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eDIGEST November 2009
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1. “Presumed Guilty” – a documentary film by LAYDA NEGRETE (MPP 1998/PhD cand.) and ROBERTO HERNÁNDEZ (PhD cand.)
Screenings: 16.15 Showroom 2 Wed 4th Nov & 12.00 Library theatre Thu 5th Nov.
View the trailer at www.presumedguiltythemovie.com
[Read their story below.]
2. Annual UC Human Rights Fellows Conference and Poster Session
November 5 | 10 am-5pm, Reception to Follow. International House.
“Media Advocacy for Social Change” 3:45 pm - 5:00 pm
Panelist: Daniel Cooney (MPP cand. 2010) - Public Policy, UC Berkeley
Poster Session (Concurrent 10:00 am - 5:00 pm), Ida and Robert Sproul Rooms
Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter (MPP cand. 2010), Public Policy, UC Berkeley – “Improving
the Normative Framework for Safeguards Against Development-Induced
Displacement: Experiences in
Sara Moore (MPP cand. 2010), Public Policy/IAS, UC Berkeley – “The Human Rights and Equity Implications of Climate Change Planning: Rising Tides Don’t Lift All Boats”
3. Annual GSPP Alumni-Faculty Reception at the APPAM 2009 Fall Conference
November 5, 2009,
6:30-8:30 p.m. Embassy Suites Downtown
All GSPP alums are welcome; conference attendance not required.
RSVP to lcerdaprice@berkeley.edu
4.
November 12, 2009, 6:00 - 8:30 pm
University of
Cost: $15.00 per person
RSVP deadline: November 6, 2009
5. “Repairing
November 17, 4-6 pm, Booth Auditorium at Boalt Hall
Speakers include Dean Henry Brady; Elizabeth Hill (MPP 1975), former head of the LAO; and Jim Wunderman, president of the Bay Area Council.
6. Cisco
DeVries (MPP 2000)—President,
Renewable Funding, will speak on “Energy Policy and Renewable Energy
Financing”
November 18th, 12:30-1:30pm, GSPP Room 250
Sponsored by the
7. “Progressive Leadership in Health Policy”
The Center for Health Leadership presents Robert Reich
Pfizer Moments in Leadership Speaker Series
November 18th,
5:30-7:30 pm,
Refreshments will be served at a reception following the talk.
8. “
December 2-3, 2009,
Sponsored
by the
Introductory Remarks: John Quigley, UC Berkeley
“Investments in Energy Efficiency” Moderator: Steven Raphael, UC Berkeley
Registration and more info at: http://urbanpolicy.berkeley.edu/greenbuilding.htm
9. CEPP Fall 2009 Speaker Series: “Using an Independent Business Voice to Advance Environmental Policies”
December 2 | 12-1:30
p.m. |
Dr. Bob Epstein, Environmental Entrepreneurs
Event Contact: cepp@berkeley.edu
ALUMNI AND STUDENT NEWSMAKERS
1. “San Francisco Mayor Drops out of Race for Governor” (Los Angeles Times, October 31, 2009); story citing DAVID LATTERMAN (MPP 2002); http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-newsom-out31-2009oct31,0,7017003.story
2. “Seniors looking at big changes in Medicare plans” (Oregonian, October 30, 2009); story citing JULIETTE CUBANSKI (MPP 1998/MPH 1999); http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/10/seniors_looking_at_big_changes.html
3. “Tamiflu shortages have parents on wild dose chase - Liquid form of drug used to treat youngest victims of swine flu is in short supply” (Washington Post, October 29, 2009); story citing TIM UYEKI (MPP 1985/MD).
4. “Chinese banks to fund $1.5B
5. “Nine Federal Agencies Agree to Expedite Permitting of Power Transmission Construction on Federal Lands” (Interior Department Documents and Publications, October 28, 2009); press release citing DOROTHY ROBYN (MPP 1978/PhD 1983).
6. “UN Children’s Funds says one staffer missing in
7. “Board hears poll results on reform proposals” (Monterey County Herald, October 28, 2009); story citing DAVE METZ (MPP 1998); http://www.montereyherald.com/search/ci_13658280?IADID=Search-www.montereyherald.com-www.montereyherald.com
8. “Electric vehicles are charging up the automotive industry” (Los Angeles Times, October 25, 2009); story citing ROLAND HWANG (MPP 1992) and firm co-managed by JIM MARVER (MPP 1974/PhD 1978); http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cover25-2009oct25,0,3028314.story
9. “Fed’s Kohn: MBS Prices to Fall When Fed Starts Selling” (The Main Wire, Market News International, October 23, 2009); newswire citing MICKEY LEVY (MPP 1974).
10. “Despite Its Woes, California’s Dream Still Lives” (Time Magazine, Oct. 23, 2009); story citing firm co-managed by JIM MARVER (MPP 1974/PhD 1978); http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1931582-1,00.html
11. “Audit critical of CCSF’s bond money spending” (San Francisco Chronicle, October 22, 2009); story citing PETER GOLDSTEIN (MPP 1981); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/22/MN0H1A8PEI.DTL
12. “Job hunt harder for ex-inmates, foster care” (San Francisco Chronicle, October 21, 2009); story citing organization cofounded by AMY LEMLEY (MPP 1998) and DEANNE PEARN (MPP 1998); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/21/BUDL1A89KQ.DTL&type=jobs
13. “FCC set to take on aggressive role as Internet traffic cop” (San Jose Mercury News, October 21, 2009); story citing DEREK TURNER (MPP 2006); http://www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_13603357?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com
14. “Net Neutrality Hype Ramps Up” (PC Magazine.com, October 21, 2009); story citing DEREK TURNER (MPP 2006).
15. “Poorest children missing out on vaccination boom” (Agence France Presse, October 21, 2009); newswire citing ANN VENEMAN (MPP 1971).
16. “
17. “Biden to model solar finance plan on
18. “Yoo’s Tenure Questioned Over Bush Torture Policy” (The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, PBS, October 20, 2009); features commentary by STEPHANIE TANG (MPP 2004); http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/july-dec09/tenure_10-20.html
19. “Time for Change: How to Reform the State’s Budget
Process” (Milken Institute’s State of the State conference 2009: “
20. “Charge for Beer” (KQED Radio News, Oct. 20, 2009); interview with BRUCE LIVINGSTON (MPP 1989); Listen to the story
21. “Polls indicate Americans strongly support
22. “Human resources are
23. “
24. “Presumption of Guilt. In
25. “Experts meet to formulate federal AIDS policy” (San Francisco Chronicle, October 16, 2009); story citing MARK CLOUTIER (MPP/MPH 1993); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/16/MNF91A6CD9.DTL
26. “McClatchy third-quarter profit increases” (Sacramento Bee, Oct. 16, 2009); story citing GARY PRUITT (MPP 1981/JD 1982); http://www.sacbee.com/business/story/2257320.html
27. “Senior DOD Officials Meet With Governor, Tour Guam” (Targeted News Service, October 15, 2009); newswire citing DOROTHY ROBYN (MPP 1978/PhD 1983).
28. “Diarrhoea causes 1.5 million infant deaths a year: UN” (Agence France Presse, October 14, 2009); newswire citing ANN VENEMAN (MPP 1971).
29. “Senate Committee Passes Health Care Bill” (Forum, KQED public radio, October 14, 2009); commentary by MARIAN MULKEY (MPP/MPH 1989); Listen to the program
30. “Forum to ‘clear the air’ about health care issues” (Sacramento Bee, October 13, 2009); event featuring MARIAN MULKEY (MPP/MPH 1989); http://www.capradio.org/news/special.aspx?keyword=secondopinions
31. “The incredible shrinking budget deficit” (Salon.com, October 13, 2009); column citing STAN COLLENDER (MPP 1976); http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2009/10/13/the_stimulus_as_a_deficit_reduction_strategy/index.html
32. “Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s next big test: He and Klein have to prevail on Fair Student Funding” (New York Daily News, October 12, 2009); op-ed by RAY DOMANICO (MPP 1979); http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/10/12/2009-10-12_mayor_mike_bloombergs_next_big_test_he_and_joel_klein_have_to_prevail_over_the_u.html?page=1#ixzz0UgGRo1TT
33. “EMBA Students Travel to Wall Street to Discuss Economic Crisis with Key Financial Decision Makers” (Targeted News Service, October 12, 2009); newswire citing MICKEY LEVY (MPP 1974).
34. “UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman on Bloomberg TV” (Copyright 2009 CQ Transcriptions, LLC, All Rights Reserved, Financial Markets Regulatory Wire, October 9, 2009 Friday); interview with ANN VENEMAN (MPP 1971).
35. “Piracy on
36. “FCC Actions Pushed AT&T to Stop VoIP Blocking” (Targeted News Service, October 7, 2009); newswire citing DEREK TURNER (MPP 2006).
37. “Healthy
38. “
39. “Associated Press study finds school water contains toxins” (Redding Record Searchlight, October 4, 2009); story by GARANCE BURKE (MPP 2005/MJ 2004); http://www.redding.com/news/2009/oct/05/associated-press-study-finds-school-water-toxins/
40. “EPA to brief Boxer on toxic school drinking water” (Boston Globe, October 5, 2009); story by GARANCE BURKE (MPP 2005/MJ 2004); http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/10/05/epa_to_brief_boxer_on_toxic_school_drinking_water/
41. “Could gas plants back up wind generation? Maybe” (Inside F.E.R.C., October 5, 2009); story citing ROB GRAMLICH (MPP 1995).
42. “Key S.F. departments warn of cash shortfalls” (San Francisco Chronicle, October 3, 2009); story citing GREG WAGNER (MPP 2004); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/10/03/MNDL19VU2R.DTL
43. “Drive to end teen dating violence” (San Francisco Chronicle, October 3, 2009); story citing CARMEN CHU (MPP 2003); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/03/BA0L1A0CQL.DTL#ixzz0T5IW2bW1
44. “Hole in budget just got smaller” (San Francisco Chronicle, October 2, 2009); story citing GREG WAGNER (MPP 2004); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/02/BAQD19VPLK.DTL
45. “The
46. “You may need a job after you retire” (MarketWatch, October 1, 2009); story citing NICOLE MAESTAS (MPP 1997/PhD Econ 2002).
47. “Judd Gregg’s ‘for it before I was against it’ moment” (Salon.com, October 1, 2009); column citing STAN COLLENDER (MPP 1976); http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2009/10/01/judd_gregg_and_the_debt_ceiling/index.html
48. “SF fights increasing pot growing operations” (KGO TV News, September 30-October 4, 2009); features CARMEN CHU (MPP 2003); watch video
49. “California PUC approves $3.1 billion energy efficiency program for IOUs” (Electric Utility Week, September 28, 2009); story citing DAVID GAMSON (MPP 1986).
50. “Despite
51. “Free Press Debunks Top 10 Net Neutrality Myths” (Targeted News Service, September 30, 2009); newswire citing DEREK TURNER (MPP 2006).
52. “AT&T Accuses Google of Violating Telecom Laws” (Washingtonpost.com, September 25, 2009); story citing DEREK TURNER (MPP 2006); http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2009/09/att_launches_attack_on_google.html
53. “Environmental issues meet supply goals head on as California grapples to meet renewables targets” (Global Power Report, September 24, 2009); story citing ANDY SCHWARTZ (MPP 2004).
54. “ADB, UK $ 90M Grants to Help Afghanistan Revive War-Torn Irrigation” (ENP Newswire, September 24, 2009); newswire citing TOM PANELLA (MPP 1995/MES 1997).
55. “San Rafael Council backs plans for Latino grocer in Canal area” (Marin Independent Journal, September 22, 2009); story citing BRUCE LIVINGSTON (MPP 1989).
56. “New fuel standard rolls in at 34.1 mpg” (Detroit News, September 16, 2009); story citing ROLAND HWANG (MPP 1992).
57. “Transformation of Affordable-Housing Policy Illuminated in New Historical Analysis” (States News Service, September 9, 2009); newswire citing DAVID ERICKSON (MPP 1993); http://www.urban.org/publications/901282.html
58. “Social Security policy could keep a lid on Medicare
premiums - help for seniors” (The State (
59. “Crews continue to clean up after flood” (US Fed News, August 10, 2009); newswire citing LARRY OWSLEY (MPP 1973).
