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1. 4th Annual Michael Nacht Distinguished Lecture on Politics and Public Policy:
“The New Feminist Agenda: Defining the Next Revolution for Women, Work and Family” by former Vermont Governor Madeleine Kunin
October 2 | Public reception & book-signing 5:30 p.m. | Lecture 6-7:15 p.m. | Sutardja Dai Hall, Banatao Auditorium
Sponsor:
Event Contact: dstern@berkeley.edu, 510-642-5032
2. “The Fiscal Cliff: Likelihood and Consequences”
Robert D. Reischauer, past Director of the Congressional Budget Office and President emeritus of the Urban Institute; public trustee of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds
October 5, 2012,
2:00-4:00 p.m., Room 250,
3. Homecoming Event: “Snap Judgment: The Psychology and Effects of Racial Profiling”
Professor Jack Glaser, Associate Professor of Public Policy,
October 5 | 2-3 p.m. |
Sibley Auditorium,
Event Contact: homecoming@berkeley.edu , 888.UNIV.CAL (888.864.8225)
4. Homecoming Event: “Governing
Henry E. Brady, Dean,
October 6 | 9-10 a.m. |
Sibley Auditorium,
Sponsor: Center on
Civility & Democratic Engagement at the
Event Contact: homecoming@berkeley.edu , 888.UNIV.CAL (888.864.8225)
5. Homecoming Event: “Solutions, Civility, and Consensus in Local Government”
Speakers: Frank M. Jordan, Former Mayor, City & County of San Francisco; Garrad Marsh, Mayor, City of Modesto; Jennifer West (MPP 2012), Mayor, City of Emeryville
Moderator: Henry E. Brady, Dean,
October 6 | 10:30-11:30
a.m. | Sibley Auditorium,
Sponsor: Center on
Civility & Democratic Engagement at the
Event Contact: homecoming@berkeley.edu , 888.UNIV.CAL (888.864.8225)
6.
October 10, 2012,
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Registration Deadline:
Friday, October 5, 2012; more
info
7. “Implementing Health Care Reform in
Dr. Peter Lee, Executive
Director,
October 23, 2012, 4:00
p.m., 159 Mulford Hall
Sponsored by the
8. “Health Care Reform in
Marian Mulkey (MPP/MPH 1989), Director, Health Reform and Public Programs
Initiative,
October
25, 2:00-4:00 p.m., presented by UC Berkeley Retirement Center. Advance
registration is required.
Please call the Center
at (510) 642-5461 or email ucbrc@berkeley.edu to register; course location will
be provided with your confirmation.
9. 13th Annual Alumni Dinner
Friday, October 26, 2012
The Berkeley City Club; (deadline to register is Oct. 5, 2012) more info
2012
Alumnus of the Year: Stuart Drown (MPP 1986), Executive
Director, Little
2012
Award for International Public Service:
Veronica Irastorza
(MPP 1999), Under Secretary for Energy Planning & Technological
Development, Ministry of Energy - SENER (
10.
“Sustainable Banking and a more Conscious Capitalism”
Vince Siciliano,
president and CEO of New Resource Bank, on advisory board of the American
Sustainable Business Council
October 22, 2012, 12:00 p.m.-1:30
p.m., Room 250 Goldman School
Presented by the Center for
Environmental Public Policy at the
RSVP by October 19, 2012 to cepp@berkeley.edu
11.
November 8, 2012, 6:00-8:00 p.m., more info & to register
“16th annual Mario Savio Memorial Lecture: Where are we now? Where do we want
to be? How can we get there?”
Van Jones, former Special Advisor to
the Obama White House, president and co-founder of Rebuild the Dream
November 28 | 8 p.m. | Martin Luther
King Jr. Student Union, Pauley Ballroom
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is
free, but tickets are required; they will be available in the student center
lobby from 6:30 p.m. on.
Sponsored by the UC Berkeley Library,
the
ALUMNI AND STUDENT NEWSMAKERS
1. “The cost of keeping promises: Medicare” (Kansas City
Star, September 29, 2012); analysis citing MICHAEL
LINDEN (MPP 2007).
2. “The cost of keeping promises: Social Security” (Kansas
City Star, September 29, 2012); analysis citing MICHAEL LINDEN (MPP 2007).
3. “Fiscal cliff: Payroll tax cut may not survive” (CNN Wire,
September 26, 2012); analysis citing SEAN
WEST (MPP 2006).
4. “OPD accuses Rebecca Kaplan of smearing officers” (Oakland Tribune, September 25, 2012); story citing AMY LEMLEY (MPP 1998); http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_21630900/opd-accuses-rebecca-kaplan-smearing-officers?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
5. “Adult day care rejection rate questioned” (San Francisco Chronicle, September 25, 2012); story citing TOBY DOUGLAS (MPP 2001/MPH 2002); http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Adult-day-care-rejection-rate-questioned-3891044.php#ixzz27VLL16y4
6. “Millions of Californians May Still Be Uninsured in 2019” (Valley Public Radio, September 20, 2012); story citing study coauthored by LAUREL (TAN) LUCIA (MPP 2005) and MIRANDA DIETZ (MPP 2012); http://www.kvpr.org/post/millions-californians-may-still-be-uninsured-2019
7. “Regatta to square off against big events” (San Francisco
Chronicle, September 20, 2012); blog citing ADAM VAN DE WATER (MPP 2001); http://blog.sfgate.com/americascup/2012/09/20/regatta-to-square-off-against-big-events/
8. “Romney’s 47% Comments Distance Him from Bush-Era Republicans” (Copyright 2012 Bloomberg, September 19, 2012); newswire citing MICHAEL LINDEN (MPP 2007); http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/Romney-s-47-Comments-Distance-Him-From-3876009.php#ixzz26w27EIS0
9. “Oakland District Three Council Race 3-Way Tie; Lemley Leads D1” (Oakland Examiner, September 19, 2012); story citing AMY LEMLEY (MPP 1998) and RICHARD RAYA (MPP 1996).
10. “University of
11. “The Illicit Drug Landscape in the U.S and Paths for Future Efforts” (States News Service, September 18, 2012); newswire citing BEAU KILMER (MPP 2000).
12. “The Nightly Business Report” (PBS, September 17, 2012); program featuring analysis by SEAN WEST (MPP 2006).
13. “CITY INSIDER: Salesforce grant, volunteers aid Bayview” (San Francisco Chronicle, September 17, 2012); story citing nonprofit headed by JAY BANFIELD (MPP 1997); http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Salesforce-grant-volunteers-aid-Bayview-3870901.php#ixzz26lT1EQFB
14. “UC regents hear ideas for raising money” (San Francisco Chronicle, September 15, 2012); story citing JONATHAN STEIN (MPP/JD cand. 2013); http://www.sfgate.com/education/article/UC-regents-hear-ideas-for-raising-money-3867368.php#ixzz26qNC7RXR
15. “General Assembly Convenes High-Level Forum on ‘Culture of
Peace’, With Education, Youth Outreach, Women’s Empowerment Highlighted as Keys
to More Peaceful World” (States News Service, September 14, 2012); newswire
citing JEFF ABRAMSON (MPP 2003).
16. “Horizons Foundation to Honor U.S Representative Barney
Frank and Advocate Kate Kendell With
Visionary and Leadership Awards At Annual Gala” (GlobeNewswire,
September 13, 2012); newswire citing ROGER
DOUGHTY (MPP 1993/JD 1994).
17. “Plan to boost car-sharing at new housing” (San Francisco Chronicle, September 11, 2012); story citing CARMEN CHU (MPP 2003); http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Plan-to-boost-car-sharing-at-new-housing-3857980.php#ixzz26H3fuCqT
18. “Mayor Ed Lee’s job approval ratings slip” (San Francisco Chronicle, September 10, 2012); story citing firm headed by DAVE METZ (MPP 1998); http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/Mayor-Ed-Lee-s-job-approval-ratings-slip-3852148.php#ixzz265c9FCp2
19. “The Nightly Business Report” (PBS, September 10, 2012); program featuring analysis by SEAN WEST (MPP 2006).
20. “Critics Say Ryan’s Record Belies Tough Deficit Talk” (All Things Considered, NPR, September 9, 2012); program featuring commentary by STAN COLLENDER (MPP 1976).
21. “Agency suspends ratings on Compton’s bonds; Standard & Poor’s takes action because city still lacks an audit firm to sign off on its financial statements” (Los Angeles Times, September 7, 2012); story citing LISA SCHROEER (MPP 2005).
22. “Indonesian lives risked on ‘world’s most polluted’ river” (Agence France Presse—English, September 7, 2012); newswire citing THOMAS PANELLA (MPP 1995/MES 1997).
23. “Biden makes his pitch to Democratic convention tonight”
(
24. “Credit hour the source of many problems in higher education. Report offers policy solutions to shift from measuring seat time to learning” (States News Service, September 5, 2012); newswire citing AMY LAITINEN (MPP 2003).
25. “Elizabeth Warren, ‘The Sheriff of Wall Street,’ Set to Underscore Populist Message” (The National Journal, September 5, 2012); analysis citing SEAN WEST (MPP 2006).
26. “GSA’s selection of Robyn a sign of the times” (Washington Business Journal, September 4, 2012); story citing DOROTHY ROBYN (MPP 1978/PhD 1983); http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/2012/09/gsas-selection-of-robyn-a-sign-of-the.html?page=all
27. “AP Exclusive: Top retirees benefited from cash out” (The Associated Press State & Local Wire, September 3, 2012); newswire citing ED DERMAN (MPP 1978).
28. “The view from the bottom of the cliff. Automatic cuts
and tax hikes might wake up
29. “Sitting on the sidelines? Redshirting in
30. “The Willis Report for August 30, 2012” (FOX News Channel, August 30, 2012); interview with MICKEY LEVY (MPP 1974).
