<div><div></div>Fred Pierce, Pierce Education Properties, and <a href="mailto:neil@blackbirdv.com">Neil Senturia</a>, Blackbird Ventures, are iconic businessmen in San Diego.&nbsp; As the New Year approaches, they share with Jeff why there’s&nbsp; reason for optimism based on their successful past experiences. </div>

Fred Pierce, Pierce Education Properties, and Neil Senturia, Blackbird Ventures, are iconic businessmen in San Diego. As the New Year approaches, they share with Jeff why there’s reason for optimism based on their successful past experiences.

IVN San Diego Staff

2020 Provides Clear Vision for Legendary San Diego Business Owners

An Election Reformers Network (ERN) report covering a 13-year period has found that state lawmakers and elected officials are increasingly manipulating the ballot initiative process to block or impede citizen-led efforts.&nbsp;</span

An Election Reformers Network (ERN) report covering a 13-year period has found that state lawmakers and elected officials are increasingly manipulating the ballot initiative process to block or impede citizen-led efforts. 

Advocates Push for Reform to Stop Partisan Manipulation of Ballot Measures

RICHMOND, Va. - The Virginia Senate approved a bill Monday that would expand the authority of local governments to conduct elections using ranked choice voting (RCV). The bill (<a href="https://legiscan.com/VA/bill/SB1009/2025">SB1009</a>) grants cities, counties, and towns the ability to impleme

The Virginia Senate approved a bill Monday that would expand the authority of local governments to conduct elections using ranked choice voting (RCV). The bill (SB1009) grants cities, counties, and towns the ability to implement RCV for all elections.

Virginia Senate Advances Bill to Expand Ranked Choice Voting in Local Elections

The head offices of the&nbsp;US Agency for International Development (USAID) were closed Monday after staffers were told by email not to come to work. It is the latest move in the Trump administration's plan to shut down the agency.

USAID's website has also been removed.&nbsp;

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The head offices of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) were closed Monday after staffers were told by email not to come to work. It is the latest move in the Trump administration's plan to shut down the agency.

What Is USAID and Can the President Abolish It?

Last week, the Trump Administration sparked confusion across government agencies with a memo freezing federal funding. The confusion deepened when they rescinded the memo 45 hours later.

Trump's Spending Freeze: Why Taming the Debt Is So Hard

Editor's Note: This piece <a href="https://fairvote.org/herbert-institute-reports-find-ranked-choice-voting-is-working-in-utah-and-voters-like-it/">originally published</a> on FairVote's website. It has been republished on IVN with permission from the organization.&nbsp;

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In late 2024, the Herbert Institute at Utah Valley University released two reports on Utah’s ranked choice voting (RCV) pilot program. In the reports, Professors Alan Parry and John Kidd and co-authors Michael Erickson and Addison Stott capture the high level of support for RCV among Utah voters, as well as the strong foundation that RCV has in mathematics. 

Report Finds Ranked Choice Voting Is Working in Utah and Voters Like It

This morning, KIRO News Radio reporter Matt Markovich had <a href="https://mynorthwest.com/mynorthwest-politics/ranked-choice-voting/4035948">exciting news</

This morning, KIRO News Radio reporter Matt Markovich had exciting news for political reformers: Washington lawmakers have introduced and held their first public hearing on House Bill 1448, which allows local governments across the state to adopt ranked choice voting (RCV).

Washington State Reformers Testify in Favor of Pro-Ranked Choice Voting Bill

The Hidden Power of PBMs: A System Under Scrutiny

Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) have long operated in the shadows of the U.S. healthcare system, wielding significant

Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) have long operated in the shadows of the U.S. healthcare system, wielding significant influence over drug pricing and access. Recent developments, including federal investigations, state lawsuits, and bipartisan legislative efforts, have intensified scrutiny on these intermediaries, highlighting the urgent need for reform.

Pressure Mounts for PBM Reform Amid Rising Drug Costs

Editor's Note: This piece was written by Malynda Hale and former mayor of Augusta, Georgia, Deke Copenhaver. Learn more about the authors below.&nbsp;

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Though we come from opposite coasts, we share a painful reality that many Americans know all too well: our com

Though we come from opposite coasts, we share a painful reality that many Americans know all too well: our communities have been devastated by disaster. One of us lives in California, where historic wildfires have ravaged coastal cities - destroying thousands of homes and businesses, displacing tens of thousands of people, and claiming more than two dozen lives.

Natural Disasters Reveal the Truth About Our Shared Humanity

More In Common, a nonprofit dedicated to finding ways to bridge political divisions in the US, released a new report that spotlights key areas of agreement across the political spectrum in the early days of the Trump administration.&nbsp;

<a href="https://moreincommonus.com/publication/

More In Common, a nonprofit dedicated to finding ways to bridge political divisions in the US, released a new report that spotlights key areas of agreement across the political spectrum in the early days of the Trump administration. 

5 Things Americans Agree on at The Start of Trump's Second Term

<a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Alaska_2026_ballot_measures">Ballotpedia</a> reports this week that in 2026, Alaska’s independent voters will have the chanc

Ballotpedia reports this week that in 2026, Alaska’s independent voters will have the chance to solidify their role as election reform pioneers by voting on two initiatives.

ALL INDY: Alaska’s Reformers Will Protect Electoral Innovations and Break New Ground in 2026

Editor's Note: This piece <a href="https://www.independentcenter.org/articles/how-the-filibuster-delivers-for-independent-voters">originally published</a> on The Independent Center's website and has been republished on IVN with permission from the organization.&nbsp;

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Whether or not you like the filibuster probably depends on whether your “team” has control of the Senate. If your team has control of the upper chamber, you’re likely frustrated by this procedural motion. If you’re in the minority, you’re happy that the filibuster exists because it stops what you view as bad policy from advancing.

How the Filibuster Delivers for Independent Voters

WASHINGTON DC - Independent voters are dissatisfied with the US government and want to see Republicans and Democrats work together under the Trump administration. This is according to a new poll released by The Independent Center.

The <a href="htt

Independent voters are dissatisfied with the US government and want to see Republicans and Democrats work together under the Trump administration. This is according to a new poll released by The Independent Center.

National Poll: Most Independent Voters Want Trump to Reach Across the Aisle

Trump kicked off his second term touting a mandate from the 49.8% of voters who backed him, using it to rename mountains, declare the U.S. a country with only two genders, and attempt to overturn a constitutional amendment via executive order.

Trump's First Week: Is This What Voters Asked For?

Today, I am proud to share an exciting milestone in my journey as an advocate for democracy and electoral reform.&nbsp;

The Chamberlain Project, an organization I co-founded

The Chamberlain Project, an organization I co-founded with Peter Ackerman a decade ago, has been dissolved. The Chamberlain Boards have voted to combine all of Chamberlain’s associated entities, including Americans Elect, Level the Playing Field, the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting, and Citizens to End SuperPACs, with the Foundation for Independent Voter Education (FIVE),

MERGER: The Organization that Brought Ranked Choice Voting and Ended SuperPACs in Maine Joins California’s Nonpartisan Primary Pioneers

Editor's Note: This article <a href="https://thefulcrum.us/media-technology/trusted-news-sources">originally published</a> on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher.&nbsp;

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Donald Trump will be inaugurated in a few days. I

Donald Trump will be inaugurated in a few days. In his second term, just as in his first, he’ll likely spark passionate disagreements about news media: what is “fake news” and what isn’t, which media sources should be trusted and which should be doubted.

2020 Provides Clear Vision for Legendary San Diego Business Owners

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