60. “Trustees elect officers, hear legislative priorities” (US Fed News, September 20, 2009); newswire citing LARRY OWSLEY (MPP 1973).
61. “Budget deal lifts diploma hurdle for special-ed kids” (San Francisco Chronicle, July 29, 2009); story citing RICK SIMPSON (MPP 1977); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/29/MN4C18U1AR.DTL
62. “Mayor Newsom and Supervisor Carmen Chu Announce Availability of Foreclosure Prevention Funds” (States News Service, July 21, 2009); newswire citing CARMEN CHU (MPP 2003).
FACULTY IN THE NEWS
1. “Cities Struggle With Access to Green Energy Sources” (PBS Newshour, October 28, 2009); features commentary by DAN KAMMEN; http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/jan-june09/grid_06-09.html
2. “Some profs want
3. “Our Two-Class System” (The American Prospect Magazine, November 2009: Inequality Goes to College Special Report); commentary by DAVID KIRP; http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=our_two_class_system
4. “Bottom Line: Climatic differences” (San Francisco Chronicle, October 25, 2009); column citing event sponsored by GSPP’s CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC POLICY; http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/25/BUFO1A9155.DTL#ixzz0V4TkGAQY
5. “
6. “Biofuels Could Increase Greenhouse Gases. Rules have loophole exempting carbon dioxide emitted by bioenergy regardless of its source that could lead to loss of most of the world’s natural forests” (Industry Week, Oct. 23, 2009); newswire citing DAN KAMMEN; http://www.industryweek.com/articles/biofuels_could_increase_greenhouse_gases_20242.aspx?Page=3&SectionID=4?ShowAll=1
7. “Examining the insurer-government bout” – Commentary by ROBERT REICH (Marketplace [NPR], October 21, 2009);
8. “A top ten list of what ails California with which almost everyone agrees” (Berkeley Blog, UC NewsCenter, October 19, 2009); blog by ROBERT REICH; http://blogs.berkeley.edu/2009/10/19/what-ails-california-let-me-count-the-ways/
9. “Can’t Afford Solar Panels? Lease Them. Solar Leasing Programs Boast No Upfront Cost and Can Cut Energy Bills, or Even Leave Consumers with a Monthly Surplus” (CBS Evening News, Sunday Edition, October 18, 2009); features commentary by DAN KAMMEN; http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/18/eveningnews/main5394814.shtml
10. “Out-of-State Dreams” (Inside Higher Ed, October 16, 2009); story citing DAVID KIRP; http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/10/16/outofstate#
11. “Welcome to Potopia. A nine-block section of
downtown
12. “Some in Sacramento still want a single-payer system” (Sacramento Bee, October 13, 2009); story citing JOHN ELLWOOD and sometime Visiting Lecturer PATRICK JOHNSTON; http://www.sacbee.com/296/story/2249338-p2.html
13. “Food Crisis Showed Market Failure, UC Berkeley’s de Janvry Says” (Bloomberg.com, October 13, 2009); newswire citing ALAIN DE JANVRY; http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aPkTUfjiKc.o
14. “Politics Blog: California Tea Parties Love Chuck D from the OC” (San Francisco Chronicle Online, October 12, 2009); blog citing HENRY BRADY; http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=49394#ixzz0TqJzN0I9
15. “Igniting the Growth of Jobs” (New York Times, October 10, 2009); column citing ROBERT REICH; http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/opinion/10herbert.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1255470501-d530aPn6gqOHv/uY0YiuCQ
16. “Topic A: What Does the Nobel Peace Prize Mean for Obama?” (Washington Post, October 9, 2009); commentary by ROBERT REICH; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100901721_pf.html
17. “Without Water Deal, Legislation May Dry Up” (The California Report, KQED public radio, October 9, 2009); commentary by MICHAEL HANEMANN; Listen to the story
18. “Support Builds for Tax Credit to Help Hiring (New York Times, October 7, 2009); story citing ROBERT REICH; http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/business/07tax.html?th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1254931442-HhA53ROsKJSSKo5gsKsUsw
19. “
20. “Future flow: Shifting needs prompt plans to protect the region’s water supply” (Contra Costa Times, October 4, 2009); story citing MICHAEL HANEMANN; http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_13483891?nclick_check=1
21. “A ‘public option’ for scholarship. Campus extends commitment to ‘open access’ publishing, forming five-school compact to help researchers make their work more widely available... for free” (States News Service, October 2, 2009); newswire citing DAN KAMMEN; http://berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2009/10/02_open-access.shtml
1. “San Francisco Mayor Drops out of Race for Governor” (Los Angeles Times, October 31, 2009); story citing DAVID LATTERMAN (MPP 2002); http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-newsom-out31-2009oct31,0,7017003.story
By Evan Halper and Mark Z. Barabak
Gavin Newsom repeatedly told those close to him that he did not want
to embarrass himself in the governor's race, and with each month's evident lack
of progress he increasingly faced that danger. (
For months, he traveled
But his campaign foundered amid internal squabbles over how aggressively he should confront Brown and a sense that Newsom was insufficiently focused on some of the most important issues facing the state.
"At the end of the
day, he didn't resonate," said David
Latterman, a
2. “Seniors looking at big changes in Medicare plans” (Oregonian, October 30, 2009); story citing JULIETTE CUBANSKI (MPP 1998/MPH 1999); http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/10/seniors_looking_at_big_changes.html
By Brent Hunsberger, The Oregonian
More than a
quarter-million
Although most plan costs aren’t changing drastically, one of the state’s largest is boosting premiums by 45 percent, while another plan’s cost is more than doubling. Stand-alone prescription drug insurance is increasing as well. And 16,000 retirees are losing their plans and must shop for a replacement, state officials say.
Such is the annual dance many seniors find themselves in leading into open enrollment, which begins next month. But this year, it’s happening against a volatile political discussion over health care reform. And seniors must absorb the increases without benefit of a cost-of-living adjustment in their Social Security checks.
It all makes for a busy annual fall enrollment period—when most Medicare enrollees can join, change or drop their drug plans—which runs from Nov. 15 to Dec. 31. Insurers must notify customers of any plan changes by Saturday….
“It really makes it that much more important for people to pay attention and realize that they do have an opportunity to change plans,” said Juliette Cubanski , a principal policy analyst with the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, D.C. “It can have some pretty serious financial implications, particularly now when people are squeezed so much by the recession.” …
3. “Tamiflu shortages have parents on wild dose chase - Liquid form of drug used to treat youngest victims of swine flu is in short supply” (Washington Post, October 29, 2009); story citing TIM UYEKI (MPP 1985/MD).
By Rob Stein
First it was the rush for hand sanitizer. Then
it was the quest for the vaccine. Now, as increasing numbers of children are
coming down with swine flu, more parents are facing yet another
anxiety-provoking chase: the hunt for liquid Tamiflu for kids….
The drug can make the flu milder, go away more quickly and may cut the risk of potentially life-threatening complications. The shortages are being caused by a surge in demand because of the second wave of swine flu sweeping the country, combined with a decision by Roche, the Swiss company that makes the medication, to focus on producing it in capsule form….
The company also makes
lower-dose capsules that children can take or parents can open to mix with a syrup to help them take it. But But the spot shortages are
creating anxious hours for many parents, especially because children appear to
be among those at greatest risk from the illness. While the overwhelming
majority of children who get swine flu recover, nearly 100 in the
“The earlier the better,” said Tim Uyeki, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC’s influenza division. “Antiviral treatment should be started as quickly as possible.” …
4. “Chinese banks to
fund $1.5B
By Dirk Lammers, AP Energy Writer
The project is a joint
venture with U.S. Renewable Energy Group, a private equity firm, Austin,
Texas-based Cielo Wind Power LP and Shenyang Power Group of
The joint venture also
plans to tap into
There are growing signs that the wind industry has weathered the worst of the recession, though credit markets remain very tight.
Armed with nearly $1 billion in federal grants, wind farm developers installed 1,649 megawatts of capacity from July through September, enough to serve the equivalent of 480,000 average households and about 18 percent more than the year-ago quarter, the American Wind Energy Association said last week.
That suggests the industry is doing better than might be expected, easing fears that a lack of lending would stall new wind capacity.
Rob Gramlich, the wind energy association’s senior vice president
public policy, said
“A look at the top ten
owners of wind farms in the
5. “Nine Federal Agencies Agree to Expedite Permitting of Power Transmission Construction on Federal Lands” (Interior Department Documents and Publications, October 28, 2009); press release citing DOROTHY ROBYN (MPP 1978/PhD 1983).
As President Obama announced in his speech yesterday, the agreement "will help break down the bureaucratic barriers that currently make it slow and costly to build new transmission lines on federal lands." …
"The Department of Defense supports expanding and modernizing the transmission grid as a key element of increased energy security," said Dr. Dorothy Robyn, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment. "This Transmission Siting MOU establishes an unprecedented opportunity for the Department of Defense to participate early in the planning and review process, allowing for more thoughtful and timely input and minimizing delays in the siting and permitting." …
6. “UN Children’s Funds
says one staffer missing in
New York -- The UN Children’s Funds said Wednesday that one of its workers in Afghanistan was missing after the United Nations guest house in Kabul was bombed, killing up to 12 people, including five or six UN staffer.
UNICEF executive director Ann Veneman said in
“UNICEF is outraged at
the attack on a UN guest house in
7. “Board hears poll results on reform proposals” (Monterey County Herald, October 28, 2009); story citing DAVE METZ (MPP 1998); http://www.montereyherald.com/search/ci_13658280?IADID=Search-www.montereyherald.com-www.montereyherald.com
By Jim Johnson
Nearly three of four
Californians believe the state is on the wrong track, and nearly two-thirds
think there needs to be major reform in the way the state is governed and
budgeted. But they blame the state's dysfunction more on overspending,
political infighting and the influence of special interests than on
That's according to a
poll of
Pollster Dave Metz said the results indicated that
The poll results were
presented to the Board of Supervisors as part of a report on a summit of more
than 500 local government officials to discuss reform in
8. “Electric vehicles are charging up the automotive industry” (Los Angeles Times, October 25, 2009); story citing ROLAND HWANG (MPP 1992) and firm co-managed by JIM MARVER (MPP 1974/PhD 1978); http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cover25-2009oct25,0,3028314.story
By Ken Bensinger
Although Nissan will start mainly with fleet sales, a few
all-electric Leafs (Leaves?) will be available to individuals before a larger
rollout in 2012. Nissan hopes to eventually build this relatively low-cost entrant
in
Next time you’re filling up the cavernous fuel tank of the gas-gulping family jalopy, imagine getting 230 miles per gallon.
Better yet, how about never buying another gallon of gas?
After years of hope and hype, electron-powered driving finally appears to be on the verge of reality.
In the next three years,
at least a dozen pure electric or plug-in hybrid cars are slated to hit the
market in the U.S. Electricity-driven vehicles from giants such as General
Motors Co. and Nissan Motor Co., as well as start-ups like Fisker Automotive
Inc. in
But any new technology that involves high-voltage, exotic battery chemistries and 3,500-pound objects hurtling forward at high speed is bound to hit some potholes….
“There will be some real challenges at first,” said Roland Hwang, vehicle policy director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “These are going to cost more than conventional cars. The infrastructure is not going to take care of itself. These issues will determine whether this is a trickle or a massive flood.” …
With all the excitement
brewing over electric vehicles, it’s easy to forget that 98% of the cars sold
in
But for people like
Chelsea Sexton, who drove an EV1 and now advises
“I really relate to the pure electric experience,” said Sexton, who has test-driven the Chevy Volt, due out late next year, and liked it. “If I had a magic wand, we’d have four different configurations of electric cars and plug-ins to choose from tomorrow.”
9. “Fed’s Kohn: MBS Prices to Fall When Fed Starts Selling” (The Main Wire, Market News International, October 23, 2009); newswire citing MICKEY LEVY (MPP 1974).
By Steven K. Beckner
But Kohn, echoing earlier comments by New York Federal Reserve Bank President William Dudley, said the Fed may well avoid any losses on its asset holdings, as well as on its liquidity facilities.
