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eDIGEST August 2007

UPCOMING EVENTS

GSPP ALUMNI BBQ

Pat Windham (MPP’75) and Arati Prabhakar open their home on September 29th for an alumni and family barbeque. Eat, swim and hear Professor Steve Maurer talk on “Synthetic Biology: Science, Economics, and Public Policy.” TO RSVP, contact Nancy Hall at (510) 642-9437. Space is limited.

Saturday, September 29, noon-3 pm

QUICK REFERENCE LIST

In addition to the print media referenced below, broadcast media coverage includes numerous interviews with DEAN NACHT by KRON TV, KGO TV and KTVU, among others.

ALUMNI AND STUDENT NEWSMAKERS

1. “Low on the Water” (Condé Nast Traveler, July 2007); story citing DUANE SILVERSTEIN (MPP 1980); http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/detail?articleId=10889&pageNumber=1

2. “Judge named to prison panel. Choice of Reinhardt, a liberal, draws criticism as governor fights a cap on inmate population” (Sacramento Bee, July 28, 2007); story citing TODD SPITZER (MPP/JD 1989); http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/296282.html

3. “CALIFORNIA: State’s ranking for child well-being drops. Health insurance, education below national averages” (San Francisco Chronicle, July 25, 2007); story citing COREY NEWHOUSE (MPP 2003); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/25/BAG2MR6DN51.DTL

4. “Niños requieren mejor atención” (La Opinión, July 26, 2007); story citing COREY NEWHOUSE (MPP 2003); http://www.laopinion.com/archivo/index.html?START=10&RESULTSTART=1&DISPLAYTYPE=single&FREETEXT=%22children+now%22&FDATEd12=&FDATEd13=&SORT_MODE=SORT_MODE

5. “Grocery union fought for unity. A newly approved contract reverses a two-tier pay system that had divided workers and hurt morale” (Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2007); story citing study coauthored by FELIX SU (MPP 2007); http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-grocery24jul24,1,2544733.story?page=1&coll=la-headlines-pe-business

6. “Judges take on prison crunch. Federal panel could free 35,000 inmates early as decisions cast doubt on $7.9 billion state plan” (Sacramento Bee, July 24, 2007); story citing TODD SPITZER (MPP/JD 1989); http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/288237.html

7. “California Prison Overcrowding” (Forum, KQED-88.5 FM, July 25, 2007); program featuring commentary by TODD SPITZER (MPP/JD 1989); Listen to the program

8. “The Buzz: Crunch time brings out the bizarre” (Sacramento Bee, July 23, 2007); column citing RICK SIMPSON (MPP 1977); http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/286447.html

9. “RICHMOND: Silencing urban train horns might be trade-off: safety for sleep” (San Francisco Chronicle, July 22, 2007); story citing JANET SCHNEIDER (MPP 1990); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/22/BAGU3R4SOA1.DTL&hw=train+horns&sn=002&sc=859

10. “Pacific Island students want UC to collect more specific data” (The Associated Press, July 22, 2007); story citing NINA ROBINSON (MPP 1989); http://www.sacbee.com/114/story/285781.html

11. “Governor appoints Davis men to top health department posts” (Davis Enterprise, July 19, 2007); story citing TOBY DOUGLAS (MPP 2001/MPH 2002).

12. “More money for colleges, lower fees, come get it!” (Sacramento Bee, July 18, 2007); op-ed citing NANCY SHULOCK (MPP 1978); http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/277880.html

13. “Condos taking shape in old Reynolds building. Ex-factory near U of L has 70 units” (Courier-Journal, The (Louisville, KY), July 18, 2007); story citing LARRY OWSLEY (MPP 1973); http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007707181085

14. “CLIMATE: Big bucks at stake in cap-and-trade allocations” (Greenwire, July 17, 2007); story citing NED HELME (MPP 1971); http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2007/07/17/archive/1?terms=enchilada

15. “Free iPhone Campaign Launches, Open Access Battle Gears Up” (Information Week, July 16, 2007); story citing DEREK TURNER (MPP 2004); http://wap.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201001673

16. “AIDS Walk San Francisco Raises Record-Setting $4.5 Million” (SFAF, July 15, 2007); story citing MARK CLOUTIER (MPP/MPH 1993); http://www.sfaf.org/aboutsfaf/releases/aids_walk_07.html

17. “‘Cool Clear Water’ in California,” (CBS5 TV Sunday Morning News, July 15, 2007); features commentary by IAN HART (MPP 2005); http://cbs5.com/environment

18. “Clark County, magnetic north” (Oregonian, July 15, 2007); story citing JOE CORTRIGHT (MPP 1980); http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/stories/index.ssf?/base/news/1184378111108500.xml&coll=7

19. “Get on the bus and be ready to party all along the highway” (Oakland Tribune, July 15, 2007); story citing Seacology, founded by DUANE SILVERSTEIN (MPP 1980); http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_6381552?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com

20. “In California, Community College Graduation Rates Disappoint. California’s community college system gets students into school, but not always out” (Washington Post, July 14, 2007); story citing NANCY SHULOCK (MPP 1978) and WILLIAM ZUMETA (MPP 1973/PhD 1978); http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/14/AR2007071401361_pf.html

21. “Hospital tax measure riles county politicos. Oakland facility wants $300 million but won’t promise not to move” (Oakland Tribune, July 13, 2007); story citing RICHARD WINNIE (MPP 1971/JD 1975); http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_6365874?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com

22. “Parole violators not sent to prison. State administration shifts policy to reduce overcrowding, focuses on rehabilitation instead” (Contra Costa Times, July 13, 2007); story citing TODD SPITZER (MPP/JD 1989); http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_6366097?nclick_check=1

23. “Mill Creek Park rally held to support comprehensive sex education” (Kansas City Star (MO), July 13, 2007); story citing TRACI GLEASON (MPP 2000).

24. “A light in Caltrans’ dark corners. A bill to require the agency to account for its property holdings is a first step toward reform” (Orange County Register, July 13, 2007); editorial citing TODD SPITZER (MPP/JD 1989); http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/caltrans-reform-properties-1763256-ab-land

25. “A tamed US deficit, but can it last?” (Christian Science Monitor, July 13, 2007); story citing STAN COLLENDER (MPP 1976); http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0713/p01s03-usec.html

26. “Medical money for San Quentin. Assembly vote today could shift bond funds to replace prison’s crumbling health care center” (Sacramento Bee, July 12, 2007); story citing TODD SPITZER (MPP/JD 1989); http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/268740.html

27. “Health insurance reforms bolstered - Two studies support healthcare overhaul” (Ventura County Star, July 12, 2007); story citing study coauthored by LUCAS RONCONI (MPP/PhD 2007); http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/jul/12/health-insurance-reforms-bolstered/?printer=1/

28. “New studies help shape state lawmakers’ debate over heath care reform” (Contra Costa Times, July 12, 2007); story citing study coauthored by LUCAS RONCONI (MPP/PhD 2007); http://www.contracostatimes.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?articleId=6356815&siteId=571

29. “Towers worry about their future” (Herald News (West Paterson, NJ), July 11, 2007); story citing ROBERT GORDON (MPP 1975); http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MTY2NTU0

30. “Net neutrality takes two knocks” (Telephony Magazine, July 9, 2007); story citing DEREK TURNER (MPP 2006); http://telephonyonline.com/mag/telecom_net_neutrality_takes/index.html

31. “Airlines Begin Flying Greener. Northwest is Considering a Program that Lets Customers Pay a Premium to Help Offset the Impact of their Flight by Investing in Projects that Replenish the Environment” (St. Paul Pioneer Press, July 7, 2007); story citing DERIK BROEKHOFF (MPP 1978); http://www.twincities.com/ci_6315432?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com&nclick_check=1

32. “Global warming threatens alternative-oil projects” (Christian Science Monitor, July 6, 2007); story citing ROLAND HWANG (MPP 1992); http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0706/p03s01-wogi.html

33. “Obama’s Tightrope” (Washington Post, July 6, 2007); op-ed by AMINA LUQMAN (MPP 2001); http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/05/AR2007070501828.html

34. “Equality slow to come for female coaches” (Fresno Bee, July 5, 2007); story by GARANCE BURKE (MPP 2005); http://www.fresnobee.com/552/story/78257.html

35. “LAKE TAHOE: Forest practices blamed for fire get critical eye” (San Francisco Chronicle, July 3, 2007); story citing PATRICK WRIGHT (MPP 1987); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/03/BAG6NQQ0U11.DTL&hw=lake+tahoe&sn=014&sc=358

36. “Schools do the math, pay more to fill posts. Districts offer stipends as science, mathematics requirements increase” (Dallas Morning News, July 2, 2007); story citing CHRISTOPHER ROE (MPP 2004); http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/education/stories/DN-skulbonuses_02met.ART0.State.Edition1.43bf04a.html

37. “Nurse gap, law school and reality” (Sacramento Bee, July 2, 2007); op-ed citing ELIZABETH HILL (MPP 1975); http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/251806.html

38. “In ice-cold housing market, assessment disputes heat up” (Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN), July 2, 2007); story citing STEVE HINZE (MPP 1976).

39. “Madison’s a ‘Fast City’ in Magazine Rankings” (Capital Times, The (Madison, WI), July 2, 2007); story citing JOE CORTRIGHT (MPP 1980); http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2007/07/02/0707020296.php

40. “State’s hitting red lights on emissions law” (Sacramento Bee, July 1, 2007); story citing ROLAND HWANG (MPP 1992); http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/250682-p2.html

41. “Wofford likes GPA better than SAT - Study: High school grades a better gauge of how student will do” (Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC), July 1, 2007); story citing VERONICA SANTELICES (MPP 2001).

42. “Weddings don’t have to break bank” (Portsmouth Daily Times (OH) [*requires registration], June 30, 2007); story citing BETHANY ROBERTSON (MPP 2001).

43. “An iPod Has Global Value. Ask the (Many) Countries That Make It” (New York Times [*requires registration], June 28, 2007); story citing GREG LINDEN (MPP 1995/PhD 2000); http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F70A1FFA3D5A0C7B8EDDAF0894DF404482

44. “Hearing of the House Budget Committee on ‘Foreign Holdings of U.S. Debt: Is Our Economy Vulnerable?’” Federal News Service, June 26, 2007); Congressional testimony by MICKEY LEVY (MPP 1974).

45. “Dead sturgeon discovered near Red Bluff dam. Partially opened gates cited in killing threatened fish” (Redding Record Searchlight (CA), June 23, 2007); story citing MARIA REA (MPP 1988).

46. “Canada’s trees not a fix for its pollution. Study disputes belief forests ‘soak up’ greenhouse gasses” (The Ottawa Citizen, June 22, 2007); story citing KEVIN GURNEY (MPP 1996); http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=a8517d03-df0d-497c-b821-449930774b28&k=77211

47. “Bush’s veto threats foretell budget battle” (Christian Science Monitor, June 22, 2007); story citing STAN COLLENDER (MPP 1976); http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0622/p02s01-uspo.html?page=3

48. “Electric Market Described as ‘Incomplete;’ Needs Policy fix” (Energy Washington Week [*requires subscription], Vol. 4 No. 25, June 20, 2007); story citing ROBERT GRAMLICH (MPP 1995); http://www.energywashington.com/

49. “Advanced Imaging of California Precincts Shows Nuanced Landscape” (California Progress Report, June 19, 2007); column by DAVID LATTERMAN (MPP 2002); http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2007/06/advanced_imagin.html

50. “More math, science teachers a must, say state, U.S. studies” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 14, 2007); story citing CARL PATTON (MPP/PhD 1976).

51. “SAN FRANCISCO - Newsom challengers for job now number 13” (San Francisco Chronicle, May 2, 2007); story citing DAVID LATTERMAN (MPP 2002); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/02/BAGHPPJBDD1.DTL&hw=latterman&sn=001&sc=1000

52. “Garcia: Running on empty” (San Francisco Examiner, June 5, 2007); opinion column citing DAVID LATTERMAN (MPP 2002); http://www.examiner.com/a-763976~Garcia__Running_on_empty.html

53. “New York City DOT Announces New Office, Appointment of Deputy Commissioner for Planning and Sustainability” (US States News, May 29, 2007); story featuring BRUCE SCHALLER (MPP 1982); http://home2.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/about/pr2007/pr07_43.html

54. “Getting a ‘Pass’; City Aids Car-Clog Workers” (New York Post, May 20, 2007); story citing BRUCE SCHALLER (MPP 1982).

55. “First, do no harm to seniors” (Chicago Tribune, April 24, 2007); op-ed citing BENJAMIN ZYCHER (MPP/PhD 1974).

56. “How Small Groups Promote Social Change” (The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Pg. 41 Vol. 19 No. 12, April 5, 2007; book review citing CAROL CHETKOVICH (MPP 1987/PhD 1994).

FACULTY IN THE NEWS

1. “Racists & Robber Barons” (The Nation [*requires subscription], July 30, 2007 issue); commentary by DAVID KIRP; http://www.thenation.com/docprem.mhtml?i=20070730&s=kirp

2. “PG&E scores solar deal. Utility boosts commitment to renewable power sources” (Oakland Tribune, July 26, 2007); story citing DAN KAMMEN; http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_6468080?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com

3. “Corporate, public pensions roll the dice” – Commentary by ROBERT REICH (Marketplace, American Public Media [NPR], July 18, 2007; Listen to this commentary

4. “Intelligence Estimate: Al Qaeda Threat Growing. Puts White House On The Defensive” (ABC7 TV News, July 17, 2007); features commentary by MICHAEL NACHT; http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=politics&id=5482231

5. “Dems, governor spar over road to clean air. Resources board’s beefed-up staff at center of tug-of-war” (San Francisco Chronicle, July 17, 2007); story citing DAN KAMMEN; http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/07/17/MNGOSR1HM11.DTL&type=printable

6. “Greens to banks: Just say no to coal. Environmental group tells big financiers to stop funding dirty power plants” (CNN Money, July 16 2007); story citing DAN KAMMEN; http://money.cnn.com/2007/07/12/news/economy/coal_funding/

7. “Governor Proposes $6 Billion Water Plan to Help Deal with Water Shortage” (ABC7 TV News, July 16, 2007); story citing MICHAEL HANEMANN; http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=politics&id=5480826

8. “The Issues: Some developments could make or break a candidate” (U.S. News & World Report, July 16, 2007); story citing HENRY BRADY; http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070708/16wild.issues_print.htm

9. “Economic View: Fair Taxes? Depends What You Mean by ‘Fair’” (New York Times [*requires registration], July 15, 2007; op-ed citing ROBERT REICH; http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/business/yourmoney/15view.html

10. “Letters: The Rich and Income Taxes” (New York Times [*requires registration], July 22, 2007); Letter to the Editor by ROBERT REICH; http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/business/yourmoney/22backpage.html?pagewanted=print

11. “Fee on carbon as fuel is equitable, effective” (Miami Herald, July 12, 2007); op-ed citing ROBERT REICH.

