December 21, 2012
The Sacramento Bee reported that USC Price School of Public Policy alumnus Jay Hansen was appointed to the Sacramento City Unified School District. Hansen is the chief strategy officer for the California Medical Association, the story noted. He graduated with his MPA in 1998, and currently serves on the advisory board for the USC Price School's State Capital Center.
November 23, 2012
KPCC-FM interviewed Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC Price School of Public Policy, about the political risks California Gov. Jerry Brown might face if he tweaked Proposition 13.
November 23, 2012
The New York Times ran an op-ed by Professor Dana Goldman and colleagues, who wrote that the health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act may be too small to be successful. "Greater competition in the insurance industry -- either through health insurance exchanges or other measures -- may not lower insurance premiums," they wrote. "Weakening insurers' bargaining power could instead translate into higher costs for all of us in the form of higher premiums."
November 22, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a column by Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School suggesting the biggest political turkeys of 2012. Jeffe wrote of Mitt Romney: "the erstwhile GOP nominee for President not only managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, but is now being shunned by his own party for continuing to 'get it' politically wrong."
November 20, 2012
Reuters ran an op-ed by Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School about the future of the American electorate, and how it relates to the current California electorate. "Whatever happens in the Golden State is likely to be a precursor of the next trend in American politics," Jeffe wrote. "For better or worse, America has become California."
November 14, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran an obituary for USC alumna and Democratic Party leader Carmen Warschaw, written by Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School of Public Policy. Warschaw and her late husband, USC alumnus Louis Warschaw, helped create the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC in 1989 and established a lecture series that brings Jewish elected officials to speak at USC. She later endowed a chair at USC in 2003.
November 7, 2012
The Los Angeles Times quoted USC Price Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the importance of Proposition 30's passage for Gov. Jerry Brown's political career.
November 6, 2012
Reuters ran an op-ed co-written by USC Price Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe on whether control by one party would help the state of California. "The crucial question now is whether a two-thirds Democratic majority in the Legislature will really matter in addressing California's fiscal mess," Jeffe and colleague wrote.
November 4, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a column by Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy about competition between Proposition 30 and Proposition 38. Jeffe cited the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll.
November 3, 2012
The San Francisco Chronicle quoted Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School of Public Policy about Gov. Jerry Brown's strategy for getting Proposition 30 passed.
October 26, 2012
The Evansville Courier & Press cited Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy regarding newspaper endorsements in presidential campaigns.
October 18, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a column by Price Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about a need to do away with the Electoral College. "What if we ditched the Electoral College, which apportions electoral votes to each state according to its representation in Congress, and elected our Presidents by a nationwide popular vote?" Jeffe wrote.
October 14, 2012
The Christian Science Monitor quoted Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School of Public Policy about the California initiative process.
October 9, 2012
The San Francisco Chronicle quoted Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School of Public Policy about the intentions of Molly and Charles Munger in bankrolling Proposition 38. Dan Schnur of the USC Dornsife College was quoted about Gov. Jerry Brown's Proposition 30.
October 7, 2012
The Los Angeles Times mentioned that former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had dedicated himself to the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy, housed at the Price School of Public Policy.
September 27, 2012
Jewish Journal covered the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy's inaugural symposium, attended by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The story noted that Schwarzenegger hopes to support bipartisan solutions to civic problems through the institute. "Political courage is not political suicide," Schwarzenegger said.
September 2, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a column by USC Price Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The spotlight will be on him at the Democratic National Convention, she noted. "His time on the Main Stage may provide an audition for future political roles. What's next?" Jeffe wrote.
August 28, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a column by Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School about the Republican National Convention. Jeffe noted that former California Gov. Pete Wilson has been named an honorary California campaign chair. Wilson, who supported Proposition 187 targeting illegal immigrants, will not win GOP Latino support, Jeffe wrote. "The Romney campaign's choice of a governor 14 years out of office, who has become a symbol for the GOP's hard immigration stance, sends a clear signal that the national GOP has abandoned Latino outreach," she added.
August 27, 2012
Fox & Hounds Daily ran an op-ed by USC Price Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe and communications strategist Doug Jeffe on the 10 moments that will shape the 2012 election outcome.
August 13, 2012
Indi-West featured the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy at the USC Price School, which was announced in early August by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and USC President C. L. Max Nikias. Schwarzenegger will head the institute's board of advisers, which will also include Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, chair of the 2007 Nobel Peace Price-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
August 11, 2012
The New York Times featured the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy, co-founded by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at the USC Price School. The story reported that Schwarzenegger will head the institute's board of advisers, which will include former Mexican President Vicente Fox. The institute will focus on finding bipartisan solutions to civic problems, including education, energy and environmental issues. Schwarzenegger will hold the position of Governor Downey Professor of State and Global Policy at USC, named after the only other immigrant governor of California, John G. Downey. "From the time we immigrated here we always thought about what can we do for the state of California," Schwarzenegger said.
August 8, 2012
The New York Observer featured the new USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy, co-founded by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at the USC Price School. The story noted that Schwarzenegger will be the inaugural holder of the position of Governor Downey Professor of State and Global Policy at USC.
August 6, 2012
U.S. News & World Report featured the new USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy, co-founded by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at the USC Price School. The story reported that the institute is committed to finding bipartisan solutions to government problems. "Knowing USC's reputation as one of the nation's leading policy schools, I could think of no better home for this institute," Schwarzenegger said.
August 3, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a column by Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy about the political affiliations of California and Texas. "The reality is that, in California, the Tea Party has not been the force it is in other states -- like Texas -- where it is helping to firm up the GOP base and supplying needed grass-roots organization and funding," Jeffe wrote.
August 1, 2012
The Los Angeles Times quoted Richard Green, USC Price professor and director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, about the rejection of President Obama's effort to reduce mortgage debt.
July 26, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a column by Price Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the role timing played in getting the tax-limiting Proposition 13 passed -- and how the same could be true of Gov. Jerry Brown's tax initiative. Ideological beliefs about how government should be run led to the passage of Proposition 13, Jeffe wrote. The fight over the governor's initiative "has ideological overtones -- and they're also about the size and role of government," she added.
July 24, 2012
The Los Angeles Times quoted Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School of Public Policy about a proposal by L.A. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich to extend term limits.
July 20, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a column by Price School Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about a recent article by columnist Conn Carroll that blamed California's woes on Democrats. "Both Republicans and Democrats share the responsibility -- or the blame -- for the muddled state of the Golden State," Jeffe wrote.
July 15, 2012
The Sacramento Bee ran an op-ed by Professor Dowell Myers of the USC Price School about the impact of Proposition 13 on California, and the role of education in fixing the state's finances. Myers wrote that Prop. 13 drastically limited the property tax paid by older homeowners, pushing the bulk of property taxes onto new migrants to California. Now that home prices have plunged and migration into the state has slowed to a trickle, the only ones left to buy homes are California's native sons and daughters. "We need buyers who can afford the state's high prices to save the housing market and pump up property-tax revenue," Myers wrote. "But we have to grow our own. All agree education is key."
July 13, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a column by Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School about corruption in California cities and how the cities contrast with the fictional town of Mayberry from "The Andy Griffith Show." "The culture of responsibility, at least for the public good, has withered," Jeffe wrote.
July 12, 2012
Inter Press Services quoted Professor Roberto Suro of the USC Price School of Public Policy and Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism about the Latino vote in the upcoming presidential elections.
