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ALUMNI AND STUDENT
NEWSMAKERS
1. “New S.F. court dismisses over half its cases” (San Francisco Chronicle, June 25, 2009); story citing MELISSA SILLS (MPP 2004/PhD cand.); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/25/MNIN18DEA0.DTL&tsp=1
2. “Reform and Jobs” (BusinessWeek, June 25, 2009); column citing PHILLIP CRYAN (MPP 2009); http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/09_27/b4138037176584.htm
3. “Alabama Medicaid Commissioner Selected for Inaugural Medicaid Leadership Institute” (Targeted News Service, June 24, 2009); newswire citing TOBY DOUGLAS (MPP 2001/MPH 2002).
4. “Program serving aged-out foster youth expands” (San Francisco Chronicle, June 23, 2009); column citing DEANNE PEARN (MPP 1998) and program cofounded by AMY LEMLEY (MPP 1998); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/23/BANE18BO86.DTL&type=newsbayarea
5. “Workers’ comp rates press upward. Insurers seek 23.7% hike; employers ask, why now?” (San Diego Union-Tribune, June 21, 2009); story citing FRANK NEUHAUSER (MPP 1993); http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jun/21/lz1b21comp223433-workers-comp-rates-press-upward/?business&zIndex=119893
6. “Democracy is not a spectator sport - Organization seeks to hold a constitutional convention to reform the state government” (Davis Enterprise, June 21, 2009); op-ed cosigned by JACKIE HAUSMAN (MPP 1993).
7. “
8. “Coalition urges federal government to overhaul health care” (Sacramento Bee, June 17, 2009); story citing PHILLIP CRYAN (MPP 2009); http://www.sacbee.com/business/story/1952806.html
9. “Residents join search panel” (The Republican (
10. “ACLU: Hospital discriminated against gay couple” (The Associated Press State & Local Wire, June 16, 2009); story by GARANCE BURKE (MPP 2005/MJ 2004).
11. “Interconnection costs stir up tempest as wind projects prepare to tap into the northern Plains” (Electric Utility Week, June 15, 2009); story citing ROB GRAMLICH (MPP 1995).
12. “Without a budget,
13. “Pitfalls aplenty for officials who serve multiple agencies: The recent arrest of an Inland councilman puts a spotlight on the strict rules they must follow” (Press-Enterprise, June 12, 2009); story citing JOANNE SPEERS (MPP/JD 1984); http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_officials12.47ecdaa.html
14. “Clout: Realtors on shaky ground over property-tax mailing” (Philadelphia Daily News, June 12, 2009); column citing STEVE AGOSTINI (MPP 1986).
15. “UNICEF Mourns Death of Filipino Staffer” (Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 11, 2009); story citing ANN VENEMAN (MPP 1971).
16. “Protesters rally against HIV/AIDS services cuts” (San Francisco Chronicle, June 11, 2009); story citing MARK CLOUTIER (MPP/MPH 1993); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/11/BANS184IE9.DTL
17. “
18. “
19. “Despite Odds, Cities Race to Bet on Biotech” (New York Times, June 10, 2009); story citing JOSEPH CORTRIGHT (MPP 1980); http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/11/us/11biotech.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
20. “CITY INSIDER: Newsom’s ‘budgetary jujitsu’” (San Francisco Chronicle, June 10, 2009); column citing NANI COLORETTI (MPP 1994); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/10/BA1418409G.DTL&type=newsbayarea
21. “Obama Plans to Build on Stimulus Progress” (Morning Edition, National Public Radio (NPR), June 9, 2009); interview with MICKEY LEVY (MPP 1974); http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105143848
22. “Ten health-insurance tips for new graduates” (MarketWatch, June 9, 2009); column citing KAREN POLLITZ (MPP 1982).
23. “Basic health to cost more - Insurance: Premiums, deductibles go up Jan. 1 to save state $238 million” (The Olympian, June 9, 2009); story citing REBECCA KAVOUSSI (MPP 2001); http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/875704.html
24. “KEMA Utility of the Future executive conference panel line-up finalized; Key Industry Execs to Discuss Navigating the Sustainable Energy, Utility Landscape” (Business Wire, June 9, 2009); event featuring EMILIE MAZZACURATI (MPP 2007).
25. “Sacramento area drivers take the ‘Car-Free Challenge’” (Sacramento Bee, June 7, 2009); story citing challenge and organization headed by STUART COHEN (MPP 1997); http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1925614.html
26. “Leaders of L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation, with 2,150 Cyclists, Decry Proposed Cuts in HIV Funding at Conclusion of AIDS/LifeCycle 8” (Fox Business News, June 6, 2009); story citing MARK CLOUTIER (MPP/MPH 1993); http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/leaders-la-gay--lesbian-center-san-francisco-aids-foundation--cyclists-decry/
27. “Plan would aid salmon, reduce water for people” (San Francisco Chronicle, June 5, 2009); story citing MARIA REA (MPP 1988); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/06/05/MNV618119E.DTL
28. “Federal ruling helps fish, but water costs feared” (Sacramento Bee, June 5, 2009); story citing MARIA REA (MPP 1988); http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/1920924.html
29. “Plans set for fair’s home” (Reporter, The (
30. “Obama vows ‘hands-off’ approach in GM stake - But some ask whether what’s good for industry is good for the country” (USA TODAY, June 2, 2009); story citing STAN COLLENDER (MPP 1976); http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-06-01-gmobama_N.htm
31. “
32. “Mickey Levy, Chief Economist, Banc of America Securities, is interviewed on Bloomberg News’ ‘Bloomberg On The Economy’” (Financial Markets Regulation Wire, Copyright 2009 CQ Transcriptions, LLC, All Rights Reserved, June 2, 2009); interview with MICKEY LEVY (MPP 1974).
33. “Kevin W. Billings Joins Lockheed Martin; Former Leader of Air Force Installations and Energy Programs to Focus on Company’s Federal Energy Performance Contracting Programs” (ENP Newswire, June 1, 2009); newswire citing TOM GRUMBLY (MPP 1974).
34. “
35. “CBC, VIA Rail considered for auction block: documents” (Canwest News Service, June 1, 2009); newswire citing AIDAN VINING (MPP 1974/PhD 1980).
36. “Hundreds of marchers take gay-rights quest to central
37. “It’s the Same Old Story” (The News & Observer (
38. “The Children’s Partnership holds a discussion on ‘How National Health Reform Efforts Should Best Address Kids’ Unique Healthcare Needs’” (The Washington Daybook, May 29, 2009); event featuring KAREN POLLITZ (MPP 1982).
39. “The Federal Reserve Holds a Panel Discussion on Public Sector Resources at the Community Development Finance Summit on Strategies to Respond to the Economic Crisis” (Financial Markets Regulation Wire, May 29, 2009); event featuring MATT JOSEPHS (MPP 1997).
40. “Council to pay $32,000 for expert to help its officials behave properly” (Desert Sun, May 28, 2009); story citing JOANNE SPEERS (MPP/JD 1984).
41. “Joseph Firschein, Federal Reserve Board, and Mark Pinsky, Opportunity Finance Network, deliver remarks on the summit overview at the Community Development Finance Summit on strategies to respond to the economic crisis” (Financial Markets Regulation Wire, Copyright 2009 CQ Transcriptions, LLC, All Rights Reserved, May 28, 2009); event featuring JOSEPH FIRSCHEIN (MPP 1992).
42. “More calls for
43. “University of Wisconsin-Madison; Early Alzheimer’s diagnosis offers large social, fiscal benefits” (Biotech Business Week, May 25, 2009); story citing DAVID WEIMER (MPP 1975/PhD 1978).
44. “
45. “Lt. gov. upsets
46. “Sierra County (where everyone votes by mail) is serious about elections; Unofficial results show that 53.6% of Sierra County’s registered voters cast ballots, nearly double the statewide figure” (Los Angeles Times, May 22, 2009); story citing DAVID LATTERMAN (MPP 2002); http://articles.latimes.com/2009/may/22/local/me-turnout22
47. “Angela Briggs Brings African Focus to U.Va.’s
48. “Corker amendment on transmission cost allocation throws wrench into Senate bill” (Inside F.E.R.C., May 18, 2009); story citing ROBERT GRAMLICH (MPP 1995).
49. “Political Briefs” (Contra Costa Times, May 12, 2009); event featuring BRIAN LEUBITZ (MPP 2007).
50. “Congresswoman Lee Honored by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation” (Congressional Documents and Publications, May 7, 2009); news release citing MARK CLOUTIER (MPP/MPH 1993).
51. “Behavior of city leaders questioned” (Desert Sun, May 5, 2009); story citing JOANNE SPEERS (MPP/JD 1984).
52. “The Brattle Group holds an event to announce the results of a study on ‘harmful tax legislation’ and ‘demonstrates that legislation being considered by Congress would have a devastating effect on the American insurance marketplace’” (The Washington Daybook, May 1, 2009); event featuring DOROTHY ROBYN (MPP 1978/PhD 1983).
53. “The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies’ (SAIS) Global Energy and Environment Initiative; and The National Capital Area Chapter of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics hold a 13th Annual Washington Energy Policy conference” (The Washington Daybook, April 27, 2009); event featuring REID HARVEY (MPP 1986) and GLEN SWEETNAM (MPP 1979).
54. “The Federal Reserve holds a panel discussion on consumer behaviors: Opportunities for Innovative Products at the Sixth Biennial Community Affairs Research Conference on Innovative Financial Services for the Underserved” (Financial Markets Regulation Wire, Copyright 2009, CQ Transcriptions, LLC, All Rights Reserved, April 17, 2009); event moderated by SCOTT TURNER (MPP 1982).
55. “Health Care Report: English not required” (Washington Times, April 7, 2009); story citing MARTY MARTINEZ (MPP 1996); http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/07/health-care-report-english-not-required/
56. “Arms Control Association Announces New Editorial Staff for Arms Control Today and New Deputy Director” (States News Service, March 18, 2009); newswire citing JEFF ABRAMSON (MPP 2003).
FACULTY IN THE NEWS
1. “Numbers Guy Blog: Statistical Sleuthing on the Iran Election” (Wall Street Journal Online [*requires registration], June 30, 2009); blog citing HENRY BRADY; http://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/statistical-sleuthing-on-the-iran-election-747/
2. “Arena Digest: Waxman-Markey: yea or nay?” (Politico, June 30, 2009); commentary by DAN KAMMEN; http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=2DE349AC-18FE-70B2-A885D5170C402201
3. “Memo To The President: Fix Health Care System” (Tell Me More, NPR, June 29, 2009); features commentary by ROBERT REICH;
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106037898
4. “Debating the Public Option. The three founders of the Prospect discuss the perils and promise of a public-insurance option” (The American Prospect, June 29, 2009); commentary by ROBERT REICH; http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=debating_the_public_option
5. “
6. “
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/28/MN0P18AB47.DTL&type=printable
7. “
8. “Why We Need a Public Health-Care Plan. Without the government as competition, the private sector has little incentive to improve” (Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2009); op-ed by ROBERT REICH; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124580516633344953.html#printMode
9. “Another day, another self-defeating energy bill compromise” (Salon.com, June 24, 2009); column citing MICHAEL O’HARE; http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2009/06/24/waxman_markey_compromises/
10. “New Report Finds 5 Million Jobs, 5-7 Billion Tons in Co2 Reductions Can Be Achieved by 2020” (Gigaton Throwdown Press, June 24, 2009); news release citing DAN KAMMEN; http://www.gigatonthrowdown.org/press.php
11. “Gates Welcomes Four Senior Pentagon Officials” (Targeted News Service, June 22, 2009); newswire citing MICHAEL NACHT.
12. “PG&E opposes two solar-power bills” (Mercury News, June 19, 2009); story citing DAN KAMMEN; http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_12620166?nclick_check=1
13. “Schwarzenegger, Democrats dig in their heels
on budget.
14. “Only public option will save health costs” – Commentary by ROBERT REICH (Marketplace [NPR], June 17, 2009); Listen to commentary
15. “White House Climate Report” (Forum with Michael Krasny, KQED Public Radio, June 17, 2009); features commentary by DAN KAMMEN; http://www.kqed.org/radio/programs/forum/#R906171000
16. “More are asking: Is it time to legalize pot?” (Seattle Times, June 16, 2009); story citing ROBERT MACCOUN; http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2009343026_pot16.html
17. “Obama’s Spending Plans May Pose Political Risks. Concern Mounts in White House as 2010 Elections Loom” (Washington Post June 14, 2009); analysis citing ROBERT REICH; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/13/AR2009061302035_pf.html
18. “Robert Reich on Healthcare Reform” (Bill Moyers’s The Journal, PBS, June 12, 2009); interview with ROBERT REICH; http://www.pbs.org/video/video/1151173294/program/1113570149
19. “These green shoots mean business. In his debut article for, Geoffrey Lean says environmental campaigners are no longer anti-growth” (The Daily Telegraph, June 12, 2009); column citing DAN KAMMEN; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/5516785/These-green-shoots-mean-business.html
20. “The healthcare war has officially begun. Will Obama stand up to lobbyists and insurers to give Americans a needed public option?” (Salon.com, June 12, 2009); op-ed by ROBERT REICH; http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/06/12/reich/
21. “Nonprofit to buy aquarium at Pier 39” (San Francisco Chronicle, June 11, 2009); story citing RICHARD and RHODA GOLDMAN; http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/10/BAP51833QL.DTL
22. “Interest groups differ on US renewable fuel standards” (Chemical News & Intelligence, June 10, 2009); story citing MICHAEL O’HARE.
23. “Inside Politics: Main Lesson?” (The Washington Times, June 9, 2009); column citing ROBERT REICH.
24. “Cities Struggle with Access to Green Energy Sources” (Newshour with Jim Lehrer, PBS, June 9, 2009); features commentary by DAN KAMMEN; http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/jan-june09/grid_06-09.html
25. “Budget woes have
26. No Help in Sight for the Auto Belt. Obama lacks a convincing strategy for reviving the communities sinking with the auto industry” (National Journal, June 6, 2009); analysis citing ROBERT REICH; http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20090606_3237.php
27. “With auto aid, US follows industrial policy strategy” (Agence France Presse, June 7, 2009); story citing ROBERT REICH.
