The LA County Sheriff’s Department is yet another example of Los Angeles’ emergence as a global city, LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell told Pacific Council members. The discussion was moderated by Ms. Elise Buik, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Los Angeles.

"Los Angeles is truly the most international city in the world," said McDonnell. "There are 32 countries whose population is the highest in Los Angeles than anywhere other than the capital of their country. When something happens anywhere else in the world, there’s a direct connection with Los Angeles."

He added that the LA County Sheriff’s Department is the largest in the world with approximately 18,000 employees (including 9,500 sworn deputies) serving 10 million residents throughout the county, with the responsibility to secure 18,000 inmates on any given day. Its International Liaison Unit utilizes "police diplomacy" to connect with police agencies around the world, exchange resources, training, and experience between nations, offer support to over 110 embassies and consulates and notify them of the arrests and deaths of foreign nationals within LA County, follow protocols of consular notification and diplomatic immunity, and provide multilingual interpreter services.

"We as law enforcement officers have to have a certain sensitivity and awareness in LA because there are so many different cultures and languages and traditions," he said, adding that the most critical element in community policing is trust.

"So many people who live in Los Angeles came from countries where the police are brutal or corrupt or worse in some cases. We have to overcome their perception of police to be able to show that we’re different and we’re here to help you."

Jim McDonnell

"Trust is our currency," he said. "If we don’t have that, we don’t have anything else. So many people who live in Los Angeles came from countries where the police are brutal or corrupt or worse in some cases. We have to overcome what they bring to the table with regards to that perception of police to be able to show that we’re different and we’re here to help you. We want them to know that we’re approachable and that we’re here for their children. That’s a heavy lift in some cases because of that element of distrust, including distrust in our own history in terms of policing in America. We have to own that and have a game plan for moving forward."

The sheriff’s department also polices the jails, courts, community colleges, hospitals, parks, search and rescue operations, and more.

"When you stretch our personnel across all of those specialties, I look at the sheriff’s department as one of the country’s best public safety investments and one of the best deals for the taxpayers because we get so much out of our people for the money we spend," said McDonnell.

"Law enforcement agencies from around the world come to L.A. to learn from us. We learn from them, too. This makes us a leader on the world stage."

Jim McDonnell

McDonnell said criminal and terrorist organizations have become sophisticated and internationally connected.

"There is so much going on with regards to the counterterrorism front that you’ll never hear about, by design," he said. "The world has become so much smaller because of the internet and the ability to travel. There are transnational gangs and criminal organizations that we see connecting with the existing gang network here in Los Angeles on a daily basis. We’re dealing with all of this as if it were a multinational conglomerate. It is that sophisticated now on the criminal side and it’s only going to become more so as we move forward. So we have to be plugged in internationally with our partners around the world, not only in the criminal justice or policing context, but in the intelligence community as well."

He added that when a terror attack happens elsewhere, the sheriff’s department works with their national and international partners to ensure that there is no local connection or threat in L.A.

"Law enforcement agencies from around the world come to LA to learn from us," he said. "We learn from them, too. This makes us a leader on the world stage."

"When it comes to cybersecurity, we’re nowhere near where we want to be at the local, state, or national level."

Jim McDonnell

Some of the high-profile issues with international relevance that the sheriff’s department works on include sex and labor trafficking, cybersecurity, and immigration.

"In sex trafficking cases, we rescue the victim—usually young girls—and get them services and back in school, then we go after the pimps, traffickers, and demand side with everything we’ve got," he said. "When it comes to cybersecurity, we’re nowhere near where we want to be at the local, state, or national level. And with regards to immigration, we have to work with ICE on some things: the ports, sex trafficking, and other issues. We try to strike the balance between public safety and public trust when it comes to immigration."

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Justin Chapman is the Communications Associate at the Pacific Council on International Policy.

Check out photos from this event on our Flickr page.

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Pacific Council.

