Bryan Caplan

CAMARILLO, CA - The California Lutheran University Center for Economic Research and Forecasting will present its 2014 Ventura County forecast during a seminar from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at the Serra Center in Camarillo.

Bill Watkins, executive director of CLU CERF, will present the forecast during the event, which is titled “Immigration, Economics and Opportunity: How to Improve the Forecast.” Economist and author Bryan Caplan will give a presentation on “Immigration Restrictions: A Solution in Search of a Problem.” John Krist, CEO of the Farm Bureau of Ventura County, will discuss the effects of immigration reform on Ventura County farmers.

Caplan is an economics professor at George Mason University and Senior Scholar at the Mercatus Center. He is one of two bloggers at EconLog, which was named a top economics blog by the Wall Street Journal. He wrote the 2007 book “The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies” and the 2011 book “Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think.” Caplan is now working on “The Case Against Education.” He has appeared on 20/20, Fox News and C-SPAN and been published in the Washington Post, American Economic Review and Economic Journal.

Krist recommends policy to the Farm Bureau’s Board of Directors, implements board directives and represents members’ interests at legislative and regulatory hearings. He wrote the 2007 book “Living Legacy: The Story of Ventura County Agriculture.” The former Ventura County Star reporter, editor and opinion-page columnist also has written three hiking guides and a book on the Lewis and Clark trail.

Watkins has been providing unflinching forecasts for more than a decade. He has been widely published in academic journals and been featured in media throughout the country including the Wall Street Journal, CNN and Forbes. In April, he spoke before the California State Senate. An associate professor of economics, Watkins helped start a graduate program at CLU.

CLU CERF provides local, state and national forecasts for government, business and nonprofit leaders. The National Association for Business Economics, the Economist, CNN Money and Case-Shiller Macro Markets have included CERF forecasters in their surveys on economic policies and outlooks, home prices, jobs and the presidential election.

The Serra Center is located at 5205 Upland Road. Online registration, which includes lunch and access to the full forecast, is $175. To register, go to http://www.clucerf.org. The cost will be $200 on the day of the event. Admission is free for CERF members. For more information, call 805-493-3149 or email cerfinfo@clucerf.org.