene. Even after Sumner was unconscious, his attacker continued to beat him with the cane until it broke.

Charles Sumner was a U.S. Senator, and he was assaulted in the United States Capitol Building.

He was attacked because he gave a speech denouncing slavery.
The head wounds Sumner sustained prevented him from returning to work for years, but his attacker, Preston Brooks, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, walked out of the room undetained and became a hero to the South.

This brutal incident revealed deep chasms in our nation. Five years later the United States was upended by civil war.

It is seldom that we see actual violence in the political arena, but when we do, it is deeply troubling. Last week, a Democratic candidate for state Senate was brutally beaten unconscious with brass knuckles — two days before the West Virginia primary.

Richard Ojeda believes this attack was politically motivated, as he had criticized local politicians, including the uncle of the man accused of attacking him. Ojeda also reports that he has received threatening phone calls during the weeks leading up to the primary, including death threats.

While the attacks on Sumner and Ojeda were certainly under different circumstances, when violence creeps into our political arena, it is a portent of troubles to come no matter what. We are lucky that Mr. Ojeda’s brutal attack is an isolated incident, that this is not a trend that has found the national stage.

But violence is not the only type of incivility: Words matter.

Disagreements are normal. We live in a complicated nation full of different peoples with different backgrounds and ideas. Arguments are the blessing and curse of living in a pluralistic society: We argue to find the best ideas to lead our country through the centuries. Civil arguments have gotten us through the darkest, most trying times for our nation.

But in the heat of an argument it’s easy to forget the other party is a person just like you, with thoughts and feelings of their own. No matter how wrong you think they are, they have a right to their ideas, their voice. Mutual respect is fundamental to all human interactions, but each biting attack, each hurled insult erodes that respect, making it easier to cross the line and throw that first punch. We can’t solve all our differences in bar fights.

However, the language of violence and incivility has already found its way into our national stage. This is shaping up to be one of the most uncivil elections in recent memory, and voters agree. A recent poll shows that two in three voters say the 2016 election has been less civil than other elections, and 60 percent believe this will go down in history as one of the most negative. It’s hard to disagree.

More than ever, politicians are ratcheting up language before this election, demonizing their opponents. It is easy to understand why: They want to win.
But as citizens, we must expect more from our prospective leaders. To win our votes, they must represent what’s best about America, not hurl mud at their opponents. We must call on our candidates, our elected officials and our media to denounce acts of incivility — before the first punch is thrown.

Guardian of Water

4/21/2016

Guardian of Water (1939) San Diego County Administration Building

The figure of a pioneer woman holds a water jug, symbolic of San Diego’s guardianship over the region’s most life-giving resource. In the fountain, artist Donal Hord also symbolized water first coming from the clouds, giving life to the land, and then spilling over into the sea.

San Diego’s Guardian of Water sculpture fountain is a timeless interpretation of our region’s ongoing relationship with water.
Water is both the source of life and the fountain of prosperity.
In the 21st century, new and deeper challenges are facing Californians as to how we manage water, our most vulnerable and essential resource.

Conversations about Water Policy and Water Culture
To prepare for statewide dialogues among Californians about this vital topic, students at the University of San Diego (USD) and California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) will hold deliberative forums to test a new discussion guide, How Should California Manage Water in the 21st Century?

The outcomes of these student-led forums in San Diego County will help finalize the discussion guide. Californians around the state will rely on the final version of the guide to talk with—not at--each other in order to discover shared values and consider a variety of actions to align California water policy and water culture with current realities and challenges.

The first forum at USD is scheduled for Tuesday, May 3rd. The second forum at CSUSM is scheduled for Saturday, May 7th. Both events are free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Reading the discussion guide in advance (< 20 min) is strongly recommended. Click here for a copy.

Save Water, Save Life: USD Forum

When
Tuesday, May 3, 2016 from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM (PDT) - Add to Calendar

Where
University of San Diego (Kroc Peace & Justice Center, Room EF) - 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110 - View Map

Register

Next Conversation: Cal State University San Marcos

When
Saturday, May 7, 2016 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (PDT)

Where
Cal State University San Marcos, Markstein Hall Room 202, 333 Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos, CA 92096 - View Map

Reserved parking for this event is available in Lot F.

To Register

Being Heard

3/14/2016

Use Your Voice Concert Tour
Friday, April 1, 2016 7:30 pm
California Center for the Arts, Escondido
Click here for ticket details.

(L-R) Patty Griffin, Sara Watkins, Anais Mitchell

The goal of the San Diego Deliberation Network is to develop deeper exchanges between people in our community and policy makers. Together we are talking about complicated issues in nuanced ways, and participants at recent community conversations in the San Diego area have been positive about what it feels like to ‘be heard.’

The traditional way of ‘being heard’ in our democracy is through voting, but the statistics show those numbers are down—and one reason given is because people don’t feel like they know enough to vote, and don’t want to ‘vote stupid.’

