Professor, San Jose State University

California Meltdown: Can This State be Saved?

 
Larry Gerston leads two lives  – as an academic and as a communications specialist.  A political science professor at San Jose State University, Gerston covers the public policy process at the national and state levels.  Many of his books have won praise.  Public Policy Making in a Democratic Society: A Guide to Civic Engagement has been heralded as a breakthrough in promoting “hands on” citizen participation.  Recall! California’s Political Earthquake (with Terry Christensen), was selected as “outstanding book of 2004” by the American Library Association.  His eleventh and most recent book, Confronting Reality: Ten Issues Threatening to Implode American Society, discusses the consequences of our inattention to a series of pressing problems.  Gerston has penned more than 100 op-ed columns in newspapers including the San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times.  He has also appeared on NBC Nightly News, BBC, NPR, and CNN’s Inside Politics.

Away from the academic setting, Larry Gerston specializes in media training, message development, presentation skills, crisis communications, speech writing, and strategic thinking.  His abilities stem in part from his role as the political analyst at NBC11 (the Bay Area NBC television station), where he appears on a regular basis.  He is also a political analyst at KCBS radio.  In these settings, he conveys complex messages in layman’s terms.
On a lighter note, Larry Gerston has written The Costco Experience: An Unofficial Survivor’s Guide.  As with his more serious writings, this book focuses on individual empowerment.