31. “The big squeeze has begun—54.5 mpg goal will test
industry’s ingenuity” (
32. “Court Blocks E.P.A. Rule on Cross-State Pollution” (The New York Times, August 22, 2012); story citing JOE KRUGER (MPP 1986); http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/22/science/earth/appeals-court-strikes-down-epa-rule-on-cross-state-pollution.html
33. “
34. “
35. “Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development Hearing;
‘Streamlining and Strengthening HUD’s Rental Housing Assistance Programs’” (Congressional Documents and Publications, August 1, 2012); senate testimony by WILL FISCHER (MPP 1999).
36. “Analysis: Israelis, American Jews watch Romney trip from
different perspectives” (CNN Wire, July 27, 2012); analysis citing MITCHELL BARD (MPP 1983/PhD 1987).
37. “Corporate Philanthropy: JPMorgan breaks into Top Five for first time” (San Francisco Business Times, July 20, 2012); story citing JAY BANFIELD (MPP 1997); http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/print-edition/2012/07/20/jpmorgan-breaks-into-top-five-for.html?page=all
38. “Victims ‘scared silent’ by the past; Recovered memories take courtroom spotlight” (Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA), July 20, 2012); story citing ROSS CHEIT (MPP 1980/PhD 1987).
39. “Iran Saber Rattling Threatens Strait of Hormuz” (States News Service, July 17, 2012); newswire citing JEFF COLGAN (MPP 2002).
40. “Plan for retirement may mean finding a new job or career”
(Star Tribune (
41. “How Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion Will Impact State Budgets. Federal Government Will Pick Up Nearly All Costs, Even As Expansion Provides Coverage to Millions of Low-Income Uninsured Americans” (States News Service, July 12, 2012); newswire citing JANUARY ANGELES (MPP 2002).
42. “Obama ‘surge voters’ might not show up” (Los Angeles Times, July 10, 2012); analysis citing DAVID LATTERMAN (MPP 2002).
43. “
FACULTY IN THE NEWS
1. “Republicans alienating majority of voters” (San Francisco Chronicle, September 23, 2012); op-ed by ROBERT REICH; http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/reich/article/Republicans-alienating-majority-of-voters-3884274.php#ixzz27QKJnqEe
2. “Segregation Prominent in Schools, Study Finds” (New York Times, September 20, 2012); story citing RUCKER JOHNSON; http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/education/segregation-prominent-in-schools-study-finds.html?_r=0
3. “Summer ice melt in the Arctic sets yet another record” (Marketplace, NPR, September 20, 2012); program citing DAN KAMMEN; http://www.marketplace.org/topics/world/summer-ice-melt-arctic-sets-yet-another-record
4. “Ohio Firm Hunts for Workers Making World-Class Compressors: Jobs” (Bloomberg News, September 19, 2012); newswire citing JESSE ROTHSTEIN; http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/Ohio-Firm-Hunts-for-Workers-Making-World-Class-3877232.php
5. “Mr. Romney, Have You Seen the 47 Percent?” (Huffington Post, September 18, 2012); blog by JENNIFER GRANHOLM; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-m-granholm/mr-romney-have-you-seen-t_b_1895540.html
6. “Can
7. “Consumer spending key to job creation” (San Francisco Chronicle, September 14, 2012); op-ed by ROBERT REICH; http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/reich/article/Consumer-spending-key-to-job-creation-3866757.php#ixzz26lbVQFrP
8. “The Future of Wind Power” (Forum with Michael Krasny, KQED Public Radio, September 13, 2012); program featuring commentary by DAN KAMMEN; Listen to the program
9. “National Schools Debate is on Display in
10. “The Brookings Institution holds a book discussion on ‘The Unheavenly Chorus: Unequal Political Voice and the Broken Promise of American Democracy’” (The Washington Daybook, September 12, 2012); event featuring HENRY BRADY.
11. “Letters to the Editor: An Ex-President Back in the Limelight” (New York Times & International Herald Tribune [*requires registration], September 7, 2012); Letter to the Editor co-signed by JENNIFER GRANHOLM and ROBERT REICH; http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/07/opinion/an-ex-president-back-in-the-limelight.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Berkeley&st=nyt
12. “Politics Blog: Jennifer Granholm: On fire at the DNC” (San Francisco Chronicle Online, September 6, 2012); blog citing JENNIFER GRANHOLM; http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2012/09/06/jennifer-granholm-on-fire-at-the-dnc-video/
13. “The real importance of Bill Clinton’s wonderfully long speech” (Huffington Post, September 6, 2012); op-ed by ROBERT REICH; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/bill-clinton-dnc-speech_b_1860704.html?view=screen
14. “Decision 2012 Blog: #Politics: Academics Jump to Twitter to Talk About the Conventions” (Chronicle of Higher Education [*requires registration], September 6, 2012; blog citing ROBERT REICH; http://chronicle.com/blogs/decision2012/2012/09/06/who-were-following-academics-jump-to-twitter-to-talk-politics/
15. “Wonkblog: Bill Clinton says the unemployed don’t have the right skills. It’s not so” (Washington Post [*requires registration], September 6, 2012); analysis citing JESSE ROTHSTEIN; http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/09/06/bill-clinton-says-the-unemployed-dont-have-the-right-skills-its-not-so/
16. “They’re Not What They Used to Be” (New York Times & International Herald Tribune [*requires registration], September 4, 2012); op-ed citing HENRY BRADY; http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/opinion/political-conventions-are-not-what-they-used-to-be.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=Berkeley&st=nyt
17. “Berkeley-based Politify tells voters whether Mitt Romney’s or Barack Obama’s platform is better for their bankbook” (San Jose Mercury News [*requires registration], September 4, 2012); story citing ROBERT REICH; http://www.mercurynews.com/elections/ci_21457578/berkeley-based-politify-tells-voters-whether-mitt-romneys?IADID=
By Dave Helling
... In general,
Republican plans to shore up Medicare include a quick disclaimer: Persons over
age 55 could keep Medicare’s taxpayer-supported, fee-for-service program....
For those under age 55,
most Republicans now back what they call a “premium support plan” for Medicare.
Instead of Medicare, seniors would be given a fixed amount of money annually,
based on income, that they could use to buy health
coverage from private insurers or from Medicare itself....
But Democrats, and some
elderly advocacy groups, argue that premium support would cost seniors
thousands of dollars. The federal payments, they said, would not provide enough
cash to buy relatively comprehensive coverage, leaving seniors to either make
up the difference out of their own pockets or forgo treatment — or both.
“A voucher plan would
absolutely reduce federal health care spending,” said Michael Linden, budget expert at the Center for American Progress. “Would
it provide the same health care to senior citizens that they get now? Probably
not.” ...
Medicare advocates said
the Affordable Care Act will reduce costs and should be given time to work. But
in a burst of candor,
“Anybody who says I have
the key — it’s the market, it’s this or that — is just not telling the truth,”
he insisted. “We don’t know for sure what’s going to bring down health care
costs.”
2. “The cost of keeping
promises: Social Security” (Kansas City Star, September 29, 2012); analysis
citing MICHAEL LINDEN (MPP 2007).
--
... All three programs [of
Social Security] are in financial trouble, in part because fewer workers are
paying into the system because of high unemployment, and because there are
simply fewer younger workers than in years past. And lots of workers are now
taking retirement at age 62, causing a sudden bump in spending....
And by 2033, those
assets will be exhausted, leaving the system unable to meet projected
obligations from taxes alone.
It would still pay some
benefits — roughly 75 cents for every dollar promised.
But making changes now
would extend that date by decades, experts insist.
“Social Security is a
math problem,” said Michael Linden of the
Center for American Progress....
Then-president George W.
Bush made private Social Security accounts a centerpiece of his 2005 agenda. It
went nowhere, and is even less popular now following the 2008 market collapse.
“When you privatize the
system you’ve really gotten rid of it entirely,” argued Michael Linden of the Center for American Progress....
3. “Fiscal cliff:
Payroll tax cut may not survive” (CNN Wire, September 26, 2012); analysis
citing SEAN WEST (MPP 2006).
By Jeanne Sahadi
For all the uncertainty
over how lawmakers will handle the expiring tax cuts under the fiscal cliff,
there seems to be growing clarity surrounding at least one measure: the
temporary 2% payroll tax cut.
Bottom line: It’s likely
toast.
“Nobody is a champion
for it,” said Sean West, the
As big a tax break as
the payroll tax cut may represent to individuals, it pales in political
magnitude to the pending expiration of the Bush tax cuts, which promise once
again to suck up most of the oxygen when Congress returns to work in
mid-November.
“Perhaps there’s a small
chance [President] Obama would take a payroll extension as a sweetener in a
deal where he gets re-elected with a weak mandate and can’t get other things he
wants,” Eurasia Group’s West said. “But
that’s a lot of ifs.”
4. “OPD accuses Rebecca Kaplan of smearing officers” (Oakland Tribune, September 25, 2012); story citing AMY LEMLEY (MPP 1998); http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_21630900/opd-accuses-rebecca-kaplan-smearing-officers?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
By Matthew Artz –
The union announced
endorsements Tuesday for every
Candidates receiving the union endorsement were Jane Brunner for City Attorney, Amy Lemley for Council District 1, Sean Sullivan for District 3, Noel Gallo for District 5 and incumbent Larry Reid for District 7.
5. “Adult day care rejection rate questioned” (San Francisco Chronicle, September 25, 2012); story citing TOBY DOUGLAS (MPP 2001/MPH 2002); http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Adult-day-care-rejection-rate-questioned-3891044.php#ixzz27VLL16y4
--Marisa Lagos
On Monday, at a hearing of the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care, Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, grilled Department of Health Care Services Director Toby Douglas over discrepancies between the percentage of seniors being accepted into the new medical program in the Bay Area and statewide. Douglas said about 80 percent of the clients who participated in Adult Day Health Care are being accepted; Skinner said centers in Contra Costa, Alameda and San Francisco are reporting just 20 to 40 percent acceptance rates....