July 7, 2012
The Los Angeles Times quoted USC Price Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about California's new election rules.
July 6, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a column by USC Price Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about educational activist Molly Munger's use of the California initiative process to advance her agenda. Jeffe wrote that the initiative process, which began as a way for voters to wrench control back from special interests, has changed. "Now it's a stratagem for loaded individuals who don't like the direction our duly-elected representatives are taking to single-handedly attempt to put their own imprimaturs on the policy process," Jeffe added.
June 28, 2012
La Opinion quoted Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School about the percentage of women in politics.
June 26, 2012
La Opinion quoted Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School of Public Policy about the ways in which President Obama and presidential hopeful Mitt Romney have approached the immigration debate.
June 22, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a column by Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School about moderates in the Californian Republican Party. She noted that several Republican figures recently became independents because they didn't feel that the party represented their perspective. "In a political system so partisan that even reforms explicitly designed to embrace the middle prove difficult, there appears to be little room for moderate Republicans," she wrote.
June 15, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a column by Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy about the challenge Gov. Jerry Brown faces over his proposal to raise taxes. Jeffe wrote that passing the measure will require overcoming voter skepticism and opposition from conservative groups. "The most powerful sales tool the governor's initiative could have has to be the Governor," she added.
June 8, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a column by Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy assessing California's recent primary election. Jeffe wrote that the 30th congressional district race between Howard Berman and Brad Sherman will ramp up in the general election. "This nasty intra-party battle for political survival is likely to become the most expensive Congressional race in the history of the world," she added.
June 6, 2012
La Opinion quoted Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School about a lack of enthusiasm among California voters.
June 3, 2012
The Daily Beast quoted Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School about the race for representative of California's new 30th congressional district. "This is nuclear war," Jeffe said. "You won't see a congressional campaign that costs more or gets any nastier."
May 17, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran an op-ed by Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School about the role of same-sex marriage in Californian elections. "A candidate running in the open primary -- against not only opponents from other parties and independents, but against members of his or her own party -- may try to use it as a means to differentiate from others in the race," Jeffe wrote.
April 10, 2012
The Los Angeles Times quoted Senior Fellows William Fulton and Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy about Los Angeles County supervisors.
March 14, 2012
U.S. News & World Report featured several USC schools and programs in its 2013 edition of "Best Graduate Schools." The USC Price School was ranked No. 4 for Health Policy and Management; No. 6 in Public Affairs, up from No. 7 last year; No. 6 for Public Management Administration; No. 7 for City Management and Urban Policy; No. 7 for Nonprofit Management; No. 9 in Social Policy; No. 12 for Public Policy Analysis; and No. 21 for Public Finance and Budgeting.
March 14, 2012
Bloomberg News quoted Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School of Public Policy about a deal between Gov. Jerry Brown and the California Federation of Teachers.
March 5, 2012
The San Diego-Tribune quoted Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School about a proposed amendment to the California legislature.
March 1, 2012
The Christian Science Monitor quoted Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School about seniority in California government.
February 24, 2012
The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted USC Price adjunct faculty member Murtaza Baxamusa about a mortgage settlement deal between the nation's biggest banks and the states' attorneys general.
February 9, 2012
Gridlock in Washington politics is not an American problem but an American achievement, political commentator and journalist George Will said as part of the Dennis F. and Brooks Holt Distinguished Lecture hosted by the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. The Holt Lecture aims to illuminate the intersection of public policy and communication.
February 6, 2012
Hsu Jen-hui, dean of the College of Management at Shih Hsin University in Taipei, has been appointed Taiwan's deputy finance minister. Hsu, a graduate of the doctoral program at USC Price, specializes in local government finance and new institutional economics, the story noted.
February 3, 2012
The Bakersfield Californian quoted Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School of Public Policy on whether legislative problems are causing California's debt.
January 20, 2012
NPR News San Diego affiliate KPBS-FM interviewed Professor Dowell Myers of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy about the U.S. needing an assimilation policy for new immigrants. The story cited an op-ed that Myers wrote for the New York Times.
January 18, 2012
The Christian Science Monitor cited Senior Fellow Sherry Jeffe of the USC Price School regarding Gov. Jerry Brown's State of the State Address.
January 18, 2012
Bloomberg News quoted Senior Fellow Sherry Jeffe of the USC Price School about Gov. Jerry Brown's balancing act between supporting California's proposed high-speed rail network and raising taxes.
January 16, 2012
International Business Times quoted USC Price School Professor Dowell Myers about the political value of the illegal immigration issue.
January 11, 2012
The Los Angeles Times ran an op-ed by USC Price Senior Fellow William Fulton about "the death of redevelopment" in California. Fulton wrote that he supported Gov. Jerry Brown's elimination of redevelopment agencies, having seen the redevelopment system break over time. He added that for redevelopment to work, it needs to be purely about true revitalization; California needs to cap the amount of tax-increment money agencies can collect; and the requirement that an area must be "blighted" to be redeveloped must be eliminated. "Eliminating the blight requirement would make California more consistent with other states, and it would also pave the way for projects that are more consistent with public needs," Fulton wrote.
December 14, 2011
The more the president talks about saying no to drugs, the more the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. attorneys, and state and local agencies say yes to arrests and convictions. University of Georgia professor Andrew Whitford shared these and other findings at the Governance Salon Series sponsored by the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and the Judith and John Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise. The presentation focused on Presidential Rhetoric and the Public Agenda: Constructing the War on Drugs, a book Whitford co-wrote with professor Jeffrey Yates of Binghamton University.
December 13, 2011
La Opinion quoted USC Price School Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about how a change in the electoral system means that there won't be a clear favorite Republican candidate until spring.
C-SPAN featured a centennial celebration of President Ronald Reagan held earlier this year that highlighted a partnership between the USC Price School and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. USC Price School Dean Jack Knott said, "It's been a great opportunity for my school and the university to partner in putting on the first event of the Reagan Centennial Celebration and to focus on an academic examination of President Reagan's life and legacy." Knott added that USC Annenberg School Dean Ernest J. Wilson III and Dan Mazmanian of the Price School played an important role in the event.
November 30, 2011
The Washington Post noted that executive Dan Dunmoyer is chair of the USC State Capital Center Advisory Board.
November 27, 2011
The Washington Post highlighted research by USC Price Professor Dowell Myers and John Pitkin of USC's Population Dynamics Research Group, which concluded that immigrants as a whole are becoming more integrated into U.S. society. Their research found that by 2030, the percentage of new immigrants speaking English "well or very well" will rise from 57.5 percent to 70.3 percent. The study also found that group as a whole will be more successful financially and educationally.
November 19, 2011
Politico quoted Professor Dowell Myers of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy about the Obama administration's decision to sue three states in an effort to overturn laws directed toward illegal immigrants.
November 16, 2011
The Los Angeles Times quoted Richard Green, USC Price professor and director of the Lusk Center for Real Estate, about the Federal Housing Administration's financial position.
October 26, 2011
The Egyptian revolution began on Facebook with a call to protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Protesters used Twitter to maneuver around police and reach the area. People arrived at the location expecting to see a few hundred like-minded individuals. Instead, they found a few hundred-thousand. Until they reached the square, Egyptian dissidents had no clue of their strength. It was a remarkable indication of the power of social networks as a political organizing tool, as has been seen in many uprisings sweeping North Africa and the Middle East. Khaled Fattal '84, chairman of the Multilingual Internet Group, discussed this phenomenon and its implications for the future during a recent lecture at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development.
