UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies

! Today in Sacramento, is a proud partner of the Statewide Survey of California Opinions on Democracy, a critical panel discussion on Californians’ perspectives, resources, and actions being taken to protect their democratic rights. Featuring insights from some of the latest findings from the , this event is generously sponsored by the in partnership with the and the

“The systems of checks and balances have to work, and the only way it’s going to work, is through the power of the people…so you all please…get engaged, and it doesn’t matter at what level; local, statewide, nationally, in your neighborhood…but engagement right now is the only option.”
- Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, 2026 Barbara Boxer Lecturer

This past Tuesday, The Institute of Governmental Studies and the Bancroft Library hosted the 2026 Barbara Boxer Lecture, which featured a candid, passionate, and insightful conversation between two iconic, pioneering California women leaders: Oakland Mayor, Cal alum, and longtime Bay Area public service leader Barbara Lee, and former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. Throughout their conversation, Mayor Lee reflected on her trailblazing career across every level of governance while staying true to her activist roots. Both leaders gave impassioned appeals to the current generation to protect our democracy from efforts being made to undermine and dismantle our democratic system.

We are extremely grateful to the Mayor for taking the time out of her busy schedule to speak to the next generation of young public service leaders, to the former Senator’s continued support engaging and uplifting women leaders at all levels of California state and national public service, and for our campus partners in bringing this event together.

IGS and the Bancroft Library are pleased to announce that Barbara Lee, Mayor of Oakland and Former U.S. Representative for California's 12th District, will be in conversation with former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer as the 2026 Barbara Boxer Lecturer.

The 2026 Boxer Lecture, "City, State, and Nation", will be a thoughtful conversation between Mayor Lee and Former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer with a focus on women in public service leadership, where they will discuss Mayor Lee’s distinguished lifetime of public service, including her leadership and accomplishments at all levels of government, what her experience has been since becoming Mayor of Oakland, especially in these turbulent times, and advice she has for the newest generation of public service leaders and for members of our polity who are concerned about the state of American democracy.

About the Speaker:
Barbara Lee made history in 2025 as the first Black woman elected Mayor of Oakland, bringing over three decades of public service from the U.S. Congress and California State Legislature to City Hall. Throughout her career, Mayor Lee has fought tirelessly for justice, opportunity, and the communities who need it most.

Oakland is her home, and she understands firsthand the challenges residents face. Since taking office, Mayor Lee has been advancing her vision to make Oakland the safest, cleanest, and greenest city in America. She leverages her extensive federal, state, and local relationships to secure real resources and deliver solutions to the city's most pressing issues - from homelessness to public safety.

Mayor Lee believes that building a stronger Oakland requires all of us working together. She is committed to collaborating with community leaders, neighborhood organizations, businesses, and residents from every corner of the city to create opportunity and improve quality of life for all Oaklanders.

The Barbara Boxer Lecture is an annual event, sponsored jointly by the Institute of Governmental Studies and The Bancroft Library, that focuses on women in leadership. This event is co-sponsored by the Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service.

Register via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/city-state-and-nation-a-conversation-with-mayor-barbara-lee-tickets-1984968258495

This past Tuesday, the Institute of Governmental Studies hosted the 2026 Matsui Lecture, welcoming former U.S. Representative Charlie Dent for a timely, yet grounding conversation on how to reclaim congressional power through bipartisan consensus-building during an unprecedented period of executive overreach and global strife.

We were especially grateful for the opportunity our Matsui Center Fellows had to connect directly with Rep. Dent during his visit to the Institute, gaining firsthand insights into congressional leadership while he shared candid insights from his years in public service and spoke about the challenges of governing in today’s political climate.

Following the lecture, fellows and students also had the chance to continue the conversation with Congresswoman Doris Matsui at the afternoon reception. We are especially thankful for her steadfast support of the Matsui Lecture and the Matsui Center. Her mentorship and commitment to bipartisan dialogue continue to inspire the next generation of public service leaders and remind us that bridging divides remains essential to strengthening our democracy.

Many scholars and observers explain right-wing polarization as a consequence of racial animus, nativism, hostile sexism, Christian nationalism, and other demographic resentments. However, conservatives often express their grievances in ideological rather than demographic terms, pointing to long-standing frustrations with perceived liberal bias in institutions such as journalism, higher education, and popular culture. Thus, conservatives may be more strongly motivated by negative ideological polarization against what they view as liberals’ outsized influence in American culture than by demographic anxieties or prejudices. Ultimately, I believe this project can illuminate an unstudied grievance that has increasingly roiled American politics.