28. “Former legislator to head state health plan group” (San Francisco Business Times, June 3, 2009); story citing Visiting Lecturer PATRICK JOHNSTON; http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/06/01/daily45.html
29. “Power Lunch: What’s Next for GM?” (CNBC, June 1, 2009); interview with ROBERT REICH; http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1138252435&play=1
30. “No reason for public involvement in GM” – Commentary by ROBERT REICH (Marketplace [NPR], June 1, 2009); Listen to this commentary
31. “Nader pleads for task force oversight” (Automotive News, June 1, 2009); story citing ROBERT REICH.
32. “Welcome to Government Motors” (The Globe and
Mail (
33. “Three UC Berkeley faculty members chosen for state advisory committee to help devise cap-and-trade program” (UC Berkeley Newscenter, June 1, 2009); news release citing DAN KAMMEN; http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2009/06/01_carb.shtml
34. “Waxman-Markey Draft Sets Stage for Climate Legislation” (States News Service, March 31, 2009); newswire citing MICHAEL HANEMANN.
1. “New S.F. court dismisses over half its cases” (San Francisco Chronicle, June 25, 2009); story citing MELISSA SILLS (MPP 2004/PhD cand.); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/25/MNIN18DEA0.DTL&tsp=1
--Heather Knight, Chronicle Staff Writer
(06-24) 20:57 PDT -- More than half of the cases
brought to San Francisco’s new Community Justice Center—the Tenderloin court
that prosecutes the low-level crimes that plague the neighborhood—are
discharged, including more than 90 percent of the cases involving sleeping
outside, blocking sidewalks and creating a public nuisance.
Those are the findings of a new report prepared by a UC Berkeley doctoral student that, like everything related to the court, has become controversial.
Opponents of the CJC say it is further proof the court is an expensive waste of time.
The court’s supporters, though, say those being cited for low-level crimes are accessing social services through the court even if their cases are discharged—which wouldn’t happen in the traditional court system.
Meanwhile, the court became a focal point Wednesday in the budget battle between Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Board of Supervisors. The supervisors’ budget committee voted 3-2 to strip funding from the Sheriff’s Department budget that would have paid for four bailiffs at the court—and suggested it will try to remove all funding for the court in the coming weeks…..
The independent report was prepared by Melissa Sills, a doctoral student in public policy at UC Berkeley who has studied a range of social and criminal justice policy issues. She used statistics gathered by the public defender’s office, which represents the CJC defendants.
From its opening in early March to early June, 431 cases were brought before the court, and 235 were discharged by the district attorney’s office.
The lowest-level cases, such as sleeping outside—whether sent to the Hall of Justice or the CJC—are usually not considered prosecutable because there’s not strong enough evidence.
But, according to Sills’ report, some more serious crimes also saw high rates of discharge, including 62.1 percent of assault and battery cases, 54.5 percent of vandalism cases and 48.8 percent of drug possession cases. Sills said it’s not clear yet if the court is succeeding.
“I just don’t feel like I have enough information to make any kind of judgment about whether the court is fulfilling its mission,” she said. “We care more about the long-term outcomes of what’s happening to these clients, ... and that we wouldn’t be able to see in such a short time frame.” …
2. “Reform and Jobs” (BusinessWeek, June 25, 2009); column citing PHILLIP CRYAN (MPP 2009); http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/09_27/b4138037176584.htm
By Catherine Arnst
The business community
has embraced the idea of health-care reform, hoping that
Lobbyists and CEOs are arguing before Congress that pay-or-play would cause many employers to drop health-care benefits as too costly or lay off staff. Plenty of economists beg to differ. They argue that if overall health costs come down, that would offset the cost of insuring staff.
A report just out by Phillip Cryan, an economist at the
Cryan looked at all the various options under consideration by Congress at the moment. In his worst-case scenario—Congress enacts a high 8% “pay” penalty and no cost savings are achieved—166,095 jobs would be lost, or 0.1% of the workforce. But in the most likely scenario, there would be a net gain of 55,365 jobs. Why? New jobs would be created in health care; improved health would raise productivity; some employers who choose to pay rather than play would save money; and, again, the overall rate of health inflation would slow….
3. “Alabama Medicaid Commissioner Selected for Inaugural Medicaid Leadership Institute” (Targeted News Service, June 24, 2009); newswire citing TOBY DOUGLAS (MPP 2001/MPH 2002).
Steckel was competitively selected to participate in the executive leadership development program along with five additional Medicaid directors: Toby Douglas, California; Carolyn Ingram, New Mexico; MaryAnne Lindeblad, Washington State; Lynn Mitchell, Oklahoma; and Sandeep Wadhwa, Colorado.
“At a time when national
health care reform decisions will greatly affect their programs and
responsibilities, these six individuals form an exceptionally talented
inaugural class for the Medicaid Leadership Institute,” said Tommy Thompson,
Former Governor of
“We are truly excited about this first class of leaders, all of whom are passionate about maximizing the value of their programs for millions of beneficiaries,” said [Melanie Bella, senior vice president at the Center for Health Care Strategies which will manage the program]. “[The chosen] Medicaid directors … bring a diverse array of experiences to the Institute and will collectively spur each other to take full advantage of the opportunities for leadership that are likely to be presented by health care reform.” …
[For more information about the program, visit www.Medicaidleaders.org. ]
4. “Program serving aged-out foster youth expands” (San Francisco Chronicle, June 23, 2009); column citing DEANNE PEARN (MPP 1998) and program cofounded by AMY LEMLEY (MPP 1998); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/23/BANE18BO86.DTL&type=newsbayarea
--Chip Johnson
When foster youth Beaunca Wilson turned 18 in 2007 and was emancipated from the group home she was living in, she had nowhere to go.
“I had no money, no
family to rely on—and no job,”
A group home counselor
took pity on her and let her stay a few weeks, but
But in 2008, she joined
the First Place for Youth housing
program. She moved into her first apartment and took vocational training to
become a computer technician…. She begins classes today at
The goal of First Place for Youth is to be a bridge for foster youth who, when they “age out,” are too often sent packing without financial resources, social networks or job skills.
Over the past 10 years, First Place for Youth has grown to
become the state’s largest program for helping foster youth make the transition
to self-sufficiency. Its annual budget has doubled to $8 million over the past
three years, and plans call for a new center in
First Place for Youth also has become a national model. Federal legislation was passed in October to extend funding for foster youth until age 21, and there is a proposal in the California Legislature to adopt the extended program.
From a small downtown
office, First Place for Youth
provides housing to more than 600 people a year in
“There are 5,000 kids
released from foster care in
“If we can put them on a path to making good choices and living healthy lives, why wouldn’t we do it?” Pearn asked….
In
She pointed to a federal study that showed that 40 percent of the people who use federally funded homeless shelters were at one time foster youth. And children from foster care are more than twice as likely to have their own kids removed from the home.
“So, you can pay now or pay later, and believe me, you will pay dearly,” she said.
For Pearn and the group’s 60-member staff of college-educated social workers and public policy analysts, the program is the product of 10 years of poking and prodding and working out all the kinks.
“We spent the first decade figuring out how to make it work, and now there is huge momentum and a consciousness that we need to do more—it’s exciting,” Pearn said….
5. “Workers’ comp rates press upward. Insurers seek 23.7% hike; employers ask, why now?” (San Diego Union-Tribune, June 21, 2009); story citing FRANK NEUHAUSER (MPP 1993); http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jun/21/lz1b21comp223433-workers-comp-rates-press-upward/?business&zIndex=119893
By Dean Calbreath, Union-Tribune Staff Writer
Crouched in a home’s attic, Brian Dorney of Bill
Howe Plumbing worked on an air-conditioning unit. Howe’s general manager says
even a slight increase in workers’ compensation rates could cause the company
to trim its budget or raise its prices. (Howard
Lipin/Union-Tribune)
Since
Over the past five years, prices plummeted to all-time lows, thanks to a series of restrictions on the amount of care available to injured workers.
But it looks like the
roller-coaster track is heading back up again, with the Workers’ Compensation
Insurance Rating Bureau of
Over the past several years, workers’ comp insurers have had one of their most profitable periods on record. Between 2003 and 2007, they paid an average of less than 55 cents in medical costs for every dollar that they took in from customers – dipping as low as 30 cents in 2005 – compared with a more typical rate of 70 to 90 cents.
A report by the state Insurance Department estimates that workers’ comp insurers can remain profitable even if they pay $1.12 for every dollar they take in, because they make money on investments as well as on the premiums they charge customers.
“Workers’ comp insurers
have been incredibly profitable since the beginning of this decade,” said Frank Neuhauser, a workers’ comp research
specialist at the
6. “Democracy is not a spectator sport - Organization seeks to hold a constitutional convention to reform the state government” (Davis Enterprise, June 21, 2009); op-ed cosigned by JACKIE HAUSMAN (MPP 1993).
By Susan Lovenburg;
Special to The
Participatory democracy, civic engagement, community activism: Whatever your chosen expression, the commitment was shared by all 150 attendees of “Saving California Communities: Starting Here!” on May 16. In and of itself, that made the day a success.
Gathered together were school, city, county and state elected representatives; union leaders; business owners; senior citizens; students; educators; and those involved with environmental, health, public safety, social service and political organizations.
These community members
represented diverse perspectives, but they embraced a common belief that
California Forward
Executive Director Jim Mayer briefed the group on reforms that restore
accountability and trust in government so that revenue will flow for services
people value.
Jim Wunderman, executive director of the Bay Area Council, shared his belief that “tinkering” with the existing system is not enough. He described his organization’s efforts to convene a constitutional convention to wipe the slate clean and define the state anew….
The Cities, Counties, Schools Partnership Task Force on State Budget Reform will hold a July summit of city, county and school elected representatives to create a common vision of needed reform. Task Force Chair Rich Gordon said restoring community control is a central issue for the group.
With a heightened sense
of purpose, participants broke into groups to define next steps for the
Saving California Communities
will facilitate these efforts in keeping with our guiding principles. We are
united voices for strong, healthy communities in
We seek stable revenue for services that respond to the needs of all Californians, and we believe that only public engagement in the problems of our day will generate the momentum needed for meaningful reform….
... Co-signed by members of Saving
7. “
Public hearings on
Guests:
•Nani Coloretti, mayor’s
budget director for the City and
•Ed Kinchley, medical social worker in the ER at San Francisco General Hospital and Health Care Industry Chair of SEIU 1021
•John Avalos,
•Marisa Lagos, reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle
•Heather Fong, current
police chief for the City and
NANI COLORETTI: “Let’s be clear, everyone got a raise this year—except for the mayor’s staff…. The police raises actually just keep us in line with our competitor cities and actually the starting salary in San Francisco for a police office is still lower than others in our region, so we still have a recruiting problem….”
“We have people out
there who are saying we’re shutting down recreation centers and health clinics
and we are not. We have maintained…. while all around us there are counties
actually limiting general assistance to 3 months—that’s Alameda county; Contra
Costa is eliminating healthcare services to the undocumented…. This is a global
and national problem, but
8. “Coalition urges federal government to overhaul health care” (Sacramento Bee, June 17, 2009); story citing PHILLIP CRYAN (MPP 2009); http://www.sacbee.com/business/story/1952806.html
By Bobby Caina Calvan
A coalition of economists, health experts and business leaders on Tuesday called on the federal government “to move boldly” to overhaul the country’s health care system and help breathe life into the moribund economy.
A petition, already signed by 330 people, was unveiled Tuesday along with two new reports by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, that argue for a greater role among employers in providing health coverage for not only their workers but the millions of uninsured….
Two years ago, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger built a coalition of consumer advocates, labor leaders, local business chambers and key players in the health care industry to support his case for universal health care. But the Republican couldn’t muster support from some of the most potent forces in the debate. His proposals sank under heavy opposition from the California Chamber of Commerce, California Nurses Association and Anthem Blue Cross, the state’s largest health insurer….
The business community, particularly small business owners, may be reluctant to take on the financial burden to fix the country’s much-maligned health care system.
The two studies released Tuesday both favor a “play-or-pay” policy that would require all employers to provide health coverage or pay a tax for a public insurance fund.
The payroll tax would be
a necessary funding stream for an employer-based solution to the health
insurance crisis, said Phillip Cryan who
wrote one of the reports for the Economic Policy Institute and the Institute
for
He claimed that “health care reform will add a very large number of jobs to the economy,” but his study did not provide a specific estimate.
[Read Phillip Cryan’s report: ‘Will a “Play or Pay” Policy For Health Care Cause Job Losses?‘]
9. “Residents join
search panel” (The Republican (
By Jeanette DeForge, Staff: The Republican
In an 8-0 vote, the
committe decided the group will be 13 members and Andrew Churchill, the
10. “ACLU: Hospital discriminated against gay couple” (The Associated Press State & Local Wire, June 16, 2009); story by GARANCE BURKE (MPP 2005/MJ 2004).
By GARANCE BURKE, Associated Press Writer
Kristin Orbin, 29,
collapsed May 30 after walking 14 miles in the “Meet in the Middle 4 Equality”
protest, held days after
As she fell in and out
of consciousness, Orbin was rushed to
“I kept asking for
Teresa, and they told me I was in a no-visitor zone,” said Orbin, a student who
lives in
11. “Interconnection costs stir up tempest as wind projects prepare to tap into the northern Plains” (Electric Utility Week, June 15, 2009); story citing ROB GRAMLICH (MPP 1995).
By Pam Radtke Russell, Jason Fordney
As policymakers look to the northern Plains states for thousands of megawatts of wind power, utilities near the prospective wind projects are fighting what they say would be heavy costs to help the projects connect to the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator’s system.
