On Saturday, January 13, 2018, over 1,400 local residents joined Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, the Empowerment Congress, and the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, in conjunction with ABC7 and KPCC, for the 26th Annual Empowerment Congress Summit – Empowering California: A Local Perspective.

Six candidates for California Governor responded to questions generated from community input, moderated by Marc Brown of ABC7. Immediately after the town hall, participants gathered at USC’s Alumni Park for a Festival of Democracy, which featured a community response panel, live entertainment, and a resource fair composed of LA County departments and resource providers, and Empowerment Congress Committees.