12. “In Economics Departments, a Growing Will to Debate Fundamental Assumptions” (New York Times, July 11, 2007); story citing ROBERT REICH; http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/11/education/11economics.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

13. “Standard bearer” (Financial Times, July 10 2007); story citing DAVID VOGEL; http://www.ft.com/cms/s/6e721ba2-2e7d-11dc-821c-0000779fd2ac.html

14. “Increased Use Of Solar Power Could Add 120000 New Jobs By 2030” (Solar Daily, July 10, 2007); story citing study coauthored by DAN KAMMEN; http://www.solardaily.com/reports/Increased_Use_Of_Solar_Power_Could_Add_120000_New_Jobs_By_2030_999.html

15. “Birth weight holds key to better life, research shows” (Sun, The (Lowell, MA), June 18, 2007); story citing RUCKER JOHNSON.

16. “Visiting Scholar Speaks at Portland State University on New Plan for U.S. Climate Change Policy” (US States News, June 1, 2007); story citing MICHAEL HANEMANN.

17. “Experts: Homegrown terrorists most difficult to stop” (Bucks County Courier Times (Levittown, PA), May 14, 2007); story citing MICHAEL NACHT.

ALUMNI AND STUDENT NEWSMAKERS

1. “Low on the Water” (Condé Nast Traveler, July 2007); story citing DUANE SILVERSTEIN (MPP 1980); http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/detail?articleId=10889&pageNumber=1

by Mike Di Paola

…I’m aboard a luxury dive boat, the Four Seasons’ 128-foot Explorer, cruising around the atolls with the Berkeley-based environmental group Seacology, an organization devoted to protecting island ecosystems and cultures. The group has a very simple and effective MO: identify an island’s needs (a school, a community center, a water tank) and then help the inhabitants get what they want in exchange for an agreement to protect the local ecosystem. Seacology’s members make periodic jaunts to scope out potential projects and check up on established ones—in Fiji, Sumatra, the Virgin Islands, or eighty-one other islands around the world—and they usually have the good sense to combine their work with pleasure, which is why there will be a week of underwater frolicking before they visit Kendhoo Island, in the north….

Two hundred of the Maldives’ islets are inhabited; altogether, they are spread out over 56,000 square miles of sea, and what little bits of land there are make the world’s flattest country, where the highest point is no taller than Yao Ming….

It is for this reason that Maldivians are sweating bullets about global warming. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts the seas will rise as much as three feet by the end of the century. This would submerge eighty percent of the Maldives and leave the remaining twenty percent uninhabitable….

Seacology has projects on three islands in the Maldives. It has built a kindergarten, a waste management system, and a water desalinization tank; it has also come through with tsunami relief. In return, the islanders have agreed to ban coral and sand mining, shark fishing, and the harvesting of sea cucumbers. It should be noted that the Four Seasons resorts helped fund the projects, and according to Seacology’s executive director, Duane Silverstein, it was the resort’s idea to begin with.

“They approached us, asking, ‘How can we work together?’” says Silverstein, who’s more accustomed to chasing down potential donors than the other way around. “I almost fell off my chair.” Seacology is pleased when local businesses are involved in its projects, in part because they can act as an oversight mechanism, making sure the islands honor their commitments to protect the ecosystem. “It is a great synergy,” says Silverstein, noting that the Four Seasons is hiring people from Kendhoo to work at its new Landaa Giraavaru resort, which opened in November 2006.

I join the Seacologists on their site visit to Baa Atoll and Kendhoo Island. The students and teachers have prepared a little welcoming ceremony involving coconut drinks and asynchronous pom-pom waving. Then it’s on to a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new desalinization plant, with those honors done by Marsha Garces Williams, a Seacology board member and the wife of comedian Robin Williams…. We are very much the center of attention, tended to by children and island dignitaries alike, and it’s heartwarming to have this small taste of non-resort life, an experience that is otherwise near impossible in the Maldives….

By Kevin Yamamura - Bee Capitol Bureau

Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, R-Orange, says he was “horrified” that no attempt was made to “provide balance” to the panel.

U.S. Circuit Judge Stephen Reinhardt, an outspoken liberal who once backed a ban on recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools, has been named to a three-judge panel that will consider whether to cap the state’s prison population….

A cap could lead to the early release of thousands of inmates to relieve pressure from the state’s cramped prisons. Federal courts have determined that California’s poor prison conditions violate its constitutional obligations to provide adequate medical and mental health care….

In an attempt to avoid Monday’s empaneling of judges, Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers from both parties approved a $7.9 billion bond in April for 53,000 new prison and jail beds. [U.S. District Judges Thelton Henderson, of San Francisco, and Lawrence Karlton, of Sacramento both] wrote that the proposal, Assembly Bill 900, would not bring prisons into constitutional compliance and may even aggravate the situation….

Assemblyman Todd Spitzer of Orange, the Assembly GOP’s point man on prisons, assailed the selection of Reinhardt. He suggested the three appointees all but assure a panel that will conclude a population cap is necessary.

“I’m horrified that the 9th Circuit presiding judge didn’t make any attempt to provide balance to the three-judge panel,” Spitzer said. “A three-judge panel has been named, but it’s difficult to think that they are going to deliberate and haven’t already formed a conclusion.”…

Spitzer also took issue with [9th Circuit Chief Judge Mary M.] Schroeder’s naming of both Karlton and Henderson to the panel. Because the two judges offered similar arguments in their decisions that suggested the necessity of a population cap, the panel will not be as objective as it would be with a second judge uninvolved in the cases, he said….

By Kantele Franko; Chronicle Staff Writer

California slipped one spot to No. 19 in an annual state-by-state analysis of child well-being—a report that some advocates said raises concerns about the state’s education system and the availability of health care for children.

The report released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that California improved in half of the 10 key categories, such as the child death rate, teen birth rate and percentage of children living below the poverty line.

But the state lags behind national averages for children’s health insurance coverage and basic education benchmarks. The findings are based on the most recent data available, either 2004 or 2005, and compared to data from 2000.

The 18th annual Kids Count report compiles information about health, living arrangements, economic status and education to compare the well-being of children state by state….

“When we start moving down, it’s cause to sit up and take pause,” said Corey Newhouse, a senior policy associate with the California-based advocacy group Children Now.

The report uses data that are widely available and consistently determined among states, such as standardized test scores. Even small year-to-year changes in the rankings are significant for California because the state has more than 9.7 million children, Newhouse said….

In 2005, half of California’s fourth-graders tested below a basic science level, compared with 34 percent nationwide. Fifty-six percent of eighth-graders tested that low, while the national average was 43 percent, according to the report….

Of the 8.3 million U.S. children without health insurance in 2004, 15 percent were in California. That year, 13 percent of the state’s children had no health insurance, slightly higher than the national average of 11 percent.

Newhouse said the report illuminates bigger concerns for residents and policymakers. For example, she said, the death rate among 15- to 19-year-olds increased in California from 53 per 100,000 to 59 in 100,000 over four years but decreased slightly in the national average.

“It speaks to a whole lot of other things that are happening in teens’ lives that are not good,” such as increased gang membership and crime involvement, she said.

By Eileen Truax

En el cuidado de sus niños, California no lo está haciendo bien. Al menos eso indican los datos del reporte Kids Count dados a conocer ayer, según los cuales este estado califica en el lugar 19 nacional en materia de bienestar infantil, un sitio más abajo que en el informe anterior….

“En el caso de la baja en el peso de los bebés, que es uno de los aspectos que más nos han alarmado en California, creemos que puede deberse al aumento de bebés prematuros debido a embarazos de alto riesgo, al número de mujeres que se embarazan en edad avanzada y al incremento de embarazos in vitro o con otros métodos”, explicó a La Opinión Corey Newhouse, analista senior de políticas de la organización Children Now. “También influye aquí el hecho de que algunas madres no reciben atención médica durante el embarazo, o la reciben de manera tardía” …

“La Fundación Annie E. Casey trabaja muy cercanamente con los senadores y representantes del Congreso para asegurarse de que reciban la información y la utilicen al momento de elaborar políticas públicas”, explicó Corey Newhouse.

“Nosotros hacemos un intercambio similar con los funcionarios de gobierno de California y de otros estados, con las agencias de educación y de servicios de la salud, dándoles esta información para que puedan buscar que la legislación incluya medidas que puedan ayudar a nuestros niños”….

By Jerry Hirsch, Times Staff Writer

The new labor agreement for Southern California grocery workers approved over the weekend contains a cautionary message for employers: Two-tier pay scales are trouble….

“This is partially an admission that two-tier systems don’t work,” said Ken Jacobs, chairman of the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education.

Although such a system looks like a great way to cut expenses without slashing into the benefits and pay of existing workers, the typical result is labor disharmony, Jacobs said….

Jacobs [with coauthor Felix Su] studied UFCW enrollment data and found that under the two-tier contract turnover rates for workers on the jobs for less than a year soared to 52% from 29%. Overall turnover jumped to 32% from 19%, he said….

By Kevin Yamamura and Andy Furillo - Bee Capitol Bureau

Two federal judges Monday ordered the creation of a rare three-judge panel to consider a cap on California’s inmate population, rejecting assertions that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers have done enough to resolve the state’s prison overcrowding crisis….

The plaintiffs’ attorneys said in court papers that the “maximum, safe and reasonable capacity” for the prison system is 137,764, a figure they culled from the Corrections Independent Review Panel report commissioned in 2004 by Schwarzenegger and chaired by former Republican law-and-order Gov. George Deukmejian.

If a three-judge court agrees with the figure, it would mean the release of more than 35,000 prisoners.

Attorneys have said the number could be achieved by parole changes that would eliminate the return of truly technical parole violators and by shortening sentences for low-risk offenders by 15 days or less.

Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, R-Orange, said he and other Assembly Republicans plan to fight any such plan.

“It makes a statement to people on the street that all you get is a slap on the hand. It would make a mockery of the entire judicial system,” Spitzer said….

7. “California Prison Overcrowding” (Forum, KQED-88.5 FM, July 25, 2007); program featuring commentary by TODD SPITZER (MPP/JD 1989); Listen to the program

The show discusses a recent ruling on prison overcrowding in California. Host: Scott Shafer

Guests: Assemblyman Todd Spitzer (R-Orange), Chair, Committee on Prison Construction, Human Resources.

8. “The Buzz: Crunch time brings out the bizarre” (Sacramento Bee, July 23, 2007); column citing RICK SIMPSON (MPP 1977); http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/286447.html

…There’s just something worth soaking in—or not—about the peculiar Mardi Gras festival that seems to fill the Capitol hallways and backrooms whenever it’s budget crunch time….

…And while the billions of dollars in state spending were being crunched by seemingly zillions of analysts, don’t think there wasn’t some swash-buckling action. Rick Simpson, Speaker Fabian Núñez’s education guru and a former Olympic class fencer, was spotted whipping his saber around outside the Assembly chambers in vivid re-creations of “Zorro” and other film classics.

Somehow, he left out anything from “Conan the Barbarian.”…

Of all the deals being cut during the bruising post-budget deadline politicking, few came down more sneakily—or sweetly—than one accord reached in the speaker’s office.

Simpson, when he wasn’t out fighting celluloid foes with his saber, was working in an underhanded way to help form a perfect union.

On Tuesday, Simpson brusquely called Capitol staffer Lynne Jensen into the speaker’s office to berate her for apparently doing something that offended Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata.

“I’m going to print out exactly what Perata said,” Simpson said, walking briskly from the room. Jensen was left shaking.

But it was a setup. Aaron Andres, Jensen’s fiancé, entered the room. He dropped to one knee, pulled out an engagement ring and popped the question.

“Yes!” she answered.

The couple plan to marry in September.

And that’s one deal everyone can agree on.

By Carolyn Jones; Chronicle Staff Writer

Louis Hagler, a retired physician, went years without a decent night’s sleep. The culprit? Train horns blasting at up to 120 decibels just 100 yards from his house in Richmond.

“It became a problem of monumental proportions,” he said last week. “When you’re not getting one, a good night’s sleep is worth a million bucks. Then a group of us started complaining vociferously and consistently and we got it done. We silenced the train horns.”

Richmond is one of the first cities in the U.S. to take advantage of a new federal law that allows cities to ban train horns. By installing flashing lights, extra barriers and other safety measures at train crossings, a city can order train engineers not to blast their horns as they rumble through residential neighborhoods….

Richmond likes quiet zones so much that city now has four of them. Campbell has two. San Jose has quiet zones along the light-rail tracks. Berkeley, Emeryville, Novato and other Bay Area cities now want their own train-horn-free zones….

But at what price is a good night’s sleep? The California Public Utilities Commission and other groups say the risk to public safety is too high….

Some engineers are so concerned about safety they continue to sound their horns even in quiet zones. In Richmond, quiet zone violations have been the only complaint from the public, said the city’s administrative chief, Janet Schneider.

“Our residents are thrilled with quiet zones. They’re ecstatic,” she said. “We’ve had no collisions or other safety problems at all.”

10. “Pacific Island students want UC to collect more specific data” (The Associated Press, July 22, 2007); story citing NINA ROBINSON (MPP 1989); http://www.sacbee.com/114/story/285781.html

LOS ANGELES -- A coalition of Pacific Islander and Asian students at the University of California at Los Angeles is pushing for the university system to change how it collects admissions data.

They believe more information about students from smaller ethnic groups, such as Hmong and Thai, would focus increased attention on the educational barriers facing certain Asian populations.

Advocates are collecting signatures to petition legislators and the Board of Regents this fall….

Asians and Pacific Islanders have several choices when marking their ethnicity on UC applications, but many of the smaller groups are not represented. The students are all grouped together in most official reports….

UC officials acknowledge some Asian communities are underrepresented.

“We’re a university, so we always think more information is better,” said Nina Robinson, director of policy and external affairs in UC student affairs. “The question is the cost.”

She said changing the way the system collects data would make it harder to track trends over time. The university can expand its outreach to underrepresented populations even without more demographic information, she said….

11. “Governor appoints Davis men to top health department posts” (Davis Enterprise, July 19, 2007); story citing TOBY DOUGLAS (MPP 2001/MPH 2002).

Toby Douglas, 34, of Davis, has been appointed deputy director of medical care services for the Department of Health Services by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since 2005, Douglas has served as assistant deputy director.

From 2001 to 2005, he was deputy director for the San Mateo County Health Department. Previously, Douglas was senior analyst for Kaiser Permanente, KP Consulting in 2000 and a research associate for the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C., from 1996 to 1999.

Prior to that, Douglas was an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer for the Corporation for National Service from 1994 to 1996. He served as an HIV counselor, health promoter and board member at the Washington Free Clinic for three years.

Douglas earned a master’s degree [in public policy] and a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley.

12. “More money for colleges, lower fees, come get it!” (Sacramento Bee, July 18, 2007); op-ed citing NANCY SHULOCK (MPP 1978); http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/277880.html

By Peter Schrag

Given all the other groups that have used the ballot box to engineer big-bucks raids on the state treasury, the only surprise is that the lobbies for the money-strapped California community colleges waited so long.