October 30, 2011
CNN quoted SPPD Senior Fellow, Sherry Bebitch Jeffe on the leaderless nature of the Occupy Wall Street protests.
October 19, 2011
USA Today quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about Mitt Romney's weak point as a presidential candidate being his support for a 2006 Massachusetts health care law.
October 6, 2011
The Wall Street Journal reported that Richard Green, SPPD professor and director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, spoke before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on mortgage interest deductions. Eliminating the deduction entirely would only lead to a percentage-point decline in the nation's home ownership rate, Green said.
October 6, 2011
The Wall Street Journal reported that Richard Green, SPPD professor and director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, spoke before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on mortgage interest deductions. Eliminating the deduction entirely would only lead to a percentage-point decline in the nation's home ownership rate, Green said.
September 30, 2011
Does the economy need to rebound to repair the housing market or does the housing market need to be fixed to improve the economy? It's the sort of chicken-or-egg scenario that keeps policymakers up at night. Richard Green, USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professor and director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, said history has shown that housing tends to lead the business cycle. Housing recovers and the economy follows. That realization makes housing a major issue to consider for national and statewide elections, Green indicated on Sept. 14 as part of the Road to the White House: Politics, Media and Technology series.
September 20, 2011
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a commentary by Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development on last weekend's California Republican Party convention. "Despite incessant grumbling, and polling data and registration figures that show the Grand Old Party may be headed for extinction in the Golden State, the party faithful should have been buoyant," Jeffe said. "Delegates did seem pumped by President Barack Obama's slipping approval ratings in this Bluest of Blue States (where a recent Field Poll showed his ratings dropping below 50 percent for the first time)."
September 19, 2011
The San Diego Union-Tribune noted that Richard Green, SPPD professor and director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, testified before the Senate Banking Committee on the merits of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
September 14, 2011
Bloomberg featured the testimony of Richard Green, SPPD professor and director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, before the Senate Banking Committee on the future of government enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Green was among four expert panelists. The panel was split on whether a government guarantee should exist, with Green on the side saying they should stick around.
September 12, 2011
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a commentary by SPPD Senior Fellow Senior Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the role of California's late primary in the 2012 election. "This year, fed up with California's inability to gain political clout ..., the legislature passed AB 30, which once again consolidated the state's presidential primary with the June state ballot," Jeffe said. "If the GOP race remains competitive and -- given the tenacity of various 'message' candidates -- it likely will, might California finally have the opportunity to make a difference?"
September 6, 2011
Capital Public Radio interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the benefits of the California governor taking a leading role in the state tax discussion.
August 23, 2011
The The Salt Lake Tribune quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about declining support for the Tea Party in Utah.
August 14, 2011
The San Diego Union Tribune ran an op-ed by SPPD alum Chris Van Gorder, MPA '86. Van Gorder wrote, if a long-term plan is not agreed upon by Dec. 23, "the Defense Department and health care delivery - doctors and hospitals - will pay a significant price... Congress has designed a spending or cost reduction 'trigger' that will cut military spending by billions in addition to cutting Medicare reimbursement to hospitals and physicians by 2 percent, or $50 billion a year on top of cuts already planned in current legislation. This solution puts both the military and health care organizations in the middle of the debt-ceiling debate." Van Gorder is president and CEO of Scripps Health and the immediate past chair of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
August 1, 2011
The Boston Herald quoted Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, in a story about the effect of the debt-ceiling battle on President Obama's public image.
July 30, 2011
The Bay Citizen quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe in a story about California's redistricting.
July 29, 2011
La Opinion quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the political impact of City Council President Eric Garcetti playing a fictional mayor on the TV series "The Closer."
July 29, 2011
La Opinion quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about interest groups and the political battle over the debt ceiling.
July 29, 2011
The Los Angeles Times published an op-ed by SPPD and USC Viterbi School of Engineering Professor James Moore on finishing the 710 Freeway. "In the best case, the political impasse over raising the nation's debt ceiling would lead to a new political reality for evaluating transportation projects: new rules that favor projects with needs and benefits solidly documented, with proven technology, and that do not push funding obligations onto future generations of taxpayers. The poster child for such a scenario would be the long-debated completion of the 710 Freeway," Moore wrote.
July 28, 2011
The Riverside Press-Enterprise quoted Richard Green, SPPD professor and director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, in a story about possible scenarios should Congress fail to reach a deal to increase the debt ceiling.
July 27, 2011
The National Journal quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe as saying that President Obama's choice to enlist the public as an ally in his fight with Congress makes sense.
July 26, 2011
The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted Richard Green, SPPD professor and director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, as saying that a default on the nation's debt would lead to higher interest rates.
July 13, 2011
The Los Angeles Times ran an op-ed by SPPD Professor Lisa Schweitzer on whether the U.S., like Greece, might have to privatize large portions of its transportation system as a result of debt crisis. "So long as Americans refuse to even index gas taxes to inflation, let alone raise the tax outright, we won't be spending enough to maintain our transportation infrastructure, which means that its value will continue to fall," Schweitzer wrote. "That will make it difficult to attract private investment or get a fair price for state-owned assets if the government opts to privatize its transportation assets. Too many more years of disinvestment and we will have to make gun-to-the-head decisions like Greece's," she added.
July 12, 2011
NPR San Diego affiliate KPBS-FM cited SPDD Professor Dowell Myers regarding California's Proposition 13, which limits taxes on real estate.
July 10, 2011
The Los Angeles Times reported that after L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa read an article about SPPD Professor Dowell Myers, he talked with Myers about the professor's findings regarding California's Proposition 13, which limits taxes on real estate.
June 21, 2011
The Alaska Dispatch quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about Controller John Chiang's ruling that California state lawmakers must forfeit their salaries from June 15 until they pass a balanced budget.
June 15, 2011
The Bay Citizen quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the impact of California's budget crisis on its higher education system, noting that Jeffe studied the implementation of the Master Plan in 1966 as a staff member of the Joint Committee on Higher Education.
June 12, 2011
The Bay Citizen quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about California's largest labor union announcing that it will make political donations exclusively to the Republican Party.
June 8, 2011
The Sacramento Bee stated that editors for the new online publication, "Statistics, Politics and Policy," will come from highly regarded statistics and public policy programs such as those at USC, Harvard University and Carnegie Mellon.
May 31, 2011
The Huffington Post ran an op-ed co-written by SPPD Professor Dana Goldman and SPPD graduate student Veeral Shah, about Congress' attitude toward Medicare. "Both Republicans and Democrats agree that rising Medicare costs are the principal long-term driver of the federal deficit," Goldman and Shah wrote. "They just don't agree on how to rein in the spending."
May 26, 2011
KPCC-FM featured a recent conference on public pensions that was held at USC. Part of the problem is that the public pension issue has become a political lightning rod, said Juliet Musso, associate professor at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development. "People either view pension reform as being anti-union on the one hand, or they perceive it as being pro-government, pro-union, and people vilify public employees as getting pension benefits that are too generous," she added.
May 13, 2011
The Wisconsin State Journal reported that Richard Green, SPPD professor and director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate will speak at the University of Wisconsin-Madison conference "New Partnerships: Government and Real Estate."
May 12, 2011
Federal News Radio interviewed Erroll Southers of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development about a proposed two-year extension of FBI Director Robert Mueller's 10-year term.
