Have you ever been interested in asking specific questions to potential political candidates about issues you feel strongly about? California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) has teamed up with the James W. Rote Distinguished Professorship in order to bring competing local candidates to campus. The invited candidates will answer questions gathered from the public in advance, to specifically discuss ocean policy that impacts local and statewide communities, as well as communities across the nation.
On Thursday, Oct. 25 from 7 – 9 p.m., the Ocean Candidates Forum will be held in the World Theater at CSUMB. This event is a great opportunity for all of the people in the community to learn more about the political candidates in the area and policies they support in regards to ocean stewardship.
Monterey Bay is a unique place in the world to study the ocean, partly due to the sudden drop in the continental shelf off the coast of Moss Landing. This drop allows access for scientists to study profound depths of the ocean floor right off the coast, without having to travel great distances by boat to approach such depths. Because of this (and other reasons), there have been countless political efforts to preserve this rare portion of the California coast.
The Monterey Bay community is being given the chance to ask questions of local candidates about their beliefs and values, in regards to science and policy of ocean management across the state, as well as across the nation. On the CSUMB website, the event is described as such: “The nonpartisan Ocean Candidates Forum 2018 provides an unprecedented opportunity for interested stakeholders to see how candidates seeking to represent them in Washington D.C. and Sacramento handle challenging questions CSUMB Ocean Candidates Forum 2018 of marine science and policy.” If you have questions for the local candidates about Monterey Bay oceanic policy, now is the time to ask.
The Ocean Candidates Forum allows the public to ask specific questions directly to the people who stand to represent them, following the coming election. This is an exceptional opportunity for the community to raise concerns and receive answers directly from local candidates, specifically about ocean policy. The organizers of the forum ask that the public submit their questions in advance of the event by responding to the RSVP form on the CSUMB website.
For more information regarding the event, please visit csumb.edu/marinescience/ocean-candidates-forum-2018. For questions or concerns regarding the event, please email [email protected].