“These programs may be unwound without loss,” Kohn said, commenting from the audience at a Boston Federal Reserve Bank conference. He said the Fed entered the market “when prices were depressed by high premiums” and so “the Fed could finance without risk.” That in turn will mean they can be “unwound without loss.” …
Bank of America chief economist Mickey Levy told
10. “Despite Its Woes, California’s Dream Still Lives” (Time Magazine, Oct. 23, 2009); story citing firm co-managed by JIM MARVER (MPP 1974/PhD 1978); http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1931582-1,00.html
By Michael Grunwald
SunPower’s Dinwoodie at the company’s historic plant; once it made Model A’s, and now it’s making clean energy. (Jeff Minton for TIME)
…
This public-sector foresight has created alluring opportunities for the most tech-savvy private sector on earth. The venture capitalists behind the high-tech and biotech booms see clean tech as the next big score. The necessary engineers, scientists, accountants, lawyers, marketers and other knowledge workers are already there. “We’ve already turned industries on their heads, so we assume we can do it again,” says Steve Dolezalek, VantagePoint Venture Partners’ [in which Jim Marver is managing partner] managing director, who oversaw the firm’s software and life-sciences investments before heading its clean-tech group….
11. “Audit critical of CCSF’s bond money spending” (San Francisco Chronicle, October 22, 2009); story citing PETER GOLDSTEIN (MPP 1981); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/22/MN0H1A8PEI.DTL
--Nanette Asimov, Chronicle Staff Writer
Millions of dollars in cost overruns have halted the construction of a stem cell training center and a performing arts building at City College of San Francisco, according to an audit critical of how the school has handled voter-approved bond money….
The audit also points to bidding irregularities and reveals that nearly $40 million in contract changes were never approved by the trustees, as required by law, or were approved after the fact….
The audit covered a one-year period that ended in June 2008, when college facilities were run by Associate Vice Chancellor James Blomquist, who has been on paid leave since early July due to an unrelated criminal charge….
Attorney Tony Brass, who represents Blomquist in the criminal case, said the review essentially accuses Blomquist’s department of not dealing well with bureaucracy….
Peter Goldstein, vice chancellor of finance and administration, said the college has accepted the audit’s findings “and are moving with as much speed as possible to implement all of their recommendations.”
Several have already been implemented, including staff training and ensuring that contracts are competitively bid, he told the auditors.
“Things have changed,” said trustee Rizzo. “There’s a willingness to look into this and try to fix it where before there wasn’t.” …
12. “Job hunt harder for ex-inmates, foster care” (San Francisco Chronicle, October 21, 2009); story citing organization cofounded by AMY LEMLEY (MPP 1998) and DEANNE PEARN (MPP 1998); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/21/BUDL1A89KQ.DTL&type=jobs
--Tom Abate, Chronicle Staff Writer
(10-20) 20:40 PDT -- These are tough times for all job seekers, but for former prisoners and young adults leaving foster care, employment is particularly elusive.
An East Bay Community
Foundation study released Tuesday cited those two groups as being among the
residents of
About 400 18-year-olds
leave foster care each year in the two
Sam Cobbs, chief
executive of First Place for Youth [cofounded by Amy Lemley and Deanne Pearn]
in
He said the group works with employers to make sure the new hires fit in.
“We help take the drama out of the situation,” Cobbs said.
Resources:
Formerly incarcerated
First Place can be reached at (510) 272-0979.
Find the 70-page foundation report at http://www.ebcf.org/docs/2009/Urban_Workforce_Study.pdf .
13. “FCC set to take on aggressive role as Internet traffic cop” (San Jose Mercury News, October 21, 2009); story citing DEREK TURNER (MPP 2006); http://www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_13603357?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com
By Mike Zapler
… On Thursday, the [Federal Communications Commission] is expected to vote to take an initial step toward adopting so-called “net neutrality” rules, siding with top Silicon Valley content providers such as Google and Yahoo (which benefit from open, unnegotiated access to the Internet to promote their services) over telecommunications giants including AT&T and Verizon (which argue that they should maintain control over their networks after investing billions of dollars in them). In a significant shift, the rules would extend beyond wired broadband networks to the realm of wireless networks….
A few high-profile incidents have fueled the net neutrality debate. In 2007, Comcast was caught interfering with peer-to-peer transmissions of video and music over BitTorrent, a file-sharing application. The same year, Verizon rejected a request from the abortion-rights group NARAL to send text messages over its network. And in recent months, AT&T and Apple were criticized for prohibiting the use of free Internet calling services such as Skype on the iPhone….
Others say technology entrepreneurs may have the most riding on the debate. Absent net neutrality rules, supporters say, innovators hoping to bring their applications to the Web could be forced to negotiate with telecommunications giants to secure adequate Internet access.
“If providers are allowed to block and discriminate,” said S. Derek Turner, research director for the consumer advocacy group Free Press, “it’s going to destroy investment by ... companies that we haven’t even thought of.”
14. “Net Neutrality Hype Ramps Up” (PC Magazine.com, October 21, 2009); story citing DEREK TURNER (MPP 2006).
By Chloe Albanesius
… The FCC on Thursday is expected to propose rules regarding net neutrality. Chairman Julius Genachowski has suggested adding two principles to the commission’s Internet Policy Principles. The first addition would prevent ISPs from discriminating against particular Internet content or applications, while allowing for reasonable network management. The second would ensure that ISPs are transparent about network management….
The main objection to net neutrality rules among ISPs and the wireless industry … is that it might stifle an already competitive industry. “Our industry has shown that we can work with the government as well as our partners and competitors to achieve mutually desirable goals of more competition, consumer choice and broadband expansion,” said Verizon’s [Ivan] Seidenberg. “But we can’t achieve these ends if we interrupt the flow of private capital and delay the cascading productivity impacts of a more networked world. We can’t create smart economy by dumbing down our critical infrastructure.”
Free Press on Wednesday released a report that suggested that net neutrality will increase investment and competition online rather than suppress it. Derek Turner, report author and research director at Free Press, pointed to the two-year period starting in 2006, during which AT&T was required by the FCC to operate as a neutral network as part of the conditions of its merger with BellSouth.
“During this period of mandated net neutrality, AT&T’s investment in its wireline network increased from 13 percent of revenue to 20 percent of revenue, well above the average of all other Internet service providers,” Turner wrote.
During the [Wednesday conference call held by Free Press and Public Knowledge] participants were asked about a recent episode of Fox’s Glenn Beck Show, during which Phil Kerpin of Americans for Prosperity appeared to discuss net neutrality and Free Press’ involvement. Kerpin suggested that the issue is about guaranteeing that “everyone has access to broadband Internet.” Net neutrality and nationwide broadband are two separate issues, but Beck did not correct him, saying instead that net neutrality “could wildly affect your life and free speech.”
Free Press’ Turner disagreed. “Net neutrality is about promoting speech, about getting the gatekeepers out of the way in picking winners and losers. All the stuff coming out from the fringe ... is simply incorrect and we think that anyone who takes the time to study the facts of this issue will come to the same conclusion,” he said….
15. “Poorest children missing out on vaccination boom” (Agence France Presse, October 21, 2009); newswire citing ANN VENEMAN (MPP 1971).
By Jean-Louis Santini
In a report published jointly by the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank and the UN children’s fund UNICEF, health officials praised the fact that a record 106 million vaccinations had been carried out in 2008.
But they said 24 million children in 72 of the world’s poorest countries had still been deprived access to immunization programs and called for one billion dollars in additional funding to make new and existing vaccines available….
UNICEF executive director Ann Veneman said “worldwide measles deaths fell by 74 percent between 2000 and 2007, and vaccinations played an important part in that decline.”
“Such progress must inspire new efforts to immunize children around the globe against life-threatening diseases.” …
16. “
By John Shaw
WASHINGTON -- Two reports issued last week underscore the long, complicated and daunting road the U.S. must travel to return to a modicum of fiscal stability.
The Treasury and the White House budget office officially announced the fiscal year 2009 budget deficit at $1.42 trillion. This is 10% of gross domestic product, the highest the budget deficit has been as a share of the economy since 1945. The FY’08 deficit was $455 billion….
The other report came from the Government Accountability Office which examined the nation’s long-term fiscal outlook. It offered a grim fiscal assessment of the coming decades in which public debt, as a percentage of GDP, will exceed the historic highs experienced after World War II -- and continue to grow steadily….
Stan Collender, a budget expert at Qorvis Communications, said the nation’s fiscal challenges are very difficult, but believes that this is not the right time to begin making big changes in fiscal policy.
“There are no easy choices ahead. Getting the deficit down will require serious spending controls and tax increases which are politically very difficult. This is not the best time to do these,” he said.
“Once the recovery solidifies I can see the deficit falling to about $900 billion, just with the revenue growth. But to get the deficit down to 2% of 3% of GDP will not be easy. We probably need a big economic crisis that is associated with the budget to get many of the key interests and parties to move away from their established positions and reassess the role of government,” he said.
17. “Biden to model
solar finance plan on
--Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer
The solar financing plan
that originated in
Biden’s program, known as Recovery Through Retrofit, creates a framework for cities, counties and states to set up tax districts that allow residential and business property owners to install solar panels and make other energy improvements, repaying the investment over a 20-year property tax assessment.
“This is a remarkable
validation of what
Under the plan, the assessment stays with the property, not the person. Property owners pay no money up front but pay about $180 a month on their property tax bill, an amount that is offset by the energy saved from generating solar power.
The plan, combined with federal, state and utility rebates, allows property owners to nearly break even on their investment….
18. “Yoo’s Tenure Questioned Over Bush Torture Policy” (The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, PBS, October 20, 2009); features commentary by STEPHANIE TANG (MPP 2004); http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/july-dec09/tenure_10-20.html
“NewsHour” correspondent
SPENCER MICHELS: Since the beginning of the school year, protesters dressed as
prisoners or detainees have dogged law professor John Yoo at the
Yoo wrote several memos on how far the interrogators could go in pressuring prisoners to reveal information. Those memos argued that techniques such as water-boarding, sleep deprivation, and exploiting a detainee’s fear of insects were, in fact, legal….
Stephanie Tang, an organizer for an off-campus group, World Can’t Wait, says, the university can and should investigate John Yoo’s actions at the Justice Department.
STEPHANIE TANG, Organizer, World Can’t Wait: He came in and gave them what they wanted, an excuse to torture people. This would not have happened without the work of lawyers like John Yoo….
19. “Time for Change:
How to Reform the State’s Budget Process” (Milken Institute’s State of the
State conference 2009: “
Speakers:
John Chiang,
Michael Genest, Director, California Department of Finance
Robert Hertzberg,
Partner, Mayer Brown LLP; Co-Chair,
Bill Lockyer,
Pete Wilson, Principal, Bingham Consulting Group; former California Governor
20. “Charge for Beer” (KQED Radio News, Oct 20, 2009); interview with BRUCE LIVINGSTON (MPP 1989); Listen to the story
Host: Penny Nelson
Guests:
- Bruce Livingston, executive director of Marin Institute
BRUCE LIVINGSTON: Marin Institute has calculated there’s $38
billion in hard quantified costs to each resident of the state of
… This is like the Sinclair Paint decision—that’s the Childhood Lead Prevention Act—where they said there is harm in a can of paint. We’re not seeing much difference in a can of beer….
21. “Polls indicate
Americans strongly support
Editor:
Support for
Americans of all ages,
races and religions sympathize with
This support is also
nonpartisan, with a majority of Democrats and Republicans consistently favoring
The best indication of
Americans’ attitude toward
The organization that
has conducted the most surveys is
Polls also indicate the
public views
Mitchell Bard,
22. “Human resources are
By Tom Eblen – Herald-Leader Columnist
I’ve always found it
ironic that
Doug Henton, a Versailles-born author and consultant who heads a California company called Collaborative Economics, said Kentucky’s economic future could be much different than its past.
Natural resources, such as rivers and mineral wealth, will be less important in the future. What will be much more important is how human resources are developed….
Local and state governments are often either too little or too big to effectively address issues that will be important in the future, such as growth strategies and transportation, Henton said….
From his work around the country, Henton said, he has observed that the most successful regional initiatives are bottom-up and collaborative. They are ones in which leaders from government, business, universities, non-profits and citizen groups work together across traditional political boundaries.
“Focus on people and relationships, and not organizations and structures,” Henton said. “It’s about group creativity and regional stewardship, and the regions around the country where this happens seem to have more vibrant economies.”
The basic foundation for any region’s success in the future will be a well-educated population that is able to seize economic opportunities.
“We need well-rounded people who are creative as well as having the basic skills,” he said….