April 29, 2011
Judith Feder, one of the nation's foremost experts on the U.S. health insurance system, discussed the Affordable Care Act and Medicare on April 14 at the Ronald Tutor Campus Center as part of the 2011 seminar series at the USC Schaeffer Center, jointly housed at the School of Policy, Planning, and Development and the School of Pharmacy. Drawing on her political experience and health policy expertise, Feder provided an overview of the 2010 health reform law and described the challenges facing those who remain uninsured.
April 25, 2011
The Los Angeles Times ran an op-ed by USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and USC Viterbi School of Engineering Professor James Moore about the drying up of funds for California's high-speed rail project. "California officials, lawmakers and citizens now have the opportunity to step back and reconsider the inflated promises that pervade the high-speed rail program," Moore wrote. "Railroads are a crucial component of the U.S. freight management and distribution system, but we do not need and cannot afford a high-speed rail system for passengers."
April 3, 2011
The Los Angeles Times quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about late legislative analyst A. Alan Post.
March 30, 2011
Bloomberg News quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about Gov. Jerry Brown's efforts to bridge California's spending gap.
March 25, 2011
Faculty, staff and graduate students from the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development took part in a focus-group discussion of proposed regulations for President Obama's executive order to reform student pathways into government. SPPD Dean Jack Knott played an integral part in calling for this reform of federal hiring in his role as chair of NASPAA's policy issues committee.
March 11, 2011
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development celebrated the completion of a $1 million fundraising campaign to establish the Chester A. Newland Professorship at a Feb. 25 gala held at the university's State Capital Center in Sacramento. More than 130 alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends gathered to recognize Newland, as well as the donors who endowed the fund. USC University Professor Kevin Starr delivered the evening's keynote address.
March 9, 2011
NBC News' "NBC Nightly News" interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about this week's elections in the corruption-plagued city of Bell, Calif.
March 7, 2010
Reuters quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about Nevada Sen. John Ensign's announcement that he would not seek reelection.
February 17, 2011
The Christian Science Monitor quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about California Gov. Jerry Brown.
February 11, 2011
Ronald Reagan's life, leadership and legacy were analyzed at USC by former members of the Reagan administration, journalists who covered the Reagan era, political scholars and historians at a conference Feb. 1-2 as part of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration. The event was co-presented by the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development.
January 24, 2011
To commemorate former President and California Gov. Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday,
the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and the Reagan Presidential
Foundation have partnered to present the Reagan Centennial Academic Symposium, a
two-day examination of his leadership and legacy, Feb. 1 and 2. The symposium will
bring more than 25 outstanding scholars, pundits and former Reagan staffers to the USC
campus and conclude with a special panel at the Reagan Library moderated by former
NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw Feb. 2. All events are free and open to USC students,
faculty and staff, as well as the public.
January 20, 2011
USA Today highlighted the upcoming "Ronald Reagan Centennial
Celebration Academic Symposium on Leadership and Legacy," presented by the USC
School of Policy, Planning, and Development and the Ronald Reagan Presidential
Foundation, and quoted Richard Reeves of the USC Annenberg School about the paper
he will present at the event.
January 12, 2011
The Sacramento Bee reported that SPPD alumnus Matt Rexroad, of Woodland, was unanimously elected by his colleagues on Jan. 11 as chairman of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors. Rexroad is a political consultant, former Woodland mayor and former Marine, the story noted. Rexroad received his master of public administration in 2002 from the USC State Capital Center in Sacramento.
January 3, 2011
La Opinion quoted Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, about California Governor Jerry Brown.
December 8, 2010
USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professor Terry Cooper was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Cooper, the Maria B. Crutcher Professor in Citizenship and Democratic Values at SPPD, was formally inducted Nov. 18 at the academy's annual conference in Washington, D.C. Fellows are chosen for their sustained and outstanding contribution to the field of public administration through public service or scholarship.
December 6, 2010
On Nov. 17, the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, the USC Office of State Government Relations and the USC College's Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics presented a panel discussion in Sacramento titled "A Transition of Governance in a Time of Crisis." The event, the fifth and last in a series on "Civil Discourse on the California 2010 Elections," drew more than 100 attendees to the USC State Capital Center.
November 19, 2010
AOL News quoted SPPD Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, about the defeat of California's marijuana legalization proposition.
November 6, 2010
The Bay Citizen quoted SPPD Senior Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about California Lieutenant Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom.
October 30, 2010
The Irish Times (Ireland) quoted Darry Sragow of the USC College and SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the midterm elections.
October 26, 2010
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development hosted a panel -- featuring SPPD faculty, public officials and Los Angeles Times writers -- that addressed the checks and balances needed to prevent government corruption scandals like the one in the City of Bell. The event was co-sponsored by the American Society for Public Administration and the USC Judith and John Bedrosian Center for Governance and the Public Enterprise.
October 26, 2010
The Contra Costa Times quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the idea that Northern California dominates the state's politics.
October 14, 2010
NBC Los Angeles news reporter Conan Nolan and political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe addressed the highly contested gubernatorial and senate races, as well as the ballot initiatives, during a recent discussion hosted by the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development. The event, "The Political Future of California," was part of SPPD's 2010-11 Dean's Speaker Series, presented by the Athenian Society, the school's premier philanthropic support group.
October 6, 2010
The Daily Sound reported that SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe participated in a town forum called "Can California Be Saved?" at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
September 27, 2010
KPCC-FM interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the upcoming debate between gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown.
September 17, 2010
La Opinion quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Mark Pisano about a civil lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Jerry Brown against the city of Bell's leaders.
September 16, 2010
The Christian Science Monitor quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about how the city of Bell's elected-official pay scandal has played into the California governor's race.
September 16, 2010
La Opinion quoted Mark Pisano, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, about a civil lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Jerry Brown against the city of Bell's leaders.
September 16, 2010
On Sep. 8, the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development and the USC Office of Government and Civic Engagement co-sponsored a policy briefing for the Sacramento policymaking community featuring professor Dana Goldman. The event, which was held at the California Chamber of Commerce, drew more 110 guests from the state capitol, state agencies, local health-related private and non-profit organizations, as well as USC students and alumni.
September 6, 2010
National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little about public-private partnerships in city parking systems. Little directs the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure at USC.
August 27, 2010
NBC News San Diego affiliate KNSD-TV interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe on whether a proposal designed to facilitate voting by college students would benefit Democrats.
August 14, 2010
The Daily Breeze quoted David Lopez-Lee, professor emeritus of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, about what some perceive to be excessively high pay for city officials.
August 14, 2010
The Los Angeles Daily News quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the efficacy of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's administration.
August 7, 2010
The New York Times quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe on how the overturning of Proposition 8 affects political strategy for the upcoming election.
July 6, 2010
The Los Angeles Times quoted SPPD Professor Harry Pachon, president of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at USC, about an effort to mobilize Latino voters in Arizona.
June 25, 2010
The New York Times highlighted work by SPPD Professor Dowell Myers in a story on global migration. Myers has studied Proposition 55, a 2004 California ballot initiative that sought $12.3 billion in bond sales to relieve overcrowding and upgrade older schools. Myers found that voters who saw immigration as a burden were nearly 9 percentage points more likely to oppose the measure than those who called immigration a benefit. "That's a big effect -- it was almost enough to take it down," he said, adding that the measure passed with barely 50 percent of the vote.
