April 26, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran an op-ed by Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School about tax plans proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown and Mayor Antonio Villraigosa. Jeffe noted that Villaraigosa's plan has a number of hurdles to clear in the near future, and will face competition from Gov. Brown, who worries that too many tax plans on the ballot will bring down all the proposals. "It remains to be seen whether Mayor Villaraigosa's persistence in pushing his transportation goals will run headlong into Governor Brown's persistence in pursuing his budget goals," Jeffe wrote.
April 20, 2012
Reuters quoted Professor Richard Little of the USC Price School about public-private partnerships funding road projects.
April 18, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran an op-ed by Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School about California's state and community colleges. "Today, higher education is fighting for state budget scraps. The anti-tax movement's hammerlock on the revenue side has squeezed higher ed resources to the breaking point," Jeffe wrote. "Tuition and fees at the University of California and State Universities have skyrocketed and some elite schools at UC's major research campuses are openly mulling going private."
April 18, 2012
The Los Angeles Daily News quoted Associate Professor Lisa Schweitzer of the USC Price School about L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's support for extending Measure R, which involves a tax to support public transit.
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.
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 17, 2012
The Atlantic cited a study co-authored by Assistant Professor Elizabeth Currid-Halkett of the USC Price School of Public Policy finding that four out of 10 knowledge workers don't have college degrees.
February 12, 2012
The Philadelphia Inquirer cited Richard Green, USC Price professor and director of the Lusk Center for Real Estate, about a $26 billion settlement between government authorities and five of the nation's biggest banks.
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.
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 1, 2012
Business Insider cited research by Richard Green, USC Price School of Public Policy professor and director of the Lusk Center for Real Estate, on changing the tax system to encourage home ownership.
December 31, 2011
The New York Times highlighted research by Richard Green, USC Price School of Public Policy professor and director of the Lusk Center for Real Estate, on changing the tax system to offer more encouragement for home ownership. The current system encourages relatively wealthy people to build bigger houses. Green has proposed a refundable tax credit as a percentage of mortgage interest payments available to all homeowners, incentivizing lower-income taxpayers to buy a home.
December 25, 2011
The San Francisco Chronicle quoted Richard Green, USC Price professor and director of the Lusk Center for Real Estate, about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as political institutions.
December 19, 2011
The Fresno Bee quoted USC Price Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about how a part-time legislature would work in real life.
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.
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 5, 2011
The Los Angeles Times ran a Q&A with Dana Gioia, Judge Widney Professor of Poetry and Public Culture at USC and former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Gioia said that he strove for reconciliation when he presided over the NEA, hoping to help people see why supporting the arts is the right thing to do. "We created a bicameral, bipartisan national consensus to support the NEA, not simply the budget but also the authority of the agency," Gioia added. He said that at USC, he hopes to teach a class on how young artists can make a living in the United States.
November 3, 2011
The Washington Post highlighted a blog post by Richard Green, SPPD professor and director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, on how removing mortgage interest deductions in the tax code would help the economy more than raising taxes would. Green wrote that if his income is taxed, the impact on his desire to work is ambiguous. Removing the mortgage interest deduction would provide incentive to work more, he added. "Leisure is no less expensive (there is no substitution effect), but my desire to restore my previous income remains as before," Green wrote
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 18, 2011
Bloomberg News quoted Richard Green, SPPD professor and director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, about a poll suggesting that more Americans are willing to end the mortgage tax deduction.
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 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.
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 8, 2011
The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that Jack Knott, Dean of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, helped represent universities in conversations with the federal government as it drafted new regulations designed to facilitate students' entry into public service. The existing system wasn't conducive to bringing in this younger cohort, Knott said. "Some of our best students who were interested in federal employment were very frustrated in actually trying to get a job," he added. "And when you see disasters like the recent financial crisis or Hurricane Katrina, you know you don't want a federal work force that's not as capable and competent as it might be." Knott said that he's glad to see a clear signal from the administration "that getting good people into government is a top priority."
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 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 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.