23. “
By Jan. 1, the company
expects to release 500 plug-in versions of its Prius onto American, European
and Japanese roads, said
The pilot will kick off
a three-year effort by the Japanese auto giant to get data on how these cars
fare in the real world: how they’re charged, how their batteries perform, and
what sort of mileage they get. In recent years,
The Chevrolet Volt, which General Motors Co. has slated for release late next year, would get a range of 40 miles on all-electric power before firing up its gasoline engine. GM says it based the range on statistics showing that 75 percent of American commutes are less than 40 miles.
Early forecasts are that
The shorter all-electric range for the Prius means that under some conditions, it would use more gasoline than the Volt.
“From an environmental perspective, the more [electric] range the better,” said Roland Hwang, transportation program director at the Natural Resources Defense Council….
He said
24. “Presumption of
Guilt. In
By David Luhnow
Antonio Zuñiga behind bars during his trial. (Abogados con Cámara)
So began a nightmarish
journey into
Mr. Zuñiga’s story has a twist. His plight attracted the attention of Roberto Hernández and Layda Negrete, a married pair of lawyers who are also graduate students at the [the Goldman School of Public Policy at ]University of California at Berkeley. The couple took on his case, won a retrial, and in a stroke of luck, convinced a Mexican official to let them film the ensuing trial, which lasted for more than a year.
The result is a
90-minute documentary called “Presumed Guilty” that offers a rare—and
chilling—glimpse of
Mr. Zuñiga lost the retrial. The footage of the proceedings from the documentary, however, was so shocking that a panel of judges on an appeals court freed Mr. Zuñiga….
For Mr. Hernández and Ms. Negrete, this is the second time they have led to the release of an innocent man. In 2005, they filmed a 14-minute video about the legal system that featured a young man wrongly accused of stealing a car. He was released soon after.
“It’s an expensive way
to fix injustice in
25. “Experts meet to formulate federal AIDS policy” (San Francisco Chronicle, October 16, 2009); story citing MARK CLOUTIER (MPP/MPH 1993); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/16/MNF91A6CD9.DTL
--Erin Allday, Chronicle Staff Writer
Hundreds of AIDS and HIV
experts—including doctors, patients and public health advocates—will attend a
highly anticipated meeting in
President Obama has pledged to create the nation’s first formal HIV/AIDS strategy, and tonight’s meeting is one of at least 13 events planned to gather ideas from AIDS experts.
“We’re not making progress in the epidemic because we don’t have a coordinated plan, with specific outcomes and goals that have measurements attached to them and accountability attached to them,” said Mark Cloutier, executive director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation….
26. “McClatchy third-quarter profit increases” (Sacramento Bee, Oct. 16, 2009); story citing GARY PRUITT (MPP 1981/JD 1982); http://www.sacbee.com/business/story/2257320.html
By Dale Kasler
The McClatchy Co. eked out an increase in third-quarter profits Thursday, but The Bee’s parent remains in the grip of a deep decline in advertising.
Nonetheless, the results
marked McClatchy’s second straight increase in quarterly profits, following a
first-quarter loss that increased Wall Street speculation that the
“Despite our revenue challenges, we are showing financial progress in this recession,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Gary Pruitt in a conference call with investment analysts.
The company has reduced its debt by $134.3 million this year, about half through a bond-buyback program….
Costs were down about 29 percent. Since mid-2008, McClatchy has cut staff by around a third through layoffs and buyouts, reduced salaries at The Bee and most other papers, halted shareholder dividends and imposed other reductions.
Pruitt promised to maintain a “tight rein on expenses.”
A bright spot in advertising: McClatchy’s Internet ad revenue increased 3.1 percent from the third quarter of 2008….
The company now gets 17 percent of its ad revenue from the Internet, higher than the industry average.
“We are less vulnerable to print declines,” Pruitt said.
27. “Senior DOD Officials Meet With Governor, Tour Guam” (Targeted News Service, October 15, 2009); newswire citing DOROTHY ROBYN (MPP 1978/PhD 1983).
HAGATNA, Guam --
Governor Felix P. Camacho today met with a U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
delegation to discuss efforts to advance the Guam Military Buildup Program and
better understand the impacts of the move of the III Marine Expeditionary Force
from Okinawa to
"This is a
significant visit for
The 30-minute meeting
touched on progress updates on military buildup activities in
28. “Diarrhoea causes 1.5 million infant deaths a year: UN” (Agence France Presse, October 14, 2009); newswire citing ANN VENEMAN (MPP 1971).
“It is a tragedy that diarrhoea, which is little more than an inconvenience in the developed world, kills an estimated 1.5 million children each year,” said Ann Veneman, executive director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
“Inexpensive and effective treatments for diarrhoea exist, but in developing countries only 39 per cent of children with diarrhoea receive the recommended treatment,” she added.
Close to 18 percent of all deaths among children under five are due to diarrhoea, largely caused by contaminated water and infections, said Olivier Fontaine, the World Health Organisation’s expert on children’s health.
UNICEF and the World Health Organisation on Thursday launched a seven-point plan to prevent and treat diarrhoea, including replacing body fluids to prevent dehydration, zinc treatment, promotion of early breastfeeding, and promotion of hand washing with soap….
29. “Senate Committee Passes Health Care Bill” (Forum, KQED public radio, October 14, 2009); commentary by MARIAN MULKEY (MPP/MPH 1989); Listen to the program
Senator Max Baucus’ health bill [which does not include a public option] passed the Finance Committee on Tuesday. This was in spite of a just-released report commissioned by the health insurance industry claiming premiums would rise much faster under the proposed reforms. As part of our ongoing series on the health care debate, we discuss yesterday’s vote and the next steps.
Guests: …
* Marian Mulkey, senior program officer for the
MARIAN MULKEY: “The penalty [in the Baucus plan] for not enrolling is very modest financially and … there is reason to think that people respond more readily to a stronger penalty than they do to a more modest penalty. The health insurers couched their arguments … in terms of that concern that if the people who take advantage of the new access to coverage through the guaranteed issue rules—that is, insurers would have to sell to anyone who comes—that those people would tend to be sicker, and those people who are healthy will pay the penalty and not enroll. Some of their arguments for the rise in premiums is that people who will end up being newly covered will tend to be sicker than those who remain uninsured….
“The fundamental problem is how much will people have to pay and where is the money going to come from…. None of the proposals are fully transparent on where the funding would come from…. My prediction is if that even if this bill passes, we’ll be back at the table talking about funding in years to come.”
30. “Forum to ‘clear the air’ about health care issues” (Sacramento Bee, October 13, 2009); event featuring MARIAN MULKEY (MPP/MPH 1989); http://www.capradio.org/news/special.aspx?keyword=secondopinions
A community health forum
intended to “clear the air” about health care legislation will be held from 6
to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the
It is part of the Second Opinions Community Health Forums sponsored by Capital Public Radio and The Bee. The forums are interactive, multi-media town hall meetings providing balanced information about health care issues….
Wednesday’s panelists include Bee health
reporter Bobby Caina Calvan, the California Endowment’s Daniel Zingale and California HealthCare Foundation’s Marian
Mulkey….
31. “The incredible shrinking budget deficit” (Salon.com, October 13, 2009); column citing STAN COLLENDER (MPP 1976); http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2009/10/13/the_stimulus_as_a_deficit_reduction_strategy/index.html
By Andrew Leonard
The indispensible Stan Collender does us the service today of republishing, in Capital Gains and Games, his new Roll Call column examining last Wednesday’s Monthly Budget Review from the Congressional Budget Office.
As Collender notes, the release, that same day, of the CBO’s analysis
of the Baucus healthcare reform bill caused most people to miss the news that
the final Fiscal Year 2009 budget deficit for the
No matter how you slice it, $400 billion is a lot of money—almost equivalent to the entire budget deficit for 2008.
Big swings in deficit projections are often due to dramatic changes in economic conditions, but that wasn’t the case this time. Rather, the original estimate included two things that simply didn’t happen: $250 billion in additional bailout money that the White House included in its budget but ultimately didn’t request, and a plan to score Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as federal entities….
32. “Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s next big test: He and Klein have to prevail on Fair Student Funding” (New York Daily News, October 12, 2009); op-ed by RAY DOMANICO (MPP 1979); http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/10/12/2009-10-12_mayor_mike_bloombergs_next_big_test_he_and_joel_klein_have_to_prevail_over_the_u.html?page=1#ixzz0UgGRo1TT
By Raymond Domanico - Special to The News
Domanico is senior education adviser for Industrial Areas Foundation - Metro NY
Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein have passed the test of mayoral control. It was difficult, but the issue was simple: Who’s in charge?
Their next test is very different.
The mayor and chancellor must now preserve—and even strengthen—their Fair Student Funding formula in the face of a major challenge by the United Federation of Teachers and others.
The question of how money is allocated to schools is just as vital as the basic question of who is in charge.
In the past, before Fair Student Funding was implemented, the school system was happy to talk about the many needs of its students when it was seeking money….
Once they got the money, though, the funding rarely found its way to the neediest students. Because the old formula linked funding to teachers’ salaries, often schools with the greatest need received less money than schools with fewer problems and higher levels of performance. If a school served a large group of “high needs” students, it attracted teachers with less seniority and, therefore, lower salaries. At the same time, schools with fewer students with high needs but with more senior (and therefore better-paid) teachers were granted extra money to cover those salaries. When the system got more money in the old days, the rich got richer—the better schools with higher paid teachers received more money. The students and schools in the city’s poorer neighborhoods received, proportionally, less.
Fair Student Funding attempts to reform this patently unfair system. Under this approach, money is allocated to schools based upon student needs. The money remains there to be used as that school sees fit. This system says that the students’ needs are more important than making sure things stay convenient for teachers….
33. “EMBA Students Travel to Wall Street to Discuss Economic Crisis with Key Financial Decision Makers” (Targeted News Service, October 12, 2009); newswire citing MICKEY LEVY (MPP 1974).
The
*Mickey Levy, chief economist, Bank of
34. “UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman on Bloomberg TV” (Copyright 2009 CQ Transcriptions, LLC, All Rights Reserved, Financial Markets Regulatory Wire, October 9, 2009 Friday); interview with ANN VENEMAN (MPP 1971).
MARK CRUMPTON, BLOOMBERG NEWS: … Do the pictures do it justice? How bad are things?
ANN VENEMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNICEF:
Well, there’s been over 300,000 people displaced. I was only in
I think the government
is on top of this. I think their response was immediate. I think they have
reached out to partners such as those agencies of the United Nations such as
UNICEF and others. I think that with the collaborative effort the relief is
getting to the people, but it is slow. The water is still standing in many
neighborhoods. I drove through neighborhoods where it was still waist deep. So,
it’s difficult. The city of
LORI ROTHMAN, BLOOMBERG NEWS: So, the UN is trying to raise 75 million for recovery efforts. How is the fundraising going right now?
VENEMAN: There is money coming in from countries, from individuals,
and hopefully we will be able to raise that amount. I think we’ve got probably
only a fraction of that in so far. But … there are multiple disasters that have
hit Asia all at the same time, with the earthquake in
CRUMPTON: … Is there a number or a website that people can contact if they’d like more information or to make a donation?
VENEMAN: Absolutely, www.unicef.org. or
unicefusa.org, these will direct you to the places you can contribute to the
efforts of UNICEF to help the children of the
35. “Piracy on
By Christian Bourge and Jim Robbins
Politicians with ties to
land developers are trying to force the Navy to hand over one of the most
valuable pieces of property in the country for free. The House version of the
2010 Defense authorization bill scheduled for conference today contains
language that would speed the transfer of Naval Station Treasure Island to the
city of
Treasure Island is a
535-acre man-made island in
However, problems have
arisen over the terms of the transfer, specifically
The Navy commissioned two independent estimates, by the firms Ernst & Young Global Ltd. and Duff & Phelps Corp., which returned a fair-market value of $250 million. These assessments were reviewed and verified by the General Services Administration.
Nevertheless, members of Congress have come back with their own offer: nothing…. The current attempt hinges on Section 2711 of H.R. 2647, the House version of the Defense authorization bill. This section would … eliminate considering fair-market value for property conveyed under the Defense Base Closure and Realignment authority in favor of a “no-cost economic development conveyance”—if it survives House-Senate negotiations….
The potential for abuse
of the process has come to the attention of the White House. President Obama
has been subjected to an intense lobbying effort by members of the
36. “FCC Actions Pushed AT&T to Stop VoIP Blocking” (Targeted News Service, October 7, 2009); newswire citing DEREK TURNER (MPP 2006).