June 9, 2010
KPCC-FM Southern California Public Radio interviewed Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, about California's primary election results, and what they mean in November.
June 8, 2010
The Wall Street Journal cited Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, about the passage of California's Proposition 14, which replaces party primaries with open elections.
June 5, 2010
National Journal magazine quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about California politics. California is one of only three states that require a two-thirds majority vote in the Legislature to approve a budget or increase taxes, making it very difficult to pass the kind of sweeping compromises needed to put the state on sound fiscal footing, the story noted. Term limits also contribute to the problem: Lawmakers can rely on bonds to finance state spending knowing that the bills won't come due until they've moved on, according the story. "You [approve] the bonds and get the political gain, and economic pain occurs when you are gone or in an office that is far away from Sacramento," Jeffe said.
June 4, 2010
The Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela) featured research by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at USC on the impact of the Latino vote in some states with large Hispanic populations. In California, it would require 2.3 percent of the more than 2.96 million Latino votes to produce a variation of 1 percent in election results, the story stated.
May 29, 2010
The Los Angeles Times quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about Marcy Winograd, who is running in the Democratic primary for Los Angeles' 36th congressional district.
May 29, 2010
The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, about the success rate of wealthy Californians seeking public office.
May 24, 2010
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the about the results of the Democratic and Republican parties' primaries.
May 24, 2010
Eleven graduate students representing the various master's programs in the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development launched the school's first student-adjudicated academic journal. The USC Policy, Planning, and Development Review, an online publication, aims to promote discourse among students of SPPD's professional degree programs by encouraging them to produce work that addresses important social topics.
May 24, 2010
National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about corporate-sponsored ballot initiatives.
May 21, 2010
Fox & Hounds Daily quoted Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, about the Tea Party movement in California. Jeffe said "It's difficult to pin down" how the national Tea Party revolution will roll across California, according to the story.
May 14, 2010
The Los Angeles Times quoted Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, about the role of California's lieutenant governor.
April 20, 2010
La Opinion quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Mark Pisano about Los Angeles' budget problems.
April 18, 2010
National Public Radio's "Weekend Edition" interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about California's initiative process. "It's always been a part of the political DNA of California that we want to participate in democracy and we don't trust those special interests up there in Sacramento to respond to what citizens need," Jeffe said.
April 15, 2010
Yin Wang, a doctoral student at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, won the ninth annual paper award competition of the American Society for Public Administration's Section on Transportation Policy and Administration. She won the honor for her essay "Determinants of Utilization of Private Finance in Toll Road Development: Evidence From the United States."
April 1, 2010
Fox News interviewed SPPD Associate Professor Anthony Bertelli about the "ugly side" of lobbying. "Expenditure is one part of thinking about lobbying -- another part of thinking about lobbying is having an informational role. That's what lobbying does at its best," Bertelli said. "What lobbying does at its worst is exert very strong pressure," he added.
March 18, 2010
Covering many complex questions facing the nation in areas like the financial crisis, health care reform, transportation and regulation, Congressman Gary Miller spoke at a recent event sponsored by SPPD. The discussion was part of the Dean's Speaker Series presented by the SPPD Athenian Society.
March 16, 2010
The Trojan League of Los Angeles showcased the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development on Feb. 27 at its annual benefit, which featured the theme "Creating Ideas That Shape the World." Each year, the alumnae group selects a distinguished USC department, school or individual to honor.
March 8, 2010
Richard Callahan, associate dean and director of state capital and leadership programs at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, recently participated as a guest scholar in the Global Perspectives Program at Istanbul Aydin University in Turkey. Over the course of his two-week visit, Callahan gave lectures and held workshops on issues such as effective public sector leadership and public management.
March 8, 2010
The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about California gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown and how "Brown's record as governor means nothing to most Californians under 50."
March 1, 2010
The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the role of the California Legislature.
February 13, 2010
The Santa Claria Valley Signal quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little about lease revenue bonds. Little is director of the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy.
January 30, 2010
The Columbus Dispatch quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the use of the filibuster in voting. In the story, Jeffe noted that if the filibuster is "used selectively by the minority as a means to check the majority, then it can result in good government. But if it's used consistently as a means to block movement, it could result in the same frustration and anger again we see in voters."
January 29, 2010
Politico ran an op-ed by SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about supermajority voting. "Congratulations, Sen.-elect Scott Brown. Welcome to Sacramento on the Potomac," Jeffe wrote. "Californians have lived through years of government gridlocked by rules that require a supermajority to pass bills in a Legislature ripped by partisanship. Washington could now mirror the Golden State's breathtaking dysfunction."
January 25, 2010
The The New York Times quoted SPPD Professor Richard Green about Ben Bernanke's nomination for a second term as Federal Reserve chairman. Green is director and chair of the Lusk Center for Real Estate at USC.
January 21, 2010
The Huffington Post ran a widely carried op-ed by SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's handling of the California budget. "Somebody should take California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger aside and remind him that you never bite the hand that feeds you -- even if you're still hungry after being fed," Jeffe wrote. "Faced with a $20 billion-plus budget deficit, a record-low approval rating and no prospect of garnering the two-thirds legislative vote required to raise taxes, he released a draconian state budget earlier this month and blamed everyone but himself for the fiscal mess that made it necessary."
January 7, 2010
The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's State of the State address. "I went back and read his first State of the State speech in 2004, and a lot of things he talked about then, he talked about now," Jeffe said. La Opinion also quoted Jeffe on the subject.
December 26, 2009
The Riverside Press-Enterprise quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe in a story about San Jacinto, Calif., city council members who have been charged with trying to bypass the state's campaign-finance limits by hiding contribution sources. The council members have said they will not resign and face a possible recall campaign going into 2010. Jeffe said that citizen participation is important in keeping an eye on government. "Voting alone is not enough," Jeffe said. "You can't go into the voting booth, walk out and not pay any attention to governance and assume you're going to get the government that you voted for."
December 21, 2009
With California facing a historic financial crisis, citizens statewide are looking for answers. On Nov. 12 at USC's Galen Center, some were offered and others refuted at a public forum of top policy advisers, academics and government officials. This was the inaugural event in the USC Critical Issues Forum, a new series sponsored in partnership between the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and the USC Office of Government and Community Relations.
December 9, 2009
ABC News Los Angeles affiliate KABC-TV reported that William Fulton of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development was appointed mayor of Ventura, Calif., by the Ventura City Council. Fulton, a senior fellow at SPPD, will serve a two-year term, the story stated.
December 4, 2009
Speaking before an audience of more than 100 at the California Chamber of Commerce in Sacramento, Professor Dowell Myers of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, discussed how the history and future of Prop. 13 are headed in divergent directions. The lecture, "Demographics of Proposition 13: Rewriting the Old Script for a New Future," was part of the Critical Issues in Public Policy series at the USC State Capital Center.
November 29, 2009
The Los Angeles Times quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about Abel Maldonado, a Republican California state senator who has been nominated for lieutenant governor. The article reported that Maldonado faces opposition from both Democrats and Republicans, with Democrats objecting along party lines and Republicans angered by his endorsement of tax hikes. However, the article noted that Maldonado is Latino, a representative of California's fastest-growing ethnic demographic. "The Democrats now have to think about voting against a Latino," Jeffe said. "And so do the Republicans."