July 7, 2011
The Los Angeles Times quoted USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and USC Viterbi School of Engineering Professor James Moore about L.A. County adding toll lanes on the 10 and 110 freeways.
July 6, 2011
The Wall Street Journal quoted Richard Green, SPPD professor and director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, about the federal government's efforts to cut back on its involvement in the mortgage market.
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 1, 2011
The Los Angeles Times quoted SPPD Professor Dowell Myers about California's Proposition 13, which limits taxes on real estate.
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 16, 2011
La Opinion quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the California budget.
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 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.
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 29, 2010
The State of California's advisory panel on climate change adaptation, led by USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professor Daniel Mazmanian, recently released the report "Preparing for the Effects of Climate Change - A Strategy for California." Mazmanian, the holder of SPPD's Bedrosian Chair in Governance, whose research and teaching focus largely on environmental policy, served as co-director for the Pacific Council on International Policy's Task Force on Adaptation to Climate Change and helped draft the council's 71-page report.
November 22, 2010
The Los Angeles Times reported that SPPD Professor Daniel Mazmanian was co-director of a new Pacific Council report on climate change, and quoted him about the report. Mazmanian directs the USC Bedrosian Center for Governance and the Public Enterprise.
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.
November 2, 2010
The Bay Citizen quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about a lack of Republican enthusiasm in the U.S. Senate race in California.
November 2, 2010
The Bay Citizen quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the victory of California gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown.
October 29, 2010
With foreclosures taking a toll on homeownership, Richard Green -- USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professor, and director and chair of the Lusk Center for Real Estate -- emphasized that the rental housing market has serious problems as well. Green delivered research findings during the White House conference on rental housing in October.
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 18, 2010
USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development faculty members Richard Little and Mark Pisano spoke at a "Funding and Financing Solutions for Surface Transportation in the Coming Decade" conference at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C. The conference, held last month, was co-sponsored by the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy.
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 Sacramento Bee quoted Professor Dana Goldman about new legislation that would make California the first state to establish a health benefits exchange. Goldman is director of the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, the story noted.
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.
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 17, 2010
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little about public-private partnerships in city parking systems. Little is director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at USC, the story noted.
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.
August 2, 2010
The San Francisco Chronicle quoted SPPD Professor Genevieve Giuliano about reform of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. Giuliano is director of the METRANS transportation research center.
July 23, 2010
The Hill featured research by SPPD Associate Professor Darius Lakdawalla and Professor Dana Goldman that suggests that one of the main arguments of the healthcare reform debate, that regions of the country currently spending more on medical care without getting better results should emulate low-use areas, may be fundamentally flawed. The assumption is based on Medicare data but private health insurance plans show no such variations, according to the study by the researchers from USC's Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics and a University of Chicago colleague.
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 18, 2010
National Public Radio interviewed SPPD Professor Dowell Myers about a proposal to raise the minimum retirement age for state workers.
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 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.
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
National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about corporate-sponsored ballot initiatives.
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 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 12, 2010
The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about Proposition 8, California's ban on same-sex marriage.
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 17, 2010
The Santa Clarita Valley Signal quoted SPPD Professor Robert Myrtle about health care reform. "... until we have everyone covered with a standard level of care, it will not get any better," Myrtle said.
March 1, 2010
The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the role of the California Legislature.
February 19, 2010
The Christian Science Monitor quoted SPPD Professor Richard Green about the Obama aid package for homeowners facing foreclosures and how it may not be enough to fix the problem. Green is director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, the story noted.
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 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 19, 2010
The New York Times ran an op-ed by SPPD Professor Dana Goldman and Aaron Edlin of UC Berkeley about health care reform. "Whenever we call our physicians, we can't get in to see them for several months. Our colleagues have a similar experience. This raises a simple question: Who is going to treat the approximately 30 million newly insured?" they wrote. "It isn't just physician practices that are full; nurses are also in short supply. The Institute of Medicine sounded the alarm about a shortage of health care professionals way back in 2002, and pointed out its adverse effects on the quality of care. When we asked one of our doctors if he will care for these newly insured, he said it won't be him he is plenty busy already unless someone offers him a lot of money. And that is precisely what will happen. Health care is not immune from the fundamental laws of supply and demand. If demand for care rises and supply cannot increase, then prices rise."