6. “Millions of Californians May Still Be Uninsured in 2019” (Valley Public Radio, September 20, 2012); story citing study coauthored by LAUREL (TAN) LUCIA (MPP 2005) and MIRANDA DIETZ (MPP 2012); http://www.kvpr.org/post/millions-californians-may-still-be-uninsured-2019
By Pauline Bartolone
Millions of Californians may still be living without health insurance five years after the full implementation of the federal health law.
A UC Berkeley and UCLA study [coauthored by Laurel Lucia and Miranda Dietz] projects two to three million Californians will have new health coverage by 2019. But co-author Ken Jacobs of the UC Berkeley Labor Center is looking at the other number.
“As many as 3 to 4 million Californians are predicted to remain uninsured.”
Jacobs says most of the
uninsured will be legal residents of the
The
[Read the full report, “After Millions of Californians Gain Health Coverage under the Affordable Care Act, who will Remain Uninsured?”
June 2012, by Laurel Lucia, Ken Jacobs, Miranda Dietz, Dave Graham-Squire, Nadereh Pourat, and Dylan H. Roby at: http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/healthcare/aca_uninsured.shtml ]
7. “Regatta to square
off against big events” (San Francisco Chronicle, September 20, 2012); blog
citing ADAM VAN DE WATER (MPP 2001);
http://blog.sfgate.com/americascup/2012/09/20/regatta-to-square-off-against-big-events/
By John Wildermuth
Last month’s
“We’re encouraging
everyone to leave their cars at home,” Adam
Van de Water, the city’s assistant project
director for the
Looking at what’s
scheduled for that weekend, there might not be room in the city for many more
people, much less cars....
It will be incredibly
busy, and of course, there’s always the potential for a demonstration or some
sort of emergency in the middle of the activities, Van de Water said.
“It’s going to be
challenging, but hopefully (the event) will be as fluid as it was in August,”
he said.
More than 150,000
spectators showed up for the August races, which sold out 6,600 ticketed seats
each day, said Tom Ehman, vice commodore of the host
Golden Gate Yacht Club and head of external affairs for the America’s Cup....
Signage for the bus
stops, taxi stands and bicycle valets needs to be improved, Van de Water said....
8. “Romney’s 47% Comments Distance Him from Bush-Era Republicans” (Copyright 2012 Bloomberg, September 19, 2012); newswire citing MICHAEL LINDEN (MPP 2007); http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/Romney-s-47-Comments-Distance-Him-From-3876009.php#ixzz26w27EIS0
By Richard Rubin, ©2012 Bloomberg News
Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Eleven years ago, eliminating income taxes for low-income Americans was an applause line for a Republican president. Mitt Romney in 2012 sees the number of people paying nothing as a political problem.
The Republican presidential candidate’s comments that 47 percent of Americans don’t pay income taxes and see themselves as “victims” dependent on the government signifies a shift in the party’s thinking. Republicans backed refundable tax credits and expanded entitlement programs under George W. Bush. Now they want to curtail entitlements and require more people to pay taxes.
“The working people who
don’t pay income tax, that is by and large the result of Republican policies,”
said Michael Linden, director of tax and
budget policy at the Center for American Progress, a
Elderly Americans and
low-wage workers make up most of those who don’t pay. For 2011, 46 percent of
households didn’t pay federal income taxes, according to the
The rest received tax breaks including the earned income tax credit, the child tax credit, an exclusion of combat pay and tax benefits for older Americans such as the partial exclusion of Social Security benefits from income.
Romney’s comments at the
fundraiser don’t fit with Republicans’ anti-tax ideology,
9. “Oakland District Three Council Race 3-Way Tie; Lemley Leads D1” (Oakland Examiner, September 19, 2012); story citing AMY LEMLEY (MPP 1998) and RICHARD RAYA (MPP 1996).
... Amy Lemley The Clear D1 Leader
By contrast, the race for the District One seat currently held by Jane Brunner (who’s running for Oakland City Attorney), has Amy Lemley as the front-runner, with 12 percent of the first choice votes. As Zennie62.com reports:
Here, Amy Lemley, who has the backing of Oakland City Councilpeople Libby Schaaf and Pat Kernighan, enjoys a clear lead with 108 first-choice backers or 12 percent of the total of 871 people - that’s about 1 of every 10 voters there. The total breakdown looks like this, again alphabetically: Craig Brandt, 31, 4 percent; Dan Kalb 51, 6 percent; Amy Lemley, 108, 12 percent; Gordon A. “Don” Link, 30, 3 percent, Donald L. Macleay, 9, 1 percent; Leonard Raphael, 12, 1 percent; Richard Raya, 20, 2 percent; Undecided, 610, 70 percent.
Moreover, Lemley held the fundraising edge in August: Lemley had $36,827; Dan Kalb pocketed $32,327; Richard Raya consumed $21,812 and Don Link raked-in $6,132. The poll out come roughly matches the money leaders in the District One race, but still, 70 percent of those polled were undecided....
10. “University of
Working sessions were
convened by Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, his Cabinet and senior staff. Hosted by
Harry Harding, dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy,
and led by Batten professor Ray Scheppach, former
longtime executive director of the bipartisan National Governor’s Association,
the retreat also featured presentations by senior Batten faculty, including
professors Craig Volden and Eric Patashnik.
Discussion topics
included consideration of how to ensure policy achievements have staying power
and how to get things done most efficiently in the last 16 months of the
governor’s term, Scheppach said....
11. “The Illicit Drug Landscape in the U.S and Paths for Future Efforts” (States News Service, September 18, 2012); newswire citing BEAU KILMER (MPP 2000).
Researchers say three
issues currently dominate national drug policy discussions: marijuana and the
push in some states to legalize its use; violence in
“The diversity of these
topics highlights how complex drug policy is in the
Researchers note that two important changes at the federal level may impact national drug policy in the future.
First, the federal Affordable Care Act will expand health insurance coverage for millions of Americans, providing them with access to drug treatment and intervention services. Second, federal authorities are increasing their enforcement efforts against medical marijuana suppliers....
... Indeed, estimates from other studies show that the total number of people incarcerated for drug offenses increased from 40,000 nationally in 1980 to 500,000 in 2010.
While this increase is striking, the massive racial and ethnic disparities in the incarceration rates merit special attention, researchers say. There were 64 whites sentenced to prison under state jurisdiction for a drug offense for every 100,000 whites aged 18 to 59 in 2009. Meanwhile, the comparable rates for Hispanics and blacks were 150 and 523 per 100,000.
Among the recommendations made in the report are encouraging efforts to help build and sustain comprehensive community prevention efforts, and creation of sensible sentencing policies that reduce the excessive levels of incarceration for drug offenses and address the extreme racial disparities....
12. “The Nightly Business Report” (PBS, September 17, 2012); program featuring analysis by SEAN WEST (MPP 2006).
... SYLVIA HALL, NIGHTLY
BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: ... The administration said today between 2009
and 2011, the Chinese government offered up at least $1 billion in subsidies to
its auto and auto parts exporters. The
... Today’s action came
just as
SEAN WEST, US DIRECTOR, EURASIA GROUP: There’s nothing really new
about either of the trade actions that have taken place. The timing is
politically opportunist for both sides. However, this is not an indication that
the
HALL: Sean West of the EurAsia group says when it comes to the WTO rules, the U.S. and China both get as close to the lines as possible and aren’t afraid to take action when the other one goes too far....
13. “CITY INSIDER: Salesforce grant, volunteers aid Bayview” (San Francisco Chronicle, September 17, 2012); story citing nonprofit headed by JAY BANFIELD (MPP 1997); http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Salesforce-grant-volunteers-aid-Bayview-3870901.php#ixzz26lT1EQFB
--John Coté
The children that Dr.
Jamal Harris treats at the
Now, thanks to a $1.5 million grant from the Salesforce.com Foundation, the public clinic will be the site of a two-year pilot project where up to 1,100 uninsured children can get coordinated physical and mental health treatment to address ailments that have been interfering with them succeeding in school.
The donation to the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation and Southeast Health Center is just part of $10 million in grants the cloud software computing giant’s foundation will announce Monday in a coordinated effort to help transform San Francisco’s troubled southeastern neighborhoods....
Grants ranging up to $2.5 million each are going to five entities, including the Exploratorium, which will train and employ high school students; Year Up [headed by Jay Banfield], a jobs-skills and internship placement program planning to find work for 500 youths from District 10; the Campaign for Hope SF, which is supporting the city’s effort to rebuild public housing projects; and the UCSF Medical Center, to whom Salesforce.com founder Marc Benioff and his wife, Lynne, donated $100 million in 2010 for the construction of a new children’s hospital....
14. “UC regents hear ideas for raising money” (San Francisco Chronicle, September 15, 2012); story citing JONATHAN STEIN (MPP/JD cand. 2013); http://www.sfgate.com/education/article/UC-regents-hear-ideas-for-raising-money-3867368.php#ixzz26qNC7RXR
--Nanette Asimov
Students are seen between classes on the
... Cut employees’ health care plans: $100 million. Raid the endowment: $20 million. Charge more for parking and shift money to the pension plan: Could rake in millions....
They were at the
Tuition was not on the table. But [UC President Mark] Yudof has said a hike is all but inevitable if voters reject Proposition 30, a tax measure on the November ballot that would trigger a $250 million cut to UC if it fails.
The university did not release its ideas in advance, so few students or employees showed up to weigh in. Yudof noted that student Regent Jonathan Stein and the student regent-designate, Cinthia Flores, helped develop the recommendations.
“Needless to say, they don’t endorse all of them,” he said.
Especially distasteful to the students was the idea of allowing up to 20 percent of undergraduates to come from outside the state. The current cap is 10 percent. But nonresidents pay about three times the in-state tuition, a $23 million haul for every 1,000 students.
Although officials say
nonresidents don’t displace
Stein argued against reducing even those
15. “General Assembly
Convenes High-Level Forum on ‘Culture of Peace’, With Education, Youth
Outreach, Women’s Empowerment Highlighted as Keys to More Peaceful World” (States
News Service, September 14, 2012); newswire citing JEFF ABRAMSON (MPP 2003).