November 17, 2009
The Arizona Republic quoted SPPD Professor Richard Little about ballot measures. Little said that policymakers fail to educate voters about the impact of ballot choices and that California bond initiatives are often presented as being budget-neutral, to be paid from general-fund revenues. "This is disingenuous bordering on fraudulent because while this is technically true on an individual case basis, there simply is not enough money collected to pay debt service in the aggregate for already approved bonds," Little said.
October 26, 2009
Politico ran an op-ed by SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about Speaker Nancy Pelosi's struggle to keep all political factions happy, even if that means bucking her own party's president. "Today, there's a lot more attention paid to what congressional leaders do and say. Smoke-filled rooms have been replaced by the 24-hour news cycle, blogs, Facebook and Twitter. That makes compromise harder and leadership (on either end of Pennsylvania Avenue) an often helter-skelter proposition," Jeffe wrote. "There is irony in all of this tumult. Pelosi may be playing to her crowd -- independent of Obama's wants -- to solidify her base. But in the end, everything Pelosi wants to accomplish depends, to a large extent, on the president. For her to be successful, Obama needs to be successful."
October 2, 2009
Variety quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe in an article on the fundraising efforts of Gavin Newsom and Jerry Brown, who are seen as the gubernatorial frontrunners for the California Democratic Party. "We are talking about California," Jeffe said, referring to the use of filmmaker Roman Polanski's case in the governor's race. "I think it is going to be a minor issue for anyone who is running. The people who are going to be totally up in arms aren't going to vote for a Democrat, anyway."
September 23, 2009
The Sacramento Bee quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe on how gubernatorial candidates are responding to the problem of prison overcrowding in California. With voters reminded of the alleged crimes of parolee Phillip Garrido in the Jaycee Lee Dugard case, the tendency for candidates is to tack right for fear being labeled soft on crime, Jeffe said. "The candidates are only worried about the fallout," Jeffe said. "All candidates are somewhat boxed in on the center-right when it comes to public safety."
September 16, 2009
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development hosted members of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce this summer in the first stop of the Texas delegation's three-day Los Angeles tour aimed at exchanging information with local civic leaders and experts.
September 15, 2009
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe in a story about former President Bill Clinton endorsing San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom for governor of California. "It does mean something, because the buzz has been that Newsom hasn't gotten traction, and he needed to get some traction," Jeffe said. "Bill Clinton will give Newsom media attention. He will allow Newsom to raise some money. Newsom hasn't been very good at that. But I'm not sure, as one pollster put it today, it upends the Democratic gubernatorial primary." The Los Angeles Wave also covered the story.
August 30, 2009
The Los Angeles Times quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe in a story on the relative voter appeal of young candidates and older, more experienced ones. "When voters perceive change as too much risk, they pull back, unless they are so fed up they don't care," Jeffe said.
August 24, 2009
The Columbus Dispatch quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the White House indicating that it would accept a health care bill without a public option. This has infuriated liberal Democrats who supported Barack Obama's campaign in 2008, the story stated. "These guys on the left invested an awful lot in Barack Obama, and I think they feel as if they own a piece of him," Jeffe said. "He's not delivering from their perspective."
August 7, 2009
The Orange County Register quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about a proposed ballot measure that would call a California constitutional convention. Given the starting estimate of $60 million to cover convention costs, voters may balk at approving the convention, even though that would be a small part of the state's $84 billion general fund budget, Jeffe said.
August 3, 2009
In his new role as assistant secretary for policy development and research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, USC's Raphael Bostic will face a huge task: helping policymakers come up with ways to bring stability back to the nation's housing market. Bostic, a professor at the School of Policy, Planning, and Development, was sworn into his new government position on July 16.
August 1, 2009
The San Francisco Chronicle quoted Professor Dowell Myers about demographic changes in California. No state has changed as much since the late 1970s as California has, Myers said. The state's electorate is becoming less and less representative of its diverse population, which isn't good for democracy, he added.
July 25, 2009
NBC Nightly News interviewed Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development about California's budget deal. "This budget deal is, to some extent, created with chicken wire and chewing gum -- one-time fixes, accounting gimmicks." Jeffe said.
July 9, 2009
Congressional Quarterly quoted Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch about Sen. Barbara Boxer, who has adopted a conciliatory approach in order to push a climate change initiative. "She cannot do it alone," Jeffe said. "Rightly or wrongly - and there may be some sexism in this - Boxer doesn't always radiate the image of a team player. To be an iconic figure of the left and to be perceived as not being flexible enough to be a team player is not a good thing."
July 5, 2009
The New York Times highlighted SPPD alum Hilda Solis and her unique road to becoming Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor. After overcoming many obstacles, Solis, MPA '81, a former four-term congresswoman, has become the first Hispanic woman to serve as a cabinet member, the story noted.
June 19, 2009
Variety quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about Attorney General Jerry Brown's chances in the California gubernatorial race. "If you asked me four or five months ago, I would say it is a slam-dunk for Jerry Brown," Jeffe said. "I don't believe that anymore. When I talk to my graduate students, if they know anything at all about Jerry Brown, it is 'Gov. Moonbeam.'" CBS Radio San Francisco affiliate KCBS-AM also interviewed Jeffe on the subject.
June 14, 2009
BBC Radio's "Americana" interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the economic and political crises in California. "I hate to use this little cliche, but it is the perfect storm," Jeffe said. "It is the state's economy going in the tubes, it is the national economy going in the tubes, it is what we call 'ballot box budget,' the absolute rigid partisanship, and the meanness that you see up in Sacramento."
May 27, 2009
The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe and Dan Schnur of the USC College and on whether California gay marriage supporters would prevail if they put a new proposition on the ballot next year. "The age breakdown on the vote suggests that public opinion is trending toward supporters of same-sex marriage. The question is how fast it's trending," Schnur said. Jeffe added: "I don't think it's too soon. It's a year and a half away. ... The more states that get in line behind it, the more credible the argument that everyone ought to be allowed to marry becomes, especially if there's no evidence that the world is going to end."
May 19, 2009
La Opinion quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about California's perennial budget woes. It's become apparent that the state has been ungovernable for a while now, Jeffe said. "When was the last time we had an effective governor?" she asked.
May 18, 2009
Congressional Quarterly quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi facing fire for her handling of the CIA harsh interrogation technique authorizations. Even though, barring any new disclosures, Pelosi is likely to surmount her difficulty, that doesn't mean she has been at her best, Jeffe said. By seeming to change her story and by parsing words, Pelosi hasn't handled the situation well, Jeffe added.
May 17, 2009
The Los Angeles Times quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the close race for the congressional seat in the San Gabriel Valley. "[Gil] Cedillo has got to mobilize his base," Jeffe said. Rival Judy Chu needs to show voters she has support among Latinos, Jeffe added.
May 12, 2009
The Los Angeles Times quoted Professor Harry Pachon about the hotly contested congressional election taking place in the San Gabriel Valley. The top candidates are a Latino man and an Asian woman, the story noted. "Ethnicity is a factor," Pachon said. "But it's not the only factor." Pachon is president of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at USC, the story noted.
May 11, 2009
The Los Angeles Times quoted Professor Dowell Myers about the increase in California's naturalized Asian and Latino population. The surge in new citizens will accelerate by several years the California electorate's shift from majority-white to nonwhite, Myers said. Although that shift won't be completed until 2026, Latinos, Asians and African Americans are already joining with progressive whites to elect ethnically diverse candidates, he noted.
