The director of Pepperdine’s Davenport Institute is running to be California’s first “Chief Engagement Officer” with his bid for Secretary of State in next year’s election.
Pete Peterson, the executive director of the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership in Pepperdine University’s School for Public Policy, is currently the only Republican to announce his candidacy for the position, which will be vacated in 2014 when Secretary Debra Bowen terms out.
He is running on a five-point platform to increase civic participation in the government, what he calls a “plan for California’s first ‘Chief Engagement Officer’” on his campaign website. The points include changing a “‘get what you pay for’ government” to incentivize politicians to further improve the state and streamlining the process of starting and running a business in California. He also wants to utilize the state’s technological resources to reform the voting process and get more Californians involved.
His final two points further aim to involve more Californians in government processes, by increasing the “People’s Voice” in the ballot initiative and by increasing public access to information that allows them to track money in politics.
“I have learned over and over again one simple rule: informed Californians, given the opportunity to participate in a good process…can make more creative, and more sustainable decisions than the government alone,” Peterson wrote in a Fox&Hounds Daily column in April. “This is especially true on tough issues.”
Peterson is currently the only Republican candidate, with Democrats including state senators Alex Padilla and Leland Yee also having joined the race, among other candidates, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Prior to his position at Pepperdine, Peterson was the first executive director of Common Sense California, a bipartisan think tank aiming to increase civic participation throughout the state. The group joined with Pepperdine’s Davenport Institute in 2010, where Peterson has since been executive director. He also teaches a masters’ class called, “Leadership through Public Engagement.” He earned a Masters in Public Policy from Pepperdine, after receiving a BA in History from George Washington University, according to his campaign website.
Peterson is a nationally recognized speaker on issues of civic participation and the role of technology in the citizen/government relationship, according to his website. He has worked with California officials to improve a variety of public processes, from budgets to water policy, and has advised several California cities on the use of online public engagement.
Last November, Peterson was contracted by the City of Malibu to lead a town hall discussion on a possible ordinance to limit chain stores in Malibu’s Civic Center.