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Articles by Aaron Welch
Financial democracy or democratic finance?
Why is democracy so broken and how might it be fixed? The answer to both questions can be found in the flows of credit and investment bound up with finance capital, says Mike McCarthy, a sociologist and the director of community studies at UC Santa Cruz. Today, finance guides and constrains our politics, but there is no reason why this must be so.
Monopoly politics: Competition and learning in the evolution of policy regimes
Erik Peinert is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Boston University. He is a comparative and international political economist, and his research focuses on the political economy of advanced industrial states and the politics of economic policymaking.
The rise of the strongman presidency
On February 10, 2026, Stanford political scientist Terry Moe joined us at BESI to present the argument of his recent book, Trajectory of Power: The Rise of the Strongman Presidency, coauthored with William Howell. The book focuses on a question of profound importance for understanding America’s ongoing crisis of democracy.
How to opt out: Lessons from 14 years of evading surveillance capitalism
We are often told that we cannot live without Big Tech, but what happens when we try? In 2012, as Google, Facebook, and others were inaugurating the personal data economy, Janet Vertesi decided to take matters into her own hands.
What do the rich owe the rest of us?: A conversation on taxation and democracy
Set against the backdrop of recent proposals by states to tax their wealthiest residents, this conversation, hosted at BESI on March 10, 2026, explores how the “grand bargains” between the rich and the rest of us became embedded in law and civic culture, how they have broken down over time, and how a renewed interest in taxation — perhaps as essential to democracy as suffrage — might inform a political and regulatory agenda for the future. Participants
Improving governance in the Golden State
California governance has been the target of significant criticism from across the political spectrum. Conservatives regularly pillory California for issues like homelessness, disorder, and unaffordability. Liberals, many associated with the abundance movement, have criticized California’s inability to efficiently build housing and infrastructure. Other liberals have criticized the state’s challenges providing critical social services.
Here's what San Francisco needs to future-proof its economy, according to top Bay Area executives
If the future of San Francisco looks anything like the views from the Presidio, the city is surely on the right track. On a stormy morning in early November, a group of influential San Francisco business leaders gathered at the historic Golden Gate Club in the city’s Presidio park to discuss how to future-proof San Francisco's economy. Zoox, PG&E, United Airlines, Comcast Business and Presidio Trust served as presenting sponsors for the event, alongside partner sponsor JPMorgan Chase.
Inside data science: Hackers and the making of a new profession
Data scientists dominated conversations in the big-data era, as industries, disciplines, and public agencies that had previously done without coding and math sought new specialists. But these new hires had no clear tasks and felt uneasy under the spotlight. How did some scattered nerds and hackers turn mostly familiar and partly questionable ideas into a new profession?
Downtown Volunteer Coalition offers ‘plug-and-play’ path to San Francisco’s revitalization
A new partnership between some of San Francisco’s most prominent businesses is offering a simple, flexible model for employees to get involved in the city's revitalization, one community project at a time. At a recent San Francisco Business Times event on the future of San Francisco, representatives from the Downtown Volunteer Coalition (DVC) shared details about the partnership in a conversation with the Business Times’ publisher Pete Casillas.
New partnership aims to restore San Francisco's standing with focus on safety and economic recovery
That's the reputation San Francisco needs to revive its standing as a global center for innovation and a desirable place to live and work, says a newly formed collective of top San Francisco business leaders. The group, Partnership for San Francisco, was launched earlier this year by 35 founding members representing a who's who of San Francisco’s business milieu, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Levi Strauss CEO Michelle Gass and serial business executive Meg Whitman.
Green Empowerment Zone positions Contra Costa County for clean energy investment
Contra Costa County has long been a hub of heavy industrial activity, most visible in the petroleum refineries that dot the county’s northern waterfront. The area’s many deep-water ports can accommodate heavy oil tankers delivering crude oil. For added logistical ease, these ports link up with robust road and rail infrastructure. These strengths, along with a highly skilled workforce, have made Contra Costa County attractive to the fossil fuel industry for more than a century.
How Wells Fargo is seeding a $5M impact fund that intends to move $100 million in capital to entrepreneurs and communities by 2030.
How can $2.5 million in early investment capital grow into $100 million? Wells Fargo & Company believes a recent $2.5 million grant to seed a new First Mover Fund and grow a impact fund manager accelerator program, led by the nonprofit Boston Impact Initiative (BII), can help advance BII’s goal of moving an ambitious $100 million in capital to entrepreneurs and communities over the next five years.
Beyond the buzz: Bay Area leaders share real-world AI strategies
As businesses race to keep up with the rapid AI revolution, a panel of industry experts at an event earlier this month advised leaders to move beyond the hype and start experimenting with the technology to solve real-world problems.
Silicon Valley colleges rethink education models in AI era - Silicon Valley Business Journal
Leaders from Stanford, San Jose State, and other Bay Area institutions share how they're preparing students for an AI-driven future, with approaches ranging from ethical debates to hands-on industry experience.
SJSU president outlines blueprint for AI-ready graduates through industry partnerships - Silicon Valley Business Journal
A California university is taking a bold approach to AI education, aiming to produce graduates who are ready to contribute from day one in the evolving tech landscape.