The utilities and others are devising a proposal to require new generators to pay 100% of their interconnection costs instead of the half-share they would pay under current rules. The transmission owner now pays the other half. According to industry sources involved in efforts to change the rules, MISO is expected to file a tariff revision with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by early July.
Rob Gramlich, policy director for the American Wind Energy Association,
called the measure “a disaster” for projects planned for wind-rich states such
as
Wind generators say that the tariff change would have a chilling effect on development in the wind-rich region. And even though the change is being called temporary, they say, there is no guarantee that it would not become permanent.
Gramlich, of AWEA, said such a rule would amount to charging the next generator in the transmission queue the full costs of a new line. “This change, if they go forward with it, is going to guarantee that barely any transmission infrastructure gets built at the time we need to get busy building it,” he said.
Gramlich said AWEA would strenuously attack the new rule, which he says “goes in the wrong direction. We’re taking it to FERC and taking it to Congress and taking it to governors as well,” Gramlich said. “Our industry is getting ready to scream loudly about this.” …
12. “Without a budget,
By Steve Wiegand
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tells an audience in
June 15 is usually recognized around the Capitol
as the day on which the Legislature thumbs its collective nose at a
constitutional deadline that a state budget be passed.
That’s how it’s been celebrated on 29 of the past 33 June 15ths.
This year, however, there’s a twist: Lawmakers have already approved a budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 – in fact, they did it in February.
But they’ve been unable to mend a $24 billion rip that has appeared in it since then – and that could cause as much trouble as if they were still squabbling over the budget itself.
That’s because without a budget patch in place by the end of this month, state finance officials say there’s a chance state government might have to do what it hasn’t done in 17 years: issue IOUs instead of paying its bills….
State financial officers say that issuing registered warrants would make it even harder to borrow from commercial markets and private investors – and nearly impossible without a balanced budget in place.
“If we are without a budget,” said Mike Genest, the governor’s director of finance, “we would be going to the market and saying ‘well, we’re still haggling over the budget, there’s no political agreement, we’re still spending $24 billion more than we’re going to have and we don’t know what we are going to do about it, and oh by the way, the year after that is going to be worse … so in reality our chances of paying you back are murky at best … but hey we’d like you to loan us the money anyway.’
“Now, there is probably somebody out there who would lend us the money, but there are only so many suckers in the world, so we’d probably only end up with a billion or so.”
13. “Pitfalls aplenty for officials who serve multiple agencies: The recent arrest of an Inland councilman puts a spotlight on the strict rules they must follow” (Press-Enterprise, June 12, 2009); story citing JOANNE SPEERS (MPP/JD 1984); http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_officials12.47ecdaa.html
By Duane W. Gang, The Press-Enterprise
In her home office, Fontana City Councilwoman Janice Rutherford has a long table with three computers set up side by side.
One is for her personal
use, another is for
It’s illegal to use public resources to do political or unrelated work, and the multiple roles public officials hold are in the spotlight with the arrest last month of Rancho Cucamonga City Councilman Rex Gutierrez.
Gutierrez is accused of
doing city work when he was on the clock in the
Although some officials say they have not yet had to recuse themselves from a vote, the potentials for conflicts exist, experts said….
JoAnne Speers, executive director of the League of California Cities’ Institute for Local Government, said there are situations, particularly with potential financial gain, when elected officials are legally required to recuse themselves from a vote.
But they also should go beyond the minimum standard.
“If the public might reasonably question which hat a public official is wearing in any given situation or which set of constituents or interests are being served, that might be another time the public official with a dual rule might want to consider stepping aside,” Speers said.
14. “Clout: Realtors on shaky ground over property-tax mailing” (Philadelphia Daily News, June 12, 2009); column citing STEVE AGOSTINI (MPP 1986).
… With three top Nutter officials out the door—two announcing resignations in the past month—we’re launching a new feature here at PhillyClout called Resignation Watch.
So who could be next on the farewell tour? Here are a couple of top staffers who have generated more than a few rumors.
- Budget Director Steve Agostini : The quick-witted budget boss has
worked in numerous city governments before Philly, including San Franciso and
15. “UNICEF Mourns Death of Filipino Staffer” (Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 11, 2009); story citing ANN VENEMAN (MPP 1971).
By Cynthia D. Balana
THE UN CHILDREN’S FUND
(Unicef) yesterday said the killing of one of its Filipino staffers, Perseveranda
So, in the suicide bombing of Peshawar Pearl Continental in
‘She will be greatly
missed... Our hearts go out to her family and friends, in her home country of
the
So, 52, had worked for
the Unicef since 1994. She headed the UN agencys education program for girls in
“She was a dedicated and
highly committed staff member, who worked with grace and determination as chief
of education in
“She was in
Veneman said So’s killing was “an attack on the very humanitarian principles to which Persy was dedicated, and it is reprehensible and unacceptable”….
16. “Protesters rally against HIV/AIDS services cuts” (San Francisco Chronicle, June 11, 2009); story citing MARK CLOUTIER (MPP/MPH 1993); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/11/BANS184IE9.DTL
--Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Staff Writer
But under Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget cuts, those subsidies could be reduced, making
the medication cost unaffordable to
On Wednesday, Jackson stood on the grounds of the state Capitol with hundreds of other people who fear cuts to HIV/AIDS services would lead to a resurgence of the disease and kill people who are living with it now….
In
The San Francisco AIDS Foundation could lose $850,000 that pays for HIV testing, counseling, prevention and education projects, including efforts focused on African American men and gay men who use methamphetamine.
“If we’re not able to test people and measure where the virus is going—that’s just really basic,” said Mark Cloutier, CEO of the foundation. “That would really set the state back.”
17. “
“While much of the obesity discussion has centered on food, the Academy found that children cannot access safe places where they can be active,” explains Dr. Richard Jackson, a consultant on the AAP policy statement and chair of the UCLA Department of Environment Health Sciences. “The Academy’s landmark recommendation addresses this reality head-on and encourages physicians and parents to advocate for better access to playgrounds, parks and green spaces.”
With nearly a third of
Joint use agreements lay
the foundation for partnerships between public agencies, non-profits and
community groups to increase physical-activity opportunities in community
spaces like school gymnasiums, ball fields and playgrounds. For leading health
organizations meeting at the Childhood Obesity Conference in
“The state needs to do
its job to support communities in establishing joint use agreements,” says Marty Martinez of the California Pan-Ethnic
Health Network (CPEHN). “
18. “
By Chris Treadway - West
RICHMOND — Residents and housing advocates will gather tonight to testify before Federal Reserve officials on the impact of foreclosures and to discuss possible solutions.
... Allen Fishbein of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Joseph Firschein, assistant director and community affairs officer, is scheduled to attend.
The event is one of 50 assemblies taking place around the country the same day, and is being held in partnership with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition and National People’s Action….
19. “Despite Odds, Cities Race to Bet on Biotech” (New York Times, June 10, 2009); story citing JOSEPH CORTRIGHT (MPP 1980); http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/11/us/11biotech.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
By Shaila Dewan
Wyeth, the pharmaceuticals company, used a double helix model to
attract attention at a recent global biotech convention in
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Where a textile mill once drove the economy of this blue-collar town northeast of Charlotte, an imposing neoclassical complex is rising, filled with fine art, Italian marble and multimillion-dollar laboratory equipment. Three buildings, one topped by a giant dome, form the beginnings of what has been nicknamed the Biopolis, a research campus dedicated to biotechnology.
At $500 million and counting, the Biopolis, officially called the North Carolina Research Campus, is a product of a national race to attract the biotechnology industry, a current grail of economic development….
At a recent global
biotech convention in
Skeptics cite two major
problems with the race for biotech. First, the industry is highly concentrated
in established epicenters like
Second, biotech is a relatively tiny industry with a lengthy product-development process, and even in its largest clusters offers only a fraction of the jobs of traditional manufacturing….
There is no guarantee that if a blockbuster drug materialized, it would be manufactured and marketed in the same place it was developed and tested.
Joseph Cortright, an economist who has studied biotechnology clusters,
gave the example of a promising anti-leukemia compound developed at
20. “CITY INSIDER: Newsom’s ‘budgetary jujitsu’” (San Francisco Chronicle, June 10, 2009); column citing NANI COLORETTI (MPP 1994); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/10/BA1418409G.DTL&type=newsbayarea
--Heather Knight
Mayor Gavin Newsom’s thick budget book explaining his spending plan for 2009-10 shows a $1.9 million deposit to the city’s public financing program on July 1 as required under city law….
But the budget book doesn’t explain that Newsom has already taken $2.3 million out of the same account to help pay for other city services, leaving it with just $750,000. The mayor did the same thing last year when he borrowed $5 million from the public financing program—money he has yet to pay back.
The mayor opposed the creation of the public financing program, which is designed to ensure candidates have a shot at winning without big financial backing. His budget director, Nani Coloretti, said the money would be paid back.
“When you have money sitting there that isn’t needed right now and you have the biggest budget shortfall in recent history, it makes sense,” she said of the borrowing….
21. “Obama Plans to Build on Stimulus Progress” (Morning Edition, National Public Radio (NPR), June 9, 2009); interview with MICKEY LEVY (MPP 1974); http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105143848
JOHN YDSTIE: The Obama administration continued to tout the benefits of the $787 billion stimulus package at a Cabinet meeting yesterday. In remarks before the meeting began, President Obama said that in the first 100 days, the foundations for recovery had been laid….
But can you really count the number of jobs created or saved with any degree of accuracy? White House economist Jared Bernstein says yes. One way is through an actual headcount, he says….
But that kind of direct headcount would end up well short of 600,000 jobs, says Bernstein. To get to that higher number, you have to count the ripple effects of the paycheck earned by that worker with the new job weatherizing homes….
Mr. BERNSTEIN: And in our modeling, we try to account for the different types of spending so we can get a more accurate assessment of job creation….
Mr. MICKEY LEVY (Chief
Economist, Bank of
YDSTIE: That’s Mickey Levy, chief economist at Bank of
Mr. LEVY: I don’t think there’s any way to prove or disprove the number. I would say that the magnitude of deficit spending—which is unprecedented during peace time—and the fact that it’s being financed by our central bank basically printing money, should increase demand and it should increase jobs.
YDSTIE: But Levy argues there’s no way of knowing precisely how many or when.
Mr. LEVY: I do applaud the administration for its objectives of trying to stabilize the economy and its role in encouraging people to look forward to recovery. But I find such, you know, estimates about jobs saved or jobs created a little on the silly side.
YDSTIE: In any case, Levy says, it would not be unusual for the economy to rebound from a deep recession like the one we’re experiencing now and produce three-and-a-half million jobs over the next two years. That’s exactly what the administration says its stimulus package will create.
But, Levy says, there’s no way of knowing whether the stimulus spending is what will actually put people back to work….
22. “Ten health-insurance tips for new graduates” (MarketWatch, June 9, 2009); column citing KAREN POLLITZ (MPP 1982).
By Kristen Gerencher, MarketWatch
Once their campus coverage expires either upon graduating or at the end of the summer in most cases, young people who haven’t landed jobs with health benefits typically have limited choices: Stay on their parents’ health plan if possible, buy a standard or temporary policy in the individual market or assume the significant financial risk of going uninsured.
“The first thing you
need to convince young people of is they really, really need health insurance
because they feel quite invincible,” said Nancy Metcalf, a health editor at
Consumer Reports in
The message is equally important for parents. They can play a major role in helping kids get coverage and may have as much to lose if they don’t get it, said Karen Pollitz, project director for Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute in Washington.
“If something horrible happened to your child and you didn’t have insurance, you’d probably mortgage your house to make sure they were cared for,” she said….
23. “Basic health to cost more - Insurance: Premiums, deductibles go up Jan. 1 to save state $238 million” (The Olympian, June 9, 2009); story citing REBECCA KAVOUSSI (MPP 2001); http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/875704.html
By Brad Shannon, The Olympian
The state’s Health Care Authority will save $238 million by raising health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs for the Basic Health Plan on Jan. 1. But it won’t toss any low-income workers completely off coverage, as once feared.
The average enrollee will see monthly premiums rise to $61.60 per month, up from $36, and the lowest premiums double from $17 to $34 per month in January. Participants also will see out-of-pocket deductibles jump from $150 to $250….
“I think that when you are looking at somebody living at poverty, at less than $1,000 per month, and their premium goes from $36 to $60 a month … that is really significant,” said Rebecca Kavoussi , spokeswoman for the Community Health Network of Washington. “These are folks for whom that additional $30 or $40 could be spent on something they really need like rent or groceries. So I think a lot of them may unfortunately make the decision to drop their coverage.’’
Even so, Kavoussi called the plan “the lesser among many evils” that the Health Care Authority had to choose from under the Legislature’s budget orders, which lopped funds by 43 percent. The network represents 140 community clinics that served 600,000 people last year, and Kavoussi said those patients included a quarter of the state’s uninsured and more than 60 per cent of the state’s BHP enrollees….
24. “KEMA Utility of the Future executive conference panel line-up finalized; Key Industry Execs to Discuss Navigating the Sustainable Energy, Utility Landscape” (Business Wire, June 9, 2009); event featuring EMILIE MAZZACURATI (MPP 2007).
Panel moderators and speakers include:
Impacts of Carbon Policy
Moderator: Karin Corfee, Senior Principal, KEMA.
Dr. Paul M. Sotkiewicz, Senior Economist, Markets, PJM
Mauricio (Mo) Vargas, CEO, Greenhouse Gas Services, LLC, an AES/GE venture
Emilie Mazzacurati, Manager of Carbon Market Research,
25. “Sacramento area drivers take the ‘Car-Free Challenge’” (Sacramento Bee, June 7, 2009); story citing challenge and organization headed by STUART COHEN (MPP 1997); http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1925614.html
By Tony Bizjak
Joan Edelstein wheels her luggage over the I Street Bridge on her
walk home to West Sacramento after taking the train from
Joan Edelstein of
The go-green pledge puts her among a handful of Sacramentans who’ve announced similar intentions at the new “Car-Free Challenge” Web site – not for pocketbook reasons, they say, but because it’s the right thing to do….
