June 6, 2006 - This event featured The California Endowment’s President and CEO Robert K. Ross, M.D. discussing the role of private foundations in improving the quality of life in Los Angeles and the challenges facing L.A.’s philanthropic community.
In this transcript, “GR” refers to Gregory Rodriguez, creator of Zocalo, and “RKR” refers to Robert K. Ross.
About Zocalo: Zócalo presents a vibrant series of programs that feature thinkers and doers speaking on some of the most pressing topics of the day. Bringing together an extraordinarily diverse group of Angelenos, Zócalo--"Public Square" in Spanish--seeks to create a non-partisan and multiethnic forum where participants can enjoy a rare opportunity for intellectual fellowship.
GR: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for coming to the 9th Zocalo event of 2006. Our 4th season. Zocalo, in case you do not know, is an independent, eclectic and roving lecture series that seeks to create a nonpartisan, multi-ethnic forum in a city with too few neutral and welcoming spaces. Our events are made possible through the generosity and support of many individuals, businesses, nonprofit organizations and foundations. I’m pleased to be able to thank our sponsors for their generous support, and if you don’t hear any of them, you can just meditate on any of these logos behind the speaker tonight.
The Library Foundation of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Public Library, are great sponsors. Semper Law Group in Pasadena, the James Irvine Foundation, the Los Angeles Times Editorial Pages, Washington Mutual, the Riordan Foundation, LA Observe-dot-com and of course, the very generous, California Endowment, are the sponsors of the Zocalo. Yes, that’s good. Applaud.
Tonight’s program, like all Zocalo programs, is being recorded for rebroadcast on 89.3 KPCC. In addition to our live events, Zocalo is also a weekly radio program. Sundays at 9 p.m. on KPCC or you can download Podcast on our website,
zocalo@la.org.
Two upcoming events I’d like to tell you about. At the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, down the street, in Little Tokyo, we’re really proud to present Francis Kukoyama on his new book, The Neoconservative Legacy and the Future of American Foreign Policy. That’s on Wednesday, June 21st in Little Tokyo. Then on July 11th, we’re proud to present Eric Liu, a former Clinton speechwriter and author of The Accidental Asian, to be speaking on, basically giving a prescription for renewal of progressive politics in a lecture called “The Politics of Purpose.”
I’d like to remind you all now to shut off your cell phones, if you haven’t already, and to invite you to a reception. One distinguishing feature of Zocalo is that after the event, we give you alcohol and food. (APPLAUSE)
One more incentive to pull you in. So we invite you all to the reception. And what else do I have to tell you? I have to introduce the speaker, that’s right.
Robert K. Ross, M.D., is president and chief executive officer for The California Endowment, a private, state-wide health foundation that was established in 1996 to address the health needs of Californians. Prior to his appointment in September 2000, Dr. Ross served as director of the Health & Human Services Agency for the County of San Diego from 1993 to 2000. Dr. Ross has an extensive background as a clinician and public health administrator His service includes Commissioner, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, medical director for LINKS, school-based clinic program in Camden, New Jersey, instructor of clinical medicine at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia and faculty member at San Diego State University, School of Public Health. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Youth Advocacy Humanitarian of the Year Award, the Outstanding Community Service Award from the Volunteers of America, the Leadership Award from the Hospital Counsel of San Diego and Imperial Counties, and the National Association of Health Services Executives Health Administrator of the Year Citation.
He is a funder of Zocalo and a friend of Zocalo, and we are very grateful to have Dr. Robert Ross join us tonight. Thank you very much.
RKR: Thank you very much, Gregory, and to Zocalo. This is my first immersion into the Zocalo experience. I learned a new word tonight called “Zocalo.”. That there is some portion of you that just religiously come to these things and engage. So thank you for having me. And then, I guess, many of the visitors and ringers among us are those of us who are in the world of philanthropy and the non-profit sector who maybe do not regularly attend these sessions, so it’s kind of a mixed, interesting audience. The usual eclectic Los Angeles crowd of very diverse interests. So I will struggle a bit with how to weave together a set of messages that make sense to most of you, if not all of you.
But certainly, I come here in the context of having been, this is now my sixth year in the City of Los Angeles, and it took me about three and a half years before I could say I love Los Angeles. It took me a while. But those of us who are imports to this community often end up just like converts to it, to a religion. We tend to be more zealous and passionate than perhaps those who are from here. This is an extraordinary, extraordinary community and region.
It is in that vein that I come to you, actually humbly, to share some views and some thoughts about how to advance the well being in this region and in this community. I’m going to have some context setting comments and then end with some suggestions about how we can, and particularly from our sector, the philanthropic sector, how we can and must do a better job of executing our mission, and that is to lift up the health and well-being for all here in Los Angeles County.
I also went to thank, of course, Zocalo, and Gregory Rodriguez and everyone associated with the organization. I also want to acknowledge that there are a number of philanthropic leaders and thinkers that I consulted with prior to formulating my comments and remarks. Amanda Rounsaville from my staff also helped me talk to some folks and – you know, where are folks, if you had this opportunity to talk about what philanthropy needs to do, must do better, what’s wrong with philanthropy in our region. Those individuals were given an opportunity to weigh in.