May 11, 2009
The Xinhua News Agency (China) cited Professor Dowell Myers about racial demographics and politics in California. The surge in naturalized citizens will accelerate by several years the California electorate's shift from majority white to nonwhite, Myer said. Although that shift won't be completed until 2026, Latinos, Asians and African Americans are already joining with progressive whites to elect ethnically diverse candidates, Myers and other analysts predict.
May 6, 2009
Reuters noted that SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little spoke at the Reuters Infrastructure Summit about a possible national infrastructure bond fund. Little's idea for such a fund seemed odd to officials in Washington a year ago, he said. Now they are giving it a second look, in light of the trillions of dollars in infrastructure work the U.S. may require in coming decades, Little added. "Why not create a vehicle where the federal government could issue infrastructure bonds?"
April 25, 2009
The National Journal quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the California gubernatorial race. "Whoever becomes governor [in 2010] is going to be faced with an absolute mess," Jeffe said.
April 24, 2009
The Los Angeles Times quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about California's gubernatorial race. "It takes a lot of luck and money and intelligence and timing, and heaven knows what else," Jeffe said.
February 11, 2009
Builder Magazine quoted SPPD Distinguished Fellow Stan Ross about the U.S. Treasury's recently announced recovery plan. The plan isn't necessarily an improvement over what was already in place, Ross said. The government will eventually end up guaranteeing at least some of the losses incurred by buyers and sellers of banks' toxic assets. However, the new plan has critical components that address bank capitalization and consumer lending. "This frees up capital, the banks will survive, they get new capital, they make loans to companies, and the companies invest in capital improvements," leading to more jobs created, he explained. Ross is chairman of the Board at the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.
February 4, 2009
Faculty and students at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development took part in a leadership training conference to help local government officials find solutions for public problems afflicting cities nationwide.
January 26, 2009
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development marked its 80th anniversary by hosting a special colloquium Jan. 16 at the Davidson Conference Center. During the conference, Dean Jack H. Knott noted that SPPD remains dedicated to advancing academic theory and making a vital impact in the world.
December 18, 2008
Taught by Professor Daniel Mazmanian, a new class at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development gave graduate students an introductory overview of key sustainability issues along with the chance to meet with environmental policymakers, chat with "green business" entrepreneurs, and measure their own carbon footprints.
October 29, 2008
During an Oct. 21 panel hosted by the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry said that the goal of downtown's revitalization effort is to restore "the excitement of an earlier time." The changing downtown landscape was the focus of the panel discussion, which took place inside City Hall. The event was part of the SPPD Dean's Speaker Series.
October 14, 2008
A panel of preeminent financial experts, including USC faculty, weighed in with their insights on how Wall Street plunged into a tailspin -- and also how to remedy the ailing markets. "Multi-party greed" drove the downturn, says Raphael Bostic, professor at the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development.
September 7, 2008
SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe was quoted about California's Proposition 8, which would amend the state's constitution to ban same-sex marriage. "Republicans and conservatives tend to support it more," Jeffe said. "Hispanics are a potential group of supporters," she added. "Democrats tend not to. Moderates and liberals tend not to. Independents are more receptive to the idea of single-sex marriage."
August 12, 2008
Professor Dowell Myers was quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle about California's budget and the state's need to plan for a demographic shift. "The state is trapped in this short-term cycle," Myers said. "If we didn't have term limits maybe we could keep Schwarzenegger around for another four or eight years and we could straighten it out," Myers added. "But we're trapped in a deadly spiral of short-term disaster."
August 5, 2008
SPPD Professor Dowell Myers was quoted in a New York Times story about demographic changes that may favor Democrats. A younger, native-born Latino generation that has a tendency to support Democrats is coming of age, Myers said.
July 31, 2008
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, was quoted in the Congressional Quarterly about congressional efforts to permit offshore oil drilling. Relentless Republican attacks on Democrats regarding the issue have hurt Democrats, who have been slow to counter them, Jeffe said. "It's interesting to me that it's taken so long [for Democrats] to figure out how to come back on this without giving in on offshore drilling," she said.
July 3, 2008
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe was quoted in a Los Angeles Times story about backlash faced by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom over several young illegal immigrant drug dealers who escaped from an unguarded Inland Empire facility, to which they had been escorted by the city. If Newsom won the Democratic nomination for California governor in 2010, Inland California voters would be critical in the general election, said Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development.
The Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise launched its new "Lunch with a Leader" series, aimed at providing a small group of USC students the opportunity to engage with state and national leaders to discuss issues of governance and policy implementation. "Our goal is to have a series of small events where we have real, in-depth conversation," said USC Sol Price School of Public Policy Professor Raphael Bostic, director of the Bedrosian Center.
U.S. Supreme Court justices may vote strategically to conceal their true ideology in order to influence the future makeup of the court, Northwestern law professor Tonja Jacobi explained during a recent discussion at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. The event was part of the Governance Salon series, which provide an opportunity for faculty and students to meet and engage with top researchers in the areas of effective government and public management.
The Athenian Society, the premier philanthropic support group for the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, held a town hall discussion on Oct. 24 focusing on key issues of the presidential election. NBC Los Angeles political reporter Conan Nolan moderated the discussion with Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at USC Price, and Dan Schnur, director of the Unruh Institute of Politics, as they analyzed how the race between incumbent President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney has unfolded.
USC Sol Price School of Public Policy Professor Marlon Boarnet spoke at a recent informational hearing of the California State Assembly Select Committee on Rail Transportation, sharing his expertise on rail transit in Los Angeles. The purpose of the hearing was to discuss the Los Angeles Metro Rail transit plans, as well as to provide the committee an opportunity to hear and address local concerns about these plans.
USC Sol Price School of Public Policy Professor Janet Denhardt, DPA '91, was named a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) in recognition of her exemplary professional accomplishments in teaching, research and public service. Denhardt, the inaugural holder of the Chester A. Newland Professorship of Public Administration at the USC State Capital Center in Sacramento, will be formally inducted next month at the academy's national conference in Washington, D.C.
October 8, 2012 
The USC Sol Price School of Public Policy's Athenian Society hosted a panel to discuss an issue that affects every person in the United States, regardless of age or economic status -- the changes in health care due to the Affordable Care Act. The event was part of the Dean's Speaker Series presented by the Athenian Society, the premier philanthropic support group for USC Price.
USC President C. L. Max Nikias and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hosted the official launching of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy on Sept. 24 with a daylong symposium that brought together prominent leaders in government and entertainment. The event drew nearly 1,000 attendees to USC, along with approximately 30 national and international news media outlets. The Schwarzenegger Institute is housed at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.
Over the summer, dozens of students from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy went the extra mile through internships and international lab experiences across the globe. Price students took part in
International labs in Brazil and China; worked with key organizations like the Chinese Academy of Urban Planning and Design, Hong Kong-America Center, Shanghai Center for Sustainability; and interned at the U.S. State Department in Armenia.
With just two months left in the campaign for the Oval Office, USC's top experts in politics, media and policy came together on Sept. 5 to turn their crystal ball to the November election. The event continued the partnership between three USC academic units -- the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy -- to present noontime conversations called "Road to the White House" that began last year and will take place Wednesdays throughout the semester.
Past presidents of the Korean Social Science Research Council include some of South Korea's highest-ranking officials -- among them, a former chairperson of the civil service commission, a former deputy prime minister of education and human resources development, and even the country's former prime minister. Now, a USC alumnus holds the position. Yong-duck Jung, who received his PhD in public administration from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy in 1981, took over as president of the research council in January.