But now they’ve done it, qualifying an initiative that will appear on the February presidential primary ballot. By 2009-’10 it will lock up nearly a half-billion additional dollars in state funding … for California’s 109 two-year colleges….

As a lot of analysts have pointed out, the big problem in California isn’t so much a shortage of state funding as it is the very modest fees that students pay. This year it’s $20 per credit unit in tuition….

That’s barely half of what students pay in the next lowest state and less than a third of the national average. As a result California loses a lot of federal financial aid money that could be used not just for tuition but for other expenses….

…[The new initiative] would create a set of fiscal formulas that base increases in future community college funding not on enrollment but on growth in the state’s college-age population, regardless of how many actually attend the two year institutions.

Two recent studies have both pointed to the low completion rate of California community college students—the percentage who get an associate’s degree, transfer to a four year college or finish a formal career training program; 79 percent of community college students get no credential. Half never go past the first year.

Some of that is predictable in a system used by a lot of Californians who take just one or two courses to upgrade their job skills and employability. Yet it’s also true, as Nancy Shulock of Sacramento State University pointed out in a report issued earlier this year, that while the state provides financial incentives to increase enrollment, it has few incentives encouraging a higher completion rate.

By no longer coupling funding to enrollment, the measure is likely to undercut even the incentive to enroll more students. And it does nothing, other than lower fees, to increase completion rates. Nor will it help inform adolescents that mere graduation from high school doesn’t necessarily prepare them for college work….

By Ana Lagunez - The Courier-Journal

Photo by Michael Hayman, The Courier-Journal

It was one of the earliest Ford Motor factories in Louisville and later was used by Reynolds to make aluminum foil. More recently it housed university classrooms, and now dubbed Reynolds Lofts, the 92-year-old South Third Street building will start a new life as a loft condominium complex….

Prospective buyers mainly consist of singles as well as young couples and empty nesters, according to developer Robert McGoodwin. Many baby-boomers who are looking to downsize before retirement and who want easy home maintenance also have expressed interest in the lofts, he said.

Faculty and staff at U of L, as well as those who work at the nearby UPS hub and Churchill Downs, are among potential buyers, McGoodwin said.

Larry Owsley, U of L’s vice president for business affairs, expects the new owners will take part in campus activities whether they’re part of the university or not .

This will ultimately weave the university and local community closer together; he said, and ultimately encourage more students to live on campus.

“The more activity you have around the campus, the more vitality you have on the campus,” Owsley said.

He cited the baseball stadium on Central Avenue as an example of efforts to improve run-down industrial sites.

“The appearance of the campus has already improved dramatically, and people will appreciate the opportunities to live around campus; and that will continue to be the case as more facilities are built,” Owsley said….

By Darren Samuelsohn, Greenwire senior reporter

There’s growing consensus that the United States needs to reduce heat-trapping pollution by up to 80 percent over the next 50 years. Democratic leaders in Congress have even committed to a cap-and-trade program that promises to find emission cuts across the U.S. economy with the lowest costs to consumers and industry.

But key players are split on a critical question behind cap-and-trade: how to distribute credits worth tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars to the carbon dioxide-belching industries faced with a mandatory new U.S. carbon market.

“This is the big enchilada,” said Ned Helme, director of the Washington-based Center for Clean Air Policy. “This is where the winners and losers are decided.”…

By K.C. Jones, Information Week

As Free Press and others push their new “Free the iPhone” campaign, policy-makers and regulators are weighing in on open access in the mobile technology arena, and all sides appear to be gearing up for battle….

In addition to requiring that mobile devices work with any carrier, the group wants to ensure that consumers can access any content or services through their devices and to require competition among providers….

The FCC’s plans to auction off wireless spectrum also have drawn recent attention to wireless interoperability and openness….

Free Press, some other public interest groups, and even a few technology companies have criticized [FCC Chairman Kevin] Martin’s proposal, which opens access to a portion of the spectrum. Critics say it does not open the network to wholesale competition.

“What Chairman Martin is proposing isn’t true open access, and it won’t create the broadband competition we need,” S. Derek Turner, research director at Free Press, said in a prepared statement. “Martin’s plan to unlock devices still leaves us with the same few companies that are trying to undercut competition, and whose broken promises on broadband deployment and innovation have left us with a slow, expensive network and a vast digital divide.”

16. “AIDS Walk San Francisco Raises Record-Setting $4.5 Million” (SFAF, July 15, 2007); story citing MARK CLOUTIER (MPP/MPH 1993); http://www.sfaf.org/aboutsfaf/releases/aids_walk_07.html

Photo by Donna Aceto

San Francisco -- The 21st annual AIDS Walk San Francisco on Sunday July 15th was the largest and most successful single-day AIDS fundraiser ever held in California. AIDS Walk Founder and Producer Craig R. Miller announced this afternoon that “more than 25,000 walkers helped to raise a grand total of $4,503,716.”…

“The phenomenal success of AIDS Walk sends a clear message that San Franciscans are committed to eradicating HIV in the Bay Area and around the world,” said Mark Cloutier, Executive Director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. “AIDS Walk inspires us to devise innovative ways to break the cycle of new infections, and provides much-needed resources to face the challenges of another year fighting HIV and AIDS.”…

17. “‘Cool Clear Water’ in California,” (CBS5 TV Sunday Morning News, July 15, 2007); features commentary by IAN HART (MPP 2005); http://cbs5.com/environment

Cool Clear Water (SAN FRANCISCO) More than one billion people lack adequate access to clean water and sanitation. In California, water management is under constant scrutiny as drought, climate change, pollution, and conflicting interests threaten our existing resources. “Water is politics,” said Ian Hart, of the Pacific Institute.

Hart spoke on the need to begin aggressive water conservation measures. However, whether Californians would face mandatory rationing soon would depend on whether the next year will bring a second consecutive year of drought….

With local and global water concerns in mind, the Commonwealth Club of California and the Pacific Institute are proud to present “Cool Clear Water,” a series of special lectures this August (some free and all open to the public).

The series, underwritten by The Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, will address critical water issues—from protection of the environment and the health of the San Francisco bay, rivers and ocean, to the impact of global warming on water resources, to use of water for irrigation and industry, to conservation of water for household use….

For more information on individual programs and to reserve tickets, go to www.commonwealthclub.org/water

By Allan Brettman and Laura Oppenheimer; The Oregonian

VANCOUVER -- Newcomers continue pouring into Clark County partly for a traditional suburban lifestyle that’s hard to find on the Oregon side of the river. And they’re creating a growing cultural and economic force for Portland to reckon with.

The impact of the 10,000 or so people a year who arrive in the metro area’s fastest-growing county spans the two bridges that separate Portland and Clark County….

Clark County’s population gains have outpaced job growth. Private-sector employment increased about 4.5 percent from 2000 to 2004, the U.S. Census Bureau reports. During the same period, the population grew 11 percent.

The result can be seen on I-5 at rush hour, when many of the 60,000 or so commuters heading to and from Oregon every weekday sit in stop-and-go traffic. A new Columbia River crossing could cost $6 billion, according to the latest estimates from a work group representing both states.

Joe Cortright, a Portland economist, wonders whether Oregonians want to share the cost of a bridge that helps people commute from Clark County.

“At some point, fewer people will choose to live there if there aren’t jobs,” he says, “and commuting continues to be a problem.”

Shops, restaurants and other services will expand to keep up with residential growth, Cortright says. But to have a healthy economy Clark County needs a broader array of jobs….

By Bari Brenner, TRAVEL EDITOR

… Seacology is a Berkeley-based nonprofit organization concerned about the preservation of the world’s island environments and their cultures. As we are in the middle of the major vacation season and many people are visiting islands—from Hawaii to Tahiti to the Galapagos—for fun in the sun, the organization has issued some tips to help save the planet’s oceans and islands.

“Be they Caribbean jewels, exotic dots in the South Pacific, or obscure landmasses far out at sea, islands are among the world’s most fragile environments,” Seacology says…. “Over the past 400 years, more than 50 percent of all plant and animal extinctions—including an astonishing 90 percent of all bird species extinctions—have occurred on islands. Indeed, no less than 72 percent of all plant and animal extinctions recorded in the U.S. have occurred in Hawaii, whose islands taken together account for less than two-tenths of one percent of our nation’s land area.”

Seacology says that since 1999, it has launched “more than 130 island-based projects around the world,” and has saved “1,741,062 acres of marine ecosystems and 98,507 acres of precious terrestrial habitat. Seacology projects provide tangible benefits to island populations, such as elementary schools or fresh-water delivery systems for villages, in exchange for the establishment of marine or forest reserves.”

Naturally, the organization welcomes donations (visit http://www.seacology.org /or call 510-559-3505), but it also is adamant about vacationers being kind and considerate to the planet while enjoying it….

By Justin Pope, Associated Press Education Writer

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- For most of history, higher education has been reserved for a tiny elite.

For a glimpse of a future where college is open to all, visit California—the place that now comes closest to that ideal.

California’s community college system is the country’s largest, with 109 campuses, 4,600 buildings and a staggering 2.5 million students. It’s also cheap. While it’s no longer free, anyone can take a class, and at about $500 per term full-time, the price is a fraction of any other state’s….

But if California is a model in one way, it’s struggling in another.

The state ranks near the top in terms of getting students in the door of higher education. But its batting average moving them out—either with a degree or by transferring to a four-year school—ranks near the bottom.

“In 1960 or 1970 or 1980, access was enough,” said Nancy Shulock, of the Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy at Cal State Sacramento. “But it’s not enough now.”

Of course, not everyone at community college is looking for a degree, so measuring success is tough. But several recent studies, including one by Shulock, have tried to identify students who are seeking such benchmarks as a certificate, associate’s degree, or a transfer to a four-year school. Those studies have found that only about a quarter of such students in California succeed within six years. For blacks and Hispanics, the rates are even lower.

Boosting completion and transfer rates is high on the agenda of California policymakers. But opinions vary considerably as to why they’re so low to begin with—and what lessons others might draw from the state’s experience.

Some believe the system’s basic financial model of charging students as little as possible is actually part of the problem, and needs reform. The debate comes down to this: Do you help students more by charging them less, or by raising fees and using the money to give students more support, helping them move quickly and successfully through the system? …

But community colleges now are asked to do much more than broaden the path to a bachelor’s degree, from job retraining to remedial high school work. Systemwide, as many as 80 percent of incoming students aren’t prepared for college-level courses….

Lack of preparation isn’t the only reason students come up short. They also have to work—a lot—outside out class….

California has a high cost of living, and half of independent students in the system earn $29,000 per year or less. Four in five students work, on average for 32 hours per week, according to education policy expert William Zumeta of the University of Washington. That’s about twice as much as students can typically handle before their academic work suffers, other research has found.

California community college students, Zumeta says, “work ridiculous amounts for students who are at such risk of not completing.”…

To many, student work demands are an obvious argument for keeping fees low….

But the system’s own research shows that it is budget cuts, which reduce course offerings, rather than fee increases, that most affect enrollment.

And Zumeta and Shulock argue California’s fees are, in fact, too low. Low prices let people in, but give them little incentive to push hard, and deprive the system of revenue to support a new generation of students with intense educational needs.

Low revenue creates a constant money crunch for counselors, small classes, tutors, child care—all the things that student fees support, and which help students finish their degree….

The costs are so low that some students sign up for classes because the gym privileges are cheaper than health clubs, Shulock says. Zumeta says low fees have become a misguided “obsession.” Considering books, transportation and other expenses, class fees are only about 5 percent of what it costs students to attend community colleges here. The focus should be on helping students with that other 95 percent of expenses, so they can work less.

Low prices have actually reduced the federal aid eligibility for some students….

And Zumeta argues that, at least until recently, there hasn’t been enough money for financial aid counselors to help students get the money they are entitled to, which may explain why California community college students appear to leave millions of aid dollars on the table. Despite their relative poverty, California students get less in Pell Grants and end up with more unmet overall financial need than their counterparts elsewhere.

While Zumeta and others support continuing and expanding waivers for the poorest students, they note that nearly 200,000 other students have incomes of $100,000 or more, or come from families who do.

“There are an awful lot of students in the California community college system who frankly could afford to pay more,” Zumeta said….

[This story also appeared in the <a href=“http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/16/america/NA-FEA-GEN-US-Megauniversity-California.php“>International Herald Tribune</a>, <a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-07-14-california-colleges_N.htm?csp=34“>USA Today</a>, <a href=“http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2007/07/14/state/n094418D07.DTL&type=printable“>San Francisco Chronicle</a>, <a href=“http://www.contracostatimes.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?articleId=6381654&siteId=571“>Contra Costa Times</a>, <a href=“http://www.mercurynews.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?articleId=6382481&siteId=568“>San Jose Mercury News</a>, and <a href=“http://www.insidebayarea.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?articleId=6381363&siteId=181“>Oakland Tribune</a>]

By Doug Oakley, MediaNews Staff

Children’s Hospital Oakland wants to tax Alameda County residents $300million over 30 years to build a new facility but won’t guarantee in writing it will stay in the area to break ground in three years.

That’s just one of the major issues raised by county supervisors who wondered out loud at their meeting Tuesday why the hospital started circulating ballot petitions at local grocery stores without consulting them first. The hospital hopes to place a measure on the February 2008 ballot….

Among other things, the county supervisors questioned whether it’s right for a private institution like the hospital to receive public tax dollars and whether it is possible for the county to maintain its good credit if it borrows $300 million for Children’s Hospital when it also must borrow $600 million to rebuild its own Highland Hospital under the same seismic law….

… County Counsel Richard Winnie said he usually does not get involved in petitions for ballot measures except to write a title for them, but in this case he has.

“I thought, ‘Let’s give them a heads-up and see if they are thinking this through,’ “ Winnie said. “We posed a number of questions, and if it causes them to reconsider, they can do it earlier rather than later.”

Winnie said he could understand if the petition had been written for a small nonprofit group with volunteer lawyers, but “that’s different from this case, where they had professional attorneys drafting it. And I’m expecting a professional answer.”…

By Edwin Garcia - MediaNews Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO -- Prison officials in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s administration acknowledged Thursday that some parole violators are no longer being sent back to prison, part of a philosophical shift that will reduce overcrowding in the state’s prisons.

The state’s parole chief insisted that those being given a second chance are not violent offenders, but the shift in policy—which was never publicly announced—rankled some tough-on-crime advocates and conservative lawmakers….

Studies have shown that about seven in 10 inmates released from California prisons will return to the system within two years—the highest recidivism rate of any state. Parolees most likely to receive second chances, [Thomas Hoffman, head of the prison system’s adult parole division,] said, are those who break rules known as technical violations, such as failing to attend a class for men found guilty of domestic violence, or skipping a routine meeting with a parole officer….

Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, R-Orange, a former prosecutor who leads a prison construction committee, said the effect on the public’s safety could not be judged until further analysis of the type of violations that are keeping parolees from prison.