Our inaugural Water Conference included panel discussions, a keynote interview with Water Deeply Managing Editor Tara Lohan, TED-style talks, and roundtable sessions. This special program explored global water scarcity challenges and solutions, presented in partnership with O’Melveny & Myers LLP as part of the Pacific Council's Global Water Scarcity Project.

The conference’s breakout sessions included discussions on water security and conflict, water challenges in urban settings, California’s water footprint, and lessons learned from the commodities market.

The following are just a few of the insights from our inaugural Water Conference.

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Global Water Hotspots & U.S. Military Priorities

Moderated by Ms. Heather Welles, associate at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, this panel featured Dr. Marcus DuBois King, associate professor and director of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University; Ms. Betsy Otto, director of the World Resource Institute’s Global Water Program; and Mr. Todd Diamond, director of the Middle East region at Chemonics International.

The failure to sufficiently invest in water security now could mean that the United States and other international actors will incur great costs in the future to respond to potential humanitarian crises, public health emergencies, and conflicts between or within states. Water scarcity also has the potential to inflame regional conflict; particularly during the last two decades, water has incited instability in the Middle East through adverse climate conditions, water mismanagement, and the use of water supply as a weapon itself. Panelists discuss how water problems (shortages, poor water quality) are already impacting U.S. national security interests overseas.

"Where the stressors are most significant right now in terms of hotspots in the world and U.S. national security interests, the Middle East might go without saying," said Diamond. "But water service delivery issues there in particular are inflaming some of the issues going on in the Middle East."

"Poor management and governance are some of the drivers of this water stress, but it is demand that is the greatest driver of water related stress."

Betsy Otto

Otto pointed out that water issues are increasingly noticed by national defense and security agencies around the world.

"They see a strong connection between water and security issues," she said. "In terms of which regions are the most challenging right now, I would say sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. If you look at the water picture in India, it’s quite frightening in terms of the rapid drawdown of groundwater resources, how over-taxed their surface water resources are, and the fact that they sit with a number of countries on some very important transboundary rivers with not ideal sharing arrangements. Poor management and governance are some of the drivers of this water stress, but it is demand that is the greatest driver of water related stress. The good news is that we have an opportunity to actually change the way we’re managing our water demand, and that is the crux of the challenge."

King said water stress has led to the ascendancy of violent extremist organizations around the world who use water as a weapon in regional conflicts.

"In the war in Yemen, all sides have been targeting water infrastructure," he said. "The Saudis destroyed a reservoir in 2016 that supplied 30,000 people in Sana’a. There are estimates that Sana’a could be the world’s first capital city to totally run out of water, and this could happen as early as 2030. We’ve seen water weaponization in Iraq, especially with subnational actors. One example is when ISIL seized the Mosul Dam, which is upstream on the Tigris River from Baghdad. Breaching that dam could have caused a wave of water that would have inundated the Green Zone. We are also seeing actors withhold water services to subjugate populations."

Ahead of the Water Conference, King wrote an article for the Pacific Council’s Newsroom on water stress, instability, and violent extremism. Click here to read the article. Diamond wrote about water solutions to the displacement crisis in the Middle East, found here.

Urban Water Resilience Across the Globe

Moderated by Ms. Rachel Cardone, global water scarcity project fellow at the Pacific Council, this panel featured Ms. Liz Crosson, deputy chief sustainability officer in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office; Mr. Chris Dunston, senior program officer at the Hilton Foundation’s International Programs; and Ms. Laura Friedman, California Assemblymember (D-43).

It is anticipated that in the next 30 years, urban water demand will increase by 50 percent. Challenges such as population growth, economic expansion, and climate change further threaten water supplies in cities around the world, which are re-thinking investments in infrastructure and water management practices.

Crosson discussed the Sustainable City pLAn that Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti created upon entering office in order to make the city environmentally healthy, economically prosperous, and equitable.

"It is so important that we have elected officials who can bridge that gap and both understand water issues and speak to the public about this very important resource."