WASHINGTON -- AT&T announced Tuesday that it will stop restricting iPhone applications on its 3G wireless network that use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). AT&T’s blocking of VoIP was exposed in August by a Federal Communications Commission inquiry into why iPhone users on AT&T’s network were denied access to the Google Voice application.
As a result of the FCC’s questioning, both AT&T and Apple disclosed a contractual agreement between the companies that required AT&T’s consent for any VoIP applications on the iPhone. AT&T had previously claimed that it “does not manage or approve applications” for Apple’s App Store.
The announcement from AT&T also follows FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s recent call for stronger Network Neutrality rules that would apply to all technologies—including mobile phones.
S. Derek Turner, research director of Free Press, made the following statement:
“The FCC’s oversight and forward thinking has prompted AT&T to halt their anti-competitive practices. After more than two years of blocking VoIP applications, the FCC has succeeded in getting AT&T to open their network to the applications consumers want.
“We commend the agency and are pleased that consumers will now finally have access to more applications like Skype. But the FCC should not be distracted or delayed in efforts to protect Net Neutrality on all networks, to investigate the exclusive contracts that punish consumers, and to promote a truly competitive wireless market.
“The arm-twisting that led to AT&T’s belated announcement is a critical reminder of why we need the FCC walking the beat to protect consumers.”
37. “Healthy
Healthy
Guests:
Tangerine Brigham, deputy director of health and director of the Health Access Program for San Francisco’s Department of Public Health ….
TANGERINE BRIGHAM: … It is universal in trying to provide access to care to individuals who can’t get insurance either through their employers or who can’t get insurance through the individual market. It provides comprehensive services from primary care to mental health to inpatient care. And we focus on it being affordable so that people don’t have to make those critical choices between paying a physician versus paying their rent or paying their utilities. And we know that individuals in the program like it. The Kaiser Family Foundation did an independent survey of patient satisfaction where it found that 94% of individuals enrolled in the program liked the program, recommend the program, and think other communities should attempt to do aspects of what we’ve doing here, which is essentially to bring together all providers who take care of the uninsured … to say, ‘How could we improve the delivery of care to the those who can’t get insurance?’ …
We thought about what do people ultimately need? And what they ultimately need is access to a comprehensive delivery system that coordinates not only their primary care, their access to specialty care and inpatient care. And that’s what we done. Insurance is really a financial mechanism and a model. We said really what people need is that fundamental access to care and that’s what Healthy San Francisco does. And so what we’ve done is to coordinate not only public providers, private providers, but also nonprofits; so in addition to a public safety net, but we also have community clinics, we have nonprofit health clinics—Kaiser Permanente is participating, and we have a private physicians group, all coordinating care for our uninsured clients….
38. “
--Mariko Kato, Staff writer
The head of UNICEF on
Tuesday condemned
“Japan and Russia are the only two G-8 countries that do not ban civil possession of child pornography,” Ann Veneman, executive director of UNICEF, the U.N. body that campaigns for children’s rights, said at a news conference at the group’s Tokyo branch.
“Other countries are
worried about this, because as the Internet is global, if you can have access
here, it gives access in other countries where it’s banned,” she said. “So
there is a strong desire to protect children not just in
Veneman’s criticism comes at a time when
Veneman insisted the issue should be beyond partisan politics and be treated as a Diet priority, and she dismissed current domestic debate that revising the law could impede freedom of expression.
“Free speech comes with responsibility and limits when it comes to harming others, particularly children,” she said. “If the police overextend their power, then it’s up to the press to expose them.”
Veneman was visiting
The report says that
more than 70 million girls and women have undergone genital mutilation or
cutting in 28 African countries and
39. “Associated Press study finds school water contains toxins” (Redding Record Searchlight, October 4, 2009); story by GARANCE BURKE (MPP 2005/MJ 2004); http://www.redding.com/news/2009/oct/05/associated-press-study-finds-school-water-toxins/
By Garance Burke, Associated Press
CUTLER - Over the past decade, the drinking water at thousands of schools across the country has been found to contain unsafe levels of lead, pesticides and dozens of other toxins.
An Associated Press investigation found that contaminants have surfaced at public and private schools in all 50 states—in small towns and inner cities alike.
But the problem has gone largely unmonitored by the federal government, even as the number of water safety violations has multiplied.
“It’s an outrage,” said Marc Edwards, an engineer at Virginia Tech who has been honored for his work on water quality. “If a landlord doesn’t tell a tenant about lead paint in an apartment, he can go to jail. But we have no system to make people follow the rules to keep school children safe?”
The contamination is most apparent at schools with wells, which represent 8 to 11 percent of the nation’s schools. Roughly one of every five schools with its own water supply violated the Safe Drinking Water Act in the past decade, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency analyzed by the AP….
Experts and children’s advocates complain that responsibility for drinking water is spread among too many local, state and federal agencies, and that risks are going unreported. Finding a solution, they say, would require a costly new national strategy for monitoring water in schools….
Still, the EPA does not have the authority to require testing for all schools and can only provide guidance on environmental practices….
40. “EPA to brief Boxer on toxic school drinking water” (Boston Globe, October 5, 2009); story by GARANCE BURKE (MPP 2005/MJ 2004); http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/10/05/epa_to_brief_boxer_on_toxic_school_drinking_water/
By Garance Burke - Associated Press Writer
FRESNO, Calif.—A California senator called on the head of the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday to disclose how the agency plans to address the widespread problem of toxic drinking water in the nation’s schools.
Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer wrote the agency in response to an Associated Press investigation showing water supplies at thousands of schools have been found to contain unsafe levels of lead, pesticides and dozens of other toxics….
EPA officials also acknowledge the agency’s database of schools in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act is plagued with errors and omissions….
Citing a “lack of a national strategy for monitoring schools’ water,” Boxer asked EPA officials to explain how the agency oversees and enforces drinking water quality rules to her committee staff….
41. “Could gas plants back up wind generation? Maybe” (Inside F.E.R.C., October 5, 2009); story citing ROB GRAMLICH (MPP 1995).
By Jim Magill
Many natural gas industry officials see an opportunity to grow demand via the new gas-fired plants that they believe will be needed to back up intermittent wind power as policymakers push generation from renewables.
But those advocating a one-to-one correlation of wind farms to gas plants might be disappointed with the tepid response from some of the nation’s wind power advocates, federal officials and power grid managers….
“I don’t see much of that happening. It hasn’t been something I’ve seen and I doubt it’s a widespread trend,” said Rob Gramlich, senior vice president of public policy for the American Wind Energy Association. He said there may have been a few contacts between wind developers and gas firms about teaming up, but “I don’t think that’s typically how generation works for any resource.”
Much of the nation’s power grid is administered by a system of independent system operators responsible for ensuring adequate resources to supply the power needs of its region. The individual power-generating utility or generation company typically does not concern itself with the reliability of the entire system, Gramlich explained.
“It’s not the nuclear generator’s job to find their backup. Coal and gas all need reserves as well because of forced outages, but it’s not their job to find it,” he said. “It’s up to the system operator to make sure they have the resources to develop the system.”
Gramlich said that a number of electric utilities and state regulators are looking toward developing multi-fuel generation strategies “with an eye toward a carbon-constrained future,” wind-generation firms are leery of any planning that smacks of increased government regulation.
“I’m sure my member companies would be concerned if they had requirement to find their own partners on the grid, because that would be burdensome and inefficient,” he said….
42. “Key S.F. departments warn of cash shortfalls” (San Francisco Chronicle, October 3, 2009); story citing GREG WAGNER (MPP 2004); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/10/03/MNDL19VU2R.DTL
--Heather Knight, Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writers
The sheriff’s budget didn’t account for a surge in inmates. Photo: Brant Ward / The Chronicle
Just three months into the
new fiscal year, several of
Already, the jails are housing 300 more inmates each day than planned for in the sheriff’s budget. The public defender’s office is declining five major felony cases a day, forcing the city to hire private defense lawyers instead….
In June, the average daily jail population was 1,861 inmates—and by September, it was up to 2,146. [Sheriff Michael Hennessey] said a large reason for the influx is new Police Chief George Gascón’s crackdown on open-air drug dealing in the Tenderloin, and that he needs an extra $3 million to house, feed and clothe everybody who’s getting arrested….
Greg Wagner, the mayor’s budget director, said midyear adjustments are normal.
“When you make a budget, you’re trying to predict the future,” he said, noting he is most concerned about the increase in inmates and gets a headcount daily….
43. “Drive to end teen dating violence” (San Francisco Chronicle, October 3, 2009); story citing CARMEN CHU (MPP 2003); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/03/BA0L1A0CQL.DTL#ixzz0T5IW2bW1
-- C.W. Nevius
… At his news conference earlier this week to spotlight concerns over marijuana grow houses in the city, new Police Chief George Gascón continued to demonstrate media savvy. Flanked by Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, Supervisor Carmen Chu and a backdrop of police brass, Gascón issued an opening statement, introduced a PowerPoint presentation, and even had enlarged photos and maps placed on the walls….
44. “Hole in budget just got smaller” (San Francisco Chronicle, October 2, 2009); story citing GREG WAGNER (MPP 2004); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/02/BAQD19VPLK.DTL
- Heather Knight
Mayor Gavin Newsom has until Monday to tell the Board of Supervisors how he plans to fill the hole left by state cuts to county governments. We got a sneak preview—and it’s actually not so bad.
“It’s a little piece of good news,” said the mayor’s new budget director, Greg Wagner, who hasn’t seen much of it lately. “I’ll take it where I can get it.” …
45. “The
by Ronald Brownstein
… Ever since the first
Arab oil embargo, in 1973,
Yet, for now, the key to
energy politics in
46. “You may need a job after you retire” (MarketWatch, October 1, 2009); story citing NICOLE MAESTAS (MPP 1997/PhD Econ 2002).
By Robert Powell, MarketWatch
Job-based earnings are
roughly 30% of the average
Of course, whether you work after age 65 will depend on many factors—whether you have a defined-benefit plan or retiree health insurance, whether you are in good health, whether you can find work. But make no mistake about it: Some of you will work past age 65 and earned income will play a significant role in your finances….
But you can’t bank on working in retirement. Just 23% of retirees said they planned to retire before age 64, but 54% actually retired before age 64, according to a recent Employee Benefit Research Institute study. Two oft-cited reasons for that: Health issues arise, or a job loss is followed by difficulty landing a new job.
Still, Nicole Maestas, an economist with RAND Corp.
who is also affiliated of the
47. “Judd Gregg’s ‘for it before I was against it’ moment” (Salon.com, October 1, 2009); column citing STAN COLLENDER (MPP 1976); http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2009/10/01/judd_gregg_and_the_debt_ceiling/index.html
By Andrew Leonard
Some time in October,
the Senate will vote to lift the government’s debt ceiling from $11.3 to $13
trillion. If Senators refrain, the
Senate Democrats are expected to delay a vote to increase the debt limit to $13 trillion, a move designed to avoid having the debate during the healthcare reform battle.
Senate Republicans said the delay will allow Democrats to avoid voting for an increase in the debt cap at the same time they’re pushing a healthcare overhaul, which is expected to cost approximately $900 billion over the next decade.
At Capital Gains and Games, Stan Collender, budget analyst par excellence, catches this classic “I was for it before I was against it” quote from Republican senator Judd Gregg.
“I have voted for every debt-limit increase because that’s what you have to do,” Gregg said. “But this limit increase comes in an entirely different context. There’s no tomorrow.”
As Collender points out, what “different context” really means is a president from a different party is in office….
48. “SF fights increasing pot growing operations” (KGO TV News, September 30-October 4, 2009); features CARMEN CHU (MPP 2003); watch video
Reported by Vic Lee, ABC7 News
… Aside from illegal wiring, the hydroponic lighting which mimic the sun’s rays and the ballasts which regulate the lights produce intense heat…. So far this year illegal pot farms have sparked four fires; a firefighter was seriously injured battling one. Most homes in the Sunset residential district are next to one another. That’s a major concern to Supervisor Carmen Chu who represents the Sunset District.
SUPERVISOR CARMEN
49. “California PUC approves $3.1 billion energy efficiency program for IOUs” (Electric Utility Week, September 28, 2009); story citing DAVID GAMSON (MPP 1986).