[Edelstein, an education consultant who works on asthma issues] jumped when she heard about the challenge sponsored by TransForm [headed by Stuart Cohen], an advocacy group hoping to send a message that there’s a “critical mass” of people out there who don’t want to sit in traffic and pollute and are willing to try something new.
Edelstein lives in a new
energy-efficient, tri-level condo in
Yet, from where she lives, she has to drive to work and to the store. The industrial streets on her route aren’t safe or convenient for walking, and there is no bus….
On a typical day she
estimates she may drive about 12 miles. That’s far below the
Residents in downtown
and midtown
They’re like midtown resident Mary Marks, another Car-Free Challenge participant, who enjoys her drive-less lifestyle.
She tossed a dust cover over her car and bought a bike some time ago. Her commute to her downtown office is just a few blocks….
It’s easier, she acknowledges, because she lives in one of the region’s most densely packed areas. Housing, offices, stores and nightspots are intermingled. Walking is easy and bus service frequent.
By comparison,
households in more rural
SACOG, made up of city and county leaders, has made it a top goal to reduce the number of miles people drive their cars by promoting tighter communities with better mixes of housing, jobs, usable transit, and bike and pedestrian routes.
Also, Sacramento Congresswoman Doris Matsui is pushing the locally engineered “Complete Streets” concept at the national level with a bill requiring that states and metropolitan areas define and design many streets as equal-rights territory for pedestrians, cyclists and buses, as well as cars…..
26. “Leaders of L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation, with 2,150 Cyclists, Decry Proposed Cuts in HIV Funding at Conclusion of AIDS/LifeCycle 8” (Fox Business News, June 6, 2009); story citing MARK CLOUTIER (MPP/MPH 1993); http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/leaders-la-gay--lesbian-center-san-francisco-aids-foundation--cyclists-decry/
AIDS/LifeCycle 8 cyclists celebrate during the closing ceremony of
their 545-mile, seven day ride from
LOS ANGELES, June 6, 2009 /PRNewswire-USNewswire
via COMTEX/ -- Cheered by fans, friends, family and local residents, about
2,150 bicyclists streamed into Los Angeles today for the conclusion of the
eighth annual AIDS/LifeCycle, a seven-day, 545-mile journey from San Francisco
that raised $10.5 million for the HIV/AIDS-related services of the L.A. Gay
& Lesbian Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
At the closing ceremony
at the Veteran’s
Holding their helmets or hands over their faces during the ceremony, the cyclists and roadies represented the scores of lives that will be lost if legislators approve the proposed $80 million reduction in HIV/AIDS-related services—a roster of cuts which would deny life-saving drugs to low-income Californians, eliminate HIV testing, counseling and education programs, and turn the clock back on years of progress in fighting the AIDS epidemic.
“The proposed budget will put the most vulnerable Californians at risk and jeopardize the health and safety of communities we’ve long rallied to protect,” said Cloutier. “The heroes of AIDS/LifeCycle 8 stand in unanimous opposition to potentially disastrous elimination of vital HIV/AIDS services.” …
27. “Plan would aid salmon, reduce water for people” (San Francisco Chronicle, June 5, 2009); story citing MARIA REA (MPP 1988); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/06/05/MNV618119E.DTL
--Kelly Zito, Chronicle Staff Writer
Steve Crotty leaves Pier 45 in
On Thursday, an 800-page
biological opinion released by the National Marine Fisheries Service found that
operations of the state and federal water systems had jeopardized the state’s
spring-run chinook salmon,
The agency recommended increasing the amount of cold water stored at Shasta Dam, routing fish around a Red Bluff dam, closing “cross-channel” gates within the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta for longer periods, and cutting delta water exports by 5 to 7 percent….
The aim is to make
waterways more hospitable and accessible to spawning salmon, while also
preventing the fish from getting trapped in the giant delta pumps that funnel
water to 25 million Californians and hundreds of thousands of acres of
farmland. Federal architects of the plan say
The salmon population has declined by about 90 percent over the past six years, according to several West Coast fishing industry groups.
“What is at stake here
is not just the survival of species, but the health of entire ecosystems and
the economies that depend on them,” said Maria
Rea, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service
supervisor for the
28. “Federal ruling helps fish, but water costs feared” (Sacramento Bee, June 5, 2009); story citing MARIA REA (MPP 1988); http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/1920924.html
By Matt Weiser
A chinook salmon leaps up a fish ladder at the Nimbus fish hatchery as
it nears the end of its spawning journey. (Jay
Mather/Bee file 2000)
Endangered salmon and
steelhead in Central Valley rivers must have access again to historic spawning
grounds above major
The rules require the
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to restore access for fish to waters above Nimbus
and Folsom dams on the
Those dams were built decades ago without fish ladders and have blocked access to hundreds of miles of historic spawning grounds….
But retrofitting the dams for fish passage is by far the most costly and significant measure. Building traditional fish ladders is likely to cost billions of dollars, though the rules don’t require this. Instead, the fisheries service is ordering a multi-agency task force to recommend ways to restore fish above the dams by 2016, and then to carry out the best options by 2020….
“We are acutely aware of
the significance of this opinion for the region’s farmers and residents,” said Maria Rea, manager of the fisheries
service’s
29. “Plans set for
fair’s home” (Reporter, The (
By Jessica A. York/
Times-Herald,
This artist’s rendering gives an idea of what the Solano County Fairgrounds could look like under a new proposal.
The fair-lit skies are the limit in the proposed future vision of the under-used Solano County Fairgrounds.
What’s needed someday is a nearly year-round mix of uses ranging from sports and special events to offices and retail, a report released Wednesday recommended….
If the proposed vision
is realized, the fairgrounds would be open almost daily … under a
county-Vallejo partnership dubbed Solano 360. The county-owned property is
across from
The report envisions a major central waterway, expanded exhibition space, a special events arena, sports fields and a transit center, among other features. All of these are linked with a pedestrian walkway and bridge to the nearby theme park. A mix of hospitality, office and retail uses was also folded into the vision plan, leaving off residential and commercial focuses….
Economists working on
the site vision estimate 2,500 permanent jobs could be created in addition to 5,700
construction jobs. Annual gross sales could rise to more than $400 million by
the site’s completion.
Vallejo Assistant City Manager/Community Development Manager Craig Whittom told the City Council on Tuesday that the fairgrounds property could turn into a “major economic generator” for its redevelopment area, though not likely for another five to 10 years….
30. “Obama vows ‘hands-off’ approach in GM stake - But some ask whether what’s good for industry is good for the country” (USA TODAY, June 2, 2009); story citing STAN COLLENDER (MPP 1976); http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-06-01-gmobama_N.htm
By David Jackson: (c) USA TODAY
Greg Medlar, manager of a Chevrolet dealership in
The economic crisis has helped make the federal government the nation’s most powerful corporate shareholder. Now, President Obama is aiming to make sure that doesn’t become a political liability.
A 60% government stake in General Motors “may give some Americans pause,” Obama acknowledged Monday.
He pledged to make the takeover temporary. “Our goal is to get GM back on its feet, take a hands-off approach, and get out quickly,” he said.
Some Republicans,
meanwhile, are seeking to make political capital from a string of government
acquisitions, including Chrysler as well as some banks and mortgage companies.
“Does anyone really believe that politicians and bureaucrats in
It isn’t just a question of how long the government maintains ownership, said Stan Collender, a partner in the Washington-based business consulting firm Qorvis Communications. It’s whether GM—and other companies—can become successful enough to redeem the taxpayers’ money.
That could mean Obama will be criticized whatever he does, Collender said. If he sells too quickly, some will say he should have waited for higher stock prices; if he waits, people will accuse him of staying in too long.
“The government’s stake,” he said, “will likely be sold in pieces both to demonstrate that the government wants to get out and so as not to depress the market.”
31. “
By Jennifer Loven, AP White House Correspondent
Tensions fueled 30 years
ago when Iranians overran the U.S. Embassy in
Experts and regular
citizens alike believe has a chance to make headway during visits to
“I’m not sure he can set a dramatically different tone,” said Mitchell Bard with the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. “There is a limit to what he can do.”
For one thing,
32. “Mickey Levy, Chief Economist, Banc of America Securities, is interviewed on Bloomberg News’ ‘Bloomberg On The Economy’” (Financial Markets Regulation Wire, Copyright 2009 CQ Transcriptions, LLC, All Rights Reserved, June 2, 2009); interview with MICKEY LEVY (MPP 1974).
…KEN PREWITT, BLOOMBERG NEWS: There was all that talk, Mickey, late last year that the government wanted mortgage rates down. The talk was around 4.5 percent, so here we are now up to 5.33, is it going back down again?
TOM KEENE, HOST: Can they push it down?
PREWITT: Yes, what would it take?
MICKEY LEVY, CHIEF ECONOMIST, BANC
OF
LEVY: The answer is temporarily at best. So the Fed is trying to keep rates low and particularly mortgage rates low and the lower mortgage rates earlier did stimulate a tremendous amount of mortgage refinancing, but now you’ve seen a backup in rates with stronger economic activity and the Feds playing an unsustainable game here.
LEVY: Yours is a great question. Usually inventory liquidation and then rebuilding around recession troughs is a major swing factor in the economy. Businesses over the last five quarters have liquidated inventories at an unprecedented rate. OK, so inventories are very, very lean, both at the retail and the wholesale level.
When businesses start to see a stabilization and then a pickup in aggregate demand, they’re going to have to increase production and start building inventories. So, the key to the economy here is not inventories per se, but its aggregate demand and consumption. Once that starts picking up, businesses are going to have to start producing again….
33. “Kevin W. Billings Joins Lockheed Martin; Former Leader of Air Force Installations and Energy Programs to Focus on Company’s Federal Energy Performance Contracting Programs” (ENP Newswire, June 1, 2009); newswire citing TOM GRUMBLY (MPP 1974).
As Director of Federal
Energy Efficiency Programs,
“Kevin has a wide-range of experience managing energy reduction initiatives, including expertise in change management. He will be instrumental in helping Lockheed Martin develop and deliver energy efficiency solutions to our federal customers,” said Tom Grumbly, Lockheed Martin’s vice president of Energy and Security Services.
… Lockheed Martin is approved to help the Federal government reduce its energy costs and environmental impact through increased energy efficiency, additional use of renewable energy, and improved utility management decisions at Federal sites. All totaled, the tasks will have a maximum ceiling value of $ 80 billion over the 11-year period of the contract….
34. “
By Jim Magill
Nick Rahall of
Among other things, the bill would combine the Bureau of Land Management and Minerals Management Service, both of which are under the Interior Department, into a newly created Office of Federal Energy and Minerals Leasing. It also would shorten initial onshore oil and gas lease terms from 10 years to five, with allowances for extensions; raise the minimum royalty rate for onshore leases from 12.5% to 18.75%; eliminate the royalty-in-kind program; and repeal deepwater royalty relief provisions implemented by the George W. Bush administration….
Skip Horvath, president and CEO of the Natural Gas Supply Association, said in a statement that NGSA “will be sending a letter to Chairman Rahall and his staff next week, letting them know that this legislation eliminates jobs, reduces domestic supply and puts upward pressure on natural gas prices at a time when people are worried about jobs and prices.”
Horvath noted that in 2007, the gas industry paid more than $2.9 billion non-tax dollars to the federal government in royalties, rents and other payments. That more than doubled to over $7.2 billion in 2008.
“By our calculations, natural gas provides approximately 4 million American jobs, and this legislative proposal will put those jobs at risk,” he said….
35. “CBC, VIA Rail considered for auction block: documents” (Canwest News Service, June 1, 2009); newswire citing AIDAN VINING (MPP 1974/PhD 1980).
By Andrew Mayeda, Canwest News Service
Privatizations tend to work well when Crown corporations enter a reasonably competitive market with a good chance of turning a profit, said Aidan Vining, a professor of business and government relations at Simon Fraser University. Unlike successfully privatized firms such as Canadian National Railway, it’s not clear that CBC and VIA Rail could operate as profitable ventures while maintaining the public mandates they provided as Crown corporations, he noted.
“They’re not the classic privatization candidates, where you sell and walk away,” said Mr. Vining, an expert in Crown corporation privatizations. “Unless, of course, you’re prepared to fully withdraw from the public purpose (of the Crown corporation).”
Certainly, the sale of a flagship Crown asset such as the CBC would be politically controversial. After the CBC announced this spring that it would lay off hundreds of employees, opposition critics accused the government of turning a cold shoulder to the public broadcaster’s struggles.
Under the Financial Administration Act, Parliament would have to approve the privatization of any Crown corporation. “It’s hard to believe that some of these sales would go forward in a minority Parliament,” said Mr. Vining….
36. “Hundreds of
marchers take gay-rights quest to central
By Garance Burke; Associated Press
FRESNO, Calif. — Hundreds of same-sex couples and their supporters marched Saturday through dusty California farm towns, gathering in the state’s conservative center to push for gay marriage in less hospitable areas.
Just days after the state’s highest court upheld a ban on gay marriage, advocates vowed to win the hearts and minds of those who reject their unions. They are pledging to put a new initiative before voters to overturn the ban, perhaps as soon as next year.
The weekend-long event
has attracted the movement’s most well-known activists and celebrities,
including Charlize Theron and Eric McCormack. It was organized by a lesbian
mother in
“
Gay activists believe their
campaign against Proposition 8 focused too much on liberal urban enclaves along
the coast, failing even to reach out to the state’s rural regions. The measure
passed with nearly 69 percent of the vote in
37. “It’s the Same Old
Story” (The News & Observer (
By Barry Saunders, Staff Writer
… If I were suspected of ripping off my employer for hundreds of thousands of dollars and had to make up a crime to divert attention, I, too, would’ve resorted to the old “ABDI” defense: “Officer, a bro did it.” …
[Bonnie] Sweeten’s story of being abducted with her daughter by two black men—in a black Cadillac, for dramatic effect—had more holes than an Oliver Stone movie, but that didn’t stop TV networks from jumping in and giving the tale a legitimacy unwarranted by the facts.