The connection between deliberation and voting is what caused the League of Women Voters to be a founding member of the San Diego Deliberation Network. The League sees deliberation as a powerful way for people to become informed before voting. And, we’re finding that just as the quality of our dialogues improve when all people can participate, so it goes for elections, too. When unheard voices join the conversation and under-represented people vote, we all benefit.

To reach people who may not be in the habit of voting, the League has teamed up with Grammy winner Patty Griffin and her fellow singer/songwriters Sara Watkins and Anais Mitchell, masters of American folk and bluegrass music to promote a nationwide concert tour: Use Your Voice.

The goal is to connect with people across the country by focusing on the strength voters wield in all walks of life and convincing them of their potential for altering the course of history. One stop on this 38-city tour is in the San Diego area at 7:30 pm on Friday, April 1st at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. Click here for concert details and musical clips.

Trio members told of what inspired them to do this tour. Anais Mitchell said, “You can tweet all you want, but you need to vote,” Miss Griffin said. “In my home county in Texas, only 8 percent of eligible voters came out the last time. This is not acceptable.”

The League of Women Voters conducts nonpartisan voter registration and education each year with the goal of empowering millions of voters to participate and ensure they have fair and equal access to the vote. U.S. League president Elisabeth MacNamara explains the purpose of the tour as "a way to help fans get the election information they need, whether it's how to update their voter registration, find easy-to-understand local candidate and voting information, or learn about getting involved in the League's work."

The April 1st concert is a rare San Diego opportunity to ‘hear’ from award-winning artists who make the “best-of” lists on NPR, Wall Street Journal, and the Guardian, and promote the idea of ‘being heard’ by under-represented voters.

Another chance to be heard

2/13/2016

Do You Want Your Voice To Be Heard in Washington?

As part of a national conversation about health care costs, the Oceanside Public Library and the San Diego Deliberation Network will sponsor a forum designed to capture the public’s views on how we can reduce costs and still get the care we need.   We invite you to be part of this discussion in Oceanside on Feb. 17th.

Forums like this are being held across the country right now to capture the opinions and ideas which will be compiled in a national report that will be shared with policy makers at a national gathering called A Public Voice which will be held in Washington DC on May 5, 2016.

The San Diego Deliberation Network in conjunction with the National Issues Forum uses building blocks of issue framing, discussion guides, and trained moderators leading to reflection and possibly common ground for community action. What makes the deliberation process critical is that unless people’s lived experiences are part of the discussion, communities may struggle with the tradeoffs necessary in finding common ground. Forums allow people to practice their voice in being heard on how the community moves forward.

Please join us:
February 17, 2016      6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Oceanside Public Library
Civic Center Library Community Rooms
330 Coast Hwy., Oceanside

Free, Public Forum on Health Care
Date: Wed. , Feb. 17th
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Place: Oceanside Public Library
330 N. Coast Hwy, Oceanside
Click here to register.

Public Participation for 21st Century Democracy

2/11/2016

de·moc·ra·tize
dəˈmäkrəˌtīz/
verb
Definition: Make (something) accessible to everyone.

Democratize can describe aspirational goals for sports, schools, media, medicine, technology—lately this word seems to apply to everything.

But making something accessible and making it actually work are two different things.

Matt Leighninger

Matt Leighninger is Vice President of Public Engagement & Director of the Yankelovich Center for Public Judgment at Public Agenda. He has spent the last 20 years thinking about what makes democracy work and will be visiting the San Diego area next week to speak with members of the San Diego Deliberation Network and at two local universities. A community conversation with Matt Leighninger is free and open to the public on Thursday, Feb. 18th at California State University San Marcos in the Kellogg Reading Room from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Click here for a flyer to this event.

In an op-ed We Need a Yelp for Civic Engagement to Get the 21st Century Democracy We Want Leighninger makes a case that meaningful, productive forms of civic engagement over long periods of time show improvements in quality of life. In Brazilian cities which adopted democratic innovations more than 20 years ago, those communities have higher tax compliance, lower infant mortality, higher economic growth, higher redistribution of wealth, and lower corruption.

He argues that despite the energy and ingenuity evident in newer forms of engagement, democratic innovations are not transforming American politics. This apparent lack of change is partly because most citizens do not think that American politics can be transformed; they are resigned to the idea that our democracy cannot be improved.

This century’s media provides an opportunity, according to Leighninger. As we are constantly being engaged by citizen-centered ways of measuring—and improving—many aspects of our lives, the same thinking and technology could be applied to civic engagement, especially if governments said they wanted feedback. Why shouldn’t Yelp ask us, “How would you rate this school board meeting?”

Leighninger sees potential for a 21st century vision of a comprehensive, holistic, citizen-centered local democracy, which might spur efforts to improve all kinds of engagement. A key value would be the capacity to understand how economic, racial, and other inequalities play out politically.

