Who really runs California: SF or LA or ?

Tonight at MOCA, Zócalo Public Square and the USC-Huntington Institute on California and the West are posing the topic: L.A. vs San Francisco — who runs California? I'm on the panel along with Allan Mayer, the founding editor of Buzz Magazine; historical geographer and author Gray Brechin; and University of Washington historian Margaret O'Mara. NBC 4's Conan Nolan moderates. It's at 7:30 p.m. and free; make a reservation here. Have a thought on the topic? Drop me a line in email or comment on my Facebook page and it might become part of the discussion tonight.

To get the discussion started, Zócalo has posted short essays on the question from a geographic range of Californians, among them former Modesto mayor Carol Whiteside and Riverside author Susan Straight.