January 7, 2010
The Wall Street Journal cited research by SPPD Associate Professor Darius Lakdawalla that studied Medicare Part D, the U.S. government-subsidized prescription insurance to the elderly and disabled. Lakdawalla compared direct-to-consumer advertising spending on drugs with no Medicare use with ad spending on drugs typically used by Medicare patients. He found that after Medicare Part D kicked in, spending on the latter rose 60 percent above spending on drugs with no Medicare users. The research was presented at the American Economic Association this week, the story noted.
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 21, 2009
The Wall Street Journal noted that Professor Dana Goldman was one of two dozen economists who wrote a letter to Sen. Harry Reid expressing their support for his latest proposed health care reform bill. Goldman, who holds the Norman Topping/National Medical Enterprises Chair in Medicine and Public Policy at SPPD, directs of the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics.
December 16, 2009
The Arizona Republic quoted SPPD Professor Harry Pachon about a new bill introduced by Rep. Luis Gutierrez that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to become U.S. citizens and end a controversial program that enlists local police to enforce immigration laws. "I don't think that even Congressman Gutierrez expects his bill to pass," Pachon said. "He's showing a willingness to fight. And he's putting pressure on the Obama administration to act." Pachon is president of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute.
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 10, 2009
Roll Call quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about abortion rights groups that were angry over a last-minute decision by the U.S. House of Representatives to include language that bars publicly subsidized health care plans from offering elective abortions. Jeffe said that abortion rights groups may be at a disadvantage in the fight, because their supporters are unlikely to desert the Democratic Party even if party leaders make the decision to placate the other side to get the health care bill through. Democrats may be banking on their perceptions that women have no other place to go, Jeffe noted.
October 12, 2009
American Public Media's "Marketplace" interviewed Professor Dana Goldman about current health care reform efforts. "This is a rather historic effort to provide insurance to most Americans. But this is not an effort to do anything on cost containment," said Goldman, director of the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. Rather than being paid based on the quantity of services they provide, doctors should be rewarded for using treatments that save money and lives, Goldman added. "If the patient does well, then the hospital gets paid, the doctor gets paid," Goldman said. "And if the patient doesn't do well, then they're going to have to bear the cost. And ultimately, that would've been a really valuable change."
October 1, 2009
The Wall Street Journal mentioned SPPD Adjunct Professor Erroll Southers in a story about efforts to revive a national Registered Traveler program. According to the story, the resurrection of such a program could depend on Southers, who was recently nominated to head the Transportation Security Administration. Southers would have to support the decision to implement such a program, the story noted.
September 30, 2009
La Opinion quoted Professor Richard Green and cited research by Professor Dowell Myers in a story about Proposition 13, which limits property tax rates. Most economists and experts agree that property tax is a less regressive option compared with sales tax, said Green, who is director and chair of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. Myers, who has studied the subject, said that Proposition 13 needs reform because new generations will buy homes at higher prices and pay more taxes than previous generations. Young people will subsidize those who paid less for older homes, he explained.
September 23, 2009
A major new research center focused on health policy and economics has been established at USC, Executive Vice President and Provost C. L. Max Nikias announced. The center is funded by a $1.2 million operating gift from health care industry leader Leonard D. Schaeffer and his wife, Pamela. The Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics is a collaboration between the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and the USC School of Pharmacy.
September 9, 2009
Richard Callahan, associate dean and director of leadership programs at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, has been appointed to a newly formed advisory board for the California Environmental Protection Agency's Department of Toxic Substances Control.
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.
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 14, 2009
As the U.S. Congress considers enacting historic "cap and trade" legislation, a new book by research professor Adam Rose provides valuable lessons and reference points in evaluating the economic impacts of climate change policy. Rose is considered to be one of the preeminent scholars in the field, and the book - The Economics of Climate Change Policy: International, National and Regional Mitigation Strategies - represents much of his 20 years of research and involvement in policy design on the many aspects of the subject.