According to Matt Leighninger, the fundamental benefit of helping people measure democracy is that it reinforces the idea that democracy can, in fact, be improved.

To register to attend the Feb. 18th conversation with Matt Leighninger, send an email to kquinney@csusm.edu .

Partners in Dialogue

1/7/2016

We’ve always felt friendly toward libraries—places where ideas are there for the lending. What we’re learning is that San Diego’s libraries are also natural settings for community conversations, or deliberative dialogues.

The inclusive atmosphere of our libraries is well suited to deliberative dialogues—a form of discussion aimed at finding the best course of action when a problem can’t be solved by one group of people or one institution. Deliberative questions take the form "What should we do?" The purpose is not so much to solve a problem or resolve an issue as to explore the most promising avenues for action.

On February 6th the stunning San Diego Public Library’s main downtown branch will host a free, public forum moderated by the San Diego Deliberation Network on the question of Health Care: How Can We Reduce Costs and Still Get the Care We Need? Participants will follow a prepared discussion guide to weigh tradeoffs on various approaches we can take as a society to address growing health care costs. The results of this conversation, like one of hundreds taking place around the country, will be presented to policymakers at a national gathering, A Public Voice, scheduled for May 5 in Washington, D.C.

To register for this limited seating, free event, click Contact@SDDN.org

San Diego Library Downtown Branch

Free, Public Forum on Health Care
Date: Sat., Feb 6, 2016
Time: 9:30-11: 30 am
Place: San Diego Public Library, 330 Park Boulevard
Click here to register.

What Democracy Looks Like

12/10/2015

San Diego. A quiet hum of conversation in the room was punctuated by a few laughs and then some nodding heads. Mostly, the serious words, deliberative dialogue, fit the mood of the San Diego Deliberation Network’s Dec. 8th two-hour forum at San Diego City College on Health Care Costs: How do we reduce the cost of healthcare and still get the care we need?

Students and community members worked hard at the tradeoffs of three ways of approaching our nation’s health care costs: Live Within our Means as a country; Healthcare Should Become More Transparent, Accountable and Efficient; and Focus on Wellness. One person summed up his feelings, “The system is out of control in regards to what we make in wages.”

"I was unaware of many aspects of this issue. I am more willing to talk about the issue now."

But, there was something else—tables of six plus a moderator took steps toward trusting each other to understand each other’s personal stories about health care and why we’re not done in addressing the problems of health care costs. Note takers filled table-sized sheets of paper with colored markers to capture each table’s ideas.

"It's time for us to get involved and become part of the solution."

Ideas generated at this forum and nearly 100 similar forums around the country will be heard by legislators at a May 2016 event scheduled in Washington, A Public Voice. The National Issues Forum, creators of the discussion guide used in this healthcare forum, the Kettering Foundation, and others committed to civil, civic dialogue will meet with the National Conference of State Legislators to present forum findings as the voice of the people. San Diego City College participants’ feedback will become part of the Public Voice report.

The San Diego Deliberation Network will conduct a similar forum on healthcare costs in conjunction with the San Diego Public Library (Downtown Branch) on Saturday, February 6, from 9:30 – 11:30 am. Based on the experience at the San Diego City College forum, the San Diego Deliberation Network is expecting over-flowing feedback forms from the February event to be sent to Washington.

Join the Dialogue! To register for the February 6th Health Care Cost forum, drop a line to Contact@SDDN.org.

Join a National Dialogue

12/4/2015

Click here to download a free copy of the discussion guide.

San Diego – Americans worry about the high cost of health care. On an individual level, many of us fear that we are one medical catastrophe from bankruptcy. On a national level, spending on health care exceeds spending for defense and threatens our country’s solvency. Deliberative forums on this difficult subject will provide participants with an opportunity to carefully weigh the trade-offs involved in achieving those things they most care about: good health, ability to pay their bills, personal freedom, and a nation that can meet its citizens’ needs.

On December 8th and February 6th, all San Diegans are invited to join the national dialogue about health care costs, by deliberating and contributing their ideas. Facilitated by members of the San Diego Deliberation Network, participants in the forums will rely on a proven framework to consider how we can reduce costs and still get the care we need. Several options will be considered, each rooted in a shared concern, along with drawbacks to each option. The deliberative format provides a means for moving forward, while avoiding polarizing rhetoric. To watch a brief two minute YouTube video about the discussion, click here.

The shared judgment from forums like these across the country will be compiled and presented to members of the National Conference of State Legislatures in conjunction with the Kettering Foundation, the National Issues Forum Institute, Public Agenda, the National Institute for Civil Discourse, and the National Coalition of Deliberation and Dialogue at a national convening of A Public Voice in May 2016.

Join the Dialogue! To register for the San Diego events, drop a line to Contact@SDDN.org.