“As long as it’s truly technical, I’m not going to flip out about it,” Spitzer said. “But if they’re using the term ‘technical violation’ to encompass all parole violations, including violations of the law, I’m going to have a real problem with that.”…

23. “Mill Creek Park rally held to support comprehensive sex education” (Kansas City Star (MO), July 13, 2007); story citing TRACI GLEASON (MPP 2000).

About 45 people rallied Thursday evening against a new Missouri law allowing schools to offer abstinence-only sex education programs.

The protesters held signs bearing statements such as “Blunt Trauma,” referring to the fact that Gov. Matt Blunt signed the measure, and “Prevention First Equals Healthy Families.”

The rally in Mill Creek Park was put on by supporters of Planned Parenthood. The new law bans abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood from providing sex-education material to schools.

The rally was intended to “show Missouri’s support for comprehensive sex education,” said Traci Gleason, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.

24. A light in Caltrans’ dark corners. A bill to require the agency to account for its property holdings is a first step toward reform” (Orange County Register, July 13, 2007); editorial citing TODD SPITZER (MPP/JD 1989); http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/caltrans-reform-properties-1763256-ab-land

Caltrans has been in the headlines recently for trying to sell the land where a day-labor site in Laguna Beach has operated for a decade and a half. Taxpayers might wonder how land slated “to facilitate the state highway” ended up instead facilitating English instruction and the finding of jobs. Until last year, Caltrans was equally in the dark; although it has owned the parcel since the 1950s, it had forgotten the land existed….

Caltrans bulldozed homes and businesses, leaving blight, not highways, in their place. Caltrans was exempt from property taxes, and its more than 12,000 acres of unused land added up to a statewide tax loss estimated at a total of $297 million, according to a Register study. Caltrans sold property at auctions without notifying the original owners. Those properties it retained weren’t properly catalogued or maintained, prompting tenant complaints of mold, rats and leaks….

Out of these revelations came promises of reform and legislation. Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, R-Orange, last November led an emotional hearing where tenants aired grievances, and later helped craft legislation like AB957. The bill is about transparency, not radical reform. It will force Caltrans to disclose information on previously exempt properties – excess lands and properties acquired for airspace and highways….

Government action, of course, can do only so much. “We can’t legislate against mismanagement,” Mr. Spitzer told us. “At some point Caltrans has got to find some accountability.” …

The Register series shined light on some questionable practices. More transparency—and perhaps real reform—is what AB957 is about. “Obviously, in the past, they wanted to operate in darkness,” said Mr. Spitzer. By signing AB957, the governor has rightly put Caltrans’ practices back in the light….

25. “A tamed US deficit, but can it last?” (Christian Science Monitor, July 13, 2007); story citing STAN COLLENDER (MPP 1976); http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0713/p01s03-usec.html

By Peter Grier, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

(Photograph)

Budget: President Bush predicted on July 11 that strong tax receipts would cause the US budget deficit to shrink to $205 billion.

Jason Reed/Reuters

After years of unrelenting deficits, Washington may be experiencing a break in its fiscal weather. Strong tax revenues mean that the 2007 shortfall between US income and spending will be the smallest it has been since 2002, according to new White House estimates.

But these rays of progress may be fleeting, say some experts. Revenue growth is already slowing, and defense spending and huge entitlement programs such as Medicare continue to expand at a rapid clip….

First, the good news. According to the Office of Management and Budget’s annual mid-session review, the federal budget deficit is now predicted to come in at $205 billion for the fiscal year that ends this October.

That’s $43 billion lower than last year’s deficit and about half the recent peak of $413 billion, hit in 2004. In fact, it’s $15 billion lower than OMB predictions of only five months ago….

Now, the bad news. The OMB mid-session review also predicts that the deficit will tick back up in fiscal 2008 to $258 billion.

The administration’s long-term forecasts still show the budget reaching surplus in 2012. But that estimate assumes there will be no unexpected expenses for combat in Iraq or Afghanistan, note critics of the administration’s budget policies.

Plus, when Bush took office, the federal budget was in the black. The plunge in red ink, due largely to his tax cuts and post-September 11 defense spending increases, occurred on his watch.

“You can’t give them credit for reducing the deficit unless you also blame them for creating it,” says Stan Collender, managing director at Qorvis Communications and a veteran Washington budget expert.

And just stemming the flow of red ink isn’t enough, according to Mr. Collender. The US may be like a family that’s run up too many charges on its credit cards. Even if it stops buying, there is still a large accumulated debt to be paid off.

Since the beginning of the Bush administration US deficits have added $2.6 trillion to the total national debt, which now stands at over $8.2 trillion.

Collender says he is very concerned about the burden of the interest on this debt. “It’s the most uncontrollable part of the budget,” he says….

“Virtually all budget analysts, including those in the administration, agree that current tax and spending policies are not sustainable in the long run,” says an analysis of the mid-session review by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities….

By Andy Furillo - Bee Capitol Bureau

Robert Sillen, a federal overseer of prison medical care, wants to replace a facility that now lacks even a working sink.

A funding flap over a project favored by federal receiver Robert Sillen appears to have been resolved with a proposal to pay for it with a portion of the bond money already approved for new prison hospital beds.

Sillen, the court-appointed overseer of California’s prison medical care system, had favored a separate bill to finance his project, a new $146 million medical center at San Quentin Prison. Assembly Republicans balked, however, prompting Democrats to come up with a plan to take the money from the recently enacted Assembly Bill 900, which authorized $7.9 billion in prison and jail construction money….

Republican Assemblyman Todd Spitzer of Orange said GOP members in his house blocked SB 943 because they thought it was an “intolerable” and “unconscionable” abrogation of their legislative authority. He said Republicans support the San Quentin project and will have no problem funding it with AB 900 money.

“There’s some accountability in AB 900 for how the money is spent,” Spitzer said. “In SB 943, (Sillen) would have carte blanche about how he spends that money. He’s made it clear, he doesn’t want anybody in the Legislature telling him how to spend the money. He’s a one-man show with a one-man agenda.”…

By Timm Herdt

SACRAMENTO -- As healthcare reform moved another step forward Wednesday in the Legislature, two new studies were released with findings that bolster the case for action.

At a news conference in Los Angeles attended by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Studies released new research that shows a continuing downward slide in the number of Californians who have employer-provided health insurance.

The center’s findings show the percentage of California adults under 65 with job-based insurance dropped from 56.4 percent in 2001 to 54.3 percent in 2005. The drop translates into a loss of coverage for 678,000 people….

At the same time, researchers at UC Berkeley’s Labor Center released a report [coauthored by Lucas Ronconi] that says enactment of a law to require employers to either provide insurance or pay a fee to the state would have negligible effect on the state’s economy.

The report says the mandate would result in no net job losses and that in a matter of two to three years the increased costs to California businesses would be at most one-tenth of 1 percent of operating costs.

“It is possible to substantially increase health coverage in California without negatively impacting employment,” said Ken Jacobs, chairman of the center. “In fact, expanding health coverage can have a positive impact on the California economy.”

The study found that initial costs would be offset by future decreases in insurance premiums paid by employers who now provide insurance to workers and by the infusion of billions of dollars in federal funds the proposed reforms would allow the state to access.

Jacobs said the economic impact would be equivalent to that of a 30- to 50-cent increase in the minimum wage; increases the state economy has absorbed in the past without appreciable negative consequences.

The Labor Center study contrasts sharply with a report issued Tuesday by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, which found the reform proposals under consideration would result in a net loss of 249,000 jobs from the state.

The new studies were released on the same day that the Senate Health Committee gave its approval to the healthcare reform bill proposed by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, D-Los Angeles, and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland….

By Barbara Feder Ostrov and Steven Harmon - MediaNews Staff

SACRAMENTO -- A leading Democratic health reform proposal cleared its first hurdle Wednesday as two new influential studies fueled an intensifying debate over extending health insurance to all Californians….

Businesses, meanwhile, appeared unanimous—and in unison with Republicans—in opposing the bill, saying it would kill jobs and wreak havoc on the economy….

“This would double what we pay for medical insurance,” said Jeannine Montoya, who owns two heating and air conditioning companies. “That will kill the entrepreneurial spirit we have in this state.”

A new University of California-Berkeley study [coauthored by Lucas Ronconi] challenged that assumption….

AB 8 would require employers to pay 7.5 percent of payroll toward health insurance but would not require residents to purchase health insurance or insurers to provide coverage regardless of health status.

In contrast, Schwarzenegger’s more ambitious proposal … would require employers to spend about 4 percent of payroll on health insurance for workers. Insurers would be forced to cover all Californians regardless of their health, and citizens would be required to purchase basic health insurance….

After reviewing the projected economic impact of the governor’s proposal and AB 8, UC Berkeley researchers concluded that neither plan will cause the job losses in California that business lobbyists have predicted.

Most firms will see little if any change in their operating costs after an adjustment period, researchers predict.

The governor’s proposal would, in the short term, raise business’ operating costs about one-tenth of a percent, while the Democratic proposal would raise those costs by about six-tenths of a percent, the researchers said.

Both plans would improve worker productivity as healthier, insured employees take fewer sick days, the researchers concluded.

“This should allay concerns that either of the plans will have any negative impacts on the economy,” said lead researcher Ken Jacobs, chairman of UC Berkeley’s Center for Labor Research and Education….

The UC-Berkeley report on the business impact of health reform proposals is at http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/healthcare

[This story also appeared in the <a href=“http://www.mercurynews.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?articleId=6353252&siteId=568“>San Jose Mercury News</a> and <a href=“http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_6350575“>Oakland Tribune</a>. Others appeared in the <a href=“http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/jul/12/health-insurance-reforms-bolstered/?printer=1/“>Ventura County Star</a> and <a href=“http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/07/12/BAG61QV49L1.DTL&type=printable“>San Francisco Chronicle</a>]

By Heather Haddon, Herald News

… A sense of pessimism permeates the local towing industry these days. Insurance premiums, truck costs and gas prices have skyrocketed in the past decade, towers say, while reimbursement rates from municipalities have not always kept up. And now, owners further worry about price regulations proposed by a state bill [authored by Assemblyman Robert Gordon] nearing passage….

Still, some towers attribute the recent increase in predatory towing to the ailing health of the industry. In the last years, officials have received more complaints about towers charging motorists hundreds of dollars to reclaim their vehicles after they parked in a private lot. In one incident, a Hawthorne company demanded $3,000 for a car seized in Elmwood Park….

In the fall, Assemblyman Robert Gordon, D-Fair Lawn, sponsored a bill to index towing costs to county averages. The bill sailed through committee, and passed both the Assembly and Senate last month. Gordon said he expects Gov. Corzine to sign the legislation in the fall.

Residents have responded to the bill like none other, Gordon said.

“People have come up to me in line at the post office and thanked me for this,” he said….

30. “Net neutrality takes two knocks” (Telephony Magazine, July 9, 2007); story citing DEREK TURNER (MPP 2006); http://telephonyonline.com/mag/telecom_net_neutrality_takes/index.html

By Carol Wilson

The push to get Net neutrality legislation through a Democratic Congress is not going anywhere this year, industry experts agree. According to a recent Federal Trade Commission report and an IDC study, such legislation poses more dangers than benefits. But whether those arguments indicate mounting opinion against government rules to prohibit tiered services remains a matter of debate.

The IDC study predicts a “more muted” version of Net neutrality legislation, which would protect consumer choice and freedom but leave service providers the option of offering premium services with higher quality of service (QOS).

Even proponents of Net neutrality legislation such as Derek Turner, research director of Free Press and an organizer of the Save The Internet coalition, admit it stands virtually no chance this year.

“The only real likelihood of telecom reform is some kind of broadband data bill to help more accurately collect data,” Turner said, referring to a measure introduced by U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and a draft proposal by U.S. Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) “That seems to have more bipartisan support. Of course, it’s hard for people to say more data is a bad thing.”…

The FTC report, issued in late June, was prepared by an Internet access task force, which found no evidence of “market failure or demonstrated consumer harm,” said Deborah Platt Majoras, chairman of the FTC, in a press release. In fact, she said, the market is moving toward more competition, not less, warning that any regulation at this point would have “potentially adverse and unintended effects of regulation in the area of broadband Internet access.”

Turner dismisses the FTC findings, however, saying the agency did no original research and based its conclusions primarily on what was said at a fall meeting mostly attended by industry representatives, not consumer groups.

“There is not a lot of ‘there’ there,” Turner said. “Considering this agency is supposed to be the best expert on the issue of fair trade and competition, it is really surprising there is not one single iota of original research done. The FTC even admits at the beginning of the report that they did not conduct empirical research. They say there is competition in broadband access. We would strongly disagree; it is, at best, a duopoly.”

Turner also dismisses any impact of the FTC recommendations on what Congress does.

“It certainly got a lot of press in the first week,” he said. “But the issue is whether or not it will influence anyone in Congress and I think the answer is no.”

The IDC study, “U.S. Consumer Internet Traffic 2007-2011 Forecast: The Impact of Net Neutrality on Service Provider Infrastructure Investment,” concludes that many of the largest Net neutrality proponents—including Google, Yahoo! and others—would be smart to try to partner with network operators rather than advocate legislative action that would restrict what they can do.

More than likely, the IDC study concludes, federal rules that would limit the ability of telecom, cable and other Internet backbone and access providers to provide tiered services—which allow them to charge more for higher QOS—would discourage investment and thus limit what would be available….

Net Neutrality proponent Turner dismisses both of IDC’s premises.

“They are asserting that the big industry proponents of Net neutrality are going to decide to roll over and support what they have been opposing all along,” he said. “I think that is a little weird. Google is in the position to benefit the most from discrimination on the Internet, and they always have been. But they believe in keeping the Internet open so innovative companies can develop, and they plan on acquiring innovative companies and start-ups that would benefit from an open Internet, like YouTube, which wouldn’t exist if the Internet services become discriminatory.”

As for legislation that impacts investment, Turner said, it is only regulatory uncertainty that causes the problem.

“We believe that competition is what drives network investment in infrastructure, not deregulation,” he said. “Regulatory uncertainty may have a negative impact—where you have capital essentially on strike. But once the rule is made, I think you’ll see tons of network investment because consumers are demanding these services. AT&T and Verizon want to get into HD video, so they will invest to compete.”…

By Sheryl Jean- Pioneer Press

Airlines are the latest corporate giants to paint themselves “green” as they try to remake their image as jet-fuel guzzlers that pollute the air and contribute to global warming.

Delta Air Lines and Air Canada recently launched programs to let customers pay a premium to offset the environmental impact of their flight by investing in projects, such as wind farms and tree plantings, that replenish the environment. Continental Airlines plans to do the same later this summer. Northwest Airlines is looking into the concept.

Travelers who opt for the program typically will pay less than $30 per flight for a clean conscience.

The airline industry appears to be taking emissions reduction seriously. The United States and the European Union recently agreed to improve the flow of air traffic and test new environmental measures. In addition to so-called carbon offset programs, airlines are taking many other steps to save fuel, cut emissions and increase their recycling.