NEW YORK -- With the
world’s people exhausted from war and angered by short-sighted Government
policies that padded military budgets and gutted social programmes,
senior United Nations officials and eminent peace advocates today opened the
High-level Forum on a Culture of Peace stressing that education, youth outreach
and women’s empowerment were the keys to wiping out poverty, injustice and
exclusion....
Panel II: Advancing
Implementation of Programme of Action on Culture of
Peace
... Panelists included:
Mr. Abramson agreed with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
that the world was over-armed and peace was underfunded, that $1.7 trillion in
military spending was a moral outrage. The trade in weapons, said Mr. Abramson, was “out of control”, in
the $50 billion to $100 billion range. So-called conventional weapons included
everything from fighter jets and battle ships to handguns. Some $8.4 billion in
small arms and light weapons were traded, although much of it was not tracked.
Bananas and agricultural products had global regulations; weapons did not. It
was indeed “mind-blowing” that the most dangerous thing in the world had no
international trade agreement. As Mr. Ban said on 3 July, “‘that’s a disgrace’”.
He said the coalition he
represented was one of more than 90 alliances and organizations in more than
150 countries.
16. “Horizons Foundation
to Honor U.S Representative Barney Frank and Advocate Kate Kendell
With Visionary and Leadership Awards At Annual Gala” (GlobeNewswire, September 13, 2012); newswire citing ROGER DOUGHTY (MPP 1993/JD 1994).
Representative Frank
will receive the Horizons Foundation Visionary Award and Kendell
will receive the Leadership Award. The awards will be presented at the Annual
Horizons Foundation Gala, which will be held on Saturday, October 6th at the
Fairmont Hotel in
“Representative Frank’s
stalwart commitment to LGBT equality is but one of the many important
progressive issues he has championed during his time as an elected official,”
said Roger Doughty, Horizons Foundation’s
Executive Director. “We are honored to recognize the courage, determination
and fearless leadership that Congressman Frank has demonstrated throughout his
32 years in the US House of Representatives, and for what he has done for the
LGBT community in both deed and by example.” ...
“Kate Kendell and the word “advocate” go hand in hand,” said Doughty. “Though she captains one of
the most important organizations working in the LGBT movement—NCLR—she is
dedicated to organizations in the LGBT movement advancing together. She really
understands that the rising tide lifts all boats, and her commitment and her
vision, are about collaboration and partnership of the most powerful kind.”...
17. “Plan to boost car-sharing at new housing” (San Francisco Chronicle, September 11, 2012); story citing CARMEN CHU (MPP 2003); http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Plan-to-boost-car-sharing-at-new-housing-3857980.php#ixzz26H3fuCqT
--John Wildermuth
... This just in. The mayor’s monthly “Question Time” is boring....
But Tuesday, the only
question for the mayor came from Supervisor
Carmen Chu, who wanted to know—at length—what Lee planned to do to fix up
The mayor’s answer included talk about the importance of the area, a pledge of $1.6 million in improvements to the street between 46th Avenue and the Great Highway, a reminder that there’s a Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center in the area and, that San Francisco necessity, a promise to work closely with the community....
18. “Mayor Ed Lee’s job approval ratings slip” (San Francisco Chronicle, September 10, 2012); story citing firm headed by DAVE METZ (MPP 1998); http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/Mayor-Ed-Lee-s-job-approval-ratings-slip-3852148.php#ixzz265c9FCp2
--Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross, Chronicle Columnists
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee appears to have lost a bit of the popularity that helped propel him to his election victory 10 months ago.
A new citywide poll has the mayor scoring a favorable job-approval rating with 49 percent of voters. But of those, only 9 percent give Lee “excellent” marks, while 40 percent call his performance “pretty good.”
On the downside, 32 percent say he’s doing “only fair,” and 12 percent rank him as “poor.” Seven percent say they don’t know.
The new numbers are in sharp contrast to the 60 percent-plus favorable ratings that Lee was racking up in July 2011, when he was still interim mayor and a fresh face to most voters....
Lee’s job rating was one
question on a poll of 850 voters that was conducted from Aug. 23 to Sept. 1 by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin,
The police union was also curious about how the November supervisors races were stacking up. The survey says: ...
19. “The Nightly Business Report” (PBS, September 10, 2012); program featuring analysis by SEAN WEST (MPP 2006).
... TOM HUDSON, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT ANCHOR: ... After five weeks at home and on the campaign trail, Congress was back to work today on Capitol Hill. Members of the House and Senate are back for a short September session. They have a long to-do list though....
SYLVIA HALL, NIGHTLY
BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: ... First up, Congress has until the end of this
month to avoid a government shutdown. To do it, they’ll probably pass a
continuing resolution known as a CR. CR’s have caused
major battles between the parties in the past, but this one will likely pass
soon. Lawmakers could also pass a bill to normalize trade with
SEAN WEST, US DIRECTOR, EURASIA GROUP: Whoever has more power next
year is going to have more power in brokering an end of the year deal. But no one benefits from the
20. “Critics Say Ryan’s Record Belies Tough Deficit Talk” (All Things Considered, NPR, September 9, 2012); program featuring commentary by STAN COLLENDER (MPP 1976).
by John Ydstie
Paul Ryan has a reputation as a deficit hawk. Mitt Romney’s running mate has proposed budgets that cut non-defense spending significantly, and advocated controlling Medicare costs by making it a voucher program....
... Despite the praise from the anti-deficit groups, Stan Collender, a longtime federal budget analyst, says Ryan is not a deficit hawk.
“The Paul Ryan budget plans are tax cuts masquerading as deficit reductions,” Collender says. “And as his own numbers show, even with optimistic assumptions about revenues that’ll be raised and revenues that will result from economic growth, he still doesn’t balance the budget for 20 years or so.”
Collender, who now works for the public relations and lobbying firm Qorvis Communications, does acknowledge that Ryan’s Medicare plan could reduce costs to the federal government. But Collender says throughout his career Ryan has talked tough on the deficit but supported policies that increase it.
“It includes everything from supporting tax cuts in the Bush administration to proposing big tax cuts that aren’t paid for in his own plan to supporting a war that’s not paid for, Medicare Part D plan not paid for and not standing in the way of it,” Collender says. “So, his record on deficit reduction is actually quite dismal.” ...
21. “Agency suspends ratings on Compton’s bonds; Standard & Poor’s takes action because city still lacks an audit firm to sign off on its financial statements” (Los Angeles Times, September 7, 2012); story citing LISA SCHROEER (MPP 2005).
By Abby Sewell
Standard & Poor’s
announced Wednesday that it has suspended its ratings on
In June,
Perrodin would not further elaborate on his concerns to auditors, leading the firm to conclude: “The scope of our work was not sufficient to enable us to express, and we do not express, an opinion on these financial statements.”
In July, Standard & Poor’s put the city on credit watch.
In a statement, Standard & Poor’s analyst Lisa Schroeer said the agency understands the city is
working to get the audit reevaluated and to address the fraud allegations, and
that the agency may reinstate
22. “Indonesian lives risked on ‘world’s most polluted’ river” (Agence France Presse—English, September 7, 2012); newswire citing THOMAS PANELLA (MPP 1995/MES 1997).
SUKAMAJU,
But the idyllic setting is spoiled by a strong stench rising from the Citarum river that flows in the distance, thick with mounds of garbage and plastic bags dumped on its banks....
Labelled “the most-polluted in the world” by a local commission of government agencies and NGOs charged with its clean-up, the river is the only source of water for 15 million Indonesians who live on its banks, despite the risks to health and crops....
The
Cleaning up the Citarum river and its 22 streams has been classified a national priority by the Indonesian government, which in 2010 launched a huge 15-year project to rehabilitate the river.
Largely financed by the private sector, this “road map” involves dozens of NGOs, seven ministries and 12 local governments, amounting to a total of $3.5 billion. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will contribute $500 million.
According to Thomas Panella, an ADB water resources specialist, progress has so far been minimal.
“At this point there has been little improvement because it’s been a very short time (in which) to address the pollution issues,” he said.
“We need to look at
lessons of countries like
23. “Biden makes his
pitch to Democratic convention tonight” (
By Maureen Groppe, Gannett
While Biden’s age—he will be 74 in 2016—has lessened the speculation that he would run for president in 2016, delegate Seamus Davis and other delegates said age shouldn’t be an automatic disqualifier.
“He strikes me as very
healthy and full of energy,” said the 21-year-old
But delegates say they’re not ready to name Biden—or anyone else—as a favorite for 2016.
“I think the exciting thing about 2016 is that there’s going to be a great field of people who can run,” said Wisconsin delegate Jeff Pertl, “whether it’s folks like Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton who have been party elders and seasoned statesmen, we’ve got really great mayors and governors across the country—(Massachusetts Gov.) Duval Patrick and (Newark Mayor) Corey Booker and all this rising talent. You saw so many women up there ... who would be great candidates.”
“I think it will be an exciting primary,” he said.
24. “Credit hour the source of many problems in higher education. Report offers policy solutions to shift from measuring seat time to learning” (States News Service, September 5, 2012); newswire citing AMY LAITINEN (MPP 2003).
The report, Cracking the Credit Hour, traces the history of this time-unit, which was created at the turn of the 20th century largely to address what Andrew Carnegie saw as two different problems: lack of a standardized high school expectations and the lack of pensions for college professors. A credit hour typically represents one hour of faculty-student contact time per week over a fifteen-week semester. Most bachelor’s degrees require 120 credit hours.
Author Amy Laitinen outlines many of the problems that an over-reliance on this time-unit has caused for today’s students....
The report recommends three different policy solutions. All three, it argues, are available today. The federal government could:
“
Innovate within the existing frame of the credit hour. Although the
recent federal regulation of the credit hour was designed for other purposes, “it
also created opportunities for institutions to use non-time-based measures of
learning to qualify for federal financial aid,” Laitinen writes. Specifically,
the competency-based model already in use by
“ Innovate through experimentation. The current Higher Education Act offers the Department the opportunity to create what Laitinen calls a “small, controlled, voluntary virtual laboratory of “experimental sites’ on which it tests particular learning-based financial aid policies to see if they work, how they work, for whom they work, and under what conditions they work.” She suggests these innovations could include financial aid for credits earned using valid Prior Learning Assessments or outcomes-based financial aid.
