Outside the box. I began my education in fort greeley while the School Facilities were a bit rustic the high quality of education i received inside those walls is what i remember so much. I thank each and every teacher who has taken on the high calling of educating our children. While we certainly have room for improvement in our schools, we should also celebrate our achievements. In nevada last month, at one of the toughest High School Wrestling tornments in the country, senior josh roteman won his weight class and earned the tournaments outstanding wrestling award. Josh is the first allamerican athlete from the high school and has been accepted to the u. S. Naval academy. This past spring, kristine fenderson of fair banks captured a silver medal at the United States decathlon super quiz. A competition that attract teams from around the world. These individual successes serve as reminder that the next generation has the talent and drive to succeed. Its up to us to provide the opportunity for them to do so. We need to increase career and Technical Education opportunities in alaska. We can build upon the success of programs like the fair banks pipeline training center. There are other wonderful examples in the matsu valley, anchorage and barrow to name but a few. For those who choose college, alaska is fortunate to have great universities across the state. It is time for the state to develop a different relationship with our university. We all too often reach out to lower 48 consultants without first determining if the same or better analysis can be purchased here within our University System or in our private sector. Arguably, the greatest knowledge of arctic policy studies can be found at the university of alaska in fairbanks. The ted stevens marine insresearch institute here leads. Kodiak serves the state of research, education and training activities. These are fundamental to marine science and the competitiveness of the Alaska Seafood industry in meeting important workforce needs. Last week i held our first Cabinet Meeting. We have renamed the governors Conference Room to the cabinet room and plan to use it extensively and regularly with the cabinet. At my invitation also attending the Cabinet Meeting were the university of alaska president the Alaska Railroad ceo and the Alaska Permanent Fund ceo. This is a standing invitation for these state entities to be represented in Cabinet Meetings. The purpose is to ensure that we are fully harnessing our University Infrastructure and financial resources. I also want to thank this legislature for all you have done on the critical issue of arctic policy. Frkt next two years our nation will chair the arctic counsel. Were it not for alaska the United States would not be an arctic nation at all. For this reason of the estimated 20 meetings the United States will hold, most will be held here in alaska. I have established a cabinetlevel position to address arctic issues. I have named craig flener to the post. As you may know, craig has previously served as a permanent member of the arctic council. He will be a vigorous advocate for alaskas interest as the Council Addresses transportation, navigation, travel issues, Climate Change telecommunications and public and private partnerships for arctic development. Given current oil prices, theres been a lot of discussion about the fiscal challenges here in alaska. While i dont dispute the numbers i do dispute the gloom and doom. To those who say alaskas finest days are behind us, i say theyre looking in the wrong direction. Governor wally hick l used to say before we had money we had guts. Alaska has trillions of dollars of value trapped urn our ground and in our waters. Since taking office december 1st, i have twice been to washington, d. C. For meetings at the highest level to discuss infrastructure and regulatory advances we need to fully develop our resources. The potential for our oil fields and mining prospects are nearly limitless but we cant keep having the same fights with National Leaders and expect a different result. The facts are on our side. We can and we will use them. But we can also listen. Address the Agency Searches head on and forge a path forward. And alaskas resources arent just under our feet but under our boats. Fisheries remains the state top employer and we will work with the crucial sector to strengthen sustainable fisheries. In alaska, every boat is a small family business. We will Work Together with the industry to keep boots on the deck and bolster demand across the globe for our high quality products. We think all these industries for countless jobs they provide and for the solid investments they continue to make in alaskas communities. My goal is to continue to work with them to further develop these resources. We will do it on alaskas time frame and follow the constitutional mandate to develop them for the maximum use and benefit to alaskans. To me, this means having alaskans do the work. I have long been a fierce advocate for local hire. I want a north slope workers to commute from minto, not mississippi. And houston, alaska, is not houston, texas. It will be it will be a priority of this administration to buy alaskan when possible. Whether its professional services, food equipment or just about anything else. I urge all alaskans to do the same. Unfortunately, one of the biggest commodities we export from alaska is our money. Buying alaska is something we can all do in our businesses and personal lives when we make a purchase out of state rather than support local businesses we end the local multiplier effect. This damages Economic Growth and sustainability. Think about which business will be making the Little League donations. The little dribbler donation and the youth hockey donations. Lets help