“It’s fairly innovative what they’re doing,” said Derik Broekhoff, a senior associate at World Resources Institute, a Washington-based environmental think tank. “By total emissions, airlines probably aren’t that bad. If you look at it per person, the emissions you cause when you fly on an airplane are a lot higher than many other activities you engage in. If you fly a lot, it is a big deal.”…

The theory behind carbon offsetting is that people can counterbalance the environmental effects of their actions with sustainable energy projects, such as tree planting, which helps absorb carbon dioxide and restore wildlife habitat.

Voluntary U.S. programs created about $100 million in offset transactions last year, according to the World Resources Institute….

The main concerns with voluntary carbon-offset programs are that there are no accounting and auditing standards, environmental and transportation experts say. They can use different calculation methods, different project criteria and different auditing standards….

Broekhoff of the World Resources Institute raised these questions: “Who’s checking whether the reductions actually happen? How do they calculate the emissions and what are they using to offset the emissions? How much money is going to the projects?”…

32. “Global warming threatens alternative-oil projects” (Christian Science Monitor, July 6, 2007); story citing ROLAND HWANG (MPP 1992); http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0706/p03s01-wogi.html

By Daniel B. Wood - Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

(Photograph)

OIL SANDS: The Syncrude mine and others in Alberta are booming, but they create far more greenhouse gases than traditional oil fields. Photo: Fred Langan

Oil-sand, oil-shale, and coal-to-oil projects—alternative fuel sources that could enhance US energy security—have always faced one hurdle. They look good only when oil prices are high. Now, they have another challenge: global warming.

California has enacted new climate-change policies that make energy companies responsible for the carbon emissions not just of their refineries but all phases of oil production, including extraction and transportation. If that notion catches on—at least two Canadian provinces have already signed on to California’s plan—then the futures of oil-sand, shale, and coal-to-oil projects may look less attractive.

The reason: Extracting these alternative sources of oil requires so much energy that their “carbon footprint” may outweigh their benefits.

The issue has gained fresh currency because of the new state legislation and predictions that Congress will call for mandatory carbon controls in the next two years.

“As the US and the world move toward more controls on carbon to solve the problem of global warming, it is clear that the development of high-polluting fuels will incur a penalty and the support of and investment in such fuels will be a more and more risky business,” says Roland Hwang, a senior policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)….

Proposals to get oil from shale rock or even coal face similar greenhouse-gas hurdles, environmental groups say. According to a just-released report by the NRDC and Western Resources Advocates (WRA)—a group active in the oil-shale issue in the American West—”tar sands, oil shale, and liquid coal all result in higher global-warming pollution emissions” with liquid coal posing “disastrous consequences” because its production creates twice as much global-warming emissions as ordinary gasoline….

33. “Obama’s Tightrope” (Washington Post, July 6, 2007); op-ed by AMINA LUQMAN (MPP 2001); http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/05/AR2007070501828.html

By Amina Luqman

Barack Obama at last week’s debate at Howard University. By Alex Wong -Getty Images

The world felt topsy-turvy as I watched the presidential debate held at Howard University last week. Up seemed down and everything was out of sync as the front-runners for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, spoke. In this debate, as in others, we watched Obama remake the traditional persona of the black candidate and someone else take what might have been his place.

From the outset, it was clear that Barack Obama wasn’t going to be Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton. For every rhythmic alliteration Jackson would have offered, Obama gave us pauses and sentences in paragraphs. Instead of Sharpton’s quick wit and scathing candor, Obama offered even tones and grave calm. There was no push toward applause-filled endings. He begged for contemplation and understanding. Simple became complex, demands became propositions and “they” became “we.”

The average black American onlooker can’t help feeling proud but also just a little hurt watching Obama. Proud of his ability to traverse minefields on a national political landscape and hurt by what America demands of black candidates seeking public acceptance and trust. During the debate, black Americans in the audience sat, hands poised, yearning to applaud a black candidate able to articulate our passions and sense of injustice. We wanted to hear that he understood and loved us—not in the general, “we the people” sense but in the specific. Yet we know that with each utterance about injustice, each puff of anger or frustration about racism, we lose the very thing we seek: a viable black candidate. The closer Obama comes to us, the further he would be from winning the nomination and the presidency.

That is a reality of race and national politics in America. Part of Obama’s appeal to white America lies in his hopeful optimism. It’s in the way he looks toward a brighter future, and it’s in his promise to bring us all along….

… It’s in his ability to declare that things must get better without saying who or what has made them bad. It’s how he rarely chastises and how he divides blame and responsibility evenly; white receiving equal parts with black, poor equal parts with rich. The “we” Obama has created leaves blank the space traditional African American candidates would have filled with passion or a clear articulation of the state of black Americans—it’s left some black voters unfulfilled and some white voters with a sense of acceptance and absolution from past wrongs and present-day injustices.

We are all watching Obama’s tightrope walk, his attempts to appeal to the white majority while maintaining some semblance of integrity regarding the plight of black Americans…

We laugh at the question of Obama’s blackness because we live with a version of Obama’s tightrope dance every day. We do the same dance in our workplaces, with our supervisors, our neighbors and our college classmates. In that way we know Obama couldn’t be more like us, he couldn’t be more black….

Amina Luqman is a freelance writer. Her e-mail address is amina.luqman@yahoo.com.

[Amina Luqman’s essay was widely reprinted in many national newspapers and quoted in Clarence Page’s own nationally syndicated column.]

34. “Equality slow to come for female coaches” (Fresno Bee, July 5, 2007); story by GARANCE BURKE (MPP 2005); http://www.fresnobee.com/552/story/78257.html

By GARANCE BURKE - The Associated Press

Former Fresno State volleyball coach Lindy Vivas. Associated Press

In 2002, Lindy Vivas coached the Fresno State women’s volleyball team to the most successful season in its history. Two years later, she was fired.

University officials say Vivas failed to meet performance goals or attract enough fans to matches. But her lawyer says she was replaced by a man because she raised her voice to support women athletes in the macho world of Division I college sports and was mocked for it by male colleagues at office parties, staff meetings and on the court.

“When I got there, the department seemed really good and seemed to support all the women’s sports,” Vivas said during a break from her discrimination trial at Fresno County Superior Court. “But the message that was sent to me later was either sit down and shut up, or something will to happen to you.”

Advocates for women in sports say Vivas, whose $4.1 million lawsuit could go to a jury as soon as this week, is emblematic of a system that has helped female athletes but failed female coaches….

Thirty-five years after Congress passed Title IX, the landmark federal law requiring gender equity in scholastic athletics, the percentage of women’s teams coached by women is at its lowest point ever.

More men also are coaching women’s teams than at any other time in history, and the average salaries for coaches of women’s teams still trail those of coaches for men’s teams, according to an Associated Press review of statistics provided by the NCAA and other groups.

“Title IX opened so many more opportunities for women athletes, but it also made positions coaching women’s teams much more attractive to men,” said Deborah Rhode, a Stanford University law professor. “Often women are facing barriers to getting those jobs that weren’t there when they were competing with other women and running those programs.”…

By Carl T. Hall; Chronicle Staff Writer

Even before the flames had died out, public agencies in the volatile Lake Tahoe Basin began reviewing forest management strategies widely blamed for contributing to the devastating wildfire.

Complaints have focused on the alleged difficulty getting the permits needed to clear property overgrown with trees and brush. People also are demanding more vigorous efforts to clear fire hazards from government land.

Officials at the powerful Tahoe Regional Planning Agency promised a top-to-bottom review of its rules and procedures to make sure that nothing stood in the way of residents wanting to eliminate fire hazards on their property….

Some of the rules singled out by property owners are illusory: pine needles, for instance, can be removed anytime, so long as erosion-prone bare ground isn’t left exposed. Dead or downed trees can be taken out without a permit along with any living trees less than 6 inches in diameter….

[Julie Regan, the planning agency’s communications chief] admitted the planning agency has a reputation for being heavy-handed, but said procedures have been simplified greatly in recent years….

Patrick Wright, executive director of the California Tahoe Conservancy, a state agency charged with helping protect Tahoe Basin, said the reality is that red tape has little to do with the problem.

“The regulatory requirements aren’t the problem,” he said. “The lack of progress on defensible space is not because of any regulatory hurdles. Not everybody does it, but that’s because of lack of awareness, and lack of funding.”…

By Katherine Leal Unmuth; Staff Writer

Texas school districts are bracing for the “four-by-four.”

That’s education-speak for the new state requirements for four years of math and science to graduate from high school—beginning with this fall’s freshmen.

Many districts already struggle with a shortage of qualified math and science teachers. This latest move means competition is likely to intensify over the next few years as districts expand their staffs to meet the change in the law….

Having qualified staff is key, because students have much higher failure rates on the TAKS exit exams in math and science than in English and social studies.

At the national level, the discussion about America lagging behind other countries in these areas is increasing, and so is the focus on better recruitment and training of math and science teachers….

The Washington-based Business-Higher Education Forum released a report in June urging higher pay for such teachers. It points out that the country is trailing other industrialized nations in these subjects and that students do worse once they reach the secondary grades.

“We’re not producing large numbers of graduates in the math and science fields to begin with,” Deputy Director Christopher Roe said. “So if we’re expecting teachers to have that expertise in say, physics or chemistry, we’re going to need to pay those teachers more.”…

37. “Nurse gap, law school and reality” (Sacramento Bee, July 2, 2007); op-ed citing ELIZABETH HILL (MPP 1975); http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/251806.html

By Dan Walters - Bee Columnist

At last count, California had slightly more than 200,000 practicing lawyers and a slightly higher number of registered nurses.

The California Postsecondary Education Commission, in a critical report on the University of California’s plans to establish a new law school at its Irvine campus, found that the state has no shortage of qualified attorneys.

The CPEC staff declared that “the current growth in the number of Bar-certified lawyers will keep pace with or exceed legal demand between now and 2014,” and California’s “knowledge needs in the domain of legal education can be met by existing public and independent law schools.” Heeding that conclusion, the CPEC voted in March to oppose the UC Irvine law school.

Nursing is another story. Even though there’s been a significant increase in training programs in recent years, the state has an estimated 17,000 qualified nursing applicants on schools’ waiting lists.

The Legislature’s budget analyst, Elizabeth Hill, issued a report on the state’s looming shortage of nurses in May, noting that the University of California, in a study by its San Francisco medical school, forecast a demand for registered nurses in 2014 that’s 40,000 higher than the current forecast of supply, given retirement and other factors.

Demand will continue to outpace supply, at least from in-state sources, as baby-boom generation nurses retire and they and other members of that immense cohort require more nursing care.

Hill recommended several steps, including supplemental funding to expand nursing education programs and removal of artificial barriers to expansion. The issuance of her report was virtually simultaneous with another event—a vote by UC regents to authorize UC Irvine to hire a founding dean for its proposed law school at an annual salary of $233,200 to $364,300. It was the regents’ figurative thumb of the nose to CPEC and its position….

38. “In ice-cold housing market, assessment disputes heat up” (Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN), July 2, 2007); story citing STEVE HINZE (MPP 1976).

By Pat Doyle - Staff Writer

With the residential real estate market slumping, questions and challenges over 2007 tax assessments have more than doubled in Ramsey County over last year, and queries have risen significantly in Hennepin County.

When the housing market was hot, homeowners reaped the benefits of rising property values—and paid higher taxes for it. Now that the market has cooled, some homeowners are expecting a break in taxes and seeking an explanation when they don’t get it….

That phenomenon is the flip side of a state system that worked to homeowners’ advantage during boom times by limiting the growth in the value on which they are taxed.

But the same system means taxable value can still rise in a sluggish market….

A survey of Minnesota counties by the state show that, overall, residential property values grew more slowly in 2006, although a few communities saw small dips.

For the most part, “we were getting smaller increases,” said House legislative analyst Steve Hinze.

But Hinze said any softening in home market values this year won’t be realized on tax statements until 2008, if then.

Any further diminishing of values this year that is not captured in next year’s statements could become “what they may be complaining about next spring,” he said.

By Lynn Welch - The Capital Times

Madison is one fast city.

So says Fast Company magazine in its article examining worldwide centers that offer the best in economic innovation and opportunity. Madison is named a Startup Hub in the listing of Fast Cities 2007 at www.FastCompany.com/cities. …

The main reason Madison was chosen for the ranking, to be published in the magazine’s July-August issue, is research and development spending. The article reports that the University of Wisconsin-Madison spends more in research and development than Stanford, MIT or Harvard.

Madison is dubbed the “biotech bastion of the breadbasket” in the article. It says the UW employs about 50 stem cell researchers, has one of the top tech-transfer programs in the nation, and is sinking $150 million in state and private money into its Institutes of Discovery.

“That has helped seed more than 100 life sciences firms in surrounding Dane County,” according to the article….

Fast Cities were selected based on three basic criteria: a culture that nurtures creative action and game-changing enterprise, innovation, and environments where fresh thinking leads to action and attracts new talent….

The article ranks 30 cities worldwide as Fast Cities. Madison falls in the middle of the pack in overall rankings at 15….

The article is primarily based on data collected by Carnegie Mellon University Professor Kevin Stolarick…. It also used information from the CEOs for Cities’ CityVitals survey by Joseph Cortright of Portland-based Impressa Inc., sustainability data from SustainLane and other insights from the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, Calif.

40. “State’s hitting red lights on emissions law” (Sacramento Bee, July 1, 2007); story citing ROLAND HWANG (MPP 1992); http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/250682-p2.html

By Dale Kasler and Jim Downing - Bee Staff Writers

If state officials have their way, new motor vehicles sold in California will come equipped with engine accessories like variable flow turbochargers and dual cam phasers, designed to reduce global warming….

But don’t hold your breath. AB 1493, adopted in 2002 and conceived as California’s first major shot in the war on global warming, is running into friction from automakers, the White House and members of Congress. Litigation, red tape and politics are threatening to delay, weaken or kill the law altogether….

Although state officials say complying with AB 1493 won’t be hard, the world’s carmakers are up in arms.

Just as important, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has failed to act on California’s 18-month-old request for a waiver it needs to enforce AB 1493. Though the agency was recently ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court to clamp down on greenhouse gases, the EPA is free to reject the waiver request. State officials are convinced they will have to sue the EPA to get their way….

“With the highest law of the land on our side, it becomes a question of not ‘if,’ but ‘when’ “ AB 1493 will be implemented, said Roland Hwang, vehicles policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council….

By Sean P. Flynn

A new study from the University of California adds to what the Wofford College admissions department has discovered through its own studies over the past several years: A prospective student’s high school grade-point average is a much better predictor of success in college than the student’s scores on the SAT….

At the University of California, researchers Saul Geiser and Maria Veronica Santelices analyzed incoming freshmen’s GPAs and SAT scores, then looked at their grades and graduation rates over the next four years. They found high school grades were consistently the most accurate predictor of success at all of the university’s campuses, not just at the elite Berkeley campus….