“ Innovate by moving away from a system that is free from the credit hour’s history. Direct assessment of student learning is already permitted under the Higher Education Act but has never been used....
25. “Elizabeth Warren, ‘The Sheriff of Wall Street,’ Set to Underscore Populist Message” (The National Journal, September 5, 2012); analysis citing SEAN WEST (MPP 2006).
By Catherine Hollander
... After being passed
over last year by President Obama to head the newly minted Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau, the ... Harvard professor headed to
... Her selection as
convention speaker is “meant to rally the base, but it’s also meant to get her
elected,” Eurasia Group’s West said.
If
26. “GSA’s selection of Robyn a sign of the times” (Washington Business Journal, September 4, 2012); story citing DOROTHY ROBYN (MPP 1978/PhD 1983); http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/2012/09/gsas-selection-of-robyn-a-sign-of-the.html?page=all
By Daniel J. Sernovitz, Staff
The General Services Administration has tapped
one of the military’s top real estate experts to handle the federal government’s
civilian leasing and development efforts, almost six months after a public
scandal cost several of its top executives their jobs.
Acting GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini announced the selection Tuesday of Dorothy Robyn as commissioner of his agency’s Public Buildings Service, which is charged with negotiating leasing and development deals for nearly all of the federal government’s nonmilitary agencies. Robyn previously served as deputy undersecretary of Defense for installations and environment, where she oversaw the military’s portfolio of some 29 million acres of property across the globe.
Her selection is part of
the GSA’s continuing efforts to bring more efficiency, and credibility, to the
agency after it was revealed that the GSA held what many consider to have been
an over-the-top conference in
Real estate experts familiar with Robyn said they were encouraged to hear of her selection given the GSA’s current operating environment. They also said she represents a distinct shift in the GSA’s responsibilities from 2009, when Peck was named to his second tour of duty as commissioner and the agency was flush with cash to invest in initiatives like its downtown D.C. headquarters redesign. Since then, Congress has taken a much harder look at the types of real estate leases the GSA sends to the hill for approval, and the agency has been charged with being much more efficient with its space needs....
Robyn has been with the Defense Department since July 2009. She has been responsible for overseeing the military’s global real estate initiatives, including implementation of its base realignment and closure plans, its housing privatization efforts and energy programs. She came to the position from the Brattle Group, where she was a principal focusing on economic analysis of public policy issues. She served in various capacities prior to that, including as a guest scholar for the Brookings Institution, as special assistant to the president for economic policy and a senior staff member for the White House National Economic Council....
27. “AP Exclusive: Top retirees benefited from cash out” (The Associated Press State & Local Wire, September 3, 2012); newswire citing ED DERMAN (MPP 1978).
By Judy Lin, Associated Press
SACRAMENTO Calif. -- For nearly a decade, California’s top-paid school administrators got to collect six-figure lump sum cash payments in addition to their pensions by taking advantage of a little-known legislative provision that was intended to help retain and recruit teachers during the dot-com boom.
The program, known as
the “partial lump sum” payment option, was approved by the state Legislature in
2000 to boost the state’s teaching ranks at a time when
According to the AP’s analysis, approximately 180 participating retirees receiving $100,000 or more a year in pensions took home an average additional lump-sum payment of $147,000 when they retired between 2002 and 2010....
By comparison, the
average
Ed Derman, deputy chief executive officer of CalSTRS, said the lump-sum benefit was not a burden on the pension system, which makes payments to 250,000 retirees.
When retirees took a lump sum of up to 15 percent of their lifetime benefits, their monthly pension check was reduced correspondingly using an actuarial formula that accounted for a retiree’s age and average lifespan, among other factors.
“It’s not a benefit that cost anything; it didn’t cost the system a dime,” Derman said. “Recognize that what they take as a partial lump sum is at the expense of their own benefit. They’re not getting anything for free out of this.”
Derman acknowledged that some retirees who take the lump sum could end up receiving more in retirement than they otherwise would have under the straight pension model, depending on their life span.
He said there are “lots of different scenarios, and all of these things pay for themselves.” ...
28. “The view from the
bottom of the cliff. Automatic cuts and tax hikes might wake up
By Caroline Baum [Baum, author of “Just What I Said,” is a Bloomberg View columnist]
Beyond the headlines in the CBO report, there are good arguments for letting the fiscal cliff pass without creating an escape hatch....
Things will get worse in the short term, but 10 years from now GDP will be higher, and interest rates, the budget deficit and government debt will be much lower. The unemployment rate is projected to be the same.
The improvement in the deficit is largely the result of an increase in revenue from expiring tax cuts, a reduction in Medicare payments to doctors and an expansion in the number of households subject to the alternative minimum tax....
Outlays, on the other hand, remain well above the historical norm, averaging 21.7 percent of GDP over the next decade compared with 22.9 percent in 2012.
Even with the automatic spending cuts, “spending grows,” says Sean West, a director at the Eurasia Group, a political-risk advisory firm. “Spending shifts down, then it grows again at a rate below inflation.” ...
29. “Sitting on the
sidelines? Redshirting in
By Maggie Gordon, The
An average of one in
three kindergarteners in Bridgeport Public Schools were 4 years old at the
beginning of September, according to an analysis of student data for the
previous five school years; in Darien, one in nine kindergarteners were 4 years
old.
While the differences
are significant, they are not surprising. Holding younger children out from
kindergarten for a year to give them more time to mature is a normal practice
for parents in affluent towns and cities throughout the country....
According to a pair of
researchers at the National Bureau of
Economic Research, 96 percent of 6-year-olds were enrolled in first grade
in 1968, but that percentage dropped over the next four decades.
In 2005, 84 percent of 6
year olds were in first grade, as a growing group of children began
kindergarten at a later date, according to the researchers David Deming and Susan Dynarski....
30. “The Willis Report for August 30, 2012” (FOX News Channel, August 30, 2012); interview with MICKEY LEVY (MPP 1974).
GERRI WILLIS, FBN HOST: ... Should the Fed Chairman be more activist or less so?
MICKEY LEVY, BANK OF AMERICA CHIEF ECONOMIST: I think right now, the Federal Reserve, through quantitative easing one, two and Operation Twist—there is already $1.5 trillion of excess reserves in the banking system, and we already have the lowest interest rates in as long as anybody can remember. I don’t think more easing is going to help the situation. And so at this point, I would recommend that the Fed sit on its hands and take the step to urge other policy makers to apply the proper policy tools, such as fiscal policy, that are inhibiting economic growth. That is a difficult issue facing the Fed, because the Federal Reserve is chartered by the Congress, and it is hard for the Fed to say, you know, the issues extend beyond monetary policy. So the general impetus for the Fed right now is to want to do more, even though one can argue that more stimulus is not going to help that much and could involve some (inaudible) costs....
31. “The big squeeze has
begun—54.5 mpg goal will test industry’s ingenuity” (
By James R. Healey
Strict new federal fuel-economy and carbon-emission standards made final Tuesday are the biggest technological challenge to the auto industry since the government began regulating emissions in 1970 and mileage in 1975.
The rule sets the equivalent of 54.5 miles per gallon as the average the auto industry must achieve by 2025, up from 29.7 mpg now and 35.5 mpg in 2016....
And it’s the script for a likewise monumental change in the cars and trucks Americans drive. The vehicles will undergo more urgent evolution of current trends so that, in a decade or so, the American streetscape could resemble science fiction, including:
•More gas-electric hybrids and plug-in hybrids. More electric cars. A few that run on natural gas. Maybe a few more hydrogen-fueled cars.
•Smaller cars powered by smaller gasoline engines, most using turbochargers to get back the power they lose as they give up size.
•Dashboards that resemble video games, giving you colorful “atta-boys” when you drive with a light foot.
•More parts made from composites and high-price aluminum, titanium and high-strength steel — metals which have the additional hidden cost of wearing out fabrication equipment in auto assembly plants faster than conventional steel.
•Oval car bodies to slice the air. Sophisticated, many-speed transmissions and CVTs (continuously variable automatic transmissions) that can keep the engines running in their sweet spots where they make the most power on the least fuel....
The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, applauded the final rules.
“We’re very happy. This is a good rule, a strong rule. This is the biggest step this country’s taken to reduce pollution and our dependence on oil since the original 1970s federal regulations,” says Roland Hwang, NRDC’s transportation director....
Automakers also can earn credits in other ways toward their 54.5 mpg requirement.
The goal is first reduced by as much as 5 mpg for automakers who can maximize credits for using more-efficient air conditioning but also for using more environmentally benign air conditioning coolant, Hwang says....
32. “Court Blocks E.P.A. Rule on Cross-State Pollution” (The New York Times, August 22, 2012); story citing JOE KRUGER (MPP 1986); http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/22/science/earth/appeals-court-strikes-down-epa-rule-on-cross-state-pollution.html
By Matthew L. Wald
(David J. Phillip/Associated Press)
Rather than apportion the reductions according to the amount of pollution that each upwind state was contributing, the E.P.A. was seeking to require cleanup according to the cost of the reductions, so that the work would get done in the places where the cost of capturing a ton of sulfur or nitrogen oxides was the lowest....
At the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonprofit institution that specializes in energy and pollution issues, Joe Kruger, the director for energy and environment, said, ‘‘E.P.A.’s efforts to reduce the cost of cutting pollution by using market trading keep running up against the limitations of the statute.’’
‘‘Without Congressional intervention,’’ he said, ‘‘we will be left with more pollution in the near term as well as a higher cost of mitigation in the long run.’’ ...
33. “
By Christopher Snowbeck
When small businesses
and individuals buy health insurance in
Those agents, in turn, collect commissions from health insurance companies that likely exceeded $50 million last year just for the state’s small-group and individual markets.
