Stay Informed.
Stay Inspired.

Editor-in-Chief: Rick Gibson Publisher & CEO: Christopher Luna By: McKinsey & Company Ashwin Adarkar Hrishika Vuppala Tolian Gjika Lodovico Ferrario In January 2025, California faced two of the most destructive natural disasters in its recorded history. The Eaton and Palisades wildfires swept through more than 38,000 acres of Los Angeles, claiming at least 31 lives and destroying more than 16,000 structures, including approximately 11,000 homes. One year later, the question

California’s Higher Cost of Living is a Reflection of its Prosperity by Christopher Thornberg PhD Editor-in-Chief: Rick Gibson Publisher & CEO: Christopher Luna Will Rogers, one of America’s sharpest wits, once famously quipped: “It ain’t what we don’t know that gives us trouble. It’s what we know that ain’t so.” He was describing a deeply held human tendency—the ability to accept certain narratives as unquestioned truth even when the available evidence points in a very diffe

“Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” — Proverbs 11:14 Behind every organization, every institution, and every major initiative shaping our communities are individuals whose experiences, decisions, and values guide the outcomes we see. Yet too often, the deeper journeys of those leaders — the lessons, challenges, and defining moments — remain untold. California Leaders was created to help capture and share such stori