Day 1- Welcome to Minneapolis!

“We’ve forgotten that the right wing and the left wing are actually part of the same bird.” – Brode Johnson, Communications Director, Assemblymember Soria

Kicking off our National trip, we started our seminar across the street from Sutter’s Fort and down the way from California’s political heart in the State Senator’s Building. Thank you to the Agricultural Council of California for loaning their building space to host the first night’s mixer event where we had the opportunity to meet and mingle with government representatives, alums, and other CALP supporters. For our class, this was the first time we began using the words Republican or Democrat in navigating and understanding complex issues. And for some of us, the first time we’ve ever met political representatives – nerves were high!

Over the last 3 days we discussed and shared our conceptions of democracy and our individual ideas on how our political system interfaces with the communities we share. In true CALP fashion, we left the first part of our day with a new way of approaching our journey. We were challenged to ZOOM OUT and consider a wider range of factors influencing why systems and people they impact are the way they are today.

We were fortunate to hear from distinguished voices and CALP alumni Charlotte Mitchell (51) and David Ogilvie (52), who facilitated a thought-provoking discussion on effective engagement at the local systems level. Their extensive experience, deep community connections, and genuine passion for creating positive change helped illuminate the diverse array of opportunities available for leaders to make meaningful contributions.

Through their personal stories and professional insights, Charlotte and David demonstrated how committed individuals can address complex challenges by working within existing structures while simultaneously advocating for necessary reforms. Their stories highlighted various pathways for involvement—from participating in local governance and community organizations to supporting grassroots initiatives and building coalitions across different sectors. Their compelling examples reinforced the importance of understanding local context and building authentic relationships when working to create sustainable impact in our communities.

Our hosts in the Senator Building, Emily Rooney (39) and Tricia Geringer (43), provided a masterful overview of their strategic approach to educating policymakers and advocating for California agricultural interests within complex governmental systems. They shared valuable insights on their methodology, emphasizing that effective advocacy begins with authentic relationship-building and highlighting the remarkable power of seemingly simple gestures—like extending an invitation for coffee—that can open doors to meaningful dialogue and collaboration.

The excitement among our group continued to build over the subsequent days as we were honored to be welcomed by a distinguished array of legislative leaders: Assemblymembers Alanis, Soria, and Macedo, alongside Senator Hurtado. Assemblymember Alanis very graciously took us to the floor of the Assembly, the place where so much work is done, to experience the place and take a photo! We also benefited from the expertise of Dylan Lomato, a seasoned policy advisor serving in Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas’ office, and Matt Dumlao, the engaging Chief of Staff to the Lieutenant Governor.

Throughout these enlightening sessions, a consistent and powerful theme emerged across their diverse perspectives: the fundamental importance of digging in to the hard topics to achieve meaningful progress. These experienced public servants, each deeply committed to creating positive change, emphasized that legislators who genuinely aim to advance important initiatives must be willing to transcend partisan divides. They shared compelling examples of how building bridges across political differences and fostering collaborative relationships creates the essential foundation for addressing California’s most pressing agricultural and rural community challenges with effective, balanced solutions.

Exposures to these diverse voices from our state government provided us a remarkable lens to examine our own understanding and preconceived notions of California politics. Relationship building, CURIOSITY, and the ability to find common ground were exemplified and highlighted in the messages these leaders promoted.

We rounded out our time at the Capitol with a historical tour of the building by Alex Vassar, Communications Manager of the California State Library. A highlight was when he showed us the mosaic tiles on the floor of the building, designed by Native Americans, who believed that nothing is perfect. When constructing the floor, architects deliberately included one imperfect tile as a visual reminder of this concept in the halls of power. Something we have to remember in our leadership lessons and a crucial concept reinforced by our legislators – getting something done requires compromise. It requires embracing imperfection.

We wrapped up our day discussing how we hold our government accountable and the critical role a free media plays in a successful democracy. Adam Ashton, a journalist from CalMatters discussed his experiences embedded in our systems in action and the importance of an informed citizenship. It’s surprising to us how much we didn’t know about how our own government worked.

Our time in Sacramento ended with a powerful declaration from one of our classmates: “I’m proud to be a Californian!” This moment underscored the profound impact that well-designed systems can have on the way societies function. As we embarked on our trip to Minneapolis, we found ourselves eager to explore how these structures shape communities and daily life.

As we touched down in Minneapolis, we couldn’t help but think about how different agriculture is in the Midwest than in California. We’ve walked into a cultural transition. Specialty crops, feed corn and soybeans.

We were generously welcomed by Carrie Isaacson (51), Vice President, Account Director at Broadhead, a branding and marketing firm that works with agriculture (among other industries). Carrie’s experience being from California and living in Minneapolis exemplified that cultural transition. She talked about how, instead of driving like she would in California, she would take public transit in Minneapolis and experience firsthand the diversity of cultures in her new city. Minneapolis is a diverse city with many immigrant communities, including Somalis, Hmong, Burmese, Liberians, and Ethiopians, among others. But these represent more recent immigration patterns.

During the 1800s and early 1900s, approximately 3 million Scandinavian immigrants settled in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes. Many were farmers whose agricultural knowledge complemented the US government’s westward development objectives. The government provided land grants to these newcomers, helping them establish communities throughout the region. Their cultural influence continues to shape local traditions, with “Minnesota Nice” becoming a well-known cultural characteristic recognized across the country.

At the same time, the indigenous communities who originally inhabited the region experienced significant cultural challenges. The Bureau of Indian Affairs implemented policies that encouraged Native Americans to adopt European-style education, farming practices, and religious customs, moving away from traditional hunting lifestyles and cultural practices. This caused the members of the Dakota, Ojibwe, and other tribes to leave their home in what ultimately became Minnesota.

A few seminars back we dove deep into culture. We learned that leaders influence culture by being a thermostat. We can influence the culture of a place, but we have to honor everyone’s story. The lesson we took from the erasure of the Native American culture was stark. How do we honor the culture of a place that is new to us? How do we honor the culture of individuals, when parts of their culture might be very different than one’s own? And as a group of aspiring leaders – we recognize that we are building the culture of Class 54 and that of California agriculture’s future in real time.

As we prepare to explore the complex relationship between race, class, culture, opportunity, institutions, and power in our society, we are working to draw upon the leadership skills we’ve been developing together. This journey calls for compassion, curiosity, empathy, and openness to different experiences. By stepping back to consider broader perspectives while acknowledging our own feelings, we can engage thoughtfully with these important topics and learn from one another’s experiences. One of the last things we did in Sacramento was spend time crafting group agreements that will help guide us on our National seminar. These agreements are building blocks for the culture we want to create for ourselves – they include the virtues of flexibility, integrity, trustworthiness, responsibility, cooperation, respect, and excellence.

We are grateful and excited to dive into challenging conversations over the next few days, giving us an opportunity to practice bringing our best selves to the table. We stand on the legacies of so many who have come before us, and are eager to find ways to bridge our differences to move our state, our industry, and our nation forward. We aim to fly with both wings, remembering that we are one bird.

With gratitude,

Marisa Alcorta, Hillary DeCarl, Trevor Tauzer and the members of Class 54