But agents in
Signed into law in 2010, the federal Affordable Care Act calls on states to create health insurance exchanges that will serve as new marketplaces—largely online—for individuals and small groups to purchase coverage beginning late next year....
The law specifies that insurance policies for most consumers beginning in 2014 must cover a minimum set of essential health benefits (which will be defined by the state). Insurance companies will sell health plans that offer varying degrees of coverage for these -- and potentially other—benefits, and group them into bronze, silver, gold and platinum tiers in the health exchange....
“The purpose of the exchange is to streamline and modernize the health care system,” wrote Liz Doyle of TakeAction Minnesota, a liberal advocacy group, in an email. “The exchange will likewise change the role of brokers in the health care system,” added Doyle, who is a member of the working group on agents and navigators. “Many consumers who currently rely on brokers will be able to choose and purchase health coverage directly on the exchange.” ...
34. “
SAN FRANCISCO — After 10 hours of emotional public testimony and difficult deliberation, the San Francisco Ethics Commission on Thursday found that Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi had engaged in official misconduct by inflicting “physical violence” on his wife during an argument and pleading guilty to falsely imprisoning her....
The commission did not explicitly vote on whether Mirkarimi — who has been suspended by Mayor Ed Lee — should be permanently removed from his job. John St. Croix, executive director of the panel, said that action was unnecessary because the “City Charter says he’s automatically removed” if the charges against him are upheld....
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors, weighing the commission’s findings, will have the final say on whether Mirkarimi should remain as sheriff. Nine of the 11 members must vote to remove Mirkarimi or he will stay in office. That decision probably will not be made until the middle of October.
If Mirkarimi is reinstated, political analyst David Latterman said, the question is “can he even do his job? He doesn’t have the cops behind him. They can’t stand him. He doesn’t have the city behind him.” ...
35. “Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development Hearing;
‘Streamlining and Strengthening HUD’s Rental Housing Assistance Programs’” (Congressional Documents and Publications, August 1, 2012); senate testimony by WILL FISCHER (MPP 1999).
Testimony by Will Fischer, Senior Policy Analyst, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
... It is commendable that the subcommittee is holding a hearing on streamlining and strengthening rental assistance. The proposed Affordable Housing and Self-Sufficiency Improvement Act (AHSSIA), Section 8 Savings Act (SESA), and Section 8 Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA) all contain important, timely measures to strengthen the voucher program and other major rental assistance programs. The reforms in these bills would sharply reduce administrative burdens for state and local housing agencies and private owners, establish voucher funding rules that would enable housing agencies to manage funds more efficiently, strengthen work supports, and generate large federal savings.
This testimony focuses on seven core reforms that should receive top priority for enactment.... :
. Simplify rules for setting tenant rent payments, while continuing to cap rents at 30 percent of a tenant’s income;
. Streamline voucher housing quality inspections to encourage private owners to participate in the program;
. Establish a stable, fair voucher funding system to enable agencies to use funds more efficiently and better cope with shortfalls;
. Allow more working poor families to qualify for vouchers by modestly raising income targeting limits;
. Strengthen the Family Self-Sufficiency program, which offers housing assistance recipients job counseling and incentives to work and save;
. Provide added flexibility to “project-base” vouchers to support affordable housing development and preservation;
. Make the rental assistance admissions process fairer by limiting screening to criteria related to suitability as a tenant....
36. “Analysis: Israelis,
American Jews watch Romney trip from different perspectives” (CNN Wire, July
27, 2012); analysis citing MITCHELL BARD
(MPP 1983/PhD 1987).
By Dave Schechter, CNN
Senior National Editor
(CNN) -- All politics is
local, the
The presumptive
Republican nominee for president of the
“...Jews have devoted
themselves to politics with almost religious fervor,” Mitchell Bard, director of
the Jewish Virtual Library, has written.
The math behind Bard’s observation: Jews make up about
2% of the
37. “Corporate Philanthropy: JPMorgan breaks into Top Five for first time” (San Francisco Business Times, July 20, 2012); story citing JAY BANFIELD (MPP 1997); http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/print-edition/2012/07/20/jpmorgan-breaks-into-top-five-for.html?page=all
By Hannah Albarazi
JPMorgan’s Georgette Bhathena, right, works with Jay Banfield of Year Up. (Photo: Paolo Vescia)
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
is excited about investing in community development, starting with
“We’re really interested
in a comprehensive strategy regarding our investments. We’re focused on having
a renaissance in high-need communities, such as Bayview
Hunters Point,” said Georgette Bhathena, northern
Bhathena
said Hope SF — a public-private partnership to rebuild eight dilapidated public
housing projects — is one of the major civic initiatives in
JPMorgan is also helping to create opportunities for disadvantaged kids. The nonprofit Year Up [headed by Jay Banfield] works with at-risk youth and helps them get internships with JPMorgan as well as companies such as Salesforce.com and LinkedIn. The program allows students to gain valuable work experience....
38. “Victims ‘scared silent’ by the past; Recovered memories take courtroom spotlight” (Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA), July 20, 2012); story citing ROSS CHEIT (MPP 1980/PhD 1987).
By Susan Spencer, Telegram & Gazette Staff
Ann M. McCarron never forgot being sexually abused by her pediatrician from the time she was 7 until she was 12 years old, but she never told anyone about it until she was in her 30s, after years of therapy....
David K. O’Regan, 62, of Spencer, also blocked out for 40 years detailed memories of being abused at age 11 by a priest, until the bombardment of media reports surrounding the Boston clergy scandal forced him to face his past. He opened up for the first time, at age 52, to his wife....
Although Ms. McCarron and Mr. O’Regan were aware of at least parts of their abuse, a number of victims suffer from what psychologists call recovered memory following dissociative amnesia. The victim doesn’t remember the trauma at all until something triggers recollection such as related news stories or returning to the place where the abuse occurred....
Skeptics say people don’t forget trauma and argue that false memories can be suggested by psychotherapists.
But others, such as Ross Cheit, professor of political science and public policy at
Last week in U.S. District Court in Worcester, Florida plastic surgeon Richard B. Edison settled with 48-year-old Timothy Clark of Charlton, who recovered memories in 2008 of abuse that allegedly took place beginning in 1974, when Dr. Edison was a medical student and Mr. Clark was a 10-year-old in Shrewsbury....
But convincing the public or a jury based on years-old memories is difficult....
Mr. Cheit said, “I think there’s a lot of uncertainty and disagreement about how often it does happen and why,” but it’s an extreme position to deny recovered memories completely.
He disagreed with Harrison G. Pope, a clinical psychiatrist and professor at Harvard Medical School, who testified last week on behalf of Dr. Edison that “there is no satisfactory scientific evidence that you could lock up a memory of a major traumatic event.”
Mr. Cheit contrasted skepticism of recovered memories of sexual abuse to the public’s more ready acceptance of post-traumatic stress disorder and flashbacks among war veterans, which share some psychological processes.
He also noted that traumatic memories reported by adult men tend to be believed more than those reported by women or children....
Advocates for victims of sexual abuse are hoping the Massachusetts Legislature acts on House bill 469 before the session ends July 31. The bill would eliminate the criminal statute of limitations for indecent assault and battery and rape for all minors and eliminate civil statutes of limitation for past and future child sexual abuse claims, among other provisions....
39. “Iran Saber Rattling Threatens Strait of Hormuz” (States News Service, July 17, 2012); newswire citing JEFF COLGAN (MPP 2002).
The two mile stretch at
the Strait of Hormuz has become
American University
School of International Service professors are available to discuss the
Jeff Colgan focuses his research on the geopolitics of oil, international security, and international trade. His forthcoming book, Petro-Aggression, develops a new theory of why oil is linked to international conflict—petrostates with revolutionary governments having a much higher propensity to instigate militarized conflict than other types of states....
40. “Plan for retirement
may mean finding a new job or career” (Star Tribune (
By Chris Farrell [Chris Farrell is economics editor for “Marketplace Money.”]
Q: I’m almost 58 and would like to retire at 60, taking the widow benefit. My late husband’s Social Security payment would be $1,390 in addition to a $300 monthly pension. We saved more than $500,000, half in fixed annuities earning 4 percent, the rest invested conservatively. I am debt-free and in good health....
I’m not against working a few hours per week, but my body is tired of sitting in a cubicle for so many hours. --MAUREEN
A: ... That said, I think the main issue is this: What do you want to do for the next 10 to 20 years? Do you really want to retire or do you want a different job, more flexible work schedule or another career? It’s the critical question because the answer will dramatically affect your finances, including when to take Social Security.
Retirement is changing. In a scholarly paper, “Back to Work: Expectations and Realizations after Retirement,” economist Nicole Maestas of the Rand Corp. found that 26 percent of retirees reverse their decision and return to work, full time or part time. The comparable figure for the youngest retirees is 35 percent. She and other researchers are making a compelling case that the transition to retirement increasingly includes downshifting to part-time work rather than living solely off Social Security and savings....
41. “How Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion Will Impact State Budgets. Federal Government Will Pick Up Nearly All Costs, Even As Expansion Provides Coverage to Millions of Low-Income Uninsured Americans” (States News Service, July 12, 2012); newswire citing JANUARY ANGELES (MPP 2002).
By January Angeles
Shortly after the Supreme Court ruled that states can choose whether to adopt the health reform laws Medicaid expansion to cover low-income parents and other adults, some governors declared that they will forgo the expansion, claiming it would place a heavy financial burden on their states.[1] Claims that states will bear a substantial share of the costs of expanding Medicaid, however, and that the expansion would drain state budgets do not hold up under scrutiny.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the Medicaid expansion will add very little to what states would have spent on Medicaid without health reform, while providing health coverage to 17 million more low-income adults and children. In addition, the Medicaid expansion will reduce state and local government costs for uncompensated care and other services they provide to the uninsured, which will offset at least some and in a number of states, possibly all or more than all of the modest increase in state Medicaid costs. Expanding Medicaid is thus a very favorable financial deal for states....
