Will California’s Future Be Exceptional?

California is the world’s most exceptional province. It has the economy of a superpower nation (only China, Germany, and the U.S. have greater GDP). The state is home to the most powerful tech companies in the universe, the Earth’s top exporter of entertainment, and a fountain of new trends, new foods, new business, and new culture. From the Big Mac to the smartphone, our innovations have been so widely embraced that the Golden State faces a quandary: By remaking the world in its image and with its images, California has made its exceptionalism everyone’s new norm.

This raises questions about its future. How can California and its institutions remain exceptional in the face of the leveling forces of climate change, rising authoritarianism, and AI? And even if California could stay exceptional, should it? Being such a uniquely dynamic and appealing place makes living in California expensive—and makes the state a political and economic target. Might surviving present and future dangers require California to curb its contrarianism and fit in?

Join Zócalo Public Square for two back-to-back panels, one with established experts, and the other with youth leaders. In discussions moderated by Zócalo’s California columnist Joe Mathews, they’ll ask: How exceptional do we want California to be? 

Zócalo invites our in-person audience to continue the conversation with our speakers and each other at a post-event reception with complimentary small bites and beverages.

Zócalo Public Square values audience safety. During events at ASU California Center, as bag searches are not permitted, only clear bags (maximum size 12” x 6” x 12”) and small clutches (maximum size 8 ½” x 5 ½”) are allowed in the venue. Zócalo may be able to provide a limited number of clear bags to help accommodate guests. Questions? Ask us at [email protected].

The ASU California Center is inclusive and accessible for all. A platform wheelchair lift is available at our main entrance via Broadway (ground level). Upon checking in for the event, please inform Zócalo staff if you need assistance, or contact [email protected] for additional information.

On September 9, 1850, California was hastily admitted into the Union—just two years after the U.S. seized the former Mexican province in war. Since then, the Golden State has kept moving fast—and defined itself by being different from the rest of the world. So much so that a seminal 1949 book dubbed California “the great exception.”

Being exceptional cuts both ways. California is the most economically productive state in the Union—and the state with the largest unhoused population. It’s a leader in protest and progress, violence and healing, catastrophe and natural beauty, innovation and inequality. Its contradictions create instability and raise questions about the future. What do Californians want California to be? Zócalo Public Square presents a suite of free public programs across the state, bringing together leaders and thinkers from all walks of life to envision California’s next 175 years.

Host or Publisher Zócalo Public Square