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California’s Problems,
Santa Barbara’s Choices
A Panel Discussion
Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 7 PM
Lobero Theatre
6 PM Cocktails & Community Dialog on the Esplanade
This event is a rental, not a Lobero presentation.
MODERATOR: BILL MACFADYEN, Noozhawk Publisher
Our All-Star Panel
PETER PETERSON is the Dean of Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy and past-Director of the bipartisan reform organization California Forward. He is also the co-creator of the seminar, “Public Engagement: The Vital Leadership Skill in Difficult Times,” attended by more than 4,500 public officials. Pete was a candidate for CA’s Secretary of State and is a frequent speaker on “Viewpoint Diversity.” Pete has written about public engagement for the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and others.
LEE OHANIAN is a Distinguished Professor of Economics at UCLA and serves as Director of Macroeconomic Research. He is an expert on the many problems facing CA today. Lee is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution whose articles have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Newsweek and Forbes. Lee understands Santa Barbara and is a frequent speaker at the SB County Economic Summit.
Two-time Fresno Mayor ASHLEY SWEARINGEN inherited a city on the verge of bankruptcy, stabilized its financial position and revitalized it’s downtown by promoting local business. Ashely, a Republican, won re-election with 75% of the vote—just 28% of the city’s 500,000 residents were Republicans. She is the CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation, and serves on numerous boards dedicated to economic growth and civic engagement.
Bringing things home is our very own Chamber of Commerce President & CEO KRISTEN MILLER. Ms. Miller serves on various Boards including SBC’s Housing Trust Fund, VisitSanta Barbara and UCSB’s Economic Forecast Project to name just a few. With more than 25 years of experience in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara and Goleta, Kristen understands the most pressing public policy issues facing Santa Barbara today.
TOPICS: Our all-star panel will be discussing how to solve the existential problems facing CA and Santa Barbara today: Affordability, Homelessness, Housing, Water, Health Care and Education.
All Panel questions can be submitted by email through our Spotlight website.
(Ticket prices include aper ticket LoberoFacility Fee)
Tickets purchased online or by phone are subject to a web/phone order fee of $3.00 per ticket. To avoid this fee, tickets can be purchased in person at the box office.
Protect your purchase by identifying authorized ticket sellers. Learn More
6 PM Cocktails & Community Dialog on the Esplanade
This event is a rental, not a Lobero presentation.
MODERATOR: BILL MACFADYEN, Noozhawk Publisher
Our All-Star Panel
PETER PETERSON is the Dean of Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy and past-Director of the bipartisan reform organization California Forward. He is also the co-creator of the seminar, “Public Engagement: The Vital Leadership Skill in Difficult Times,” attended by more than 4,500 public officials. Pete was a candidate for CA’s Secretary of State and is a frequent speaker on “Viewpoint Diversity.” Pete has written about public engagement for the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and others.
LEE OHANIAN is a Distinguished Professor of Economics at UCLA and serves as Director of Macroeconomic Research. He is an expert on the many problems facing CA today. Lee is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution whose articles have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Newsweek and Forbes. Lee understands Santa Barbara and is a frequent speaker at the SB County Economic Summit.
Two-time Fresno Mayor ASHLEY SWEARINGEN inherited a city on the verge of bankruptcy, stabilized its financial position and revitalized it’s downtown by promoting local business. Ashely, a Republican, won re-election with 75% of the vote—just 28% of the city’s 500,000 residents were Republicans. She is the CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation, and serves on numerous boards dedicated to economic growth and civic engagement.
Bringing things home is our very own Chamber of Commerce President & CEO KRISTEN MILLER. Ms. Miller serves on various Boards including SBC’s Housing Trust Fund, VisitSanta Barbara and UCSB’s Economic Forecast Project to name just a few. With more than 25 years of experience in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara and Goleta, Kristen understands the most pressing public policy issues facing Santa Barbara today.
TOPICS: Our all-star panel will be discussing how to solve the existential problems facing CA and Santa Barbara today: Affordability, Homelessness, Housing, Water, Health Care and Education.
All Panel questions can be submitted by email through our Spotlight website.
$39
$60
$81
(Ticket prices include aper ticket LoberoFacility Fee)
Tickets purchased online or by phone are subject to a web/phone order fee of $3.00 per ticket. To avoid this fee, tickets can be purchased in person at the box office.
The most reliable way to purchase legitimate tickets at face value is to begin your search at lobero.org. From time to time, we do release tickets to authorized sellers such as artist fan clubs. If you are ever in doubt about a seller, please call our Box Office at (805) 963-0761.
If you purchase from any other vendor, your tickets may not be valid. If a show is cancelled or postponed, you may not receive proper notification or reimbursement. The Lobero Theatre is not responsible for tickets purchased through vendors other than our website or those sellers that we have authorized.
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