42. “Obama ‘surge voters’ might not show up” (Los Angeles Times, July 10, 2012); analysis citing DAVID LATTERMAN (MPP 2002).
By Ethan Rarick
Remember the hordes of young people who were inspired by Barack Obama’s candidacy to vote for the first time in 2008? And then the supposition that they might change American politics forever? Well, don’t hold your breath.
It turns out that a good many of them didn’t bother to go any farther down the ballot than the top line in 2008, and they didn’t show up at all in 2010.
That’s one of the
findings of a new study by two enterprising
researchers at the
By looking at voting records, Cook and Latterman identified folks who cast a ballot for the first time in 2008 and compared them to other voters. They dissected the characteristics and voting behavior of the 2008 first-timers, whom they call “surge voters,” in recognition of the “Obama surge” in registration and turnout....
Unsurprisingly, those first-time voters tended to be young, ethnically diverse and urban. They were also more likely than most voters to be Democrats, although even more pronounced was their tendency to be independents....
Cook and Latterman examined three 2008 ballot measures—two bond issues and a measure requiring parental notification for abortion—and compared the results to similar measures that had been on the ballot in previous elections. It turns out that the 2008 Obama-inspired electorate produced results similar to those of past years.
The results were
especially interesting on the abortion measure. There were plenty of Assembly
districts with lots of “surge voters” that also had a lot of people voting in
favor of the abortion restrictions, evidence that many of the Obama voters were
just that—voters more dedicated to the candidate than his liberal causes....
43. “
By Randall Jensen
The town council voted
unanimously Monday to file for protection under Chapter 9 in Federal bankruptcy
court after it failed to reach an agreement over a $43 million legal judgment
it owes a developer, according to a statement by the town.
The case will be filed
in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of California, in
“We are filing today,” she
said Tuesday morning.
1. “Republicans alienating majority of voters” (San Francisco Chronicle, September 23, 2012); op-ed by ROBERT REICH; http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/reich/article/Republicans-alienating-majority-of-voters-3884274.php#ixzz27QKJnqEe
--Robert Reich
Unemployment is still above 8 percent, job gains aren’t even keeping up with population growth, the economy is barely moving forward. And yet, according to most polls, the Romney-Ryan ticket is falling further and further behind. How can this be?
Because Republicans are
failing the central test of electability. Instead of putting together
the largest possible coalition of voters, they’re relying largely on one slice
of
Start with Hispanics, whose electoral heft keeps growing as they become an ever-larger portion of the electorate. Hispanics now favor President Obama over Romney by a larger margin than they did six months ago.
Why? In February’s Republican primary debate,
Romney dubbed
Or consider women, whose political and economic
impact in
... The GOP platform itself seeks to bar all abortions, with no exception for rape or incest. And on several occasions, Paul Ryan has voted in favor of exactly such legislation....
Now Romney wants to hand the federal student loan program over to the banks, which will charge even more. This year, he argued that subsidized student loans were bad because they encouraged colleges to raise tuition and suggested students ask their family for money.
Republicans have even managed to antagonize seniors by seeking to turn Medicare into vouchers whose value won’t keep up with rising health care costs, and seeking to cut $800 billion out of Medicaid (which many seniors rely on for nursing home care)....
© 2012 Robert Reich Robert B. Reich, chancellor’s professor of public policy at UC Berkeley and former U.S. secretary of labor, is the author of “Beyond Outrage: What Has Gone Wrong With Our Economy and Our Democracy, and How to Fix It,” a Knopf release now out in paperback.
2. “Segregation Prominent in Schools, Study Finds” (New York Times, September 20, 2012); story citing RUCKER JOHNSON; http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/education/segregation-prominent-in-schools-study-finds.html?_r=0
By Motoko Rich
The
Yet whites are still largely concentrated in schools with other whites, leaving the largest minority groups — black and Latino students — isolated in classrooms, according to a new analysis of Department of Education data.
The report showed that segregation is not limited to race: blacks and Latinos are twice as likely as white or Asian students to attend schools with a substantial majority of poor children.
Across the country, 43 percent of Latinos and 38
percent of blacks attend schools where fewer than 10 percent of their
classmates are white, according to the report, released on Wednesday by the Civil
Rights Project at the
Some education advocates say that policies being introduced across the nation about how teachers should granted tenure or fired as well as how they should be evaluated could inadvertently increase segregation.
Teacher evaluations that are based on student test scores, for example, could have unintended consequences, said Rucker C. Johnson, an associate professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley.
Teachers would be reluctant to take assignments in high-poverty, high-minority communities, he said. “And you’re going to be at risk of being blamed for not increasing test scores as quickly as might be experienced in a suburban, more affluent area,” Mr. Johnson said....
3. “Summer ice melt in the Arctic sets yet another record” (Marketplace, NPR, September 20, 2012); program citing DAN KAMMEN; http://www.marketplace.org/topics/world/summer-ice-melt-arctic-sets-yet-another-record
By Scott Tong
A man takes a picture of big
chunks of melting ice that move on the
Five years ago, Arctic sea ice shrank to a new
low. Now, even that record’s been shattered; the ice pack now is 18 percent
smaller. That’s a difference the size of
The downward plunge in ice mirrors a separate chart trending up: the prospects of an ice-free Arctic waterway for the shipping industry....
But what’s worrying to some are that ships spew not just heat-trapping carbon dioxide, but also soot, which darkens Arctic ice....
Economic consultant Paul Bingham at CDM Smith notes sailing over the top of the world ... can cut a transcontinental trip by 30 percent. That would save fuel, as well as CO2 emissions....
Perhaps. Still,
shipping and oil companies in the
“Blaming industry is a cop-out,” says energy professor Daniel Kammen at the University of California-Berkeley. “Because industry is supposed to react in fair and legal ways to the rules they are given.”
To Kammen, the key for Arctic nations is to hammer out the environmental rules of development—before industry takes over in the melting race ahead.
4. “Ohio Firm Hunts for Workers Making World-Class Compressors: Jobs” (Bloomberg News, September 19, 2012); newswire citing JESSE ROTHSTEIN; http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/Ohio-Firm-Hunts-for-Workers-Making-World-Class-3877232.php
By Mark Niquette, Bloomberg News
Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- ... While the
Analysts cite everything from the disappearance of shop classes in school to the pressure on students to attend college instead of cultivating vocational skills for the difficulty in finding workers for some manufacturing jobs....
For those and other industries, another issue is the wariness of so many workers to change jobs or to risk moving because of the housing market’s continued weakness.
Because growth is not vibrant, businesses also are less willing to pay to train workers than they might normally have been, [Chicago Fed President Charles] Evans said.
Jesse Rothstein, a labor economist at the University of California-Berkeley and a former chief economist at the U.S. Labor Department, said he has seen evidence that some employers are requiring excessive qualifications for skilled jobs or are setting wages lower than workers are willing or able to accept....
5. “Mr. Romney, Have You Seen the 47 Percent?” (Huffington Post, September 18, 2012); blog by JENNIFER GRANHOLM; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-m-granholm/mr-romney-have-you-seen-t_b_1895540.html
Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Former governor of
By Jennifer Granholm
... Mother Jones released this video which was secretly recorded at a Romney closed-door event. In the video, Romney tells donors, “... and so my job is not to worry about those people. I’m not going to convince them.” ...
No, Mitt, your job as president, should you be lucky enough to buy it, is, in fact, exactly to worry about all of the people in this country. Every single one. From a secretary in the company to the CEO. From the hairdresser to the hedge fund manager. From the crack addict who lives in the streets to those who have streets named after them.
A leader makes hundreds of decisions each day.
And while Mitt Romney may never consciously consider the 47 percent during a
specific decision, his attitude towards them—who he sees when he sees
[Originally aired on The War Room with Jennifer Granholm.]
6. “Can
By Daniel B. Wood, Staff writer
Activists here have qualified a measure for the
March ballot that would repeal a Los Angeles City Council ban on
medical-marijuana outlets. With medical-marijuana laws in 17 states – and three
more states considering legalization for recreational use –
Part of the inherent lack of clarity in state
medical-marijuana laws comes from federal law, which classifies THC, the active
ingredient in marijuana, as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled
Substances Act. The law states that marijuana “has no currently accepted
medical use in treatment in the
“Clearly marijuana is accepted as a medical treatment by many physicians, but that’s what the law says, so unless marijuana is rescheduled, state and federal officials will be at odds over this policy,” he adds.
[Morgan Fox, a spokesman for the Marijuana
Policy Project] and other advocates hold that if
But Professor MacCoun says some medical-marijuana outlets have contributed to their own troubles. They “are far too flagrant in their willingness to dispense the drug for seemingly trivial conditions, and that’s undermining the credibility of the medical-marijuana system,” he says....
7. “Consumer spending key to job creation” (San Francisco Chronicle, September 14, 2012); op-ed by ROBERT REICH; http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/reich/article/Consumer-spending-key-to-job-creation-3866757.php#ixzz26lbVQFrP
--Robert Reich
The question at the core of
If that were all there was to it, the Sept. 7 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that the economy added only 96,000 jobs in August ... would seem to bolster Romney’s claim.
But, of course, congressional Republicans have never even given Obama a chance to try his approach. They’ve blocked everything he’s tried to do—including his proposed Jobs Act that would help state and local governments replace many of the teachers, police officers, social workers and firefighters they’ve had to let go over the past several years....
Meanwhile, the wealthy don’t create jobs, and
giving them additional tax cuts won’t bring unemployment down.
© 2012 Robert Reich Robert B. Reich, chancellor’s professor of public policy at UC Berkeley, and former U.S. secretary of labor, is the author of “Beyond Outrage: What Has Gone Wrong With Our Economy and Our Democracy, and How to Fix It,” a Knopf release now out in paperback....