those businesses in alaska, the ones in the hometown that help us. That is part of what alaska first means. When alaska became a state, approximately 50 of the food we consumed was grown raised and harvested here in alaska. Today that percentage is under 5 . We can reverse that. Our administration will have a renewed commitment to manage the wildlife and fisheries population to provide for Economic Needs of alaskans. You know we should be also marketing our vegetables grown in the matsu valley and elsewhere in the state like we market the copper river red salmon from kordova. You know our carrots are eight times sweeter than those grown in california. You spend two summers manning a booth at the palmer state fair and youll learn this kind of stuff. Alaskans, there are challenges ahead but so many of our most significant accomplishments have come in the face of adversity and the times when we have worked together with no agenda but to strengthen and prosper our state. I remember so well alaskans reaching out together to fight for statehood and help those in need after the 64 earthquake. I remember as a teenager driving to fairbanks from valdez to help our friends there following the 1967 flood. Whether its a fuel shortage in nome, forest fires in the peninsula in the matsu flooding on the yukon threat of a military base closure in the interior or a mill in catch can we rise and survive as one when we support our fellow alaskans. When we build each other up and we Work Together nothing can shake us. We persevere. We work hard. We dare to achieve. I urge all alaskans be cognizant of the fiscal situation thats facing us and like my family following the earthquake, do not let yourself become overwhelmed by the enormity of the task at hand. Rather, let us understand the work that must be done. And look ahead toward rebuilding and creating a prosperous future. To the members of this esteemed body, i say to you that yes, the task ahead of us is great. But it will not consume us. Our foundation is one of ingenuity. Comradery and hard work. It is time to put the principles into practice, make the tough decisions, tackle the work ahead of us. The public is looking to us to take action. And we must deliver. And just like those generations before us who so bravely built the great state, we must not seek the republican answer or the democratic answer. We must seek the right answer for alaska. It will be tough. We may not always agree. But im confident we will be pulling from the same end of the rope to achieve the best outcome for alaskans. Lets not focus on party lines but on alaskas bottom lines. Lets honor the legacy of our past as we create opportunity for all who look north to the future. We are alaskans and we are darn proud of it. As the late senator ted stevens once famously said. The heck with politics. Lets do the best for alaska. That, my fellow alaskans is exactly what we will do. May god bless you an may god bless the state of alaska. This sunday on q a, neuro scientist jensen on the discoveryies about the teenage brain athey dont have their frontal lobes to actually reason. The cause and effect consequences of actions are not very clear to them because their frontal lobes are not at the ready. Theyre not as accessible. They have frontal lobes. It is just not the connections cant be made as quickly for splitsecond Decision Making and also dont forget a lot of the hormones are changing a lot in the body of both the young men and women. And the brain hasnt seen these yet in life until you hit teenage years. So, the brain is trying to learn how to respond to these new hormones that are rolling around and actually locking on to reseptember or thes, synapsis of different types and trying to sort of trial and error and i think that this contributes a roller coaster kind of experience that we watch as parents. Sunday night at 8 00 eastern and pacific on cspans q a. National journal hosted a forrum on immigration and the affect on demographics of American Cities and communities. This Panel Includes the mayors of Los Angeles Aurora colorado, Salt Lake City, utah and anaheim california. From the nuseum in washington, d. C. , this is an hour and 20 minutes. Good afternoon. Im johanna, Senior Vice President at National Journal and like to welcome all of you, including all of you. This is a new setup for us. As well as those watching our live stream video at nationaljournal. Com to todays town hall next america population 2043. This event is presented with support of emerson collective. Just a couple notes of housekeeping before we get started. One, we would love for you to silence your cellphones and dont put them away. We would love for you to tweet your comments and questions on this event via njnextamerica. If you would like to use the wifi network, access is nuseum guest and there is no password and we will have q an after each portion of the event. Just please state your name and organization if you have a question. Just a quick overview of the topic today. America is experiencing one of the largest demographic shifts in american history. Diversity is deepening, both in cities where it has already been well established as well as in communities where those currents have not previously been felt. The nations demographic shifts are creating challenges and opportunities for communities as they grapple with these issues. Despite washington gridlock and polarization on immigration issues, state and local leaders are addressing this issue. And in dozens of cities majors and local leaders are debating these topics and creating solutions to immigration that could create blueprints for the rest of the country. First we will have mayor eric garceta sit down with Ron Brownstein for a keynote address and then a conversation with