Comcast says ‘yes’ to San Francisco with community partnership
From its dynamic design to its mission-oriented outlook, Yes SF Headquarters screams “San Francisco.” Located at the intersection of Montgomery and Bush streets in the heart of Downtown San Francisco, the bustling coworking and event space is designed to foster collaboration within the sustainability, small business and innovation communities.
Accelerating innovation is in the DNA at South San Francisco’s Gateway of Pacific
What if innovation were as simple as putting a bunch of smart people in a room and knocking down some walls? If cancer researcher Reuben Shaw’s story is any indication, you shouldn’t rule out the possibility.
Small businesses need tech, mentorship and community to scale for success, say local business leaders
Old dog. New tricks. That was the story Sam’s Grill owner Peter Quartaroli shared at a May 8 panel and networking event co-hosted by Comcast Business and the SF Chamber of Commerce at Yes SF Headquarters, a coworking and event space for sustainable innovators in Downtown San Francisco, in recognition of National Small Business Week. Sam’s Grill was indisputably the old dog in the room.
How AI is improving patient care and boosting health care efficiency
There’s no corner of the health care system that hasn’t been — or will soon be — augmented by AI. That was the takeaway at a recent health care symposium co-hosted by the San Francisco Business Times, Silicon Valley Business Journal, and Sacramento Business Journal on April 10 in San Francisco. Intersect 2025: AI-Health Care brought together health care leaders, clinicians, researchers and technologists for peer-led learning and networking.
Promise vs. performance: Exploring AI’s usage and effectiveness in the healthcare ecosystem
There’s no disputing that AI is transforming the healthcare industry, accelerating digitization and revamping both clinical and non-clinical workflows. For Intersect 2025: AI Health Care Symposium, PNC Bank convened an expert panel of healthcare executives, investors, and technologists for a breakout panel discussion. Gyasi Chisley, Head of Corporate Healthcare at PNC Bank, moderated the conversation.
Comcast pens deal with City of San Bruno to acquire municipal broadband network
The prospective agreement promises to accelerate critical improvements to the city’s existing infrastructure, including upgrading the network to support multi-gigabit upload and download speeds. Comcast and the City of San Bruno announced that they have signed an agreement for Comcast to acquire CityNet Services, San Bruno’s municipally owned-and-operated broadband, video and voice network.
Emerald Cup to bring cannabis festivities, economic impact to Oakland
For a match made in cannabis heaven, look no further than the upcoming 2024 Emerald Cup and Oakland, California. For a match made in cannabis heaven, look no further than the upcoming 2024 Emerald Cup and Oakland, California. Now in its 20th year, the Emerald Cup is a history-making cannabis awards program and festival that will be held in Oakland in August 17-18 at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts near Lake Merritt.
Two Georgia entertainment icons are leading the way on sustainability
“Partnerships, people, and planet — those are key pillars of sustainability,” said Chris Turner at Georgia Natural Gas®, who summarized a productive conversation on sustainability in sports and entertainment venues at a recent roundtable discussion.
Visit Oakland celebrates $817M economic impact of tourism on The Town
“Tourism not only has direct positive impact on the Oakland economy, it also positively impacts the perception of our city," said Peter Gamez, president and CEO, Visit Oakland. Oakland civic pride was on full display this past Wednesday as a 250-plus crowd consisting of business leaders, city officials, community partners and other stakeholders gathered for IMPACT 510, Visit Oakland’s annual celebration of tourism’s contribution to the city’s economy.
AI, staffing shortages top focuses for leaders at Future of Health Care summit
More than 200 professionals hailing from across the health care industry ecosystem convened for the annual Business Times event at the St. Regis Hotel in Downtown San Francisco. Always a healthy forum for frank discussion about challenges and opportunities for the health care sector, the San Francisco Business Times’ 2024 Future of Health Care summit didn’t disappoint.
Comcast Business VP Alan Goldsmith outlines bright future for connectivity in California
Optimistic, cosmopolitan and growth-minded, Alan Goldsmith is a perfect match for California’s sunny climate and diverse, vibrant culture. Born in the U.K., Goldsmith holds a bachelor’s degree in European studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, Goldsmith led sales organizations and grew customer bases in the U.S., Latin America, and Europe before landing at Comcast in 2020.
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Northern California’s longest running Juneteenth Festival returns to Berkeley Sunday
The Berkeley Juneteenth Festival in 2018. Photo: Nancy Rubin The Lorin District in South Berkeley, the traditional center of the city’s African American community, will again play host to the Berkeley Juneteenth Festival this weekend. The festivities, which celebrate the day that the last former slaves learned of President Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 18, and continue into the evening.
Aaron Welch letter: Was it all just entertainment?
Many people are saying that one of Donald Trump's great strengths is that he says what he thinks, without the filter of political correctness getting in the way of the truth.However, on Oct.
Letter: Politics and the Supreme Court
Last Saturday morning, America learned that Justice Antonin Scalia was dead.About one hour later, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that any nominee put forward by President Obama to take Justice Scalia’s place on the Court would not be confirmed during this election year because the American people “should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice” and he believes that no appointment should be made until after a new president is elected and...
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