8. “The Future of Wind Power” (Forum with Michael Krasny, KQED Public Radio, September 13, 2012); program featuring commentary by DAN KAMMEN; Listen to the program
Two new
studies suggest wind could power the world in the future. One of the studies,
from
Guests:
Dan Kammen, professor of energy and director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at UC Berkeley....
9. “National Schools Debate is on Display in
By Motoko Rich
At stake are profound policy questions about how teachers should be granted tenure, promoted or fired, as well as the place standardized tests will have in the lives of elementary and high school students.
One of the main sticking points in the negotiations here between the teachers union and Mayor Rahm Emanuel is a new teacher evaluation system that gives significant and increasing weight to student performance on standardized tests. Personnel decisions would be based on those evaluations....
These efforts are stirring skepticism and anger among teachers, some of whom express a sense that those behind the new evaluations know little about what it is like to be in a classroom. Others fear that heavy reliance on scores will turn schools into test-taking factories....
Several studies have shown that teachers who
receive high value-added scores — the term for the effect that teachers have on
student test performance — in one year can score poorly a year later. “There
are big swings from year to year,” said Jesse
Rothstein, associate professor of public policy and economics at the
10. “The Brookings Institution holds a book discussion on ‘The Unheavenly Chorus: Unequal Political Voice and the Broken Promise of American Democracy’” (The Washington Daybook, September 12, 2012); event featuring HENRY BRADY.
... PARTICIPANTS: authors Sidney Verba, research professor of government at Harvard University; Kay Lehman Scholzman, professor of political science at Boston College; Henry Brady, professor of political science and public policy at the University of California Berkeley; and William Galston, senior fellow at Brookings....
11. “Letters to the Editor: An Ex-President Back in the Limelight” (New York Times & International Herald Tribune [*requires registration], September 7, 2012); Letter to the Editor co-signed by JENNIFER GRANHOLM and ROBERT REICH; http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/07/opinion/an-ex-president-back-in-the-limelight.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Berkeley&st=nyt
To the Editor:
... With the Republican Party and ticket in the hammerlock of the far right — climate change is a hoax, abortion is murder, regulations impose only costs, never benefits — Democrats should never be defensive or defeatist.
Since wars are won not by Dunkirks
but by
¶Let’s vividly reframe issues so that G.O.P.
platitudes and metaphors — states’ rights! overreach! speech for corporations! — don’t pass for analysis.
Democratic Party leaders need to declare that the issue in 2012 isn’t the size
of government but its common purpose: democracy, prosperity and security. In
¶Among the things that make Democrats exceptional is Franklin D. Roosevelt’s axiom that we pursue “bold, persistent experimentation.” Where are the successors to Social Security and the G.I. Bill to help Democrats both win and govern? What are they for? ...
Among other ideas: a living wage, a carbon tax, a Mortgage Refinancing Trust agency, progressive tax reform, real immigration reform, filibuster reform, public funding for public elections, universal voter enrollment.
It’s time for Congressional Democrats to expose
an extreme pretending to be mainstream and to propose
a “progressive patriotism” that lives up to Walt Whitman’s promise that “
MARK GREEN
GARY HART
Mr. Green
is a former
The letter was signed by 18 other prominent Democrats:
James Abourezk, former
representative and senator from
Joan Claybrook, former administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; past president, Public Citizen
David N. Dinkins, former mayor of
Peter Edelman, former assistant secretary,
Health and Human Services; professor,
Christopher Edley Jr.,
dean and professor,
Michael Eric Dyson, professor of sociology,
Fred Harris, former senator from
James K. Galbraith, former executive director,
Joint Economic Committee; professor of economics,
Jennifer Granholm, former
governor and attorney general of
Jim Hightower, former
Nicholas Johnson, former commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission
Norman Lear, TV producer, “All in the Family”;
founder, People for the
Ron Reagan, commentator, MSNBC; co-host, “Both Sides Now” radio show
Robert B. Reich, former secretary of labor; professor of public policy, University of California at Berkeley
Russell Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam Recordings; chairman and C.E.O., Rush Communications
Derek Shearer, former
Stanley K. Sheinbaum, former senior fellow, Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions; former president, Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners.
Eliot Spitzer, former governor and attorney
general of
12. “Politics Blog: Jennifer Granholm: On fire at the DNC” (San Francisco Chronicle Online, September 6, 2012); blog citing JENNIFER GRANHOLM; http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2012/09/06/jennifer-granholm-on-fire-at-the-dnc-video/
--Joe Garofoli
Granholm was all about talking about
13. “The real importance of Bill Clinton’s wonderfully long speech” (Huffington Post, September 6, 2012); op-ed by ROBERT REICH; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/bill-clinton-dnc-speech_b_1860704.html?view=screen
Robert Reich, Chancellor’s Professor of
Public Policy,
... Republicans have eschewed all detail, all fact, all logic. Theirs has been a campaign of ideological bromides mixed with outright bald-faced lies.
Therein lies the importance of what Bill Clinton accomplished tonight. But, just as importantly, it wasn’t a wonky talk. He packaged the facts in a way people could hear. This is the highest calling of a public educator....
14. “Decision 2012 Blog: #Politics: Academics Jump to Twitter to Talk About the Conventions” (Chronicle of Higher Education [*requires registration], September 6, 2012; blog citing ROBERT REICH; http://chronicle.com/blogs/decision2012/2012/09/06/who-were-following-academics-jump-to-twitter-to-talk-politics/
By Xarissa Holdaway
As the number of professors using social media multiplies, the ease with which we can get a real-time view of the opinions of today’s thinkers is increasing exponentially. Especially now, as professors report from the convention floors and their couches with an off-the-cuff mix of aggregation, commentary, news, and personal anecdote. These are the people @Chronicle will be following tonight during President Obama’s address: ...
Robert Reich, University of California at Berkeley: “BC’s best line, from Ronald Reagan: ‘There they go again.’ But aimed at Rs who want to cut taxes for rich, hurt poor, and explode deficit.” 5 Sep 12
15. “Wonkblog: Bill Clinton says the unemployed don’t have the right skills. It’s not so” (Washington Post [*requires registration], September 6, 2012); analysis citing JESSE ROTHSTEIN; http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/09/06/bill-clinton-says-the-unemployed-dont-have-the-right-skills-its-not-so/
By Dylan Matthews
One of the few outright false statements in Bill Clinton’s speech last night was his claim that unemployment remains high because workers just don’t have the right skills....
Three studies responding to this debate have come out just this year....
The third study, by Jesse Rothstein of the University of California at Berkeley, found, like Lazear and Speltzer, that unemployment rose about the same amount across all education groups. He also tries to figure out whether wages have increased. If employers are having a hard time finding skilled workers, they should increase their wages. Did they? No — not even for new job postings, and not even if you correct for changes in the number of people employed by each industry due to the Recession:
Rothstein
also looked at the reasons behind the increase in long-term unemployment. It
turns out that the historically high number of long-term unemployed people can
be almost totally explained by the historically weak state of the labor market.
If the skills argument that
[Jesse Rothstein’s study is: “The Labor Market
Four Years Into the Crisis: Assessing Structural Explanations”
(March 2012)
16. “They’re Not What They Used to Be” (New York Times & International Herald Tribune [*requires registration], September 4, 2012); op-ed citing HENRY BRADY; http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/opinion/political-conventions-are-not-what-they-used-to-be.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=Berkeley&st=nyt
By Joe Nocera
... Henry Brady, the dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley — and an expert on political conventions — says that he thinks the last truly meaningful convention was 1968. “There was still a sense that the convention was a decision-making body,” he said.
Indeed, that convention chose Vice President Hubert Humphrey as its nominee — even though he hadn’t entered any primaries and even though Eugene McCarthy, the antiwar candidate, had done well in the primaries. In the aftermath of that debacle, the Democrats established a special commission, which shifted the rules so that primaries became the essential way to collect delegates and win the nomination....
On the other hand, old-style conventions, for all their flaws, demanded compromise that is essential for governing. Nor were the party bosses willing to throw their weight behind candidates who were too far outside the mainstream.
The primary system has allowed the two parties to be captured by their more extreme elements. Compromise is now a dirty word. Centrism is for losers. Conventions now enforce the views of the hard-liners.
“The real problem is that you have voters who are really intense — and you are not going to capture them with your convention,” said Brady. “And the voters who are less intense, the undecideds, are probably not watching.” ...
17. “Berkeley-based Politify tells voters whether Mitt Romney’s or Barack Obama’s platform is better for their bankbook” (San Jose Mercury News [*requires registration], September 4, 2012); story citing ROBERT REICH; http://www.mercurynews.com/elections/ci_21457578/berkeley-based-politify-tells-voters-whether-mitt-romneys?IADID=
By Josh Richman
Politify.com lets a user input his or her salary, other income, age, tax status and other data, and produces an estimate of how much the user would gain or lose under President Barack Obama’s and Mitt Romney’s respective tax and budget plans....
For
the candidates’ tax and fiscal policies, Politify
uses the president’s 2013 budget proposal and Romney’s plan for jobs and
economic growth; its own research on those plans was cross-referenced with that
of the
The site took off fast, calculating more than 2
million outcomes since its Aug. 23 relaunch; that
helped persuade the UC Berkeley Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology to
grant Politify free office space in downtown
Among those singing its praises is UC Berkeley professor and former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich, whom [cofounder Nikita] Bier said has helped hook up Politify with policymakers and grant-making organizations. Reich last week told the Daily Californian he’s “very impressed” with the site: “It takes relevant and useful information and puts it into a clear, interactive graph that will be very helpful to voters.” ...
September 23 Robert Reich was featured in the Political Roundtable on ABC TV’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos”; http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/week-transcript-archive/story?id=16614108#2
New on video this month:
“Ricardo Lagos, President of Chile (2000-06),
and Robert Reich, U.S. Secretary of Labor
(1993-97), discuss ‘Inequality in the Americas’ on September 11, 2012”; view
videos at:
http://www.clas.berkeley.edu/Events/fall2012/09-11-12-lagosreich/index.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbUNDdmW1Ss
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