Laura Friedman

"When Mayor Garcetti came into office, he made it a priority to put forth a plan for the entire city," said Crosson. "That included getting buy-in from every department across the city, and now we’re seeing passion and innovation" in terms of water conservation and environmental sustainability practices across the board.

Friedman explained how important it is to educate the public about water issues in a way that relates to citizens' every day lives. When she was on the Glendale City Council, the head of that city’s water utility used graphs and charts to explain to residents why the city needed to raise water rates.

"The public had absolutely no idea what he had just said and why they had to spend more money on water, especially after people had been trying really hard to conserve water themselves," said Friedman. "It is so important that we have elected officials who can bridge that gap and both understand water issues and speak to the public about this very important resource. It is difficult to explain to people that their conservation efforts will be rewarded with higher water rates."

Dunston argued that when it comes to managing urban water systems in an effective and equitable way, smart policies, regulations, and the ability to enforce those regulations are critical.

"We take for granted the hard work that mayors’ offices and counties do in order to regulate things," he said. "Without that it’s chaos. It’s very difficult. And who ends up paying for it is usually the poorest of the poor."

Water Security Risk & California Trade

Moderated by Mr. Alf W. Brandt, senior counsel to California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, this panel featured Mr. Sargeant Green, water management specialist at Cal State Fresno’s California Water Institute; Ms. Ashley Boren, executive director of Sustainable Conservation and member of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture; Dr. Julian Fulton, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at Cal State Sacramento; and Ms. Heather Cooley, director of the Pacific Institute’s Water Program.

A recent report from the Pacific Institute, looking at California’s water footprint, shows that California’s agricultural footprint is dominated by non-renewable groundwater. Dependence was apparent throughout the recent drought. Now with the drought behind us, panelists discussed how leading agricultural sectors are addressing their water risk and what is needed to become more water secure.

"What California has experienced in the last five years—the most precipitation in recorded history this past year after the worst drought in recorded history—is really a preview of the future," said Boren. "It’s the new normal. We’re going to have increasingly volatile weather. That means we’re going to have to manage water differently than we used to, including relying more heavily on groundwater storage."

Fulton pointed out that California’s water use is growing faster than its population, which highlights the region’s own water scarcity challenges.

"Virtual water is the amount of water embedded in the products we demand and consume in California, such as food, electronics, clothing, and more," he explained. "California currently requires 100 cubic kilometers or more of water to sustain our economy. Our water footprint—the amount of virtual water that we require to sustain ourselves—has grown by about 2-3 percent per year, a growth rate that is greater than population growth. We’re also using more of our internal water resources to create and export products. When we talk about global water problems, they’re not just problems elsewhere; they are also our water problems."

Green said that while California is the gold standard in terms of water management strategies, the demand for services and production associated with water has been increasing.

"Everybody wants California to succeed because we are the place where these changes are going to occur in technology, institutions, and funding," he said. "In California, we do import more water, in the way of products and services, and spend more money than we are selling off-site. What we do well here is produce food, and that has a global impact and response because there’s a global need. But we have to do it as efficiently as possible."

"When we talk about global water problems, they’re not just problems elsewhere; they are also our water problems."

Julian Fulton

Cooley discussed the new technologies that are being developed and deployed in California related to water management.

"These technologies are very important: the drip irrigation system, the technologies that are helping us understand how much water crops actually need and when they need it, and new ways of using recycled municipal wastewater for agriculture," she said. "There are parts of California, particularly the Central Valley and the Central Coast, where we could be using that wastewater more effectively. I also think we have been living beyond our means. There is going to have to be some reduction in acreage. We need to be smart about that and help those communities that are going to be adversely impacted."

Virtual Water Trade? Lessons from the Commodities Market

Moderated by Mr. Barton H. "Buzz" Thompson, Jr., the Robert E. Paradise professor of natural resources law at Stanford Law School and of counsel at O’Melveny & Myers LLC, this panel featured Dr. Vanessa Casado-Perez, associate professor of law and research associate professor of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University; Mr. Christopher Peacock, founder and CEO of the Water Innovation Project; and Mr. Matthew Payne, principal at WestWater Research LLC.