Join us this Friday for our upcoming 2026 Percy/Synar awards! John Konicki, a PhD candidate in the department of Political Science will present “Ideological Resentment: The Role of Asymmetric Grievances in Conservative Politics.” Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-percy-synar-awards-ceremony-tickets-1977671560876

2026 Percy/Synar Awards
📆 Friday, February 27, 2026
🕛 2:00pm-4pm
📍IGS Library, 109 Philosophy Hall

On the heels of the election of New York City’s first Muslim socialist mayor, my dissertation documents the formation of a Muslim Left in contemporary American politics. How was this political victory made possible by the mobilization of Muslim communities and organizations in the weeks, months, and years prior to the election? My dissertation aims to answer this question by tracing the nascent formation that has coalesced across spaces and issues, tethered by shared networks and a commitment to integrating Islamic ethics, theology, and practice into political organizing.

This Friday is the 2026 Percy/Synar Awards! Sarah Merchant, a PhD candidate in the department of Sociology will present “The Muslim Left in the Metropole: Islamic Theology and Progressive Politics in New York City.” Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-percy-synar-awards-ceremony-tickets-1977671560876

2026 Percy/Synar Awards
📆 Friday, February 27, 2026
🕛 2:00pm-4pm
📍IGS Library, 109 Philosophy Hall

In the United States, private property implicates individuals and local governments in immigration debates by creating multiple scales at which exclusion can be enforced. The consequences of this are especially evident along the U.S.-Mexico border, where overlapping jurisdictional claims challenge the federal government for control over the international boundary. Utilizing ethnographic and community-engaged approaches, Andrea-Lara Garcia, PhD candidate in the department of Geography, analyzes the experiences of key actors to understand how differing property regimes shape the political landscape of the Arizona and Texas borderlands.

Join us in 1 week for our 2026 Percy/Synar Awards and catch Andrea Lara-Garcia's presentation “Who Owns the Border? Property and the Politics of Belonging in the Arizona and Texas Borderlands.” Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-percy-synar-awards-ceremony-tickets-1977671560876

2026 Percy/Synar Awards
📆 Friday, February 27, 2026
🕛 2:00pm-4pm
📍IGS Library, 109 Philosophy Hall

The landscape of American politics is shifting faster than ever, making it essential that the next generation of public policy researchers and experts have the tools and expertise to ask critical, nuanced, and insightful questions that track and understand how our democracy is evolving in order to serve its people. Each year, the Institute of Governmental Studies awards four undergraduates with the Charles H. Percy Undergraduate Grant for Public Affairs Research and three graduates with the Mike Synar Graduate Research Fellowship to pursue research projects on an aspect of American politics, ranging from public opinion and electoral behavior to social movements and civic engagement.

Please join us on Friday, February 27th in the IGS Library, as we congratulate the 2026 recipients of the Percy-Synar Awards and hear as each recipient offers a brief presentation about their research project. This year's research projects will tackle issues of civic engagement and education among Filipino American and Latine communities, the influences of Christian rhetoric on perceptions of social welfare, the tensions of overlapping jurisdictional enforcement across private properties along the Southwest U.S. border, the asymmetry of ideologically driven grievance politics and its role in maintaining a Conservative voting coalition, and the historical, cultural, and societal trends contributing to the formation of a "New Muslim Left" in contemporary U.S. politics. Swipe to learn more about our amazing recipients!

2026 Percy-Synar Awards Ceremony
📆 Friday, February 27, 2026
🕛 2:00pm-3:15pm;
📍Institute of Governmental Studies Library,
109 Philosphy Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720
***Please Register via Eventbrite at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-percy-synar-awards-ceremony-tickets-1977671560876

**THE CEREMONY IS A HYBRID EVENT THAT WILL BE ACCESSIBLE TO ATTEND VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM**

Christian identity plays a prominent role in contemporary conservative politics. There is a surrounding debate on whether political positions commonly associated with Christian nationalism are rooted in theological belief or shaped primarily by partisan identity, cultural norms, and familial upbringing. This project seeks to clarify whether Christian political attitudes reflect engagement with biblical teachings or whether scripture has become secondary to political identity. By integrating experimental and qualitative methods, this project captures both the measurable effects of scriptural framing and the lived experiences that give those effects meaning.

Please join us on February 27th for the 2026 Percy/Synar Awards, where Abigail Francisco ‘26 (Political Science, Rhetoric) will present “Scripture and the Welfare State: How Christian Rhetoric Influences Social Welfare Attitudes Among Americans.” Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-percy-synar-awards-ceremony-tickets-1977671560876

2026 Percy/Synar Awards
📆 Friday, February 27, 2026
🕛 2:00pm-4pm
📍IGS Library, 109 Philosophy Hall