On Sunday, March 11th, Southern California’s Southern Empire Region hosted 120 students from over 30 high schools at a One-Day event at the University of California, Irvine.  Riverside County’s Assessor, Larry Ward, engaged the students in a discussion about identity as an elected official in county politics, in that he does not consider himself a politician, even though his position requires him to get elected.  He also spoke to some of the misconceptions between city and county jurisdictions.

Debate topics were refreshingly current and students reacted with electric participation.  Two of the most crowd-igniting debates were whether career specific courses should be offered in public schools; and whether there should be a limit on campaign spending limits.

Mayor, Julianna Joss, who orchestrated the day’s events was proud of the turnout and the program.  “What’s striking for me was how much the region came together over the past year to form a real community”, she continued, “It’s really rewarding to see how much students enjoyed the debates and each other after a year of much hard work”.