After the financial crash of 2008, Leonard Hyman developed a strong interest in economics. He decided to combine that with his longtime affinity for politics by pursuing his MPP degree from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. Hyman, who graduated in May, fused these interests with his background in communications to create Crowdvocate, a novel and promising way to fund advocacy efforts for a variety of causes. It's an approach that combines crowdsourcing -- the mass solicitation of contributions online -- with crowdfunding, people pooling their money to support a cause.
The USC Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy brought together 30 leaders for a high-level intersectoral conversation about the interplay of foundations and government in solving community problems. The roundtable included the director of the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation (SICP); representatives from the U.S. departments of Education, Housing and Urban Development, and Health and Human Services; academic researchers; and individuals working as "philanthropic liaisons" in city and state government.
From social media in Africa to "fracking" in California, the 2012 Policy Analysis Practicum challenged MPP students from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy to grapple with the most pressing issues of the day. During the practicum, small groups of MPP students worked together to put theory into practice, serving as consultants for high-profile clients and performing in-depth policy analyses of real-world issues. This year, clients included the Congressional Research Service, the RAND Corp., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of African Affairs, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, among many others.
USC's Center for Sustainable Cities commemorated Earth Day with a forum to discuss the progress and challenges in meeting California's Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS), key legislation that set an aggressive target of increasing renewable energy resources to 33 percent of total procurement by 2020. Energy company representatives joined academic researchers on April 25 for two panel discussions on how electric service providers will reach the state's ambitious requirement.
For many local elected officials, political office means solving complex problems with tight budgets while cultivating trust with constituents who increasingly are wary of those in power. With these challenges in mind, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy this week will launch its Executive Education Program for local leaders to help elected city officials develop a vision for their cities. The first class of elected officials includes 18 mayors, mayors pro tem and council members from cities across Southern California.
The Athenian Society, the premier philanthropic support group for the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, discussed the need for sound policy solutions to address the political and economic challenges facing California in the school's third Dean's Speaker Series event of the year titled "How Can California Prepare for a Future That's Already Here?" on April 23. The event featured University Professor Kevin Starr, a longtime California historian, and Dowell Myers, USC Price professor of demography and urban planning.
In the midst of what is likely to be the most expensive presidential campaign in American history, some of the nation's top legal and political scholars came together on April 19 in Sacramento to debate what candidates should disclose and what voters should be told about the money flowing into political races. The symposium on "
The USC Sol Price School of Public Policy was among several USC schools and programs that ascended in the latest national rankings released by U.S. News & World Report . The Price School climbed to sixth place (from seventh in 2008) in the newest edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools" for public affairs.
Representatives of county and city governments joined academic policy scholars at USC to begin a yearlong series of panel discussions exploring California's realignment of services and funds in the areas of prisoner reentry, social services and redevelopment. Titled "Shifting the Burden," the series is presented by the Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise, which is housed at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, and the Southern California chapter of The American Society for Public Administration.
USC celebrated the life of professor Harry Pachon with a memorial symposium discussing politics and policy from a Latino perspective. Pachon, who died in November at age 66, was a pioneer in researching Latino culture and politics. He joined the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy in 2003, bringing with him the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI). He served as president of the institute from 1993 to 2010, turning it into the nation's premier think tank on policy issues relevant to Hispanics. He also was a founding board member and executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund from 1983 to 1993.
Brent Tercero walked to the front of the Pico Rivera City Council chamber with butterflies in his stomach. At 26 years old, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy MPP student was about to be sworn in to a four-year term as the newest member of the five-person group at a Dec. 13 ceremony. "It was unreal," he said. "There were a lot of people there, maybe 200. I mean, it was filled to capacity -- not even standing room -- and then there was a huge overflow crowd in the lobby. It was intense, but it was a great experience."
As coverage of the 2012 presidential race gains steam, so begins the hypothesizing: What would a Mitt Romney administration look like? Would a second term for President Barack Obama mean a cabinet shakeup? While conventional political wisdom holds that presidents surround themselves with allies who are in lockstep with their political beliefs, a new USC study, co-authored by USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development associate professor Anthony Bertelli, shows the opposite more often is true.
USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professor Richard Green testified on tax reform options and incentives for homeownership in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. Green, director and chair of the Lusk Center for Real Estate, focused his testimony during the Oct. 6 hearing on phasing out the home mortgage interest deduction. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the committee, asked Green to participate.
The percentage of foreign-born U.S. residents with deep roots in the country is rising and will continue to soar in the coming decades, according to a new USC report. The percentage of foreign-born residents who have lived in the United States at least 20 years climbed from 30.4 percent of the foreign-born population in 2000 to an estimated 38.5 percent in 2010; by 2030, the total is predicted to increase to 52.6 percent. "We're marking a major transformation in America," said Dowell Myers, USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professor and co-author of the report.
USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professor Richard Green testified before the Senate Banking Committee on the future of government enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Green, who is director and chair of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, was among four expert panelists. The panel was split on whether a government guarantee should exist, with Green on the side saying they should stick around. 
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development's Bedrosian Center on Governance and Public Enterprise, USC Annenberg's Center on Communication Leadership & Policy and USC Dornsife's Unruh Institute of Politics have partnered to present a new series of noontime conversations -- called "Road to the White House 2012: Politics, Media and Technology." The series, which will take place each Wednesday through Nov. 16 and continue into 2012, includes discussions on campaign tactics, media coverage and prominent public policy questions.
From the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina to this year's devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the last decade has shown that disasters -- whether natural or man-made -- are inevitable and that the next one is coming soon. USC hosted the second annual International Society for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM) conference, "Reframing Disasters and Reflecting on Risk Governance Deficits," which was co-sponsored by the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and CREATE Homeland Security Center.
How can an online game educate Californians about carbon emissions? What's the best way for the California government to prepare for the baby boomer retirement? Can private canine companies provide an effective and reasonably priced screening method to enhance airline security? These are a few of the real-world issues that USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development MPP students tackled during the 2011 Policy Analysis Practicum.
USC's Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise and ASPA recently hosted a panel discussion on California's public pension crisis. Moderated by professor Dan Mazmanian, the panel included Stuart Drown of the Little Hoover Commission; Ed Derman of the California State Teachers' Retirement System; Julie Butcher of the Service Employees International Union; Bruce Channing, Laguna Hills city manager; and Juliet Musso from the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development.
USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professor Shui Yan Tang was named a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA). Established in 1967 and chartered by Congress in 1984, the academy consists of professional and academic leaders in public management.
If anyone needs to get in touch with USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development graduate student Laura Peralta this summer, they can reach her at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C. Peralta, who is working toward her master of public administration degree, has earned the prestigious distinction of being one of 100 nationwide students selected to intern in the White House under President Barack Obama.
More than a decade ago, when sustainability issues were still a specialized curiosity, USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professor Daniel Mazmanian turned his attention to the emergence of locally-based environmental policies in several communities and regions across the nation.
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development signed a memorandum of understanding with the South Korean government to provide graduate education and training for selected officials from Korea's Ministry of Public Administration and Security.
Raphael Bostic, a professor at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, and Elizabeth Garrett, USC's vice president for academic planning and budget and a professor at the USC Gould School of Law, have been asked to join President Obama's administration in Washington, D.C.
February 24, 2009
February 20, 2009