Turns out that the sweet, innocent mother and wife who’d been kidnapped by a couple of thugs on a busy street corner was actually a liar who took her 9-year-old daughter to DisneyWorld, presumably with some of the money she allegedly stole from her employer….
Darned right, black dudes are accused of—and are sometimes guilty of—committing a disproportionately high number of crimes. The perception of our criminality, though, exceeds the reality. You could look it up.
Robert Entman, a communications professor at
38. “The Children’s Partnership holds a discussion on ‘How National Health Reform Efforts Should Best Address Kids’ Unique Healthcare Needs’” (The Washington Daybook, May 29, 2009); event featuring KAREN POLLITZ (MPP 1982).
…PARTICIPANTS: Cindy Mann, executive director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University; Karen Pollitz, research professor at the Health Policy Institute of Georgetown University; David Tayloe, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics; David Cutler of Harvard University; and Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus; Kristen Golden Testa, director of California health at the Children’s Partnership; and Karen Davenport, director of health policy at the Center for American Progress Action Fund….
39. “The Federal Reserve Holds a Panel Discussion on Public Sector Resources at the Community Development Finance Summit on Strategies to Respond to the Economic Crisis” (Financial Markets Regulation Wire, May 29, 2009); event featuring MATT JOSEPHS (MPP 1997).
… Next we’ll turn to the agency for which CDFIs are a central constituency and community development is the central mission and that of course is the CDFI Fund. We’ll hear from Matt Josephs, who is the manager for the New Markets Tax Credit Program and does many other duties on the side….
MATT JOSEPHS: ... I think this is as good a point as any, to start
with where Derek [
And in the Recovery Act as well, I’ll start with the CDFI program, what we have going on in 2009 is the Recovery Act made $100 million available to the CDFI program, really $98 million in funding for CDFI. It’s $90 million under our CDFI program and $8 million under our NACA program….
Next month, we’ll be making these award announcements and we will, you know, disburse the entire $98 million of funds within probably, I don’t know, within four months, I guess, of the Recovery Act being signed, so that’s something we’re very much looking forward to.
We also decided to open up a supplemental round that would invite additional applications and with that we reserved our appropriated dollars, which will end up being about $60 million for the CDFI and the NACA programs….
So when you add all this together and include the $2.5 million in TA awards, Technical Assistance awards that the CDFI Fund announced, I think, back in March, we’ll be making over $160 million in awards to CDFIs.
That’s more than double the amount of awards made in any previous year and more than the amounts in the past three years combined. So it’s going to be a very busy and productive 2009 for the CDFI program.
… [N]ow that we have the resources that we always wanted, we are going to be starting a CDFI capacity building initiative. We’ve set aside some program dollars in 2009 to fund this initiative, where we would hire community development consultants and experts. They’ll be providing direct onsite technical assistance to CDFIs….
… [T]he CDFIs are the most successful class of applicants in the New Markets program. They out-perform the banks. They out-perform the publicly traded entities.… They out-performed the real estate developers; no one is more successful than CDFIs applying under the New Markets Program. They’ve gotten probably …well over $3 billion of assistance through this program, so that is worthy of the applause….
40. “Council to pay $32,000 for expert to help its officials behave properly” (Desert Sun, May 28, 2009); story citing JOANNE SPEERS (MPP/JD 1984).
By Xochitl Peña - The Desert Sun
The Coachella City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved hiring a consultant for $32,000 to assist in creating a guide to spell out how council members should interact with each other, staff and the public.
The hiring of Bill Mathis, with Napa-based Mathis Consulting Group comes at a time when the city faces a more than $3 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2009-2010 and is considering layoffs as a way to deal with the shortfall.
Even so, city leaders believe it it is a necessary expense….
On April 22, Mayor Eduardo Garcia asked city staff to look into a “code of conduct” after Councilman Gilbert Ramirez Jr. a month earlier had allegedly used “offensive language” toward Garcia during a meeting recess.
Officials also contended Ramirez “created a level of fear” among staff, council members and the audience.
And, two days later on April
24, Ramirez, allegedly cursed at Garcia and Assistant City Manager Steve Brown
and kicked a city vehicle they were in during a confrontation in the
Garcia said the consultant will help the city develop a system of accountability for everyone and elevate the level of professionalism and sophistication when conducting business….
“I think that’s worth the investment,” Garcia said.
Mayor Pro Tem Steve Hernandez, though, said it’s “unfortunate” the city has to hire someone to help teach them how to act.
Nevertheless, JoAnne Speers, executive director at the Institute for Local Government acknowledged that elected leaders can have strong opinions and things can escalate.
“That’s one of the reasons we at the institute are big fans of local officials getting training,” she said.
To work out conflict, Speers added, they have to establish common ground and work collaboratively toward a solution.
Toward that end, she said hiring Mathis “sounds like a positive pass.” …
41. “Joseph Firschein, Federal Reserve Board, and Mark Pinsky, Opportunity Finance Network, deliver remarks on the summit overview at the Community Development Finance Summit on strategies to respond to the economic crisis” (Financial Markets Regulation Wire, Copyright 2009 CQ Transcriptions, LLC, All Rights Reserved, May 28, 2009); event featuring JOSEPH FIRSCHEIN (MPP 1992).
I’m Joseph Firschein. And I’m the Community Affairs Officer here at the
board, working with Sandy and her whole team. And it’s just a pleasure to
co-host this event together with the Federal Reserve Bank of
I also join Donna and
Sandy in saying thank you to a lot of people that put this event on. The CDFI
Fund … and the board haven’t partnered on something before. And this is a good
partnership. I actually started my career—the second job I had in
42. “More calls for
By Karen de Sá, Mercury News
With
There are just six remaining prisons for the state’s most serious juvenile offenders, and they house the lowest number of inmates ever recorded in modern history. That has left taxpayers in an era of deep cuts to education and social services footing a bill of a quarter-million dollars each year for each of the 1,600 youthful offenders now left in state custody.
In a report headed this week to legislators wrestling with a $21.3 billion budget shortfall, the San Francisco-based Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice describes a way out: Shut down the state prison system for youthful offenders, and turn the population back to county probation departments that are sitting on empty beds in new and refurbished juvenile halls. The report echoes similar findings of the state’s own Little Hoover Commission and Legislative Analyst’s Office, which have also concluded that given adequate time and resources, counties could house even the most troubled juvenile offenders in far cheaper and more effective institutions.
“These wards are going
to get out. They’re coming back to every one of their communities,” said Stuart Drown, executive director of the
bipartisan Little
…[I]n a report released late last year, the Little Hoover Commission advised the state to get out of the juvenile justice business by 2011, stating: “It is untenable to continue to invest money into a system that has failed for many years.” The commission advised that Californians deserve an accounting for a poor investment by the state, given that 74 percent of youth offenders leaving the state system end up back in trouble with the law….
43. “University of Wisconsin-Madison; Early Alzheimer’s diagnosis offers large social, fiscal benefits” (Biotech Business Week, May 25, 2009); story citing DAVID WEIMER (MPP 1975/PhD 1978).
Early diagnosis and
treatment of Alzheimer’s disease could save millions or even billions of
dollars while simultaneously improving care, according to new work by
Patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are heavy users of long-term care services, especially nursing home care, with estimated annual costs upward of tens of billions of dollars nationwide.
Much of the fiscal burden is borne by state and federal governments and thus taxpayers through the Medicaid and Medicare programs. For example, the Wisconsin Medicaid program spends almost half a billion dollars each year on nursing home care for just 11,000 dementia patients a tiny fraction of the estimated 160,000 affected people in the state, says Mark Sager, director of the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute of the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health.
These costs could be
greatly reduced by earlier diagnosis and treatment, he says in a new study co-authored by La
“Even just with currently available drug treatments, [early diagnosis] seems to offer positive social benefits. If we had a stronger caregiver-support network, it could be even greater,” Weimer says.
They predict even larger benefits if more effective drug treatments are developed and if public policy supported caregiver benefits, such as counseling and support groups.
Currently, Medicare does not support caregiver-intervention programs. Even accounting for implementation costs, the new analysis suggests that they would result in net savings to governments by reducing the care burden on medical systems.
“It does take some investment early on, and of course this is a time when all state dollars are tight. But from the long-run perspective, it looks like it’s a clear winner,” says Weimer.
In addition to substantial
financial savings on average $10,000 net savings to the state alone per patient
diagnosed in
44. “
By Betty Beard, The
The 17-month-old
recession may have jump-started economic-development efforts across the
country.
From Ohio to New Mexico, states have been shocked into realizing that their tax structures are not bringing in enough revenue to cover expenses, that their economies aren’t diversified enough and that it’s time to look for industries that can help them weather future downturns, say national economic-development experts….
Doug Henton, chairman and chief executive officer of Collaborative
Economics in
The hottest target among economic-development groups in the country is solar companies, whether manufacturers or auxiliary businesses such as repair technicians and installers. States that can land major companies are more likely to develop clusters that can develop into thousands of jobs, experts say….
Henton said abundant sunshine is not a prerequisite for attracting
solar companies. Favorable business and tax climates are more important, and
some cold-weather states, such as
“
45. “Lt. gov. upsets
By Alex Isenstadt
For a time, California state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier seemed to be on a glide path to the House, a favorite to succeed Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher when she officially steps down to take a State Department position.
He wasted little time securing the support of Tauscher, Rep.George Miller (D-Calif.), a top lieutenant to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who represents Tauscher’s adjoining district, and the Contra Costa County Central Labor Council.
But the calculus changed when Democratic Lt. Gov. John Garamendi unexpectedly parachuted into the contest for the comfortably Democratic Contra Costa County-based seat late last month. Now, even DeSaulnier’s supporters concede that Garamendi, who dropped his bid in the 2010 governor’s race to join the House special election, is the new front-runner….
And Garamendi is not all that DeSaulnier must worry about. Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan also has joined the 10th District race, and she expects to line up the backing of women’s groups like EMILY’s List, which helped fund her 2008 Assembly campaign.
But in a special
election that is expected to be a low-turnout affair, Garamendi’s unusually
high name recognition presents a significant problem for his opponents, both of
whom are now racing to introduce themselves to voters and raise funds. The
primary date has not yet been set … but
“The sooner it is, the more it is going to favor Garamendi,” said David Latterman, a San Francisco-based independent pollster. “Garamendi is obviously going to have that name recognition and that kind of kick.” …
46. “Sierra County (where everyone votes by mail) is serious about elections; Unofficial results show that 53.6% of Sierra County’s registered voters cast ballots, nearly double the statewide figure” (Los Angeles Times, May 22, 2009); story citing DAVID LATTERMAN (MPP 2002); http://articles.latimes.com/2009/may/22/local/me-turnout22
By Maria L. La
Foster is the registrar
of voters in
The unofficial voter
turnout in the conservative, rural enclave was 53.6%—higher than any other
county in the
Voting is about the only
means that residents have of ensuring that their voices are heard in
It helps, of course,
that Sierra and Alpine counties have all-mail balloting. And that Foster had
election reminders put up in every
“This has nothing to do with the election itself,” said David Latterman of Fall Line Analytics, a San Francisco-based survey firm. “It’s a wonderful case study. You have an isolated area, give them all mail-in and you get phenomenal turnout…. It has nothing to do with how motivated they are.” …
47. “Angela Briggs
Brings African Focus to U.Va.’s
By Brevy Cannon
Apartheid segregated all citizens into one of four racial categories: White, Indian, Coloured or Black, in roughly that order of hierarchy.
Because of her relatively light brown skin, people assumed Briggs was “Coloured,” and her Coloured host family would openly denigrate”Blacks.”
“These were good people
who were saying these things, but their views were so skewed,” said Briggs, who
graduated Sunday from the
This spring, like many
students in the Batten program, Briggs spent Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday
as an intern in
Drawing on her
Several of Briggs’
teachers noted that she orchestrated the conference in the midst of a full
class load, her
Eric Patashnik, an associate professor of politics and associate
director of the Batten School, echoed [Melvin] Foote’s praise. “Angela is a
terrific student and leader. She exhibited exactly the kind of dedication and
public service orientation that we’re trying to instill at the
48. “Corker amendment on transmission cost allocation throws wrench into Senate bill” (Inside F.E.R.C., May 18, 2009); story citing ROBERT GRAMLICH (MPP 1995).
By Joel Kirkland, Tom Tiernan
Southeast senators have
struck what appears to be the first major blow to efforts by the wind power
industry, independent transmission developers and top Democrats to widely
allocate the costs of
During a markup of the
Senate energy bill’s transmission title, the Energy and Natural Resources
Committee last week agreed to an amendment that would limit FERC’s discretion
to decide that a high-voltage power line carrying wind generation from the
The amendment adopted by the committee after a robust debate was sponsored by Senator Bob Corker, Republican-Tennessee, and had the support of Senator Blanche Lincoln, Democrat-Arkansas. The Corker amendment would require FERC to first establish the “measurable economic and reliability benefits” of a high-priority transmission line before allocating costs to ratepayers across a large region or sub-region….
That longstanding debate
is bumping up against a political and policy shift in
Senator Byron Dorgan,
Democrat-North Dakota, who has pushed for transmission lines to ship wind power
out of the
Robert Gramlich, vice president for policy at the American Wind Energy Association, expressed confidence that Dorgan or another supporter of building out the electric grid to support renewables will rescue the cost-allocation language once the energy bill reaches the Senate floor.
“There’s probably less of a regional, parochial problem in the full Senate than in the committee,” he said. “This energy bill isn’t going to pass tomorrow. There’s still time in the process. Once people realize what just happened, there will be opportunities.”
49. “Political Briefs” (Contra Costa Times, May 12, 2009); event featuring BRIAN LEUBITZ (MPP 2007).
By Lisa Vorderbrueggen -- Staff
Blogger To Headline Event: Liberal blog Calitics founder Brian Leubitz will address the May 20 meeting of the Diablo Valley Democratic Club.
