May 6, 2009
The image of California as a land of migrants is being shattered by demographic data indicating the emergence of a newer generation of Californians that is homegrown and willing to stay in the state, according to a new study by USC researchers. The study found that today's teens and young adults will be the first generation in California history whose majority will be California-born when they assume positions of leadership in middle age.
April 13, 2009
The San Gabriel Valley Tribune quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the special election to be held in Los Angeles in May. Voter turnout is expected to be very low, the story noted. "I'm sure there will be some mix up, but not enough to change the election results," Jeffe said.
April 2, 2009
Los Angeles' "transportation transformation" was the subject of a recent panel discussion hosted by the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development. The event took place at the downtown headquarters of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). It was the third event in the SPPD Dean's Speaker series, which has focused on the revitalization of Los Angeles.
March 26, 2009
The New Statesman (U.K.) featured a talk by Assistant Professor Elizabeth Currid delivered at the Institute for Public Policy Research in London. Currid's book, The Warhol Economy, argues that New York's art scene is a major economic engine, and in her talk, she suggested that the same may be true of London, the story noted. In big cities, where the arts generate billions, urban policymakers need to recognize the role that networking plays in the creative sector, she said.
February 8, 2009
The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted Professor Chet Newland about widespread discrepancies between what a contractor charged for picking up wildfire debris and what was actually delivered at recycling centers. "They should have clear records for each of the deliveries, and they certainly should match with the billing," Newland said. "The city simply must hold them accountable -- usually it would have been before making a payment," he added.
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 21, 2008
The Los Angeles Times quoted Professor Genevieve Giuliano about the expected departure of L.A.'s Metropolitan Transportation Authority chief Roger Snoble. "The next person is going to have to be hardheaded about the market for some of these capital investments," Giuliano said. If not, the cost of running and building rail could drain agency coffers, she noted. Guiliano is senior associate dean for research and technology at SPPD and director of the METRANS Transportation Center.
December 17, 2008
L.A. Weekly quoted Adjunct Professor Michael Woo about the resignation of Los Angeles Planning Commission President Jane Usher. Usher was widely viewed as independent of the city's powerful developer sector, the story stated. "There has never been such a proactive commission," Woo said. Woo is a commissioner and a former Los Angeles city councilman, the article noted.
November 20, 2008
The Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, a new student organization at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, hosted its inaugural event -- a panel discussion at Lewis Hall addressing key issues currently facing the Asian American community.
November 6, 2008
Dr. Louise Nelson Dyble, associate director for research at the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy, recently received the American Public Works Association (APWA) Michael Robinson Award for her article, "Revolt Against Sprawl: Transportation and the Origins of the Marin County Growth-Control Regime."
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 22, 2008
The Press-Enterprise cited a report by the Center for Economic Development at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development. The center developed the strategy for the Green Valley Initiative, a private-public group launched in June 2007 to foster the growth of green jobs in the Inland Empire, the story noted. The U.S. Department of Commerce recently approved the plan, which includes 18 programs to make the region a green business hub and combat job loss and low wages.
October 17, 2008
The Star-Ledger reported that SPPD Assistant Professor Elizabeth Currid will speak at a symposium held at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. The conference will investigate how the cultural economy works, the roles of state and local government in promoting it, and how cultural advocates measure success, the article noted.
October 14, 2008
The Los Angeles Times quoted SPPD Associate Professor Gary Painter about Barack Obama's plan to create a federal agency charged with helping states that are caught in the credit crunch. "It's really a small cost for the Treasury, but it could have really important benefits to keep the local governments running," Painter said.
August 19, 2008
Professor Peter Gordon was quoted in a Sacramento Bee story about the need for cities to trim their budgets. "I'm not sympathetic," Gordon said. He added that cities often spend money to satisfy interest groups, or simply because it's there. "I think the California story is that governments grow in good times," Gordon said.
July 30,2008
A Los Angeles Times column cited an op-ed by Robert Tranquada, professor emeritus of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and the Keck School of Medicine. Los Angeles County has lost 12 hospital-based emergency rooms in the last decade, and 11 of 23 trauma centers have closed in the last 20 years, Tranquada wrote. Capacity for emergency medical care has been shrinking, and the recent earthquake should be a wake-up call for many who are not prepared.
July 29, 2008
In a Los Angeles Times story, Prof. Gary Painter was quoted about the penalty for delays with Los Angeles' Grand Avenue project. The board overseeing the project approved a measure stipulating that if the project is delayed beyond February, the developer will be fined $250,000 a month. Financial penalties like this can sometimes help get projects moving, Painter said. He added that $250,000 per month seemed not a large sum of money relative to the scale of the project.
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.
June 4, 2008
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, was interviewed on "Which Way, L.A.?" on KCRW about Tuesday's elections in California. The Los Angeles county supervisor race was whittled down to two candidates who will participate in a run-off election in November, the story stated. "It was a very interesting semi-final," Jeffe said. "I had thought that a run-off would be avoided, and I would have thought that Bernard Parks would have won [over Mark Ridley-Thomas] because his supporters are more high-propensity in what was to be a very low turnout," she said. "They are both competing for a very rare jewel in the L.A. crown: a very powerful position, with the ability to shape policy. And it's one of the few offices that still allow the exercise of power outside of the penetrating eyes of the media and the public, because it's boring and no one covers it. But developers and labor unions and businesses know all about it."
May 24, 2008
Juliet Musso of was quoted by the Los Angeles Times about the city of Vallejo's filing for bankruptcy. It appears that Vallejo negotiated contracts with employees that were too burdensome when the economy slowed down, Musso said. "It's a continuation of the story of bust-and-boom cycles in California," she explained.
April 1, 2008
Richard Little was quoted in the San Diego Union-Tribune about San Diego considering the sale of private bonds. The funding approach is likely to rattle anyone who has been watching the credit crunch closely, Little said. "We're kind of in the midst of a shaky situation, so any kind of activity like this is going to be open to question," he explained. Little is director of the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy, the story noted.