mayors. That will feature mayor ralph becker, mayor steve hogan and mayor tom tate. And then following that will be immigration and diversity in communities across the Country Panel and to close the program, we will hear from our immigration in the new year expert panel. Id now like to introduce Ron Brownstein and mayor eric garceta. Ron will be mod ratding multiple portions of the program today. He is atlantic medias editorial director and joining ron is mayor eric garceta, the 47th mayor of los angeles. His back to basics agenda is focused on job creation and solving every day problems for l. A. Residents. Ron, ill turn it over to you. Thank you. Thank you all for thank you for joining us and cafe next america or the relaunch of playhouse 90. Im not sure which. One or the other. Mayor garceta who is my mayor, i am a constituent these days. Good choice. Thank you. I want to ask you a little bit Start Talking a little bit about the executive order, the executive action for president is pursuing on ill inauguration and there are a lot of political, legal, logistical challenges some of which i want to talk to you in a few minutes but one thing we know already is Southern California is right at the epicenter of where in fact, los angeles by the estimates significantly more people than anybody else eligible for this executive order. Roughly half a million depending on the estimate. Let me ask you. If this does go into effect what will change in the city of los angeles . Well if this goes into effect it will be a huge boon for us economically socially in terms of Public Safety and you know, i think the questions we should ask ourselves as americans right now, kind of a head, heart and gut check. Will we be smart . Will we be good . Will we be brave . City like los angeles if the country manages to see this true and maybe future steps for integration. It is not the final destination of full citizenship or american integration. We see an economic benefit about 3 billion we estimate just for the city of los angeles alone. 3 billion from what . Students to get scholarships. Get those college degrees. Graduate degrees. Basically the boon to the economy of the entrepreneurship the education and the economic benefit that is come from full citizenship and the rights and responsibilities that come. L. Amt is already california in general pass add series of laws, drivers license, instate tuition access to Financial Aid instate and a pretty welcoming environment for people who are undocumented. What in practical terms do you think will be different in the way people live their lives . Let me challenge one piece. It is more welcoming but i think there is still a lot of fear out there and while they hear something good from local government or State Government i think theres still a climate of fear coming too far out of the shadows something bad will happen and seeing a Court Challenge to the administrateive relief right now i think that sends scare tumblers across the nation and for folks right now sitting on the side lines may not speak english as a first language it is still some what of a scary environment. We are trying to make that less scary. What do we do get them full information and on the pathway and not preyed upon as well. Many people prey upon them in this process and looking at finding the partnerships across america and the best part of the state of the union last year the president said if youre a mayor or governor dont wait for washington to take action. We havent been. We have been coming together as coalitions of cities coalitions of municipal and state areas to say we have power to do say we have power to do things. Even though the federal government has policy we can do things in the meantime with drivers license, with education. With our School SystemCommunity Colleges and state schools and public education. As well as offering pathways to entrepreneurship. In my down 40 of new businesses are started by let me come back to what were doing that. But before we do let me ask a question about the ledger. You talked about the positives providing more people legal status. Any downsides you can see in any cost in terms of increasing public demand or services increased competition for jobs . Any ways you can see tensions or pressures arising towards legal status. Not in my city. The as release valve for pressures and a opportunity for economic and socially as well. We are seeing Graduation Rates rise inlos angeles. They are still too far bhiechbltd wewe dont have enough young people participating in the city life. People are working anyway. People are here anyway. Department of education requires we educate folks who are undocumented here anyway. The whole argument that administrative relief is somehow causing our schools to be newly filled with students is just false. Cities dont have the luxury to determine National Policies what we have is the obligation to make things work on the ground. Lets talk about making this work on the ground. You have been working with a coalition of cities around the country. And one things that is striking about this executive action is that allahthough l. A. Has many machine potential illegals than other cities it is well dispersed. The top 20 counties in eligibility only account for 20 of the total numbers. There are substantial numbers around the country that would benefit. What do you think it will take of large and small cities to have the take of the executive action. I think it requires the dedicated commitment at the municipal or state level to putting in the programs and the training and personnel to make this happen. And that doesnt have to mean additional costs. One examples in the city of l. A. We have cities or citizenship. Together with mayors de blasio and manuel in chic