Leubitz will talk about the results of the May 19 special election and the expected special election to replace Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo, if she is confirmed as an undersecretary in the U.S. State Department.
Leubitz, an Internet and campaign consultant, is also on the board of the San Francisco Young Democrats and the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club….
50. “Congresswoman Lee Honored by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation” (Congressional Documents and Publications, May 7, 2009); news release citing MARK CLOUTIER (MPP/MPH 1993).
Congresswoman Lee was honored during the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s 22nd Annual Leadership Recognition Dinner at the InterContinental San Francisco Hotel on Thursday evening. She is the first member of Congress to receive the foundation’s Community Service Award.
“U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee
has shown unparalleled leadership in fighting AIDS locally, nationally and
globally,” said Mark Cloutier, CEO of
the
51. “Behavior of city leaders questioned” (Desert Sun, May 5, 2009); story citing JOANNE SPEERS (MPP/JD 1984).
By Mariecar Mendoza - The Desert Sun
In light of an explicit, verbal exchange between two Coachella City Council members and what some have dubbed “Hamburger-gate” in Indian Wells, some residents are wondering whatever happened to public officials’ civility.
Several residents said they were shocked when they heard that police cited Coachella Councilman Gilbert Ramirez Jr. after he reportedly cursed at Mayor Eduardo Garcia and Assistant City Manager Steve Brown and kicked the car they were in during a confrontation in the City Hall parking lot last month.
Just weeks earlier, Indian Wells Councilman Douglas Hanson was accused of harassing a server at the city-owned IW Club….
Residents and experts say such incidents are rare and unacceptable….
“When you’re a public
servant, you have a special responsibility as a steward of the public,” said JoAnne Speers, director of the Public
Service Ethics Program at the Institute for Local Government, a
“That also means your actions are subject to more scrutiny than when you’re a private citizen,” she said….
Training, which is offered through the League of California Cities and other statewide agencies, can assist in acquainting city officials with special responsibilities that come with being a public servant, Speers said….
There is a range of options cities may use to deal with a council member whose conduct is reprehensible, but Speers cautions cities to employ those remedies “very sparingly.”
“In some instances, city councils have censured or otherwise taken action to indicate they don’t approve of a councilman’s behavior, which sometimes can be helpful,” she said, “but sometimes can also contribute to a dynamic where the focus turns to them being critical of one another’s conduct rather than them focusing on the business of the public.” …
Speers said that though differing ideologies may be healthy for a city council, it can also be the root of the problem.
“I think the people that get involved in public service are passionate about their community and what’s best for their community, and sometimes that passion can come at the expense of civility,” she said.
To that end, she added, “I don’t think there are any easy answers for this.”
“There is an inherent difficulty regarding ethical and value issues that come with being a public servant.” …
52. “The Brattle Group holds an event to announce the results of a study on ‘harmful tax legislation’ and ‘demonstrates that legislation being considered by Congress would have a devastating effect on the American insurance marketplace’” (The Washington Daybook, May 1, 2009); event featuring DOROTHY ROBYN (MPP 1978/PhD 1983).
PARTICIPANTS: Michael Cragg, expert on risk and financial matters and assisted the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service in developing economic and financial testimony in a variety of finance and tax litigation; former American Risk and Insurance Association President J. David Cummins; and Dorothy Robyn, specializes in rigorous economic analysis of controversial and often-complex public policy issues that relate to competition in aviation, telecommunications and other network industries….
53. “The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies’ (SAIS) Global Energy and Environment Initiative; and The National Capital Area Chapter of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics hold a 13th Annual Washington Energy Policy conference” (The Washington Daybook, April 27, 2009); event featuring REID HARVEY (MPP 1986) and GLEN SWEETNAM (MPP 1979).
…-- 3 p.m.: Reid Harvey of the Environmental Protection Agency; Nigel Purvis of Climate Advisors; Veronique Bugnion of Point Carbon; and Glen Sweetnam of the Energy Information Administration, participate in a panel discussion on “Climate Change Initiatives” …
54. “The Federal Reserve holds a panel discussion on consumer behaviors: Opportunities for Innovative Products at the Sixth Biennial Community Affairs Research Conference on Innovative Financial Services for the Underserved” (Financial Markets Regulation Wire, Copyright 2009, CQ Transcriptions, LLC, All Rights Reserved, April 17, 2009); event moderated by SCOTT TURNER (MPP 1982).
… I’m Scott Turner, I’m [the Community Affairs Officer] with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and I have the pleasure of moderating this panel....
In this panel we move from the examination in the first panel of consumer preferences to actually looking at the choices that we can observe consumers making in the marketplace….
So between them, the two papers offer really fascinating insights into how consumers choose between different financial products, how their different income and credit constraints affected the way they spent their money and also how much value they placed on their ability to access their funds, their tax refunds quickly. And then finally whether better information about consumer credit practices in this case the specific use of different credit scores would help financial firms make better decisions….
55. “Health Care Report: English not required” (Washington Times, April 7, 2009); story citing MARTY MARTINEZ (MPP 1996); http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/07/health-care-report-english-not-required/
By Sean Lengell, The
The second phase of a
The unprecedented law, which kicked off Jan. 1 by requiring insurance companies to provide interpreters for patients covered under health maintenance organization (HMO) plans, was extended Wednesday to state residents with preferred provider organizations (PPO) and other medical insurance plans.
“In today’s complex
medical world, it is crucial to improve the communications between patients and
doctors,” said Marty
The U.S. Census Bureau
says 43 percent of
A recent study found that more than 25 percent of limited-English-speaking patients who needed, but didn’t get, interpreter services could not understand their medication instructions….
56. “Arms Control Association Announces New Editorial Staff for Arms Control Today and New Deputy Director” (States News Service, March 18, 2009); newswire citing JEFF ABRAMSON (MPP 2003).
Jeff Abramson has served as the managing editor of Arms Control Today and a conventional
arms expert for ACA since 2007. As deputy director he will devote more time to
ACA’s work to promote efforts to reduce the humanitarian impact of certain
types of conventional weapons, monitor the global arms trade, and prevent use
of weapons in outer space. He will also provide leadership in ACA’s management,
membership, and resource development efforts. Prior to joining ACA, Jeff was as
a fellow at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and a director of
education-related programs. He earned his master’s degree in public policy from
the
1. “Numbers Guy Blog: Statistical Sleuthing on the Iran Election” (Wall Street Journal Online [*requires registration], June 30, 2009); blog citing HENRY BRADY; http://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/statistical-sleuthing-on-the-iran-election-747/
By Carl Bialik
My print column this week examines the use of
statistical techniques to search for election fraud. These techniques have
gotten a workout on the contested election in
Arlene Ash, a research professor at
University
of California, Berkeley, political scientist Henry E. Brady said he’d like
to see some small fraction of the money spent on
2. “Arena Digest: Waxman-Markey: yea or nay?” (Politico, June 30, 2009); commentary by DAN KAMMEN; http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=2DE349AC-18FE-70B2-A885D5170C402201
Politico’s Arena contributors discuss the team of Henry Waxman and Ed Markey and the climate bill.
...Daniel
M. Kammen, professor, University of
“The American Clean Energy and Security Act is
an exceptionally important statement and moment. It essentially encompasses
recognition—long overdue—of the need to treat the environment with respect by
establishing a price for pollution and recognition that we can use the market
to help spur innovation. Yes, the Waxman-Markey bill is complex and extensive,
but it signals both a critical need to clean our energy economy and a chance to
create in the
3. “Memo To The President: Fix Health Care System” (Tell Me More, NPR, June 29, 2009); features commentary by ROBERT REICH;
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106037898
President Obama has scheduled a town hall meeting to promote his health care overhaul plan this week. He’s been on the stump, pushing his plan in different forums: in press conferences, town hall meetings and discussions with several governors. But will he be able to achieve health care for all? Robert Reich says it will be difficult, but with the right strategy, Obama can prevail. Reich, former Labor Secretary and former advisor to Obama, explains how he thinks the president can remake health care policy.
4. “Debating the Public Option. The three founders of the Prospect discuss the perils and promise of a public-insurance option” (The American Prospect, June 29, 2009); commentary by ROBERT REICH; http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=debating_the_public_option
--Paul Starr, Robert B. Reich and Robert Kuttner |
In “The Perils of the Public Plan,” Paul
Starr warns that a public-insurance option could turn into exactly the opposite
of what progressives want. Here he discusses the problems with the Prospect’s
two other co-founders, Robert Kuttner and Robert
Reich.
Robert Reich:
Paul Starr worries that the public plan would end up a dumping ground for the sicker and more expensive. If that were the likely outcome, private insurers, the pharmaceutical lobby, and the American Medical Association would be all in favor of it. But they’re apoplectic about a public option because they fear exactly the opposite, which also seems to me more likely: By virtue of its scale and scope, a public plan would have the bargaining power to get lower drug prices and better deals with health providers, thereby eating into their profits. And they worry that the lower administrative costs of a public plan that doesn’t have to show a profit, or spend on marketing and advertising, will further erode their margins. Of course we need to pay attention to the precise organization of the risk exchanges, but that’s mainly to make sure the public plan is allowed to exert full competitive pressure on the private plans.
I’d prefer a single-payer, but it’s got no skin in the game. The only practical hope we have for expanding coverage and taming health-care costs lies with the public option. That’s why it’s the epicenter of the current fight. The House is supportive, but the Senate is backing off because Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats have been told it’s a Trojan horse for single-payer. And the medical-industrial lobbies are hard at work convincing the public that the public option will lead to a wholesale government takeover of the health-care system.
Yesterday the president said he might sign a health-care bill that did not include a public option. That’s exactly the wrong message. If progressives fail to work hard for a public option because it’s not a single-payer, or we allow the other side to demagogue a public option, we miss the moment….
5. “
By Victoria McGrane
AP photo composite by POLITICO
With
In May, when State Treasurer Bill Lockyer asked the Obama administration for aid in the form of federal guarantees for the short-term bonds the state needs to sell to pay its bills this summer, the White House said no….
Members from
And analysts say the
“You can’t get the
6. “
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/28/MN0P18AB47.DTL&type=printable
--Carla Marinucci & Matthew Yi, Chronicle Political Writers
So how did it come to this—that powerhouse California, a nation-state of 33 million with a budget larger than most small countries, has again been brought to its knees in a life-or-death struggle for financial survival?...
There are several factors that contribute to the state’s recurring inability to deliver an on-time, balanced budget. Among them:
...The two-thirds majority rule: The Golden State is one of just three states that require a two-thirds majority vote from each legislative house to pass budgets....
“The problem is that neither side has been held
to account,” said John Ellwood, a
professor at UC Berkeley’s
If Democrats, who hold the majority in both houses of the Legislature, “keep hiking taxes, at some point the voters will just throw them out. That’s what representative government is all about,” he said....
7. “
By Samantha Young, Associated Press Writer
(06-25) 06:00 PDT
The money will go toward funding a regulatory bureaucracy that will oversee the law and ensure the state lowers its greenhouse gas emissions.
The California Air Resources Board on Thursday is expected to vote for the carbon fee, an action that comes as the state is mired in recession and experiencing its highest jobless rate—11.5 percent—in modern times….
It would be imposed beginning in 2010 and would raise $51.2 million annually during its first three years, an amount that would level off at $36.2 million during the fifth year. The average cement plant would pay about $200,000 a year, while the average oil refinery would pay about $1.3 million a year.
The air board targeted the fee to industries it
considers the starting point for roughly 85 percent of
“Consumers won’t notice this fee,” said Bill
Magavern, the
Others disagree. Dan Kammen, a professor of energy and public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, said he expects the costs will be passed along to consumers….
8. “Why We Need a Public Health-Care Plan. Without the government as competition, the private sector has little incentive to improve” (Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2009); op-ed by ROBERT REICH; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124580516633344953.html#printMode
By ROBERT B. REICH
Corbis/WSJ
![[Commentary]](july2009_files/image024.jpg)
Why has health-care reform stalled in Congress?
Democrats, after all, control both Houses, and President Obama, whose popularity
remains high, has made universal health care his No. 1 priority. What’s more,
an overwhelming majority of the public wants it. In the most recent Wall Street
Journal/NBC News poll, 76% of respondents said it was important that Americans
have a choice between a public and private health-insurance plan. In last
week’s New York Times/CBSNews poll, 85% said they wanted major health-care
reforms.
So why the stall? Mainly because Congress can’t decide how to pay for it. The hardest blow came last week when the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the trial-balloon bill emerging from the Senate Health Committee would cost a whopping $1 trillion over 10 years and would cover only a fraction of Americans currently without health care….
No one wants to raise taxes or even be accused of thinking about the subject. But honest politicians have to admit that universal health care will require additional revenues. The likeliest sources are limits on certain tax deductions and a cap on tax-free employer-provided health care. Would the public go along? The most intriguing finding in last week’s New York Times/CBS poll was that most respondents said they would be willing to pay higher taxes to ensure everyone had health insurance.
But before we even get to this point, it’s important to recognize that those terrifying CBO cost projections significantly overstate the costs. They did not include potential cost savings from the lynchpin of health-care cost containment: a so-called public option that would give people who don’t get health care from their employer the choice of a public insurance plan….
As a practical matter, the choice people make between private plans and a public one is likely to function as a check on both. Such competition will encourage private plans to do better—offering more value at less cost. At the same time, it will encourage the public plan to be as flexible as possible. In this way, private and public plans will offer one other benchmarks of what’s possible and desirable….
Mr. Reich, professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and former Secretary of Labor under President Clinton, is the author of “Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life” (Alfred A. Knopf, 2007).
9. “Another day, another self-defeating energy bill compromise” (Salon.com, June 24, 2009); column citing MICHAEL O’HARE; http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2009/06/24/waxman_markey_compromises/
By Andrew Leonard
The Waxman-Markey energy bill, a.k.a. “American Clean Energy and Security Act,” now appears headed for a Friday vote in the House of Representatives—but only after a few more compromises aimed at getting “Farm Belt” Democrats to fall in line.