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 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."
June 11, 2009
Nonprofit groups are becoming increasingly active through the promotion of causes on their online sites and serving as bridges of civic engagement, according to a new study by David Suarez, assistant professor at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development.
June 8, 2009
The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe and Dan Schnur of the USC College about the possibility that a same-sex marriage initiative on the 2010 California ballot would make life difficult for the gubernatorial candidates. Possible Republican contenders Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman probably wouldn't be happy to have the focus on social issues, Jeffe said. "Candidates normally try to move toward the middle as quickly as possible after winning their party primary," Schnur said. "But an initiative on the November ballot would probably slow that process considerably if candidates are reaching out to the middle on the economy but playing to their respective bases on same-sex marriage."
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 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 8, 2009
KPCC-FM's "AirTalk" interviewed Professor Richard Green about the relationship between real estate brokers and appraisers. "One of the things that let us down the road that we went down was the relationship between the brokers and the appraisers," said Green, who directs the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. "The brokers had every incentive to get the loan done, not to make sure the loan performed properly, because they were compensated based on originations, not on loan performance; so the last thing they wanted is an appraiser to get in the way of the deal."
May 7, 2009
The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted Professor Chet Newland about best practices in city contracting. Cities should thoroughly check applicants for such positions, Newland said. "You have to go beyond the mere listed references and investigate," he noted. "Contracting is one of the most crucially important and sensitive parts of government. It's essential to have utmost integrity in contracting."
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.
April 20, 2009
Morris News Service quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the "tea party" protests last week against President Obama's spending and tax plans. Polls indicate that most Americans don't agree with the protests, the story noted. "The public seems willing to go along with Obama's programs as long as they don't seem too permanent," Jeffe said.
March 25, 2009
Foundations and Public Policy: Leveraging Philanthropic Dollars, Knowledge and Networks for Greater Impact, a new book edited and co-authored by USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development faculty, explores the implications -- and potential impact -- involving the efforts of nonprofit organizations to shape public policy.
March 24, 2009
As the Obama administration prepares to disperse economic stimulus money for infrastructure, a timely new book sheds light on special districts -- the "shadow governments" that will be responsible for spending a large portion of these funds. In her book, Paying the Toll, Louise Nelson Dyble, associate director for research at the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, documented how the bridge district grew from well-intentioned public corporation with bipartisan support to notorious organization rife with corruption.
March 14, 2009
The Los Angeles Times quoted Professor Richard Green about President Barack Obama's proposal to reduce the mortgage interest tax deduction for those earning more than $250,000. The plan may well be "sort of the nose under the tent on the way to getting rid of the mortgage interest deduction entirely," Green said.
March 13, 2009
The Ventura County Star quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which authorized $787 billion in federal stimulus spending. While the package was touted as an investment in infrastructure, some officials and analysts are disappointed with the amount that ended up being set aside for such projects, according to the story. The stimulus act is "a great bait-and-switch," Little said. "The whole thing was that this was all about infrastructure, and $50 billion isn't chump change, but it's not what the country needs," Little said. "I find that troubling. I think people were expecting maybe $200 billion or $300 billion for infrastructure." Little is director of the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy, the story noted.
March 6, 2009
National Public Radio interviewed SPPD Senior fellow Richard Little about President Obama's infrastructure stimulus plan, which designates tens of billions of dollars for so-called "shovel-ready projects." Little, director of the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy, discussed the impact of those projects on the nation's economic crisis and decaying infrastructure. "Essentially, it's projects that can be gotten underway within 120 days, meaning they are out to bid and ready to proceed," Little said. "The emphasis is on getting people to work and spending money," he added.
February 27, 2009
During a recent discussion held at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) shared personal lessons and political insights from her book, Dream in Color: How the Sanchez Sisters Are Making History in Congress (Grand Central Publishing, 2008).