Over the next quarter century, clean drinkable water will become more scarce as the global human population grows and supply decreases. Although investing in water is already commonplace, water is not openly traded in the marketplace like other commodities such as oil.

"Today there are existing water markets in California and the western United States, but they are non-transparent and highly fragmented."

Christopher Peacock

Casado-Perez argued that physical water will never be traded in the same way as physical oil.

"Water markets will have a more important role than they have today in allocating water, but they will never reach the level of oil markets," she said. "There are limits on trading water as a commodity because beyond being important for any economic activity, it’s also very important for human life."

Payne pointed out that water is more expensive to transport than oil, and that even new technologies like desalination are not yet having a significant effect on water markets because they are also expensive.

"There hasn’t been a lot of desalination in the United States yet; it’s a relatively new phenomenon," he said. "What I’ve observed is that desalination contracts typically trade at a price premium to other sources because it’s so expensive to desalinate that water considering the energy, facilities, and chemicals required. Whoever is producing that desalinated water needs to recoup their costs and in some cases make a profit depending on whether they’re public or private. So those desal agreements are priced higher."

Peacock argued for more transparency in water markets that already exist.

"Today there are existing water markets in California and the western United States," he said. "People are actively buying, selling, and trading water. But they are non-transparent and highly fragmented. As we raise the level of transparency, one of the ways we can help disadvantaged communities deal with this issue is allowing them to participate in the market. Formal water markets help raise the level of transparency about what’s actually going on, and then people can make informed decisions about their water."

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Justin Chapman is the Communications Associate at the Pacific Council on International Policy.

Check out more photos of this conference on our Flickr page.

Learn more about the Pacific Council’s Global Water Scarcity Project, which seeks to connect the dots between California’s water scarcity challenges and international issues of trade, energy, politics, and security.

Global cities like New York and Los Angeles are increasingly shaping the international policy conversation, New York City’s Commissioner for International Affairs Penny Abeywardena told Pacific Council members during a special roundtable discussion. The discussion was moderated by Ms. Karen Richardson, former Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of Public Affairs.

Since her appointment in 2014, Abeywardena, a Los Angeles native, has guided the NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs in launching a series of initiatives focused on showcasing the local leadership and inclusive values of New York City toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as connecting New Yorkers, and youth in particular, to the resources of the United Nations Headquarters.

"Before Mayor Bill de Blasio reached out to me to run the international affairs office, the office focused on the city’s role as a host to the diplomatic community and its operational responsibilities such as diplomatic incidents, security issues, the parking program, and helping the diplomatic and consular corps navigate this city," said Abeywardena, adding that New York City is home to the world’s largest diplomatic corps with the UN headquarters and its affiliates, 193 permanent missions, 114 consulates, and over 70 trade commissions.

"New York City and Los Angeles are beacons of sanity to the international community."

Penny  Abeywardena

"My goal was to be an entrepreneur in government," she said. "The mayor and I wanted to create a global platform to promote that which is working in New York City. We’ve launched or expanded universal pre-K and tackled affordable housing, homelessness, climate action, and other important issues. But we also knew it was important for New Yorkers to find value in being a host city to this incredible diplomatic corps."

Abeywardena pointed out that the UN gets a "bad rap" from New Yorkers, partly because the city has not strategically marketed the benefits of the relationship.

"I commissioned the first economic impact analysis of hosting the UN in New York City in over 25 years," she said. "The numbers were extraordinary. It’s a boon of almost $3.69 billion. Instead of thinking about all the traffic in September during the UN General Assembly, think about all the people that are visiting our bodegas and dry cleaners and restaurants. There is a huge economic benefit in hosting the UN in our city."

Abeywardena is focused on connecting both adults and young New Yorkers with the UN. Her office engages them through two programs: Global Vision | Urban Action, in which they translate the 17 SDGs into concrete actions at the local level, and the NYC Junior Ambassadors program, in which seventh grade educators incorporate the SDGs into their curriculum, conduct field trips to the UN, and receive a classroom visit from a senior diplomat.