“Surprisingly, the predictive weight associated with (high school GPA) increases after the freshman year, accounting for a greater proportion of variance in cumulative fourth-year (college grades) than first-year college grades,” the study states.

The study is just one in a series over the past several years that has led to colleges’ decreasing reliance on the [SAT] test, which some argue is culturally biased. While a few schools have dropped the SAT requirement for students, most use it now as just one tool among many others, such as grades, extracurricular activities and essays….

42. “Weddings don’t have to break bank” (Portsmouth Daily Times (OH) [*requires registration], June 30, 2007); story citing BETHANY ROBERTSON (MPP 2001).

--ARA content

… “For brides that don’t want to spend a lot of money but want to look radiant, there are some great cost-effective beauty products that will add a special glow and a sparkling smile for the pictures on your special day that will last a lifetime,” says Bethany Robertson, founder and president of the I Do Foundation….

… One of the most personal elements couples are adding to their weddings is a focus on giving back. Together, couples are choosing charities that have special meaning for them, and then sharing a part of their wedding day with the organization of their choice.

The trend of making donations as wedding favors to guests continues to gain popularity in 2007. It’s an easy option for couples, and guests love the highly meaningful and personal gift. And charitable favors are a wonderful way to honor those loved ones who aren’t able to be a part of the couple’s special day.

Couples also are looking to create gift registries with retailers that have a positive impact on the world. In some cases, that means couples are registering with retailers like the I Do Foundation’s partners who make a donation with every purchase. Another great way couples are giving back is by coordinating with their caterer and food rescue programs to ensure that left-over food goes to a good cause….

By Hal R. Varian

Who makes the Apple iPod? Here’s a hint: It is not Apple. The company outsources the entire manufacture of the device to a number of Asian enterprises, among them Asustek, Inventec Appliances and Foxconn.

But this list of companies isn’t a satisfactory answer either: They only do final assembly. What about the 451 parts that go into the iPod? Where are they made and by whom?

Three researchers at the University of California, Irvine—Greg Linden, Kenneth L. Kraemer and Jason Dedrick—applied some investigative cost accounting to this question, using a report from Portelligent Inc. that examined all the parts that went into the iPod.

Their study (http://pcic.merage.uci.edu/papers/2007/AppleiPod.pdf), sponsored by the Sloan Foundation, offers a fascinating illustration of the complexity of the global economy, and how difficult it is to understand that complexity by using only conventional trade statistics….

The researchers estimated that $163 of the iPod’s $299 retail value in the United States was captured by American companies and workers, breaking it down to $75 for distribution and retail costs, $80 to Apple, and $8 to various domestic component makers. Japan contributed about $26 to the value added (mostly via the Toshiba disk drive), while Korea contributed less than $1….

Chaired By: Representative John Spratt (D-SC) … Panel II: Robert D. Hormats, Vice Chairman, Goldman Sachs; Mickey Levy, Chief Economist, Bank Of America …

MR. LEVY: ... The long-standing concerns about the current account imbalances and that they would cause severe damage to the U.S. economy have not unfolded. They are overstated. And I think one of the reasons why they’re overstated is so many people in the United States think parochially, and they don’t think about what’s going on in the world.

In fact, foreign capital inflows have fueled economic growth. If you look over the last couple of decades—or through history—rising trade and current account deficits occur when the U.S. economy’s strong, when there’s stronger job creation, when there’s stronger investment.

Now, I would say that … these will not unhinge the economy as long as international trade and capital is allowed to flow freely, the U.S. dollar’s allowed to fluctuate, and the policymakers—both the monetary and the fiscal policymakers—pursue low-inflation, pro-growth economic policies….

What fiscal policymakers have to do is address what they’re capable of doing and that is address the long-run unfunded liabilities, particularly the entitlement programs. Efforts to adjust fiscal policy to reduce the current account deficit without considering how the changes in fiscal policy—that is, the tax and spending structures underlying the deficit changes or the “allocative” impacts of those on the economy—could lead to undesirable side effects, not just in the U.S. but internationally.

… But the reason why we have imbalances around the world is because countries are growing at different rates, different rates of saving, different rates of investment….

They voluntarily invest in U.S. assets. They’re—and I must note, in my position I’m able to sit down with the heads of portfolios of all the leading central banks around the world…. And what I find is they are absolutely economically rational in overweighting ownership of dollar-denominated assets; they have no intention of changing. They are attracted by the U.S.’s rule of law, historic stability, high interest rates, et cetera, et cetera….

And I just ask the following question: Do you think we’d be any less vulnerable if our U.S. debt were held by leveraged hedge funds or pension funds or all-U.S. managers? …

45. “Dead sturgeon discovered near Red Bluff dam. Partially opened gates cited in killing threatened fish” (Redding Record Searchlight (CA), June 23, 2007); story citing MARIA REA (MPP 1988).

By Dylan Darling - Record Searchlight

Green Sturgeon (Photo: Toz Soto, Karuk Tribe Fisheries Dept)

Green Sturgeon

Ten federally protected green sturgeon have turned up bloody, battered and dead near the Red Bluff diversion dam….

State and federal scientists who investigated the deaths of the long-living, large fish, say the dam could be the cause of the fish deaths. Discovered between May 18 and June 10, the dead fish range in size from 4 feet to close to 7 feet.

“We have a concern that this could be a significant portion of the spawning population,” said Maria Rea, Sacramento area supervisor for the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Green sturgeon were listed as threatened last year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service throughout the state’s waters.

Two of the massive fish were found lodged under partially opened steel gates at the dam, which forms Lake Red Bluff during the summer as it provides water to the Tehama Colusa Canal, according to a report provided by the fisheries service.

“It does appear that the gates in the Red Bluff diversion dam had been lowered to a point that they trapped the sturgeon,” Rea said….

The fish appear to have been injured trying to get under the gates, with some getting stuck, Rea said. She said all the fish suffered “pretty clear blunt force trauma” and they weren’t shot or infected with disease….

“I think everyone is concerned about this, and we want to make sure the remaining fish are safe,” Rea said.

By Tom Spears, The Ottawa Citizen

A new study of the world’s forests has felled one of Canada’s most cherished beliefs: That our vast forests fight global warming because they soak up and store “greenhouse” gases.

They don’t, says a new study by U.S., Russian, Japanese, French and British scientists. At the very least, they don’t soak up enough to matter much in the climate picture.

Forests “are not the panacea for climate change. They’re not going to save us,” says Kevin Gurney, associate director of Purdue University’s climate research centre. “For Canada, this is very important.

“We still have to look at the energy system (i.e. coal, gas and oil). It is the 800-pound gorilla in the emissions world ... and trees are not going help us escape the tough work we’re going to have to do in the energy systems.”

Mr. Gurney was present at the original 1997 Kyoto Protocol conference and at meetings since then where Canada pushed hard for permission to count our forests as tools that offset our emissions. This would mean saying we don’t have to cut back greenhouse gas emissions as much as other countries, because forests do much of the work for us.

But the science team, publishing their results today in the journal Science, found that claiming forests as an emissions-fighter won’t work. It reached this conclusion by analysing 40 years’ worth of measurements from air sampling in and above forests at locations around the world.

The basic puzzle began in the early 1990s. About 40 per cent of emissions from cars, trucks and industry gets added to the existing carbon dioxide in the air. Another 30 per cent is soaked up by oceans.

But the remaining 30 per cent—billions of tonnes a year of CO2—was disappearing, and Canada (along with some other countries) liked to think it was being absorbed by its trees.

Instead … [t]he team found that about 40 per cent of the carbon dioxide, once thought to be absorbed by northern forests, is instead taken up in the tropics.

This is stunning the scientists because huge tracts of tropical rainforests have been slashed and burned in recent years. Yet even after losing all those trees, “the trees, for reasons that are not entirely clear, are taking up carbon” on a huge scale, Mr. Gurney said….

By Peter Grier, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

(Photograph) ‘We will not be lectured on fiscal responsibility by a Republican party that has driven us into record deficits.’ –Rep. Steny Hoyer (D), House majority leader. Dennis Cook/AP/File

If you hear the click of a ballpoint pen and then a scratching noise coming from the White House this summer, it could be the sound of President Bush vetoing money bills passed by the Democratic-controlled Congress….

To the administration, the fight is about fiscal restraint. The House and Senate have added about $22 billion to the president’s fiscal 2008 discretionary spending budget, officials say. “I put Democratic leaders on notice that I will veto bills with excessive levels of spending,” said Mr. Bush in a June 16 radio address….

Democrats argue that their additions to this year’s money bills are minor. They’ve simply added back cuts in past years from such programs as Head Start, they say. In addition, if you subtract defense, discretionary spending has been fairly flat in recent years, according to a Center for Budget and Policy Priorities analysis.

Then there’s the question of who wins the veto stare-down. It’s true that 147 House Republicans pledged to stand behind Bush for fiscal solidarity, says Stan Collender, a federal budget expert at Qorvis Communications…. But a general pledge is not the same thing as voting to uphold the president’s veto of the homeland security bill.

“I find it hard to see how a president with approval ratings as low as his is going to get a lot of support for vetoing bills that are important to people,” says Mr. Collender.

With the end of his presidency in sight, Bush may be trying to reestablish a legacy as a fiscal conservative. But most members of Congress face reelection fights. “The president and congressional Republicans have very different agendas,” says Collender.

-- Anastasia Gnezditskaia

The process of deregulation is unfinished without an established price for carbon and a mechanism for trading it, abolished rate caps, mandatory demand response standards, regional transmission planning and more organized markets, claimed a diverse coalition of environmentalists, industry officials and former FERC commissioners who spoke at a June 14 industry conference. The current state of electric power markets is incomplete, and these additional policy steps are needed to promote renewable energy, curb climate change and offer complete benefits to consumers, these sources say.

Competition is preferable to its alternative and “competitive markets are the future of wind energy,” said Robert Gramlich, policy director at American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) at a June 14 panel in Washington organized by the Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA) and the COMPETE Coalition….

From the standpoint of wind and renewable energy, promoting competition should also entail promoting the expansion of RTOs, which are helpful in integrating renewable energy and reducing its costs, Gramlich said. “Wind is facing lots of frustrations outside of RTO [regional transmission organizations] markets,” Gramlich said.

Success of competition also requires enhanced regional transmission planning and cost allocation, because “transmission is still a natural monopoly,” Gramlich said. “Transmission is regulated and will remain so,” Gramlich added….

By David Latterman – Principal, Fall Line Analytics

The California Political Precinct Index (CPPI) is an ongoing project by Fall Line Analytics to better characterize detailed political voting trends in California. The CPPI is a precinct-level index which ranks each California precinct on a 0-100 political scale, with 0 representing the most ‘conservative’ precincts and 100 representing the most ‘liberal’ precincts’.

Taking the methodology from the well-known and highly-accurate San Francisco Progressive Voter Index, the CPPI is created by performing a factor analysis on the results of several ballot measures for every California precinct. These measures can be interpreted on a left-right ideological scale, which when taken together, reveal inherent voting patterns of the precinct. Because the precinct change in most California counties from year to year, for the CPPI only issues from 2004 were used in this initial index….

Perhaps the most powerful application of the CPPI is the ability to breakdown the demographic and registration characteristics of each precinct. In our report, for example, we show differences within the Latino community through various Counties in California. With over 20,000 precincts as a sample size, we can perform advanced statistical analyses on a host of demographic variables to see what makes parts of California tick politically. We can also incorporate local ballot measures and candidate races to take a deeper look at specific political geographies….

David Latterman is the Principal of Fall Line Analytics, a San Francisco-based polling and political research firm. Latterman has spent the last several years using advanced statistical techniques and GIS mapping to paint detailed political pictures of many localities throughout California and the US. He also serves as a political analyst for several Bay Area media outlets. Latterman has advanced degrees from UNC Chapel Hill and UC Berkeley in geology and public policy.

50. “More math, science teachers a must, say state, U.S. studies” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 14, 2007); story citing CARL PATTON (MPP/PhD 1976).

By Andrea Jones - Staff

Georgia is producing far fewer math and science teachers than it needs, and colleges and universities need to dramatically increase the number of students who major in those fields, system officials told the Board of Regents on Wednesday.

Out of 25,000 public college graduates in 2006, just three became high school physics teachers and nine became chemistry teachers, a study showed. Two hundred graduates went on to teach middle school science and 276 to teach middle school math.

By 2010, Georgia will need more than 4,500 middle and high school math and science teachers. In 2006, the most recent statistics available, the University System produced just 678 in those fields.

Georgia State University President Carl Patton, who chaired a committee aimed at bumping up the number of teachers and graduates, said just 8 percent of Georgia public college students are currently majoring in engineering, technology and the natural sciences, compared with more than 30 percent in India and China. Many students drop their majors after doing poorly in introductory courses, he said.

“Frankly, we are not competitive because so few of our students are majoring in these fields,” he said….

By Cecilia M. Vega; Chronicle Staff Writer

The San Francisco mayor’s election is now barely six months away and the less than intimidating field of candidates lining up to unseat Gavin Newsom includes a professional clown, a taxicab driver, an East Bay resident and a homeless man who calls himself “a champion of Jesus Christ.”

On Tuesday, a whistle-blower who went public last year with his allegations of mismanagement in Kaiser Permanente’s kidney-transplant unit also filed papers with the city Department of Elections declaring his intention to run, bringing the number of official challengers to 13.

It all has City Hall observers wondering whether there will be a real contest to be decided on Nov. 6.

“Whether there’s going to be a horse race in November completely depends on whether any serious candidate decides to run against Newsom,” said political analyst David Latterman….

… On the other hand, those people rumored to be considering a run include such politicos as former Supervisor Matt Gonzalez, who narrowly lost to Newsom in the 2003 mayor’s race, City Attorney Dennis Herrera and Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi.

Former Supervisor Tony Hall, who held the top job at Treasure Island until he was fired by a Newsom-controlled governing board, is considering jumping in and he sounded very candidate-like when asked Tuesday why he would want to be mayor.

Latterman said bigger-name challengers appear hesitant to take on Newsom’s popularity, even though they could qualify for as much as $850,000 in public financing for their campaigns under the city’s election laws.

“I think it’s going to be very hard to beat him,” he said….

52. “Garcia: Running on empty” (San Francisco Examiner, June 5, 2007); opinion column citing DAVID LATTERMAN (MPP 2002); http://www.examiner.com/a-763976~Garcia__Running_on_empty.html

--Ken Garcia

SAN FRANCISCO - It probably wouldn’t be going too far to suggest that the progressives’ much-anticipated dive into the mayoral pool this year turned out to be a belly-flop….

It’s not surprising to most observers that no one wants to be this year’s sacrificial lamb—which the polls seem to indicate, since Newsom, despite a series of personal setbacks, remains extremely popular….

If someone on the left jumps into the race, the scenario plays out that Newsom will come under fire from the left and the right—the right spot on the spectrum being filled by former Supervisor Tony Hall. But few people consider Hall a serious candidate, and it’s hard to imagine that he could raise enough money to mount a viable campaign.