February 25, 2009
The Los Angeles Times ran the second and third parts of the "Dust-Up" debate featuring SPPD Professor Richard Green. "A cram-down is a court-ordered reduction of the secured balance due on a home mortgage loan," Green wrote in the first story. "Basically, it reduces lenders' collateral to the current value of the house, which is determined with an appraisal. That said, I worry about the impact of cram-downs on the ability of borrowers to get mortgages going forward." In the second Los Angeles Times story, Green recommended a plan to reduce the principal owed in home loans. "I think policymakers are worried that writing down principal will give borrowers something for nothing. But the same is true for reducing payments via a subsidized interest rate," he wrote. "We could help deal with the fairness problem by having a claw-back provision for borrowers whose loans are modified."
February 24, 2009
The Los Angeles Times ran an op-ed by Professor Richard Green as part of a "Dust-Up" debate series on President Obama's mortgage plan. "I would like to see an additional feature in the Obama plan: a claw-back provision for those who get a direct mortgage subsidy from the government and then later sell at a profit," Green wrote. "If we taxpayers are going to help people remain in their houses, we should get the equivalent of partial-ownership interests in the houses we subsidize."
February 20, 2009
Fox News interviewed Professor Richard Green about homeowners who are frustrated that the government is bailing out people who took risks and not helping those who were responsible. Such frustration is justified, but the economic risk of letting millions of homeowners default on their mortgages leaves the government with little choice, Green said. "A year ago I would have been appalled at this plan," Green said. "Now I think we have to do something like this. The moral hazard argument is valid, but is trumped by the macroeconomic situation." Green is director and chair of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.
February 19, 2009
The Oregonian quoted Professor Richard Green about President Barack Obama's mortgage restructuring initiative. "It's a clever plan," Green said. "It might actually help the housing market bottom," he added. Green is director and chair of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.
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
Reuters quoted Professor Dowell Myers about the state of California's economy. By some accounts, the current crisis could bode well for the state's future, as problems may spur needed reorientation of the economy. "What people may think is that you can't really solve the problems in California until you totally wreck the train," Myers said. "You have to shake them up, wake them up. The outlook is very hopeful right now because this crisis is forcing a long-overdue reassessment." The story also quoted a USC graduate student on her view of the state.
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.
January 20, 2009
La Opinion quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about former President George W. Bush's role in tarnishing America's image in the world. Bush's policies generated the ill will abroad, Jeffe said.
January 14, 2009
The Los Angeles Times quoted Richard Little about plans for federal infrastructure spending. After the initial round of funding, more thought and evaluation should come into play in determining worthy projects, Little said. "But first thing, you need to get the money flowing, get your contractors working," he noted. "You need to prime the pump." Little is director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at USC, the story noted.
January 10, 2009
The Ventura County Star quoted Richard Little about how President-elect Obama's proposed stimulus funds may be channeled into "shovel-ready" infrastructure projects. "The goal of the stimulus is just to get people working, get projects going and buying materials, which will trickle down through the economy," he said. "Whether infrastructure is always the best bang for the buck, there's some debate, but there are going to be some short-term benefits." Little is director of the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy.
January 6, 2009
Reuters quoted Richard Little about how President-elect Obama's proposed stimulus funds may be channeled into "shovel-ready" infrastructure projects. "We must save the patient first, then think about long-term strategy," Little said. "If the objective is to create jobs, we should focus on projects that are ready to go." Little is director of the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy, the story noted.
January 1, 2009
La Opinion quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about President Barack Obama's Iraq policy. Obama will take concrete steps to accelerate the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Jeffe said.
November 26, 2008
The Orange County Register featured Professor Raphael Bostic in a Q&A about the Fed's latest efforts to bolster the credit markets. "We are really in unprecedented times," Bostic said. "It's hard to know how much of a backstop you need." The Fed's move has restored some confidence, but it's unclear if it has gone far enough, he added.
November 20, 2008
The impact of Hurricane Katrina continues to be felt in the New Orleans region and beyond as researchers and policymakers examine what went wrong and how to deal with the effects of a similar disaster in the future. The latest contribution comes from a team of professors at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, who edited and wrote chapters for Natural Disaster Analysis After Hurricane Katrina: Risk Assessment, Economic Impacts and Social Implications.