"There is a real desire from our global counterparts to hear New York City’s values as American values, and to see how we are leading on everything from climate action and immigration to education and housing."

Penny Abeywardena

Abeywardena said it is important that global cities such as New York and Los Angeles communicate, which is why she reached out to L.A.’s new Deputy Mayor for International Affairs Nina Hachigian, who is also a Pacific Council Director.

"New York City and Los Angeles are beacons of sanity to the international community," said Abeywardena. "There is a real desire from our global counterparts to hear New York City’s values as American values, and to see how we are leading on everything from climate action to how we support our immigrants to how we are tackling issues related to education and housing."

Two of the biggest issues where cities have displayed their leadership is immigration and climate action, Abeywardena said. On immigration, she pointed out that the consular corps are important bridges into the city’s immigrant communities.

"We work with them to make sure city services are getting out to them in a program called Connecting Local to Global," she said. "And we have a program called IDNYC which ensures that all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status, are able to have an ID card, without which you can’t access city services or even pick up your kids from school."

"Organizations like the UN are increasingly looking to cities and the private sector as federal governments are shifting away from their appropriate responsibility."

Penny Abeywardena

The Puerto Rican community, in particular, is significant in New York, and the city's response to Hurricane Maria provides another example of how cities are handling the responsibilities of what are typically seen as the federal government's responsibilties. Two months after the hurricane devastated the island, about half of the island still does not have electricity. New York City has set up a website to accept donations for their Puerto Rico relief efforts.

"New York City has a commitment to supporting our Puerto Rican community during this time when we don’t really feel like the federal government is showing up," she said. "We’re working closely with the Department of Education so any students coming in from Puerto Rico are immediately integrated into a classroom."

According to Abeywardena, climate action is one of the main ways that cities such as New York and Los Angeles are displaying their leadership on the global stage.

"New York City along with 300 other cities came together and signed their own executive orders around committing to the Paris Accord," she said. "A few weeks ago, New York City released our policy plan as to how we are going to achieve that, and that has been really important because organizations like the UN are increasingly looking to cities and the private sector as federal governments are shifting away from their appropriate responsibility. One thing that has come out of this last year that most of the international community and also Americans didn’t appreciate is the power of cities and states to lead and shape policy."

"With all the recent elections in the western world, there are a lot of like-minded mayors and governors out there who allow for different opportunities for engagement."

Penny Abeywardena

Abeywardena said that one of the unintended consequences of Donald Trump’s election is that it is now more appealing for some foreign entities to engage with the United States through its cities.

"There’s a real sense of solidarity at the city level," she said. "With all the recent elections in the western world, there are a lot of like-minded mayors and governors out there who allow for different opportunities for engagement."

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Justin Chapman is the Communications Associate at the Pacific Council on International Policy.

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Pacific Council.

Relations between mainland China and Taiwan are deteriorating and must be restored, former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou told Pacific Council members. The discussion was moderated by Ambassador Nina Hachigian, deputy mayor of international affairs for the city of Los Angeles.

Taiwan and mainland China have long had strained relations since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. While President Trump has signaled clear support for maintaining U.S.-Taiwan relations, only 20 states officially recognize Taiwan as the Republic of China, and the United States is not one of them.

Ma said that the 1992 Consensus, in which both sides met to negotiate what the One China policy actually means, is the bedrock for relations between the two sides.

"On one hand, mainland China wants a relationship with Taiwan, but they also want to make sure that we accept the One China principle," said Ma. "Per the 1992 Consensus, both sides of the Taiwan Strait must adhere to the One China principle, but they can express their own interpretation of it."

"If the young people of the two sides could meet and make friends early in their life, I’m sure the chances of sustainable peace would be possible."

Ma Ying-jeou

Relations between Taiwan and mainland China have had their ups and downs. Ma pointed out that before he was elected president in 2008, the relationship was at a low point.