“The squeeze strategy of the far left and the far right bashing Newsom might be fun to watch, but I think the voters would see through that,’’ political consultant David Latterman said. “Really, the only way to take Newsom out is in a one-on-one race. Anything else would just be a distraction.’’ …

NEW YORK -- The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) today announced the creation of a new Office of Planning and Sustainability and the appointment of Bruce Schaller as the Office’s new Deputy Commissioner. In this role Schaller will oversee Agency planning, design and implementation of the transportation elements in Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC.

“We are creating this office to bring a more comprehensive and sustainable approach to the planning, design and operation of our transportation network,” said DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. “To help lead this effort, Bruce Schaller brings to DOT more than 20 years of experience in New York City transportation planning. Most importantly he shares our goals of safer and greener streets, improved transit and an open and transparent planning process.”

“I am very excited to be joining DOT and the Bloomberg Administration,” said Schaller. “I look forward to working with Commissioner Sadik-Khan to carry out the Mayor’s vision for a greener and more sustainable transportation system.”

For the last eight years Schaller has been principal of Schaller Consulting. His New York City work includes reports on auto and transit access to the Manhattan central business district, bus rapid transit, congestion pricing and suburban commuter access to Lower Manhattan. He has also has been a Visiting Practitioner at New York University, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management.

Schaller has also served as the Director of Policy Development and Evaluation at the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, and as the Deputy Director for Marketing Research and Analysis at New York City Transit. He has a Masters in Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley and a B.A. from Oberlin College….

54. “Getting a ‘Pass’; City Aids Car-Clog Workers” (New York Post, May 20, 2007); story citing BRUCE SCHALLER (MPP 1982).

By Kathianne Boniello

A greener, cleaner New York needs fewer cars on city streets, Mayor Bloomberg says, but his government entices thousands of its employees to drive to work with free parking passes—and ignores abuse of the privilege.

A three-week New York Post examination of the mass transit-rich Financial District found hundreds of private vehicles with parking permits clogging streets.

Many drivers broke the three-hour limit of their own agency-issued parking placards. And most ignored on-street parking rules that even placard-holders are supposed to abide by—such as keeping clear of no-standing zones and fire zones.

This year, about 47,000 placards were given to government workers who demonstrate they need their cars for inspections, investigations and fieldwork.

They are issued by city, state and federal agencies and seen as premium perks—allowing drivers to snatch spots on dense Manhattan streets, legally ignore parking meters, and even park in loading zones….

At the same time, Bloomberg is pushing for state approval of a $8 congestion fee for motorists, hoping to discourage workers from driving into Manhattan—reducing traffic and pollution—and using the estimated first-year revenue of $380 million to fund transit improvements….

Nearly 20,000 fewer cars a day would enter Manhattan if government workers—27 percent of whom commute by car—drove in at the same rate as private-sector employees (14 percent), according to a 2006 study.

“All these workers do not need their cars,” said traffic consultant Bruce Schaller. “They only bring their cars into the city because they can park.”

55. “First, do no harm to seniors” (Chicago Tribune, April 24, 2007); op-ed citing BENJAMIN ZYCHER (MPP/PhD 1974).

By Peter Pitts

In recent weeks, the nation’s most powerful senior citizens group has waged a campaign that could end up hurting the very members it claims to represent.

The 38 million-member AARP is urging the Senate to pass legislation that would empower the government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies—ostensibly to obtain lower prices in Medicare’s prescription drug program….

On the face of it, that may not sound so bad. Who doesn’t want cheaper medicine for Grandma? The problem, however, is that the bill wouldn’t even come close to delivering on its promise.

In the short term, the bill would have a “negligible effect” on saving money for seniors, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

But the medium- and long-term consequences would be severe, for public health in general and especially for seniors themselves, who as a group have the greatest need for cutting-edge medicines.

The problem is that the “negotiating” that AARP would like the government to do wouldn’t be negotiation at all. In the case of a massive bulk buyer like Medicare, prices are not so much negotiated as dictated….

The reason most new lifesaving drugs are developed in the United States—and not, say, Canada—is that we give our pharmaceutical companies relatively free rein. To bring a single new drug to market costs about $800 million, and the risk of failure along the way is enormous. But companies are motivated to take the risk because they know that if they succeed, patent-protection will allow them to reap profits.

If, instead, we threaten drug companies with “negotiations” that amount to price controls, we will bring research and development, and the possibility of discovering new cures, to a halt….

Just how much could price controls hurt new drug development? Manhattan Institute economist Benjamin Zycher quantified the threat in a recent paper. He found that the amount of money going toward pharmaceutical research and development would decrease by $196 billion between now and 2025 if Medicare were allowed to begin negotiating drug prices. That’s a lot of life-prolonging treatments for cancer, heart disease and other ailments that would never be discovered….

56. “How Small Groups Promote Social Change” (The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Pg. 41 Vol. 19 No. 12, April 5, 2007; book review citing CAROL CHETKOVICH (MPP 1987/PhD 1994).

By Anne W. Howard

From the Ground Up: Grassroots Organizations Making Social Change

by Carol Chetkovich and Frances Kunreuther

In a study of 16 organizations, Carol Chetkovich and Frances Kunreuther detail the goals, leadership, resources, and organizational structure characteristic of small, local social-change organizations.

The authors define these groups as “nonprofit organizations that aim to address systemic problems in a way that will increase the power of marginalized groups, communities, or interests.” Ms. Chetkovich, associate professor of public policy at Mills College, and Ms. Kunreuther, director of the Building Movement Project at Demos, contrast social-change groups with more service-oriented groups, which typically do not aim to make fundamental changes to the local, national, or global power structure, and do not involve their clients in their operations.

The authors’ findings illustrate how the organizations accomplish their goals of giving power to disenfranchised people or encouraging collective action, what sort of leaders and other staff members work for these groups, how they fit into and work in their communities, where they find financial support, and how they work with other similar groups.

“Grassroots social-change organizations are a critical resource for progressive movement building in the United States,” write Ms. Chetkovich and Ms. Kunreuther. “At the same time, there are serious obstacles to their effectiveness in movement building, including resource competition, lack of cooperation between grassroots and national groups, and the conflicting commitments of leaders.”

Publisher: Cornell University Press, Box 6525, 750 Cascadilla Street, Ithaca, N.Y. 14851; http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu; 205 pages; $18.95; ISBN 978-0-8014-7264-0.

FACULTY IN THE NEWS

1. “Racists & Robber Barons” (The Nation [*requires subscription], July 30, 2007 issue); commentary by DAVID KIRP; http://www.thenation.com/docprem.mhtml?i=20070730&s=kirp

By DAVID L. KIRP

Justice Stephen Breyer is the very model of a decorous Supreme Court Justice. That’s why his impassioned soliloquy condemning the majority’s decision in the school desegregation cases, delivered on the last day of the Court’s term, drew so much attention. Those opinions “threaten the promise” of Brown v. Board of Education, he said. “This is a decision that the Court and the nation will come to regret.”

These cases represent the last chapter in the half-century effort to end racial isolation in the public schools. The Seattle and Louisville integration plans that the five-member majority struck down are remarkable in their modesty. These communities weren’t sending kids across town on long bus rides in the name of racial balance, and neither of them was using a strict racial quota to assign students. “I am not aware of any district that is actively seeing the broad-based use of a race-based mechanism to dictate large portions of the districts’ student assignments,” says Joseph Olchefske, former superintendent of schools in Seattle. In both cities, race was simply a tiebreaker in determining which students could attend a popular school. There has to be some rule for making decisions in these cases--race was selected, says Olchefske, because it’s “a way of promoting a better environment for learning.” What’s wrong with that?

David L. Kirp, professor of public policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley, is the author of Almost Home: America’s Love-Hate Relationship With Community (Princeton, 2001)….

By Janis Mara, Business Writer

Some 1.2 million mirrors capturing the sizzling heat of the Mojave Desert are expected to generate enough power for 400,000 California homes by 2011 thanks to a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. deal announced Wednesday.

The San Francisco-based utility agreed to buy 553 megawatts of solar power from a 9-square-mile facility in the Mojave to be built and operated by Israel’s Solel Solar Systems Ltd. The energy will be delivered to PG&E’s business and residential customers in Northern and Central California.

“It’s a good deal,” said Daniel Kammen, a University of California, Berkeley professor and director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory. “We (California) need to get from our current level, at which about 13 percent of our power comes from renewable sources, to 20 percent by 2010.”

Kammen was referring to the fact that California has mandated that its utility companies get 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2010. Also, the state last year passed legislation mandating the reduction of carbon emissions, which are generated by coal-burning power plants, among other sources….

Unlike photovoltaic energy, the more commonly known solar energy system, the project will use solar thermal energy, Kammen said. The 1.2 million mirrors will focus heat on a water-filled pipe that runs steam-powered turbines, creating electricity that will go to PG&E’s power grid stretching across the state.

“This technology, the focusing dishes, is exceedingly well-known and well-understood,” Kammen said. The parabolic trough technology that will be used in the project has been patented by Solel and used over the last 20 years, according to PG&E.

The project is significant because it represents a major commitment to solar energy, as opposed to incremental increases, Kammen said.

[Another story quoting Professor Kammen on this topic appeared in the <a href=“http://www.mercurynews.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?articleId=6467159&siteId=568“>San Jose Mercury News</a> and in the <a href=“http://www.contracostatimes.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?articleId=6467159&siteId=571“>Contra Costa Times</a>.]

3. “Corporate, public pensions roll the dice” – Commentary by ROBERT REICH (Marketplace, American Public Media [NPR], July 18, 2007; Listen to this commentary

Lisa Napoli: Worthless. That’s what Bear Stearns is telling investors in two of its hedge funds….

ROBERT REICH: … It’s one thing if wealthy investors lose the shirts off their backs. They still have plenty of freshly-ironed ones in the closet. In fact, the argument for not regulating hedge funds and private equity funds is that their investors are big enough and tough enough to take care of themselves.

But corporate and government pension plans are increasingly investing in these funds, with money that was previously invested conservatively on behalf of their beneficiaries.

Some states have put 20 percent or more of public employee pension savings into them. Corporate pension plans, as much as 40 percent of private employee savings. But the individuals counting on retirement checks are neither big enough nor tough enough to take care of themselves.

Few if any pension plan managers have any idea of the specific risks they’re taking, because hedge funds and private equity funds don’t have to disclose them. And the people whose pensions are at stake—teachers, policemen, civil servants and other working Americans—haven’t a clue….

Message to the rest of us: At least call your plan manager and find out how much of your savings are being invested in hedge funds and private equity.

Lisa Napoli: Robert Reich was Secretary of Labor for President Clinton. Now he teaches at UC Berkeley….

By Mark Matthews - KGO TV

SAN FRANCISCO - … First, Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff said he had a gut feeling that al Qaeda might attack this summer. Then the president said it wasn’t true that al Qaeda was back as strong as ever. Now the U.S. intelligence agencies are saying al Qaeda has regained its command and control and is plotting to hit the U.S.

It’s a grim forecast from the national intelligence agencies. Al Qaeda training camps are increasing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border….

National security expert Michael Nacht says diverting our attention to Iraq gave al Qaeda room to breathe.

Prof. Michael Nacht, Ph.D., U.C. Goldman School: “Not only breathing space to al Qaeda, but giving them this great opportunity to recruit, to invest, to train.”

The dean of U.C. Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy believes the U.S. is tied down in Iraq. The president says Iraq is the central front on the war on terror. Today, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton told me, don’t under estimate U.S. capabilities….

President Bush has given Pakistan’s president Musharraf five years and $10 billion dollars to clear out al Qaeda. It hasn’t happened.

Prof. Michael Nacht: “I think what’s a little bit unknown is the degree to which we’ve really pressed Musharraf to do this.”

Professor Nacht fears Pakistan could go the way of Iran.

Prof. Michael Nacht: “We have to realize that we’re dealing here with a leader who is very much in a tenuous position who also controls nuclear weapons. So that makes it even more dicey.”

Dean Nacht says it may be the administration is faced with the choice to go after Bin Laden in a big way and risk the overthrow of Musharraff and the creation of another Islamic fundamentalist state -- only this one would have nuclear weapons -- or don’t go after Bin Laden and watch al Qaeda grow.

--Matthew Yi, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau

Sacramento -- The rift between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic lawmakers over how the state should fight global warming can be summed up in two numbers: 24 and two.

Those figures represent new jobs proposed at the California Air Resources Board to carry out the governor’s preferred strategy for meeting the state’s ambitious goals for curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

Under Schwarzenegger’s budget plan, the state would commit 24 positions to the task of creating systems such as allowing high-polluting companies to buy credits from low-polluting ones for their greenhouse gas emissions. But the Democrat-controlled Legislature has stripped that number down to two, moving the other 22 positions to focus on regulations aimed at cutting emissions, which is what Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez favors….

One energy expert who is closely watching the debate around the measure said political pressure on how to meet goals set by AB32 will only intensify.

“AB32 is like a marriage certificate. It may take you a while to get married, but that’s not the hard part,” said Daniel Kammen, a professor at UC Berkeley’s Energy and Resources Group. “It’s staying married that’s tougher. Now, the state has to make this all work.”…

By Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com staff writer

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Fueled by climate change concern and a Texas utility’s recent scrapping of several “dirty” power plants, one environmental group is looking to cut funding for new coal fired power plants at the source: the big banks.

San Francisco-based Rainforest Action Network says there are plans for 150 new coal power plants in the next few decades with a price tag of over $125 billion, so it’s asking the banks that give loans to utilities—specifically Citigroup (Charts, Fortune 500), J.P. Morgan (Charts, Fortune 500) and Bank of America (Charts, Fortune 500)—to pull the plug on financing….

If the new plants do get built, they’ll spew 585 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year, according to [Rebecca Tarbotton, global finance campaign director for Rainforest Action Network]. That’s about 10 percent of the nation’s total carbon emissions from energy in 2006, according to the Energy information Administration….

Electricity use in this country is expected to surge 40 percent by 2030, according to the EIA. If the campaign is successful and no new coal plants are built, where will the power come from?

If the $125 billion currently slated for new coal plants is spent on conservation efforts, Tarbotton says the nation’s electricity demand would be reduced by 19 percent by 2025….

Some experts agree with Rainforest Action and say greater efficiency, along with more investment in renewable energy, would satisfy the nation’s growing thirst for power.

“Their assessment is right,” Dan Kammen, a professor in the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California Berkeley. “But it will require more clean generation, not just efficiency.”…

By Nannette Miranda

SACRAMENTO, (KGO) - The governor made his way to the wilds of the Central Valley today to make two major announcements about something in short supply—water. In the end it was about both our short-term problem and our long-term supply….

Pointing to San Luis Reservoir as only 25-percent of capacity, Governor Schwarzenegger today renewed a plea to the State Legislature to build more reservoirs, increase water conservation and possibly build a canal around the San Joaquin Delta to pump more water into the Central Valley and Southern California. All at a cost of nearly six billion dollars borrowed with bonds that voters would have to approve….

