David Brancaccio, host of the PBS television series Now, was the featured speaker for the September 21st LEADerTrends public event on the topic of "Leadership and Civic Trust." Approximately 150 people enjoyed a fascinating luncheon program in the beautiful surroundings of the Salk Institute.

Mr. Brancaccio joined the issues-oriented Now program in 2003 and worked alongside the legendary Bill Moyers. David took over as sole host of the program in January, 2005. His 28 years experience as a journalist, broadcaster, and author along with his passion for thoughtful discourse were evident as he addressed the enthralled group.

Mr. Brancaccio had recently spent two weeks on the Gulf Coast witnessing the incredible devastation of Hurricane Katrina and interviewing many of the affected residents. During his presentation, he weaved the experiences, wisdom, and hopes of the Katrina survivors into lessons of relevance for San Diegans facing the current challenges of restoring our civic trust.

In Louisiana, David observed a complete breakdown of people's trust in their public officials. He spoke about a town hall meeting in Baton Rouge where he asked participants for their ideas on rebuilding their lives and their city. From this meeting and other interviews, he saw that the region has the potential to become a living laboratory for urban revitalization. Three main needs emerged:

1) Justice: equal participation in the process

2) Jobs: promoting economic development

3) Jewels: preserving the community's assets, its identity, culture, etc.

Mr. Brancaccio also talked about the importance of "social capital," having seen powerful results in other communities when citizens came together around common goals or projects. He spoke of regionalism and the need to develop a larger, shared identity of our region. He challenged San Diego not to wait for a calamity like Katrina to have similar discussions, in which we ask the big questions.

The final minutes of the program involved a lively dialogue with the audience in response to the questions "What are the immediate needs here in San Diego?" and "How can we build civic trust and bring a community together?" Participants spoke about the need to continue to reach out across the border, about increasing cross-pollenization of good ideas between diverse groups, and the importance of the media in assisting with bringing issues to the forefront. As well, several citizens shared their own innovative ideas. There was a call for true integrity and ethics in both the public arena and in individual accountability, as well as a desire to increase our "social capital" by greater inclusion of all San Diegans in the process.

Mr. Brancaccio closed by reassuring everyone that, despite all the current issues facing our city, San Diego's image outside the region is still very good. He called us a "Glowing Jewel." LEAD President Kevin Cottrell thanked Mr. Brancaccio for an excellent presentation and gave a short recap of the program's pearls.

LEAD would like to give a special thanks to the sponsors who made this LEADerTrends event possible: Sempra Energy and Wells Fargo, in partnership with KPBS, and support from Gable Cook Schmid Public Relations, Balboa Travel Management, and Trustworks.

In July 2003, LEAD San Diego launched LEADerTrends, a series of public events that presents access to progressive ideas and advanced thinking about leadership issues of concern today in the regional, national, and global arenas. Watch for more information regarding the next LEADerTrend event.

Janet Hanpeter, Director, Marketing on Purpose!, is a member of The LEAD Graduate Council and a '97 graduate of LEAD.