By Lisa Weinzimer
The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday unanimously approved a $3.1 billion 2010-2012 energy efficiency program for the state's investor-owned utilities, which the commission said will eliminate the need for three 500-MW power plants ….
The PUC called the approved funding "the largest commitment ever made by a state to energy efficiency." …
Overall, the plan "shifts priorities away from rebates for widgets" to measures that spur long-term savings such as building efficiency, PUC member Dian Grueneich said before the vote, noting that buildings account for 40% of electricity consumption in the US.
For the first time, the
IOUs will run 12 efficiency programs that are consistent statewide, Grueneich
said. The programs include the largest home retrofit program in the
The plan provides $175 million to advance "zero net energy" homes and commercial buildings, including design assistance, incentives for efficient construction and research and demonstration of new technologies and materials….
"Home efficiency should be the largest, cheapest and fastest payback energy source of the next decade," said John Doerr, a member of President Barack Obama's Economic and Advisory Board, to Grueneich, who crafted the plan with Administrative Law Judge David Gamson….
50. “Despite
By Garance Burke, Associated Press
Cameron Hinojosa hands a store clerk his resume last week at the
Family Clothes Store in
Almost one-quarter of the 279,169 youths in the $1.2 billion jobs program didn’t get jobs, as more adults sought the same low-wage positions at hamburger stands and community pools, according to an Associated Press review of government data and reports from states.
Congressional auditors warned yesterday that the government’s plans to measure the success of the federal program are so haphazard that they “may reveal little about what the program achieved.” The new report from the Government Accountability Office said many government officials, employers, and participants believe the program was successful.
Vice President Joe Biden described the Workforce Investment Act summer program as a way to keep teens out of trouble and off the streets while reinvigorating the country’s summer youth employment program, which had gone dormant for a decade. But the program didn’t prevent youth unemployment rates from soaring to 18.5 percent in July, the highest rate measured among 16-to-24-year-olds in that month since 1948….
In
Once the summer employment program ends this month, states will not have to show that teens actually got jobs. The Department of Labor’s only requirement is that graduates be more “workforce ready,” a term all states can measure for themselves.
51. “Free Press Debunks Top 10 Net Neutrality Myths” (Targeted News Service, September 30, 2009); newswire citing DEREK TURNER (MPP 2006).
“The debate over what policies are needed to preserve the open Internet must be bound by facts and reality, not by misdirection and discredited falsehoods,” said S. Derek Turner, Free Press research director and author of the report. “Industry and their phony astroturf groups are deliberately misleading policymakers and the public about Net Neutrality. This is an important public policy issue, and consumers need to know the truth.” …
Myth: “This will be the first time the government has regulated the Internet.”
Reality: The open Internet as we know it would not exist if not for regulation. More than 40 years ago, the FCC helped to create an environment where the Internet could flourish by preventing phone companies from interfering with traffic flowing over their networks.
Myth: “Net Neutrality rules will discourage investment.”
Reality: Without Net Neutrality, ISPs will actually have an incentive to delay investment and profit by selling access at a premium to artificially scarce bandwidth….
“Net Neutrality rules will preserve the free flow of information, spur investment and promote choice,” Turner said. “We cannot allow the future of the open Internet to be sabotaged by these long-discredited myths.”
Read Digital Déja Vu at http://freepress.net/files/dejavu.pdf
52. “AT&T Accuses Google of Violating Telecom Laws” (Washingtonpost.com, September 25, 2009); story citing DEREK TURNER (MPP 2006); http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2009/09/att_launches_attack_on_google.html
By Cecilia Kang, Washington Post Staff Writer, washingtonpost.com
AT&T launched a fresh assault against Google this afternoon with a letter filed to the Federal Communications Commission asking the agency to look into alleged violations of rules by the online search giant’s voice aggregation service.
Google Voice lets users connect all of their phone numbers to one common number and manage the calls and messages through a Web site. The application—which links the Web with legacy telecommunications technology—highlights the challenges faced by regulators whose rules for traditional landline phone networks and the Internet are often outdated or not clearly applicable to emerging technologies.
AT&T’s claims, based on news reports, that Google Voice is blocking some calls to rural areas to cut down on network access expenses. AT&T says the practice amounts to a violation of telecommunications laws that require phone operators to offer unrestricted access….
Consumer advocates dismissed the letter and AT&T’s arguments, warning that the move was meant to slow FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s effort to implement stronger rules that would allow consumers to access any legal content or services on the Web.
“To be clear, the FCC’s open Internet principles apply to Internet Access Service Providers—those companies who control the on-ramps to the information superhighway. AT&T raises a red herring with their letter—the Internet Policy Statement applies only to Internet access services,” said Derek Turner, research director at Free Press.
“Whatever regulatory or technical classifications it may eventually fall under, Google Voice is certainly not an Internet access service,” Turner said.
53. “Environmental issues meet supply goals head on as California grapples to meet renewables targets” (Global Power Report, September 24, 2009); story citing ANDY SCHWARTZ (MPP 2004).
By Lisa Weinzimer
Facing a host of
conflicting environmental and energy goals,
The State Water Resources Control Board is expected by year end to adopt regulations requiring once-through cooling technology used at coastal power plants to be phased out, a move that could threaten more than 20,000 MW.
If adopted this year as written, and approved by the state’s Office of Administrative Law, most of the fossil-fuel plants would need to be in compliance between December 2015 and December 2020.
Additionally, a
court-ordered freeze on air pollution credits issued to power projects by the
South Coast Air Quality Management District is derailing efforts to replace
power plants using once-through cooling technology with new, more efficient
natural gas-fired facilities, noted stakeholders at the
Independent Energy Producers Association’s annual meeting in
“The desire to mitigate the impact of our energy system on our coastal resources is running headlong into our desire to mitigate the impact of our energy system on regional air quality,” said Andy Schwartz, advisor to California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey….
As for potential fixes, [Karen Douglas, CEC chairwoman] said [California Air Resources Board’s] Chairwoman Mary Nichols is working with SCAQMD to try to break the air pollution credit log jam….
The PUC’s Schwartz said staff has released a proposal on long-term procurement planning that aims to break down “siloed” policy initiatives. If adopted, Schwartz said, the approach would allow policymakers to better grasp how different resource scenarios “impact the ability of the state to offer reliable and affordable energy, while operating under various and regulatory constraints.”
54. “ADB, UK $ 90M Grants to Help Afghanistan Revive War-Torn Irrigation” (ENP Newswire, September 24, 2009); newswire citing TOM PANELLA (MPP 1995/MES 1997).
MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and United Kingdom are extending grants of almost $ 90 million to help Afghanistan improve its ageing irrigation systems and provide flood protection, as part of a government plan to promote economic growth and reduce poverty.
The grant funds are being provided through the Water Resources Development Investment Program, a multitranche financing facility, which will provide $ 303.3 million over 10 years. The government has highlighted the importance and identified investments of $ 2.5 billion for irrigation and water management under its new Afghanistan National Development Strategy.
Agriculture provides a living for about two-thirds of all Afghans and generates about 50% of the country’s gross domestic product. However, reliable production is largely dependent on quality irrigation, and the current infrastructure is in need of substantial rehabilitation with new infrastructure also needed. The country’s prolonged civil conflict has also weakened institutions responsible for managing and developing irrigation and water resources.
“Thirty years of civil unrest has severely degraded water infrastructure and the capacity of the institutions that manage it, and the program will increase the productivity of irrigated agriculture through the rehabilitation and development of new infrastructure, capacity building and the strengthening of institutions,” said Thomas Panella, Senior Water Resources Management Specialist, in ADB’s Central and West Asia Department….
55. “San Rafael Council backs plans for Latino grocer in Canal area” (Marin Independent Journal, September 22, 2009); story citing BRUCE LIVINGSTON (MPP 1989).
By Jennifer Upshaw
The San Rafael City Council on Monday unanimously signed off on plans to bring a San Jose-based grocery chain to the Canal neighborhood, despite objections from an alcohol-industry watchdog group.
Mi Pueblo Food Centers,
a growing grocery chain based in
Two separate appeals were filed: one by the Canal-based group the Marin Institute, fighting plans to issue the grocery store a liquor license….
Institute officials said they were concerned because of the over-concentration of licenses, the rate of crime in the neighborhood and proximity of incompatible facilities such as the new Marin County Wellness Campus, where service are offered to families, youth, children and people in recovery, according to the institute.
“We support the Mi Pueblo grocery store—we think it’s a great asset to the community,” said Bruce Livingston, executive director of the Marin Institute. “We feel it’s incumbent on us to talk seriously about the alcohol issues at the site.”
56. “New fuel standard rolls in at 34.1 mpg” (Detroit News, September 16, 2009); story citing ROLAND HWANG (MPP 1992).
By David Shepardson -
Washington — The Obama administration’s proposed standards for fuel efficiency and tailpipe emissions will raise vehicle price tags by more than $1,000, depress sales by 58,000 and cost more than 5,000 auto industry jobs in 2012, a government analysis said Tuesday.
But the plan, which sets fuel efficiency standards fleetwide at 34.1 miles per gallon by 2016 and establishes federal tailpipe emission limits for the first time, also has compelling benefits, the administration said. They include a 950 million metric ton reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; fuel savings of about $3,000 per vehicle; and conservation of 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of vehicles produced between 2012 and 2016….
Still, despite sharply higher production costs, NHTSA said the plan will eventually boost auto sales by 65,480 vehicles through 2016 and add 5,795 auto jobs because it expects stronger consumer demand for fuel-efficient models — especially if fuel prices rise….
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said “it’s going to be up to the automobile manufacturers to decide the weight and how they’re going to meet these standards.” …
Roland Hwang, senior policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council, called the announcement “historic” but said automakers “could have done more and gone faster.” ...
57. “Transformation of Affordable-Housing Policy Illuminated in New Historical Analysis” (States News Service, September 9, 2009); newswire citing DAVID ERICKSON (MPP 1993); http://www.urban.org/publications/901282.html
The Housing Policy Revolution does more than size up the history and impact of housing networks; it sees networked policymaking as the new standard for social policy. As Erickson writes, The influence of this model, first developed in the delivery of affordable housing, is even greater, however, because it is now providing an inspiration for policy areas as diverse as economic development, education, health, and the environment.
David Erickson directs the Center for Community Development Investments
at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and edits the Federal Reserve
journal Community Development Investment Review. He has a Ph.D. in history from
the
The Housing Policy Revolution: Networks and Neighborhoods, by David J. Erickson, is available from the Urban Institute Press. (ISBN 978-0-87766-760-5, paperback, 254 pages, $29.50). Order online at http://www.uipress.org , call 410-516-6956, or dial 1-800-537-5487 toll-free. Read more, including the introductory chapter, at http://www.urban.org/books/housingrevolution .
58. “Social Security
policy could keep a lid on Medicare premiums - help for seniors” (The State (
By Bob Moos - The
The lack of a Social Security cost-of-living adjustment next year will have a ripple effect on some Medicare premiums, experts say.
Many older adults were quick to lament the prospect of no adjustment for 2010 when federal budget experts said earlier this year that beneficiaries probably shouldn’t expect one because of low inflation….
… Typically, Social Security cost adjustments have no bearing on Medicare Part B premiums. The adjustment is more than enough to cover the higher Medicare premium.
But what happens when there is no adjustment? Now that July’s flat Consumer Price Index seems to confirm the federal budget experts’ earlier projection, more seniors have begun to ask that question.
The answer is more heartening for some seniors than others, says the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health care research group.
Three in four Medicare beneficiaries are protected by a “holdharmless” provision in the law that ensures that their Medicare premiums won’t go up any more than their Social Security benefits, said Kaiser policy analyst Juliette Cubanski.
So next year, if they get the same amount from Social Security, they’ll pay Medicare the same $96.40 per month they do today.
That won’t be true, however, for the remaining 25 percent of Medicare beneficiaries, Cubanski said. They include:
Higher-income beneficiaries whose modified adjusted gross income exceeds $85,000 for individuals and $170,000 for couples in 2009.
New enrollees who didn’t collect Social Security benefits or weren’t covered under Part B a year earlier.
Low-income individuals whose Medicare Part B premiums are paid by Medicaid.
Cubanski said higher premiums will be charged to those beneficiaries or, in the case of low-income individuals, to state Medicaid programs….
