The Merger

In late 2023, the Commonwealth Club of California merged with World Affairs to form The Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California, the nation's premier public forum. Supported by a vote by the respective boards and votes by their full memberships, the merger has created a larger organization, headquartered at 110 The Embarcadero, with more events and new programs for members and the community at large.

All in-person programs, unless otherwise noted, will now take place at the Commonwealth Club World Affairs building at 110 The Embarcadero in San Francisco. Programs are also taking place in the East Bay, Marin, Napa Valley, Silicon Valley on the Peninsula, and at the World Affairs building at 213 Sutter Street in San Francisco.

You can continue to find upcoming programs on our website. We hope you come out soon to the state-of-the art building at 110 Embarcadero. Right next door is Boulevard, which recently made The New York Times’ list of top 25 San Francisco restaurants, where you can get dinner or a cocktail after a program, or check out all the delights of the Ferry Building right across the street. And just down the block is local favorite Perry's and other restaurants.

The Club's weekly radio program continues to air on KQED and 230 stations across the country. We're also producing the popular World Affairs radio show “On Shifting Ground with Ray Suarez” and our Climate One radio show. All of those radio shows—plus other programs that never aired on radio—are also podcast, and many are available as videos on YouTube.

The process of merging two organizations is not easy, nor is it a quick matter. But we're excited to already be rolling out benefits from the new organization, including more programs, new events closer to where you live, and new projects such as the Multistakeholder Forum held at the Club right before last year's large APEC meetings in San Francisco.

Stay tuned for more. 

What Is the Club?

With the sound of a gavel striking three times, another Commonwealth Club program begins, bringing together audiences with fascinating, intriguing and entertaining individuals.

Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. Every year, we present hundreds of forums on topics ranging across politics, culture, society, artificial intelligence and the economy. 

The Club is headquartered in San Francisco, with regular events in San Francisco as well as in Silicon Valley, the East Bay and the North Bay.

For audiences outside the Bay Area, the Club's weekly radio broadcast—the oldest in the United States, dating back to 1924—is carried across the nation on more than 230 public and commercial radio stations. Our programs are widely podcast and video broadcast. Our website archive features audio and video of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history.

Our Mission

The mission of Commonwealth Club World Affairs is to be the leading national forum open to all for the impartial discussion of public issues important to the membership, community and nation.

Our Speakers

Since its founding in 1903, Commonwealth Club World Affairs has played host to a diverse and distinctive array of speakers, from Teddy Roosevelt to George W. Bush, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Governor Jerry Brown, political activist Alicia Garza, political commentator George Will and environmental advocate Jane Goodall. Martin Luther King Jr., Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Bill Gates have all given landmark speeches at the Club.

Our Supporters

As a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization, Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California relies on the support of its membership, corporate gifts and foundation grants to continue its role in fostering open public discussion in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout the nation via radio, Internet and television.

Commonwealth Club World Affairs has many exciting ventures planned for the future. You can help!