The
Waxman also agreed to exempt ethanol from indirect-land-use analysis for five years….
… Compromises are by definition unsatisfying. But it’s still distressing, nonetheless, to see the greenhouse gas land-use impacts of ethanol shoved to the side for five years.
As U.C. Berkeley researchers Alex Farrell and Michael O’Hare told the California Air Resources Board in January 2008:
Simply
said, ethanol production today using
Congress may not be ready to listen to science,
but
10. “New Report Finds 5 Million Jobs, 5-7 Billion Tons in Co2 Reductions Can Be Achieved by 2020” (Gigaton Throwdown Press, June 24, 2009); news release citing DAN KAMMEN; http://www.gigatonthrowdown.org/press.php
(
“What we’ve outlined today is an ambitious goal, but one that is entirely attainable through hard work and a concerted effort between government, business and private investment,” said Sunil Paul, founder of the Gigaton Throwdown and founding director of Spring Ventures….
“This study is a loud, clear message about the importance of acting now to create a vibrant clean energy economy,” said U.S. Senator John Kerry. “By passing strong legislation, we can grow our economy and end our dependence on foreign oil….”
The report identified seven existing industries — biofuel, nuclear, solar, geothermal, wind, building efficiency, and construction materials — that could reach gigaton scale over the next 10 years with new infusions of private capital. To attain gigaton scale, a single technology must reduce worldwide carbon dioxide and equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by at least 1 billion tons — a gigaton — per year by 2020.
“The Gigaton Throwdown sets our collective
sights on game changing combinations of science, technology and policy that can
turn the needed levels of climate protection and energy security into a road
map for laboratory-to-industry partnerships,” said Dan Kammen, of the University of California-Berkeley. “Quite
frankly, I am tired of watching the exceptional technology advances in the
renewable energy field become big business in Europe or
[Dan Kammen and Joseph Levin (MPP 2009) were among co-authors of the study, “Redefining What’s Possible for Clean Energy by 2020.”]
[A story on the project, “The ‘Gigaton Throwdown and the Big Hairy Audacious Question’“, was distributed by Reuters (June 25, 2009).]
11. “Gates Welcomes Four Senior Pentagon Officials” (Targeted News Service, June 22, 2009); newswire citing MICHAEL NACHT.
The new officials -- nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate -- will work under Gates in the areas of defense acquisition, congressional affairs, global defense strategy and nuclear, chemical and biological programs.
They’ve been on the job for several weeks, but today’s event provided an opportunity for Gates to welcome them formally to the department.
“With a wide range of experience in national security, diplomacy and nuclear deterrence and proliferation issues and congressional affairs, the four new officials we are honoring today are a welcome addition to the Department of Defense,” Gates told an audience in the Pentagon auditorium here. “The Department of Defense is fortunate to have professionals of such talent and experience.”
The new senior officials are: …
![061909142916_Nacht_Official_Color_Photo[1]](july2009_files/image033.jpg)
* Michael Nacht, assistant secretary of
defense for global strategic affairs. Nacht heads a newly configured
directorate in the Office of the Secretary of Defense that develops policy for
the secretary on countering weapons of mass destruction, nuclear forces and
missile defense, cyber security and space policy….
“Our honorees have already begun to settle in and pack their respective portfolios, but I’m glad to have the opportunity today to formally greet them and highlight the experience and talents they bring to this department,” Gates said, adding that he looks forward to working closely with them on critical decisions ahead of the department.
“Let me thank all four of you for accepting positions that will demand hard work and long hours. And again, thanks to your families for loaning you to us,” Gates said. “I know that every decision we make, you will keep in mind our men and women in uniform and how best to help them accomplish their mission and return home safely.”
Biographies:
Michael Nacht (http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/biographydetail.aspx?biographyid=208)
12. “PG&E opposes two solar-power bills” (Mercury News, June 19, 2009); story citing DAN KAMMEN; http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_12620166?nclick_check=1
By Tracy Seipel - Mercury News
After casting itself as a champion of solar power, Pacific Gas & Electric has angered green-energy advocates by opposing two state bills that would ramp up the benefits for those who go solar.
Put simply, PG&E’s objection is that the two measures would make solar too popular. The utility says that would be unfair to its non-solar customers, who under existing law must subsidize rebates and credits paid to solar-power users….
For consumers who might be considering a solar system, the bills enhance one of the most attractive financial benefits of making such a move: the opportunity to sell excess power back to their electric utility.
Assembly Bill 560 would increase the cap on “net metering,” which gives solar customers credit on their electric bill for surplus power they transfer to the utility. Currently, a utility is not obligated to sign net-metering contracts once solar power equals 2.5 percent of its peak electricity demand, a level PG&E is approaching. AB 560 would quadruple that cap, to 10 percent.
The second bill, AB 920, would change the way customers with solar installations are paid for surplus power…. AB 920 would require utilities to pay for credits or any electricity left over at the end of the year, although at a lower rate, or allow them to be rolled over to the next year.
Dan Kammen, professor in the Energy and Resources Group at University of California-Berkeley, said the bills will help open up competitive markets that favor low-carbon and clean energy, and help the state meet the goals of its landmark climate-change legislation….
13. “Schwarzenegger, Democrats dig in their
heels on budget.
By Daniel B. Wood | Staff writer
Protesters gather outside the
Tower Theater during a town hall visit by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in
LOS ANGELES -- Speaking in a
Speaking before a 200-strong audience, including Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin and Clovis Mayor Harry Armstrong, Schwarzenegger said he will not sign any budget that has tax or fee increases. Instead, he said, he would cut money to education, healthcare, and prisons.
“They used to ask Willie Sutton, ‘Why do you rob
banks?’ And he would say, ‘because that’s where the money is’ … and so Governor
Schwarzenegger has gone after the places where
The prolonged debate over the current budget deficit in Sacramento – about $24.3 billion since legislators closed a $43.5 billion deficit in February – shows that the state’s citizens have changed attitudes, Mr. Ellwood says.
“In the early ‘90s, when the state had a budget deficit, the governor would go to the Legislature and cut a compromise deal – solve the problem by cutting some programs and raising some taxes,” says Ellwood. “The people are no longer willing to cut that deal.” …
14. “Only public option will save health costs” – Commentary by ROBERT REICH (Marketplace [NPR], June 17, 2009); Listen to commentary
ROBERT REICH: The only way to ensure that medical costs will be contained by any upcoming health-care bill is to include a public, Medicare-like option that people can choose as their health insurer over a private insurer, if they want.
Although most Americans who know about the issue favor a public option, and the president has said he wants it in the bill, don’t bet on it being there in whatever emerges from committees days or weeks from now. Most Republicans don’t want the public option. And many Democrats are being lobbied heavily against it…..
In other words, we’ll get a public option that won’t be able to deliver substantially lower prices. Which is the whole point of having it in the first place, and the whole reason why drug companies and private insurers don’t want it.
So there’s really no room for compromise here. Either we’ll have a public option that disciplines private insurers and offers lower prices and premiums and thereby contains health-care costs or we won’t. In the meantime, don’t be fooled by the label. Just because a health-care bill includes something called a public option doesn’t mean it’s the real thing.
RYSSDAL: Robert
Reich is a professor of public policy at the
15. “White House Climate Report” (Forum with Michael Krasny, KQED Public Radio, June 17, 2009); features commentary by DAN KAMMEN; http://www.kqed.org/radio/programs/forum/#R906171000
The White House Office of Science and Technology
Policy has released a report detailing severe impacts that have already
occurred in the
Guests:
Dan Kammen, Professor of Energy at UC Berkeley and Co-Director of the Berkeley Institute of the Environment....
16. “More are asking: Is it time to legalize pot?” (Seattle Times, June 16, 2009); story citing ROBERT MACCOUN; http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2009343026_pot16.html
By Seattle Times news services
The
savage drug war in
These are reasons why many proponents of legalized marijuana have unprecedented optimism….
Considered one of the least harmful illegal drugs, marijuana accounts for more than 40 percent of drug arrests nationally and consumes a vast amount of law enforcement’s time and money….
The latest federal data show more than 100 million Americans have tried the drug and that more than 14 million used it in the previous month…..
• A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found
that 46 percent of Americans favor legalizing small amounts of pot for personal
use, up from 22 percent in 1997. In
“I’ve never seen a ... phone survey that showed
more than half of adults favoring legalization. I’ve certainly never seen a
governor putting forth the idea of debating the issue, much less an actual
bill,” said Robert MacCoun, a
17. “Obama’s Spending Plans May Pose Political Risks. Concern Mounts in White House as 2010 Elections Loom” (Washington Post June 14, 2009); analysis citing ROBERT REICH; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/13/AR2009061302035_pf.html
By Scott
After enjoying months of towering poll numbers, legislative victories and well-received foreign policy initiatives, the White House has become increasingly concerned that President Obama’s spending plans, which would require $9 trillion in government borrowing over the next decade, could become a political liability that defines the 2010 midterm elections….
“Everything that the White House does concerning
this deep recession contains an element of gambling because no one has been
here before,” said Robert B. Reich,
labor secretary under President Bill Clinton and a professor of public policy at the
Reich noted, “Very soon we’ll be in the gravitational pull of the midterm elections, and it seems clear that Republicans want to challenge Obama on the economy and will run on tax cuts, deficit reduction, and a much more scaled-down and privatized health-care plan.”
“If they can get their act together and come up with something that is halfway respectable, and if the public begins to lose patience by Election Day, Democrats could have some real problems,” he said. “And those problems, of course, could possibly extend through 2012.”…
18. “Robert Reich on Healthcare Reform” (Bill Moyers’s The Journal, PBS, June 12, 2009); interview with ROBERT REICH; http://www.pbs.org/video/video/1151173294/program/1113570149
BILL MOYERS: How do we know the real thing [healthcare reform]? …
ROBERT REICH: Well, there’s a very simple test. And that is: Is the public option big enough and is it going to have bargaining leverage to get drug prices down and keep private insurers on their toes, forcing them to cut prices. There’s nothing actually pushing the system unless you have a public option that gives the insurers and the pharmaceutical industry and the hospitals a real run for their money.
BILL MOYERS: In other words, in one word, competition.
ROBERT REICH: Fierce competition.
BILL MOYERS: With the private for-profit insurers, right?
ROBERT REICH: Absolutely right. See, right now, Bill, we’ve got a medical system in which private for-profit insurers are spending a lot of money trying to avoid sick people. It’s an absurd system. And all of that money they’re spending, marketing and finding groups of people who are relatively healthy and at relatively low risk and avoiding the sick people, all of that money is being wasted.
And they’re also-- as anybody knows who has private insurance, you’ve had the experience, I’ve had the experience, they contest a lot of claims, not only our claims-- but also doctors’ claims. They are in the business of making money. They are for profit. I don’t blame them. They are part of … the capitalist system….
But unless they are going to be pressured, genuinely pressured to reform through a public option, there is nothing that’s going to change them.
BILL MOYERS: Well, I guess what puzzles me is whether you can squeeze them, as you say, pressure them without regulation or if you just think having a competitive rival out there that is negotiating for prices and trying to come in at a lower cost than the private health plan, you can really achieve anything.
ROBERT REICH: Well, that’s a good question. You know, the single-payer system would be the best of all….
19. “These green shoots mean business. In his debut article for, Geoffrey Lean says environmental campaigners are no longer anti-growth” (The Daily Telegraph, June 12, 2009); column citing DAN KAMMEN; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/5516785/These-green-shoots-mean-business.html
By Geoffrey Lean
Green
technology could be the biggest economic opportunity of the 21st century Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Over the last
year the concept of a Green New Deal – originally set out by a group of
environmentalists and economists, including Caroline Lucas, leader of the
British Green Party – has spread astonishingly fast. Political leaders have
embraced its message, that building a low-carbon economy could not just help
tackle climate change but also provide a new engine of growth, and millions of
jobs….
Business is primarily interested, of course, because it reckons low-carbon growth will make money. Green technologies already attract the third largest amount of US venture capital after IT and biotech, and this seems just a beginning….
Last year, for the first time, wind, solar and other renewables accounted for more investment worldwide than generating electricity from coal and gas. They employ 2.3 million people, more than the oil and gas industries combined and, says the International Labour Organisation, are expected to create another 20 million jobs by 2030.
Prof Daniel Kammen, of the University of California, Berkeley, says they “have been shown to generate three to five times more jobs per dollar, or yuan, invested than comparable investments in fossil fuels”, while energy efficiency measures, such as insulating homes, are even better at providing employment.
It all adds up to a strong case that, instead of hindering growth and destroying jobs, the right environmental initiatives can increase both, while simultaneously getting to grips with global warming….
20. “The healthcare war has officially begun. Will Obama stand up to lobbyists and insurers to give Americans a needed public option?” (Salon.com, June 12, 2009); op-ed by ROBERT REICH; http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/06/12/reich/
By Robert Reich
Wednesday the American Medical Association came out against a public option for healthcare. The President has reaffirmed his support for it. The next weeks will show what Obama is made of—whether he’s willing and able to take on the most formidable lobbying coalition he has faced so far on an issue that will define his presidency.
And make no mistake: A public option large enough to have bargaining leverage to drive down drug prices and private-insurance premiums is the defining issue of universal healthcare. It’s the only way to make healthcare affordable. It’s the only way to prevent Medicare and Medicaid from eating up future federal budgets. An ersatz public option—whether Kent Conrad’s non-profit cooperatives, Olympia Snowe’s “trigger,” or regulated state-run plans—won’t do squat….
The President can’t do this alone. You must weigh in and get everyone you know to weigh in, too. Bombard your senators and representatives. Organize and mobilize others. And let the White House know how strongly you feel. This is one of those battles that define a presidency. But more importantly, it’s one of those battles that define the state of American democracy.