"Barely one month into my presidency, the two sides reached an agreement called the Three Communications: trade, travel, and mail," he said. "We also agreed that we will exchange tourists. This was a revolutionary change. At the time, there were only about 290,000 visitors from mainland China per year. By the time I left office, the number reached 4.2 million."

Ma also said that he sees cross-strait friendships growing among young people.

"In 2007, the number of mainland students studying in Taiwan was 823," he said. "By the time I left office, the number reached 42,000. This is very, very important because I always believe that if the young people of the two sides could meet and make friends early in their life, I’m sure the chances of sustainable peace would be possible."

Since Ma left office in May 2016, he said cross-strait relations have deteriorated.

"President Tsai Ing-wen so far has not accepted the 1992 Consensus," he said. "Her party generally supports Taiwan’s independence, so it makes it very difficult for her to accept the 1992 Consensus. But mainland China attaches so much importance to it. When we don’t have contact with mainland China, it could affect many aspects of our lives: trade, investment, and other things. I sincerely hope President Tsai will reconsider her position, because when I was president I accepted the 1992 Consensus but I didn’t do anything that would hurt our dignity or interests."

"My grand strategy is maintaining a peaceful relationship with China, a friendly relationship with Japan, and a close relationship with the United States. By doing that, we could maintain the balance."

Ma Ying-jeou

Exactly two years to the day before Ma’s discussion with the Pacific Council, he and Chinese President Xi Jinping became the first presidents of Taiwan and China to meet publicly, which was held in Singapore.

"We called the meeting between me and Xi Jinping ‘MaXi,’" said Ma. "We first established the ground rules for the meeting: neither side should refer to official titles. Instead of ‘People’s Republic of China’ and ‘Republic of China (Taiwan),’ we would just say ‘mainland’ and ‘Taiwan.’ And neither leader should be called ‘president’ or ‘chairman,’ just ‘mister.’ Mainland China said they wanted to pay for the expenses of the meeting because they have diplomatic relations with Singapore and we don’t. I said, ‘Okay.’ For beverages, they would bring 30-year-old Moutai and we would bring 25-year-old Gaoliang. After the banquet, we found that more Gaoliang was consumed than Moutai, so we won," Ma joked.

At the meeting, Ma and Xi reconfirmed that the 1992 Consensus is the common political ground of the two sides.

"We wanted to use this opportunity to further reduce hostilities between the two sides and to broaden and deepen the cross-strait contacts," said Ma. "We built a bridge of peace across the Taiwan Strait. My grand strategy is maintaining a peaceful relationship with China, a friendly relationship with Japan, and a close relationship with the United States. By doing that, we could maintain the balance."

"Unification should not only be peaceful, but also democratic."

Ma Ying-jeou

Ma pointed out that a majority of the Taiwanese people want to maintain the status quo in terms of relations with mainland China, with a small minority that wants independence and a small minority that wants unification.

"At the moment, the possibility of independence is diminishing," he said. "Domestically, we already have a self-ruled government. Internationally, there’s no chance of getting recognition from a lot of countries. Much like Catalonia, in the sense that no one will recognize us. So we better keep the status quo. On the issue of unification, we’d have to get the consent of the people. So unification should not only be peaceful, but also democratic. The mainland will not take any drastic action if Taiwan stayed as it is. So I think these issues can be worked out."

One area where Taiwan and mainland China agree, Ma said, is the South China Sea.

"Our position on the South China Sea, in many ways, is just the same as mainland China, in terms of territorial claim," he said. "The United States is concerned about land reclamation in the South China Sea, but according to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, countries can build artificial islands in Exclusive Economic Zones or the high seas without much difficulty. Even the Permanent Court of Arbitration said that what they did only violated environmental protection regulations, but the action alone isn’t necessarily in violation of the Convention on the Law of the Sea."

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Justin Chapman is the Communications Associate at the Pacific Council on International Policy.

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Pacific Council.