59. “Crews continue to clean up after flood” (US Fed News, August 10, 2009); newswire citing LARRY OWSLEY (MPP 1973).
Belknap Campus continues to be closed as crews deal with standing water and power outages in many buildings. As of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, power was still out in at least 11 buildings and crews were still trying to remove standing water from another 12 buildings….
The carpentry shop at the Service Complex suffered extensive roof damage. Also, the campus suffered significant tree damage. Crews are washing down viaducts, roadways and sidewalks, which are covered in mud and are slippery.
“We are putting all our effort into restoring the campus as soon as possible,” said Larry Owsley, vice president for business affairs. “Many of these people have worked through the night, and we’re bringing in help so we can continue to work around the clock. Our top priority is to dry out the buildings so we can get the power restored.” …
60. “Trustees elect officers, hear legislative priorities” (US Fed News, September 20, 2009); newswire citing LARRY OWSLEY (MPP 1973).
The board also heard resolutions from both Staff and Faculty senates recognizing the workers who helped quickly restore campus after the Aug. 4 flood….
Both resolutions noted the “compassion and leadership” of [UofL President James] Ramsey and Provost Shirley Willihnganz and the tireless efforts of the units under Vice President for Business Affairs Larry Owsley….
61. “Budget deal lifts diploma hurdle for special-ed kids” (San Francisco Chronicle, July 29, 2009); story citing RICK SIMPSON (MPP 1977); http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/29/MN4C18U1AR.DTL
--Jill Tucker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (Photo by Max Whittaker/Getty Images)
Changes to the California High School Exit Exam policy tucked into the state’s new budget may offer a different future for thousands of disabled children denied diplomas over the past two years.
The deal signed by the governor Tuesday suspends the exit exam graduation requirement for special-education students. That would mean special-education students in the class of 2010 and perhaps beyond would no longer have to pass the high-stakes test to graduate….
While it appears the exit exam provision will not be retroactive, the students may be able to seek a diploma, perhaps through their school district, and—having fulfilled all other requirements—graduate, according to disability rights experts.
The budget measure applies to special-education students who have satisfied or will satisfy graduation requirements by or after July 1, 2009, said Rick Simpson, education policy adviser to Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Baldwin Vista (Los Angeles County), a vocal opponent of the exit exam.
Legislative leadership didn’t address the measure’s impact on students previously denied a diploma, Simpson said.
62. “Mayor Newsom and Supervisor Carmen Chu Announce Availability of Foreclosure Prevention Funds” (States News Service, July 21, 2009); newswire citing CARMEN CHU (MPP 2003).
To be eligible,
homeowners must demonstrate: a) financial hardship and b) that they can afford
a new traditional 30 year loan for their home. The funds are only available for
mortgages under $625,000. The properties must be owner-occupied single-family
houses, condominiums or townhouses within the City and
“This program is a great example of how the City is thinking creatively about how to leverage funding to help our families on the brink of losing their homes to foreclosure,” said Supervisor Carmen Chu. “We hope this program will not only help stabilize families burdened with adjustable-rate loans, but also help stabilize the housing market.”…
1. “Cities Struggle With Access to Green Energy Sources” (PBS Newshour, October 28, 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.
2. “Some profs want
--Nanette Asimov, Chronicle Staff Writer
When UC Berkeley lends its Department of Intercollegiate Athletics millions of dollars to pay its bills each year—and even forgives that debt at times—it’s helping a top-tier college sports program beloved by thousands of fans.
But a growing number of
The faculty, which will debate the issue at next month’s Faculty Senate meeting, is not alone. Now the independent Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics—formed 20 years ago by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to raise academic standards in college sports—is turning its attention to an out-of-control “arms race” among college football programs competing to pay increasingly high coaches’ salaries and other associated costs.
“The data is eye-opening and quite
troubling—athletic expenditures are rising three or four times faster than
academic budgets,” said William “Brit” Kirwan, chancellor of the University
System of
Only 24 of the 120 top teams operate in the black, with deficits averaging $10 million per school, he said….
This year, UC Berkeley’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics … is projected to run a deficit of nearly $6 million, rising to $6.4 million next year….
Meanwhile, a group of faculty members who have dubbed themselves a Sports Grinch Club objects to the use of any university funds being spent on intercollegiate athletics.
“We ought to stop subsidizing this program,” said
Michael O’Hare, a professor at
He said the Faculty Senate—the voice of tenured instructors in university governance—will consider a nonbinding resolution at its Nov. 5 meeting to end the subsidies….
O’Hare called “deeply depressing” the Knight Commission’s new report, in which university presidents acknowledge that they have little control over the escalating costs of their football programs.
“There’s still just one team that wins,” he said. “And all we’ve done is spend a whole lot more money for no significantly different outcome.” …
3. “Our Two-Class System” (The American Prospect Magazine, November 2009: Inequality Goes to College Special Report); commentary by DAVID KIRP; http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=our_two_class_system
David L. Kirp | October 26, 2009
The recession has been a double whammy for universities and parents, leaving colleges more dependent on tuition revenue while making it harder for families to pay the tab. Parents have lost their jobs, plummeting stock prices have decimated their college savings, and the home-equity loans that families used to rely on to finance their children’s education have dried up. All of these forces have widened the gap between the haves and have-nots, and universities’ own survival tactics have exacerbated the problem.
One notable factor is the rankings race, which
distorts student-aid policies and advantages already advantaged students. In
the 2010 U.S. News & World Report
college rankings, Harvard tied for the top spot with its perennial rival
Rather than relying on the old norm of financial
need in awarding aid, colleges eyeing the rankings increasingly award “merit”
scholarships, which are based on grades and SAT scores. A new
breed of “enrollment managers” base the size of financial-aid packages
on the minimum amount that’s needed to win over the waverers. Using
sophisticated econometric tools, universities can construct an algorithm that
maximizes the grades and test scores of entering students, thus looking good to
U.S. News, while minimizing the
amount of financial aid required to enroll them.
Though the practice can be defended as generating revenue used to improve the
college’s academic program, the effect is to favor middle-class and less needy
applicants. State-funded programs like
… What’s called for is a grand bargain—more money
from
A few years back, the Economist gushed that the
David L. Kirp is a professor of
4. “Bottom Line: Climatic differences” (San Francisco Chronicle, October 25, 2009); column citing event sponsored by GSPP’s CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC POLICY; http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/25/BUFO1A9155.DTL#ixzz0V4TkGAQY
--Andrew Ross, Columnist
… One of the key stumbling blocks in the U.N.
climate negotiations, which are staggering toward the
A two-day conference, held by the Center for Environmental Public Policy at UC Berkeley beginning Monday, is looking for ways to hash the differences out. It’s open to the public. Details at http://cal.gspp.berkeley.edu/programs/cepp_CleanTechAndIPR.html
5. “
By José Rodríguez, Marketing and Communications
The school regularly appears at the top of public
policy graduate school rankings with
With nearly half of the school’s 14 full-time
faculty members currently advising or having advised the Obama administration,
the
In 1997, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund contributed $10 million to the school, which resulted in numerous benefits, including its name and the expansion of the student body and facilities.
“In 1997, the extraordinary generosity of the
Goldman Fund made it possible for the
For more information:
Announcement from the Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund
6. “Biofuels Could Increase Greenhouse Gases. Rules have loophole exempting carbon dioxide emitted by bioenergy regardless of its source that could lead to loss of most of the world’s natural forests” (Industry Week, Oct. 23, 2009); newswire citing DAN KAMMEN; http://www.industryweek.com/articles/biofuels_could_increase_greenhouse_gases_20242.aspx?Page=3&SectionID=4?ShowAll=1
In a study to be published on Oct. 23 in the journal Science, a group of 13 scientists called for the rules, which contain a loophole exempting carbon dioxide emitted by bioenergy regardless of its source, to be overturned….
The study called for the issue to be addressed in
the climate treaty that nations around the world are hoping to sign at the
Researchers said numerous analyses—including one released by the U.S. Department of Energy—have found that this loophole “could lead to the loss of most of the world’s natural forests as carbon caps tighten.”
The rules were found in the Kyoto Protocol, which was framed in 1997 and put into force in 2005, legally binding 37 industrialized countries to cut their greenhouse gas output, noted researcher Daniel Kammen.
The European Union’s Emissions Trading System and
this year’s climate bill passed by U.S. House members also enable the same
loophole, said Kammen, from the
The study said it meant that “bioenergy from any source, even that generated by clearing the world’s forests, a potentially cheap, yet false, way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” …
Kammen said nations approaching climate treaty negotiations needed to recognize the “vital” importance of properly evaluating technologies proposed as solutions to global warming….
[The study was also reported on in NPR’s Morning Edition (October 23, 2009); another story citing Dan Kammen on the subject was reported in UC NewsCenter (October 22, 2009); http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2009/10/22_bio_energy.shtml
7. “Examining the insurer-government bout” – Commentary by ROBERT REICH (Marketplace [NPR], October 21, 2009);
ROBERT REICH: Suddenly, it seems, the White House is blasting away at private insurers. Why? Because the insurers broke the deal the White House thought they’d agreed to last January. That deal was simple. Private insurers would support new health-care legislation—even requiring they take people with pre-existing conditions—because the insurers would get 25 [million] to 30 million new paying customers, and the profits that go with all these new customers….
... The easiest explanation for the insurer’s about-face is Congress’s growing reluctance to require that all Americans buy insurance, and penalize them if they don’t—especially young, healthy adults….
But if the insurers were in tough competition with each other, they’d have every incentive to find ways to keep prices down even though the population they serve may be older and sicker. They’d use new technologies, minimize unnecessary tests, pay physicians and hospitals for outcomes rather than inputs, and help prevent healthy people from becoming sick….
The president could have gone a step further and committed himself to a public insurance option. That would guarantee more competition, and give the private insurers a better run for their money—and their profits.
RYSSDAL: Robert
Reich is a professor of public policy at the
8. “A top ten list of what ails California with which almost everyone agrees” (Berkeley Blog, UC NewsCenter, October 19, 2009); blog by ROBERT REICH; http://blogs.berkeley.edu/2009/10/19/what-ails-california-let-me-count-the-ways/
--Robert Reich, professor of public policy
What
ails
1. A two-thirds voting requirement for new taxes and for budgets,
2. Legislative districts that are apportioned so that they’re either Democratic or Republican – resulting in the extremes running against more moderates in primaries, and summoning enough votes to get in,
3. Initiatives that, over the years, have mandated that certain items get funded regardless of other priorities,
4. A prison system that continues to grow, locking up ever more people at a cost of $45,000 each, even though many are non-violent offenders who are imprisoned because they’ve violated the law three times….
But here’s the really interesting thing: Almost everyone agrees on these ten….
And no one knows how to start reforming the
system, anyway. Cynicism abounds. The governing structure seems just too big,
too far gone, too removed. If
The immediate challenge is to overcome cynicism and convince enough people that enough can be done to reform the system that they should get involved in the effort.
9. “Can’t Afford Solar Panels? Lease Them. Solar Leasing Programs Boast No Upfront Cost and Can Cut Energy Bills, or Even Leave Consumers with a Monthly Surplus” (CBS Evening News, Sunday Edition, October 18, 2009); features commentary by DAN KAMMEN; http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/18/eveningnews/main5394814.shtml
… RUSS MITCHELL: Of course, sunlight is free. But
installing solar panels to heat your home is beyond the means of many
Americans. But if you live in
BILL WHITAKER: With rooftop solar systems costing twenty-five to fifty thousand dollars, even ardent environmentalists run for cover. And Kathy Nalty … is not the greenest person on the planet….
But look on her roof. She’s gone solar. In her typical suburban house, which she shares with kids and grandma, five TVs and four computers, her electric bill--
KATHY NALTY: Basically, it went from somewhere around two hundred to three hundred dollars a month and now it stopped to fifty-nine dollars a month.
BILL WHITAKER: Thanks to a hot idea sweeping the solar industry: leasing. Kathy Nalty gets solar panels free. The solar company charges her one hundred dollars a month for the fifteen-year lease, plus state and federal rebates for new solar systems, a couple of thousand dollars go to the company…. She saves so much on electric bills that she actually comes out ahead about a hundred dollars each month….
PROFESSOR DANIEL KAMMEN (UC Berkeley): Some of the deals out there right now allow you to essentially go solar right away and do so with a lower average utility bill than you got before, even though solar energy is actually still more expensive.