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 5, 2008
Agence France-Presse quoted SPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about John McCain's role in the Senate following his loss to Barack Obama. "I think that's the role he must play -- to be a bridge between Obama and the Republicans on the Hill," Jeffe said. "It's clearly the kind of role that McCain feels comfortable in. He built his reputation on working across the aisle and that is what he has to do again. It makes infinite sense for him to attempt to work in partnership with Obama."
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 27, 2008
The North County Times quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the large amount of money raised from North County residents to support Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriage in California. "It's the tale of the demographic and ideological makeup of North County," Jeffe said.
October 15, 2008
The Wall Street Journal quoted Professor Richard Green about how government intervention in the housing and financial markets will affect homeowners. Green said that over time, the government's rescue effort could make it easier for borrowers in high-cost markets such as California, New York and Boston to get a mortgage, by reducing rates for jumbo loans, those too big for government backing. The government needs to push mortgage companies to take advantage of the Hope for Homeowners program, which aims to put borrowers into affordable loans, but requires that they share any resulting price appreciation with the federal government, Green added. The program "pretty much gets the incentives right," he said.
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.
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.
October 3, 2008
Richard Little was quoted in the Orange County Register about how the credit crunch is affecting California's budget. The slowing economy has Wall Street shunning state and municipal bonds, which is forcing governments nationwide to cancel debt sales, the story noted. "Nobody really wants to loan a whole lot of money," Little said. "It's not a good time for anybody, really." Little is the director of the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy, the story noted.
October 1, 2008
Professor Harry Pachon was quoted in the Los Angeles Times about the new citizenship test being phased in by U.S. immigration authorities. Some fear that the new format, which emphasizes concepts rather than facts, could result in examiners denying citizenship based on whims or prejudices, the story stated. For that reason, the new test is a "step backward," Pachon said. "There's latitude in answering the questions and that's where the problem lies," he explained. "There's potential for abuse and not knowing what to prepare for." Pachon is president of the Tomas River Policy Institute.
This past summer, more than 40 master's students representing all programs of study with the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development took part in the school's international lab program, doing research in Foshan, China, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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."
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.
June 22, 2008
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, was quoted in the San Diego Union-Tribune about whether the presidential election will affect the outcome of the California initiative banning gay marriage. "If the young kids come out and vote for Obama - and I think they will - that could turn it around," Jeffe said.
May 2, 2008
Prof. Peter Gordon wrote an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times about the future of Los Angeles transportation. "As more people drive, they will have more range and more options. Origins and destinations disperse. And as they disperse, more people want their autos," Gordon wrote. "There is only one intervention that will slow it down: Make driving and parking more expensive, which brings us back to tolling and pricing."
May 1, 2008
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of was quoted in the Press Enterprise about Jerry Brown, California's former governor and current attorney general. Brown's possible run for governor in 2010 depends on whether he can crack down on problems at Indian casinos and simultaneously solicit tribes' political support, the story stated. "If questions are raised about the appropriateness of that relationship and they aren't responded to... it's dangerous for the candidate," Jeffe said. "In politics, perception is reality."
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 "
Following decades of bipartisan consensus, federal transit policy has turned into a hot-button issue in a presidential election for the first time. Lisa Schweitzer, associate professor at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, took a look at what the various proposals and candidate positions mean for the future of U.S. infrastructure during a recent discussion. The event was part of the "Road to the White House 2012: Politics, Media and Technology," a weekly conversation series presented by USC's Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise, the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, and the Unruh Institute of Politics.
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.
The Athenian Society, the premier philanthropic support group of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, tackled one of the most pertinent policy issues facing the state of California -- the recent elimination of redevelopment agencies -- during a recent panel featuring leading public and private sector experts. About 300 people attended the event at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel -- the largest turnout in the four-year history of the society's Dean's Speaker Series.
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."
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. 
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.
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 20, 2009