Robert
Reich, a professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley,
was secretary of labor during the
21. “Nonprofit to buy aquarium at Pier 39” (San Francisco Chronicle, June 11, 2009); story citing RICHARD and RHODA GOLDMAN; http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/10/BAP51833QL.DTL
--Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer
A relatively new exhibit of Pacific sea nettles is a favorite with school groups. (Brant Ward / The Chronicle)
The long-awaited purchase of San Francisco’s Aquarium of the Bay by the nonprofit Bay Institute is expected to be completed today to the delight of environmentalists, educators and scientists who will have a stake in the future of the attraction.
The $9.5 million deal means the
65,000-square-foot aquarium at Pier 39 will become a nonprofit center for
education and research on the
“What we are going to be creating here is
essentially an enduring institution for research and learning,” said Tina
Swanson, the executive director of the Novato-based institute, which has led
research and conservation efforts on the
“We’re taking what was meant to be a tourist trap and turning it into a community asset,” she said. “What is so exciting to us is that we are expanding our reach, we’re expanding our capabilities and we’re expanding our partners.”…
The Bay Institute is paying for the aquarium using a combination of municipal bonds, donations and loans from individual donors, corporate entities and philanthropic organizations, including the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund and the Marin Community Foundation….
22. “Interest groups differ on US renewable fuel standards” (Chemical News & Intelligence, June 10, 2009); story citing MICHAEL O’HARE.
HOUSTON (ICIS news)--Renewable fuel advocates, environmentalists and lawmakers on Tuesday tussled on the merits and pitfalls of proposed renewable fuels standards (RFS) that could make or break many US biofuels companies.
Environmental Protection Agency … officials listened to testimony relating to its proposal that 36bn gal of biofuels be blended into the nation’s fuel supply by 2022. The hearings kicked off a six-month public comment period on how the agency would carry out its proposed RFS standards.
Speakers debated the EPA’s planned measurements of indirect land usage. Those provisions measure how much greenhouse gas grain-based biodiesel emits throughout its lifetime, from growing the feedstock crops to refining the fuel.
Biodiesel producers dependent on soybeans as a feedstock would lose out under the EPA’s current indirect land use measurements. The agency’s measurement models find soybean-based biodiesel emits too much greenhouse gas to qualify for blending under RFS….
The EPA has defended its models, saying they are sufficient to measure biodiesel’s true environmental impact.
The agency also had its defenders, including Michael O’Hare, the principal researcher
for the
“Indirect land use change is real,” O’Hare said. “It’s highly consequential. The EPA’s approach at this point is intellectually responsible.” …
23. “Inside Politics: Main Lesson?” (The Washington Times, June 9, 2009); column citing ROBERT REICH.
By Greg Pierce, The
“In an interesting piece in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, Matt Bai suggests that the White House has learned the main lesson of Bill Clinton’s failed attempt at universal health care, which is not to deliver a finished product to Congress but instead give Congress a set of goals and let it decide how to reach them,” Robert Reich writes at wwwsalon.com.
“The question to my mind is whether the Obama
White House has overlearned that lesson. Without strong White House leadership,
individual members of Congress are particularly susceptible to the threats and
promises of powerful lobbies. A statement of White House goals that leaves the
details to Congress will likely result in legislation that superficially meets
those goals but whose details undermine them. That’s the biggest danger now
with the inchoate health care legislation,” said Mr. Reich, who served as labor secretary in the
“Fortunately, the White House now intends to get more involved in the emerging health care bill.”
24. “Cities Struggle with Access to Green Energy Sources” (Newshour with Jim Lehrer, PBS, June 9, 2009); features commentary by DAN KAMMEN; http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/jan-june09/grid_06-09.html
In cities across the country, officials are faced
with the task of getting renewable energy from the outskirts of town to the
urban centers where demand is greatest. NewsHour correspondent Spencer Michels
reports from
Spencer Michels: Dan Kammen, professor of energy at the
DAN KAMMEN: The real issue for transmission is that it requires federal coordination and oversight. You can’t do it state by state. You have to build out regional resources. And so this is another place where the Obama administration’s role is going to be vital. It’s not just the amount of money, but it’s also coordinating what happens around the country....
25. “Budget woes have
--Chip Johnson
Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente says the Oakland City Council has “asked the (bankruptcy) question.”
Even though city officials would prefer to avoid a public conversation, behind closed doors the Oakland City Council has discussed filing for bankruptcy protection in the midst of a $100 million budget deficit….
Consider the city’s cash position: Out of next year’s general fund of approximately $415 million, police costs are estimated at $212 million, fire protection service $103 million and $41 million in debt service payments. That leaves about $60 million to pay for everything else, from library services to recreation centers to public works.
And that calculation doesn’t include $50 million more in deferred debt service in a budget proposal presented to the council last month by Mayor Ron Dellums.
“We are in the worst recession since 1981,” said UC Berkeley Professor John Ellwood, an economist who worked in the Congressional Budget Office. “This recession is a bit different in that it’s being driven by the housing bubble, but as more and more people ask for property-tax reassessments, it’s going to leave a huge funding gap for cities,” Ellwood said….
It has been a great run for municipal employees
in
Since the late 1940s,
Add to the economic mix the union labor contracts in Oakland, which have provided city employees with high wages, good benefits and generous pension plans, and the problem is clear….
26. No Help In Sight For The Auto Belt. Obama lacks a convincing strategy for reviving the communities sinking with the auto industry” (National Journal, June 6, 2009); analysis citing ROBERT REICH; http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20090606_3237.php
By Ronald Brownstein
Grants for extended unemployment benefits, money to hire police officers, enlarged credit lines for small business, federal dollars to research clean diesel engines: These were some of the consolation prizes that Obama administration officials offered this week as they swarmed across Midwestern communities rocked by Monday’s General Motors bankruptcy….
But these efforts, while well-intentioned, don’t approach the scale of the problem; they are thimbles when the rain is falling in buckets. “Our existing job-training programs are very small, and it’s not clear what you retrain people for anyway if you don’t have an economy that is diversifying out of autos,” says Robert Reich, Labor secretary under Bill Clinton.
Reich, now
a
The federal money that Obama has provided GM prevented a liquidation that surely would have disrupted even more lives. Yet, as some in the administration itself recognize, Reich is right to worry that without new approaches, the places that the auto companies are abandoning may never recover….
27. “With auto aid, US follows industrial policy strategy” (Agence France Presse, June 7, 2009); story citing ROBERT REICH.
By Rob Lever
While the
Some analysts say the
Robert
Reich, a former
“It doesn’t make sense for
Reich says factory employment is likely to follow the path of agriculture, which has seen its share of the labor market shrink from 30 percent a century ago to less than five percent today, due to technology.
“We should stop pining after the days when millions of Americans stood along assembly lines and continuously bolted, fit, soldered or clamped what went by. Those days are over,” he said….
28. “Former legislator to head state health plan group” (San Francisco Business Times, June 3, 2009); story citing Visiting Lecturer PATRICK JOHNSTON; http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/06/01/daily45.html
By Chris Rauber
The California Association of Health Plans said Wednesday that former Democratic state Sen. Patrick Johnston has been picked as the trade group’s new president and chief executive officer….
29. “Power Lunch: What’s Next for GM?” (CNBC, June 1, 2009); interview with ROBERT REICH; http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1138252435&play=1
Ms. HERERA: …We welcome back Labor Secretary Robert Reich…. [D]id anything that Mr. Henderson say give you more confidence in his ability to lead GM, being a long-time GMer, through this very troubled period?
ROBERT REICH: Look, I hope he is right. I hope he is successful, but nothing he said was very much different from anything that Rick Wagoner was saying or anything that any predecessor was saying.
Look in the 1950s and 1960s; General Motors was the largest company in the world, the largest industrial company in the world. It employed half a million Americans. Today, it employs about 60,000 Americans and the plan approved by the Treasury is to cut that by at least 21,000 more, in fact, I’ve seen estimates that GM by the end of 2010 is going to have about 38,000 employees. Well, what’s the goal here? …
There’s a very fundamental question here about to whom he’s accountable and for what, and that question is not going to go away. The taxpayers have invested $50 (billion) to $60 billion in this company. Do you know how many public schools could be reopened or how many classes could be shrunk for $50 (billion) or $60 billion? This is a major investment and it’s not exactly clear what the public is getting in return….
… Well, at this particular time when the economy
is in such bad shape, GM is critical to the industrial
30. “No reason for public involvement in GM” – Commentary by ROBERT REICH (Marketplace [NPR], June 1, 2009); Listen to this commentary
ROBERT REICH: ...You and I and other taxpayers now own what was once the largest company on earth. But it’s difficult to find a public purpose behind this biggest industrial bailout in history.
The goal can’t be to preserve jobs because the Treasury has been telling GM to slim down; and the company plans to shut 11 factories and lay off 21,000 workers....
Over the next decade or so, GM as we’ve known it will likely disappear in any event. The government’s huge stake in it merely slows down this process. Which, I think, is the point. The government is investing some $60 billion in GM in order to slow its demise, and thereby give its workers, suppliers, dealers, and the communities that depend on it more time to adjust.
But if the purpose is to help the
Robert Reich is a public policy professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
31. “Nader pleads for task force oversight” (Automotive News, June 1, 2009); story citing ROBERT REICH.
By Neil Roland
The Obama administration’s activist role in the turnaround of General Motors and Chrysler LLC has gone largely unchallenged by Congress, but it has drawn fire from THE consumer activist….
[Ralph] Nader’s calls for increased oversight got little traction at the House hearing, and no committee chairmen have pushed for more scrutiny. But some analysts say the expansion of executive power has already taken a toll on corporate management.
“It’s hard to tell who’s running GM and Chrysler
right now, which is one of the problems,” said Robert Reich, who was secretary of labor in the
At the same time, Reich doesn’t think Congress should get involved. “There are
already too many bosses,” said Reich, a
32. “Welcome to Government Motors” (The Globe and
Mail (
By Margaret Wente
Congratulations, fellow Canadians! In exchange
for $10-billion, you and I now own 12 per cent of the biggest industrial
disaster in the Western world—a company so grossly mismanaged that it loses
money on every car it sells. Our tab for bailing out the auto industry in
Yesterday, Stephen Harper didn’t even bother to
pretend this was a good deal for
On the CBC, Buzz Hargrove was complaining that auto workers have sacrificed so much they’ve even had to give up their free hearing aids. In other words, he still doesn’t get it. Ahead is an agonizing retrenchment that will result in a much smaller industry. As the brilliant economist Robert Reich argues, no politicians dare tell us the complete truth, which is that General Motors—along with the prosperous, middle-class world it created—is most likely in the process of disappearing for good. Even $70-billion and two desperate governments can’t stop that.
The age when millions of semi-skilled factory workers could get good, steady jobs and good pensions and free hearing aids is as obsolete as buggy whips and whalebone corsets. And the real aim of the bailout “is designed to give the economy time to reduce the social costs of the blow.”…
33. “Three UC Berkeley faculty members chosen for state advisory committee to help devise cap-and-trade program” (UC Berkeley Newscenter, June 1, 2009); news release citing DAN KAMMEN; http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2009/06/01_carb.shtml
Sarah Yang, Media Relations
BERKELEY — Three scholars from the University of California, Berkeley, have been appointed to the state’s new Economic and Allocation Advisory Committee, a group charged with helping California implement the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB32).
A key charge of the 16-member committee, jointly created by the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, is to help the state design an effective greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program to help meet the goals of AB32 to reduce state greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020.
The committee includes:
Dan Kammen,
Class of 1935 Distinguished Professor in the Energy and Resources Group, the
34. “Waxman-Markey Draft Sets Stage for Climate Legislation” (States News Service, March 31, 2009); newswire citing MICHAEL HANEMANN.
WASHINGTON -- A “discussion draft” for climate and energy legislation released today by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) sets the stage for the federal government to rapidly adopt a comprehensive approach to energy and climate policy, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. House members will use the discussion draft as a starting point for crafting legislation.
Waxman, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Markey, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, have pledged to move a bill out of the Energy and Commerce committee by Memorial Day, Monday, May 25. The discussion draft release comes on the heels of President Obama reaffirming his pledge to move rapidly on comprehensive climate and energy legislation during a March 24 press conference.
Economists who have studied the issue of addressing global warming largely agree that reducing emissions is much less costly than failing to reduce emissions and adapting to resulting climate change.
“Increasing our reliance on clean energy sources would help pull our economy out of the ditch and prevent the worst consequences of global warming,” said economist Michael Hanemann, a Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy. “The energy efficiency provisions in the draft are a key way to reduce electricity bills for consumers as we transition to a clean energy economy. Doing nothing is the most expensive thing we can do. Opponents of energy and climate legislation want to keep us addicted to increasingly expensive fossil fuels and saddle us, our children and our grandchildren with the massive costs of unchecked climate change.”…
June 15 Michael Hanemann spoke on “Climate
Change and Water: Challenges and Responses in
Lee Friedman and Jeff Deason, “Intertemporal Regulatory Tasks and Responsibilities for Greenhouse Gas Reductions” (May 1, 2009). Goldman School of Public Policy Working Paper No. GSPP09-001. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1406670
Robert MacCoun; Rosalie Liccardo Pacula; Jamie Chriqui; Katherine Harris; and Peter Reuter, (2009) “Do Citizens Know Whether Their State Has Decriminalized Marijuana? Assessing the Perceptual Component of Deterrence Theory,” Review of Law & Economics: Vol. 5 : Iss. 1, Article 15. DOI: 10.2202/1555-5879.1227. Available at: http://www.bepress.com/rle/vol5/iss1/art15
Jack Glaser, Karin D. Martin, and Kimberly Kahn, “Possibility of Death Sentence Has Divergent Effect on Verdicts for Black and White Defendants” (June 24, 2009). Goldman School of Public Policy Working Paper No. GSPP09-002. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1428943
Ira Mark Ellman, Sanford L. Braver, and Robert MacCoun, “Intuitive Lawmaking: The Example of Child Support” (November 7, 2008). Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2009. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1297588
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