BILL WHITAKER: With leasing, incentives for businesses, and rebates for homeowners who buy systems, solar panel use in California doubled last year, a big step toward the ambitious goal of generating one-third of the state’s energy from renewable sources by 2020….
10. “Out-of-State Dreams” (Inside Higher Ed, October 16, 2009); story citing DAVID KIRP; http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/10/16/outofstate#
--Scott Jaschik
At a time when getting admitted to many flagship universities is harder than ever, a growing number are considering plans to increase enrollments—dramatically in some cases—of out-of-state applicants....
The
While
At the same time, Callan acknowledged that in
David L.
Kirp, a professor of public policy at Berkeley and the author of Shakespeare, Einstein and the Bottom Line:
The Marketing of Higher Education, said he viewed the out-of-state trend as
“one of those lamentable necessities.” He said that the
11. “Welcome to Potopia. A nine-block section of
downtown
By Jessica Bennett, Newsweek Web Exclusive
With Jennifer Molina
On the corner of Broadway and
Presently, 13 states allow medical marijuana,
with similar legalization campaigns underway in more than a dozen others. And a
number of cities, such as
...In April, an ABC/Washington Post survey showed
that 46 percent of Americans support legalization measures, up from 22 percent
in 1997. And in
The fact that we now are debating it—at least in some parts of the country—is the result of a number of forces that, as MacCoun puts it, have created the perfect pot storm: the failure of the War on Drugs, the growing death toll of murderous drug cartels, pop culture, the economy, and a generation of voters that have simply grown up around the stuff. Today there are pot television shows and frequent references to the drug in film, music, and books. And everyone from the president to the most successful athlete in modern history has talked about smoking it at one point or another....
12. “Some in Sacramento still want a single-payer system” (Sacramento Bee, October 13, 2009); story citing JOHN ELLWOOD and sometime Visiting Lecturer PATRICK JOHNSTON; http://www.sacbee.com/296/story/2249338-p2.html
By Bobby Caina Calvan
Kathy Dennis, a registered
nurse at
Some critics of the Obama administration’s plan to remake health care call it a government takeover of medicine. But Kathy Dennis doesn’t think it goes far enough.
“I believe we need universal health care, and I
believe in a single-payer system,” said Dennis, 49 [a registered nurse from
As envisioned by supporters, a single-payer
system would extend Medicare, a federally run insurance program for country’s
elderly, to every
It would mean the end of the commercial insurance industry, which would fight back accordingly.
A single-payer system “would require a massive conversion to a different health care system,” said Patrick Johnston, president of the California Association of Health Plans.
“The history of the
In theory, single payer is not dead. There are proposals floating in the Senate and House—Senate Bill 703 and House Resolution 676—but both may end up as mostly symbolic in the health care debate.
“They don’t have the votes,” said professor John Ellwood, who directs a health policy
research program at the
“Single payer is a great dream of my liberal
academic colleagues, but I just don’t think it will happen in the foreseeable
future in the
“I think it’s a mistake for people on the left to just focus in on single payer and be locked into it. There are other options,” he added.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose San Francisco district is among the most liberal in the country, may personally support a single-payer system, but she has to walk a delicate political line to placate the spectrum of ideologies within her party, Ellwood said….
13. “Food Crisis Showed Market Failure, UC Berkeley’s de Janvry Says” (Bloomberg.com, October 13, 2009); newswire citing ALAIN DE JANVRY; http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aPkTUfjiKc.o
By Rudy Ruitenberg
Oct. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Following are comments by Alain de Janvry, professor of agriculture
and resource economics at the
“The occurrence of the food crisis was quite humbling for the profession” because economists failed to predict it, de Janvry said. “We assume wrongly that markets tend to work.” One lesson “from the food crisis is the very limited transmission that has happened,” de Janvry said. “Assuming that markets work is just not the right assumption to make.”
“Food security has become a new issue. It is not just a matter of food stocks, it is not just a matter of trade. There has not been enough emphasis on subsistence farming.”
14. “Politics Blog: California Tea Parties Love Chuck D from the OC” (San Francisco Chronicle Online, October 12, 2009); blog citing HENRY BRADY; http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=49394#ixzz0TqJzN0I9
--Joe Garoifoli
Fresh off of his dead-heat showing against Carly
“Annnn-ti-ci-paaaaaa-tion” Simon-Fiorina in the latest Field Poll, Orange
County Assemblyman Chuck DeVore has a new bunch of friends:
The T.P.ers dig Chuck D. from the OC, says T.P. Patriots czar Mark Meckler: “My impression is that the support among tea partiers for DeVore is high. I hear nothing but praise for the guy.”
T.P. love may be a boon in June’s GOP primary. But what will that mean in the general election, should Chuck D. get that far? As UC-Berkeley political science prof Henry Brady told us the other day, “I don’t see where reaching out to the tea party people helps. That’s the fringe of the far right,” Brady said. “(Republicans) need to reach out to the decline-to-state voters in the middle.”
15. “Igniting the Growth of Jobs” (New York Times, October 10, 2009); column citing ROBERT REICH; http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/opinion/10herbert.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1255470501-d530aPn6gqOHv/uY0YiuCQ
By Bob Herbert
The job market nationwide is the worst it has been in 70 years, noted Robert Reich, the former labor secretary, during one of several conversations that I had with him over the past week. He dismissed the upbeat talk of “green shoots” sprouting in the devastated economic landscape and the dreamy notion that recovery is no longer just around the corner, it’s here.
The economy may have recovered technically, he said, “but this is not a real recovery.” …
Without jobs, you don’t have a genuine recovery. And with consumers tapped out and business investment hamstrung, it’s up to the government to develop creative approaches and make the investments necessary to start putting people back to work in large numbers….
Mr. Reich, who teaches at the University of California, Berkeley, is among those who favor a tax credit for small businesses that create jobs. This is tricky. Policy makers have to make sure that the credit is given only for net new hires, as companies will attempt to get a tax break for hires they would have made anyway.
“Under normal circumstances,” said Mr. Reich, “I would never recommend this. It’s a very blunt instrument. But these are not normal circumstances.” …
16. “Topic A: What Does the Nobel Peace Prize Mean for Obama?” (Washington Post, October 9, 2009); commentary by ROBERT REICH; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100901721_pf.html
The Post asked political experts what receiving the Nobel Peace Prize will mean for President Obama. Below are contributions from Tony Fratto, Donna F. Edwards, Robert Shrum, Robert Reich, Lisa Schiffren, Douglas E. Schoen and Ed Rogers.
...ROBERT REICH
Secretary
of labor from 1993 to 1997; professor of public policy at the
President Obama’s only real diplomatic accomplishment so far has been to change the direction and tone of American foreign policy from unilateral bullying to multilateral listening and cooperating. That’s important, to be sure, but it’s not nearly enough. Had the world not suffered eight years of George W. Bush, Obama would not have won the prize at this early stage of his presidency. I’d rather he had won it after Congress agreed to substantial cuts in greenhouse gases comparable to what Europe is proposing, after he brought Palestinians and Israelis together to accept a two-state solution, after he got the United States out of Afghanistan and reduced the nuclear arms threat between Pakistan and India, or after he was well on the way to eliminating the world’s stockpile of nuclear weapons. Perhaps the Nobel committee can give him only half the prize now and withhold the other half until he accomplishes one or more of these crucial missions....
17. “Without Water Deal, Legislation May Dry Up” (The California Report, KQED public radio, October 9, 2009); commentary by MICHAEL HANEMANN; Listen to the story
Legislators in
Tara Siler: …But not all water experts agree on the tactic.
MICHAEL HANEMANN: I think it’s overreaching to lump all the infrastructure together.
Tara Siler: Michael
Hanemann heads the
MICHAEL HANEMANN: The issue of new reservoirs and how to finance them should be separated because it doesn’t have as strong a case….
18. “Support Builds for Tax Credit to Help Hiring (New York Times, October 7, 2009); story citing ROBERT REICH; http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/business/07tax.html?th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1254931442-HhA53ROsKJSSKo5gsKsUsw
By Catherine Rampell
The idea of a tax credit for companies that
create new jobs, something the federal government has not tried since the
1970s, is gaining support among economists and
The proposal has some bipartisan appeal among politicians eager both to help their unemployed constituents and to encourage small-business development. Legislators on Capitol Hill and President Obama’s economic team have been quietly researching the policy for several weeks….
In addition to the economists working on the proposal, some heavyweights support the concept, including the Nobel laureate Edmund S. Phelps, Dani Rodrik of Harvard and former Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich….
19. “Over 1.5 mln
Such children are three times more likely to have no coverage than a typical American child, the ministry added in a statement.
The full study, entitled “Migration and Health:
the Children of Mexicans in the
Mexican children in the
Some 6.3 million children, or around 1 in 15 of
all
The study was jointly conducted by the Health
Initiative of the
20. “
By Ryan Knutson
Demonstrators protest
against
![[california budget cuts]](nov2009_files/image032.jpg)
For most of the summer, state agencies and constituents had feared the worst as lawmakers hacked $16 billion from programs in order to close the deficit….
The most recent move came two weeks ago, when
Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he wouldn’t close 100 state
parks as part of a $14.2 million cut to the Parks Department’s budget. That
followed new legislation passed last month that restored $196 million to
Avoiding the impacts that appeared inevitable
just a few months ago may also make it appear that officials exaggerated the
severity of the state’s fiscal situation amid the political wrangling over a
deal. “There’s some indication that when the governor had first put forth his
proposals, he did the ol’, ‘Take all the policemen off the streets,’” said Henry Brady, dean of the
21. “Future flow: Shifting needs prompt plans to protect the region’s water supply” (Contra Costa Times, October 4, 2009); story citing MICHAEL HANEMANN; http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_13483891?nclick_check=1
--John Driscoll/The Times-Standard
For
decades, the cost of the [Humboldt Bay Municipal Water] system—including
Matthews Dam and Ranney wells on the
... Those rates will go higher with the closure of the last pulp mill, and significant capital projects to improve the aged system will cost millions on top of that.
... But beyond that,
And by 2029, depending on population growth and
climate change in
With climate change reducing storage in the form
of snow, Hanemann said, more storage would be needed to capture runoff in wet
months for use during the dry months. Hanemann
said that
The
The uncertainty of
“Planning 25 years out is not too early to start,” Hanemann said….
22. “A ‘public option’ for scholarship. Campus extends commitment to ‘open access’ publishing, forming five-school compact to help researchers make their work more widely available... for free” (States News Service, October 2, 2009); newswire citing DAN KAMMEN; http://berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2009/10/02_open-access.shtml
By Barry Bergman, Public Affairs
(Hulda Nelson image)
Now, as even Ivy League institutions find
themselves on shaky financial ground, four elite private universities have
joined
Under the new compact, all five universities promise to underwrite “reasonable publication charges” for faculty-written articles in open-access journals when such fees—essentially, a shift of publication costs from consumers of information to producers—are not covered by the funder of the research grant or contract….
... Beth Weil, head librarian for the campus’s Marian Koshland Bioscience and Natural Resources Library, says Berkeley’s program covers a broader range of journals than, say, Harvard’s new fund—an effort, she explains, “to encourage our authors and editors to experiment with open access and new business models.”
She cites as examples two journals edited by Berkeley faculty: Environmental Research Letters, an open-access journal now in its third year of publication under energy expert Dan Kammen, and the venerable Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, or PNAS, headed by Randy Schekman, a professor of cell and developmental biology….
October 14 Henry Brady spoke at the conference,
“Getting to Reform: Avenues to Constitutional Change in
October 28 John Quigley moderated “Global Financial & Economic Crisis: Panel discussion on Global Unemployment” – co-sponsored by the Institute of International Studies (IIS): http://igov.berkeley.edu and The Berkeley Center for Law, Business and the Economy, http://www.law.berkeley.edu/bclbe.htm
To view a complete list
of GSPP videos, visit our Events Archive at: http://gspp.berkeley.edu/events/webcasts
Recent events viewable on UC Webcast: http://webcast.berkeley.edu/events.php?group=The+Richard+%26+Rhoda+Goldman+School+of+Public+Policy
If you would like further information
about any of the above, or hard copies of cited articles, we’d be happy to
provide them.
We are always delighted to receive your material for inclusion in the Digest. Please email the editor at wong23@berkeley.edu .
Sincerely,
Annette Doornbos
Director of External Relations and Development