Though some experts say it’s too early to tell whether the governor’s plan is the best long-term solution, one U.C. Berkeley professor says conservation can play an even bigger role.

Prof. Michael Hanemann, Ph.D., U.C. Berkeley water expert: “The next frontier for urban conservation is outdoor water use. There’s quite a lot of opportunities which we’re not yet exploiting. Some individual water agencies are doing that, but not generally statewide.”

By Kenneth T. Walsh

In 2004, Vice President Dick Cheney urged Americans to vote Republican because the GOP was tougher on terrorism. “If we make the wrong choice,” he declared, “then the danger is that we’ll get hit again—that we’ll be hit in a way that will be devastating.” To a large extent, voters bought his argument and returned George W. Bush and Cheney to the White House.

Three years later, things have changed. “People’s greatest worry today isn’t terrorism, it’s Iraq,” says Democratic strategist Mark Mellman. That may be so, but the possibility of another 9/11 remains one of the issues that could turn the campaign on its head.

… If the “evildoers” strike again, Americans will probably rally around the commander in chief, at least initially. However, because the Bush administration has boasted about how it has prevented another 9/11, a second attack could be seen as failure for the president and his party, according to Stanford political scientist Jon Krosnick. Henry Brady, a political scientist at the University of California-Berkeley, says the devil would be in the details. If the attack came through a port, for example, Republicans might be vulnerable to charges that they didn’t sufficiently respond to the 9/11 commission’s recommendations that port security be drastically upgraded. An attack at an airport—or using an airplane—might be less of a problem for the GOP because of all the steps taken to enhance aviation security….

By N. Gregory Mankiw

N. Gregory Mankiw is a professor of economics at Harvard. He was an adviser to President Bush and is advising Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, in the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

Do the rich pay their fair share in taxes? This is likely to become a defining question during the presidential campaign.

At a recent fund-raiser for Hillary Clinton, the billionaire investor Warren E. Buffett said that rich guys like him weren’t paying enough. Mr. Buffett asserted that his taxes last year equaled only 17.7 percent of his taxable income, compared with about 30 percent for his receptionist.

Mr. Buffett was echoing a refrain that is popular in some circles. Last year, Robert B. Reich, labor secretary during the Clinton administration, wrote on his blog that “middle-income workers are now paying a larger share of their incomes than people at or near the top.”

“We have turned the principle of a graduated, progressive tax on its head,” Mr. Reich added.

These claims are enough to get populist juices flowing….

To the Editor:

Claims like mine that middle-income workers now pay a larger share of their incomes than people at or near the top “don’t hold up under close examination,” says N. Gregory Mankiw in “Fair Taxes? Depends on What You Mean by Fair” (Economic View, July 15).

His column relies on a study by the Congressional Budget Office that finds the top 1 percent paying 31.1 percent of their income in federal taxes while the middle fifth pay 13.9 percent. But three important things are not noted:

First, though the column acknowledges the existence of people like Warren Buffett, who by his own affirmation pays only 17.7 percent of his income in taxes, it attributes this to the fact that his earnings are largely from dividends and capital gains, taxed at 15 percent. But isn’t this also true for a large portion of the very wealthy?

Second, the C.B.O. analysis assumes that corporate taxes are borne by shareholders. But shareholders don’t carry all the burden. Some is passed along to consumers in higher prices and some to employees in lower wages.

Finally, the column does not figure in state and local taxes, notably sales taxes and taxes on cigarettes and alcohol, both of which eat up a far higher share of the incomes of middle-class and poor families.

Robert B. Reich

Berkeley, Calif., July 15

The writer, who was secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, is a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley.

11. “Fee on carbon as fuel is equitable, effective” (Miami Herald, July 12, 2007); op-ed citing ROBERT REICH.

By Lewis Hay, www.fpl.com (Commentator is chairman of Florida Power & Light)

… Because industrial activity is at least partly to blame for the problem [of climate change], business leaders have a responsibility to be part of the solution. In addressing this issue, we need to think as Floridians because different potential policies can vary dramatically in their impact on our state.

At FPL, we invested significantly in making our existing power plants more efficient and building highly efficient plants to meet the needs of our growing customer base. Our fuel mix is diversified, and about half of our electricity today is generated from cleaner natural gas and a fifth from nuclear. That starkly contrasts to the total U.S. fuel mix used to generate electricity—with coal producing half of the nation’s power. Most of those coal plants are traditional, less efficient plants with higher rates of carbon dioxide emissions….

Certain congressional proposals addressing carbon dioxide and climate change would require every company simply to reduce its emissions by the same percent relative to its historical level of emissions, without regard for efficiency records or customer growth. It’s like asking a 300-pound man and a 165-pound man each to lose 25 percent of their weight.

In real terms, Floridians will have to buy credits from companies in other states. In contrast, a policy that simply puts a price on carbon and keeps raising that price provides a powerful market incentive to the heavy carbon emitters to change their fuel diet without penalizing those who have already achieved carbon dioxide “fitness.”…

FPL recommends a straightforward fee to be imposed equally on all carbon used as fuel anywhere in the nation. It puts a price on carbon as it enters the market—a direct way that is simple and inexpensive to administer, fair in its application and effective in achieving lower emissions while encouraging technological advancement….

Economists such as Paul Volker and Robert Reich are among those who support a fee to control carbon use. Commentator Thomas Friedman and former Vice President Al Gore also suggest pricing carbon into all goods and services nationwide rather than allow historical levels of carbon dioxide emissions to be “grandfathered” or given “free” allowances. A price on carbon makes complete sense to economists and also is fairest to Florida….

By Patricia Cohen

For many economists, questioning free-market orthodoxy is akin to expressing a belief in intelligent design at a Darwin convention: Those who doubt the naturally beneficial workings of the market are considered either deluded or crazy….

And free trade is not the only sacred subject, [former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, Alan] Blinder and other like-minded economists say. Most efforts to intervene in the markets—like setting a minimum wage, instituting industrial policy or regulating prices—are viewed askance by mainstream economists, as are analyses that do not rely on mathematical modeling.

That attitude, the critics argue, has seriously harmed the discipline, suppressing original, creative thinking and distorting policy debates. “You lose your ticket as a certified economist if you don’t say any kind of price regulation is bad and free trade is good,” said David Card, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley, who has done groundbreaking research on the effect of the minimum wage….

But as issues like income inequality, free trade and protectionism have become part of the presidential candidates’ stump speeches, more thinkers have joined the debate. In addition to Mr. Blinder, other eminent economists like Lawrence H. Summers and the Nobel Prize-winner George A. Akerlof have pointed out what they see as the failings of laissez-faire economics.

“Economists can’t pretend that the consensus for free markets and free trade that existed 30 years ago is still here,” said Robert B. Reich, a public policy professor at Berkeley who served in President Bill Clinton’s cabinet.

Part of the reason is the growing income inequality and dislocation that global markets and a revolution in communications have helped create. Economists who question the free-market theories “want to speak to the reality of our time,” Mr. Reich said….

[This story also appeared in the <a href=“http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/11/business/economics.php“>International Herald Tribune</a>]

13. “Standard bearer” (Financial Times, July 10 2007); story citing DAVID VOGEL; http://www.ft.com/cms/s/6e721ba2-2e7d-11dc-821c-0000779fd2ac.html

By Tobias Buck in Brussels

In late March, a delegation of California government officials arrived in Brussels on a most unusual mission. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had sent them to meet their counterparts at the European Commission and explore whether his state could join one of Europe’s most ambitious and controversial projects: the emissions trading scheme.

Both sides emerged from the talks feeling optimistic that a deal was possible to link the European Union regime with a state that itself counts among the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide in the world. “We hope that California will be able in the near future to be the first non-European region that would join the emissions trading system,” a Commission official said….

Sometimes voluntarily, sometimes through gritted teeth and sometimes without even knowing, countries around the world are importing the EU’s rules. It is a trend that has sparked concerns among foreign business leaders and that irritates US policymakers. But whether they like it or not, rice farmers in India, mobile phone users in Bahrain, makers of cigarette lighters in China, chemicals producers in the US, accountants in Japan and software companies in California have all found that their commercial lives are shaped by decisions taken in the EU capital.

“Brussels has become the global pace-setter for regulation,” says David Vogel, a professor of business and public policy at the University of California, Berkeley. Prof Vogel points out that even the US—the world’s most powerful nation and the biggest economy—is finding it increasingly hard to escape the clutches of the Brussels regulatory machine: “The relative impact of EU regulation on US public policy and US business has been dramatically enhanced. Even if a country does not adopt the [European] standards, the firms that export to the EU do. And since most firms do export to the EU, they have adopted the EU’s more stringent standards.”…

Even if Brazilian or Indian farmers do not share Europe’s hostility to the new [genetically modified] varieties, they must think twice before planting GM rice or maize: if they fall foul of the Union’s strict GM laws, they face being shut out from the world’s most lucrative market. As Berkeley’s Prof Vogel says: “In the long run it seems there will be a more permissive approach to GMOs. But in the short term there are many countries which are reluctant to use GM crops because of their fear of losing access to the EU market.”,,,

by Staff Writers

Austin, Texas (SPX) -- Development of the solar energy industry in Texas would have a significant economic impact for consumers, the environment and workers, according to a new white paper released by the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. “Opportunity on the Horizon: Photovoltaics in Texas” finds that the near-term benefits of nurturing the solar energy industry in Texas will stimulate the state’s economy, reduce the cost of power for consumers and minimize green-house gas emissions.

“The white paper finds the potential for economic growth in Texas through the creation of a vibrant solar power industry,” said Joel Serface, director of the Clean Energy Incubator at The University of Texas at Austin and a contributor to the report. “Worldwide, the cost of converting sunlight to electricity is rapidly decreasing. The right public policies, combined with emerging and increasingly efficient technologies in solar power, would create a solid opportunity for Texas to build an economic engine on this non-polluting resource.”

The paper cites a recent University of California-Berkeley study [coauthored by Dan Kammen] that finds the solar industry produces seven to 11 times as many jobs on a megawatt capacity basis as coal-fired power plants and has a larger positive trickle-down effect than wind energy....

[The UC Berkeley study by Dan Kammen et al. is: “Putting Renewables to Work: How many jobs can the clean energy industry generate?” Report of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory, 2004.]

15. “Birth weight holds key to better life, research shows” (Sun, The (Lowell, MA), June 18, 2007); story citing RUCKER JOHNSON.

Size, at least at birth, apparently does matter. A new study finds that pint-sized babies—those weighing 5.5 pounds or less at birth—are more likely to become high school dropouts, be unemployed, earn low wages, and suffer health problems as adults.

That’s according to a new report funded by the National Institute on Aging presented at the National Summit on America’s Children last month, the first of its kind to link birth weight with adult health and socioeconomic success.

Authors Robert Schoeni, of the University of Michigan, and Rucker Johnson of UC Berkeley followed nearly 13,000 Americans over 35 years, isolating the impact of low birth weight and its effect on life outcomes, noting differences among siblings and between generations.

Schoeni and Johnson found that weighing less than 5.5 pounds at birth increases the probability of dropping out of high school by a third, reduces annual earnings by 15 percent, decreases one’s participation in the labor force by five percentage points, and burdens people in their 30s and 40s with the health problems of someone a dozen years older. Children born at low birth weights are 30 percent less healthy during childhood, and score significantly lower on achievement tests than normal birth-weight babies.

“Health shocks early in life, even in the womb, may have immediately visible effects on health that last from birth through adulthood and old age,” the authors write. “Events in the earliest stages of life have effects that unfold over subsequent stages of life.”…

Low birth weight is caused [by] a combination of economic and genetic factors, the authors write, and the link between health and education level is well documented. Early life factors, such as birth weight, family income, and health insurance coverage also explain the racial gap in health status among Americans….

16. “Visiting Scholar Speaks at Portland State University on New Plan for U.S. Climate Change Policy” (US States News, June 1, 2007); story citing MICHAEL HANEMANN.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Portland State University will host Michael Hanemann, University of California Berkeley, to speak on “A Different Architecture for Climate Change Policy.” Hanemann’s lecture will focus on the growing recognition of the need to take prompt action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and of the potential role for market-based incentives. In addition, he will talk about regulation and promotion of new technology, which he believes will need to play a larger role than emission trading alone to reduce greenhouse gas emissions….

Michael Hanemann is the director of the California Climate Change Center and Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics at UC Berkeley. He has conducted extensive research in recent years on the economic value of reliability in water supply, and the economic impact of potential climate change scenarios on U.S. agriculture and agricultural and urban water use in California. Hanemann also serves on the advisory boards of climate change research centers in California, Austria and Spain….

17. “Experts: Homegrown terrorists most difficult to stop” (Bucks County Courier Times (Levittown, PA), May 14, 2007); story citing MICHAEL NACHT.

By David Levinsky and Mike Mathis - Courier Times

They were roofers, a taxi driver, a baker and a pizza deliveryman, apparently living the American dream in Philadelphia and on the tree-lined streets of suburban South Jersey.

Appearances can be deceiving.

Federal authorities say the men, now referred to as the Fort Dix Six, were actually would-be terrorists bent on acquiring assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, and other arms with hopes of using them to massacre unsuspecting soldiers at Fort Dix in New Jersey.

The alleged plot was ultimately uncovered, and the six suspects are now behind bars awaiting trial on charges of conspiring to kill soldiers and related weapons offenses. But the aftermath of the failed terror scheme has awakened many Americans to a chilling possibility: There could be terrorists living among us, not only in the inner cities, but also in the suburbs….

“Frankly, it’s a growing concern both here and in many other countries,” said University of California professor Michael Nacht, an expert on terrorism and national security. “Militant Islamic extremists are proliferating, not in an organized or structured manner, but spontaneously and within our own borders.”

The word “within” is key here, Nacht said. The Fort Dix suspects might have been foreign-born, but authorities say they have uncovered no evidence that the six men came to the United States with terrorist sympathies or intentions to do harm. There is also no evidence that the men had direct contact with international terrorist organizations such as al-Qaida.

Instead, experts point to this case as an example of “homegrown terrorism” involving people who have been living in the United States.

“There are many different examples of independent terrorist groups popping up,” Nacht said. “Most are disillusioned Muslim men who feel the call to jihad [holy war] is justified and feel religiously that they are obligated to take action to kill people.”…

[Theodore Goertzel at Rutgers University] and Nacht stressed that only a relatively small number of Muslims has become indoctrinated in the radical jihadist movement. Unfortunately, small numbers can also be lethal, especially with the availability of firearms both here and overseas.

Homegrown terrorists are also the most difficult to detect, experts said….

Several neighbors of the suspects have said they noticed nothing unusual about the men and how they lived.

Nacht said the suspects’ ability to blend in is not surprising.

“In a [heterogeneous] country of 300 million people, detecting these types of cells can be very difficult,” he said….

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