May 14, 2012

On Friday, May 11, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy held its 2012 commencement ceremonies. The keynote speaker for the undergraduate ceremony was civil rights lawyer and leader Constance "Connie" Rice. In addition, the keynote address for the graduate student ceremony was given by former U.S. Congresswoman Jane Harman, member of the USC Board of Trustees and the director, president and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
View photos from the Undergraduate Ceremony >>
View photos from the Graduate Ceremony >>

May 3, 2012

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.

May 2, 2012

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.

May 1, 2012

The USC Sol Price School of Public Policy was well represented at the American Planning Association's national planning conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center on April 14-17. To coincide with the conference, David Sloane, professor and director of undergraduate programs for USC Price, edited the book Planning Los Angeles, published by the American Planning Association, using contributions from many USC Price faculty and alumni to catalog the history and trends that impact planning in the city.

May 1, 2012

As a counterterrorism expert and senior adviser to the president at RAND Corp., Brian Michael Jenkins can separate fact from fiction better than most when it comes to homeland security. His expertise was demonstrated on April 26 for the USC CREATE Homeland Security Center's Distinguished Speakers Series held at the USC Sol Price School of Policy. The talk was titled "The Long Campaign: What Have We Learned about War and Ourselves since 9/11."

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 26, 2012

Will leaders, managers or analysts shape the future? This was the critical question that USC professor Leonard D. Schaeffer posed during the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy's Judge Widney Distinguished Lecture on April 10 at Doheny Memorial Library. As founding chairman and CEO of WellPoint, the nation's largest health benefits company, and a leader in the public, private and nonprofit sectors, Schaeffer spoke from decades of experience

April 25, 2012

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 "Rethinking Campaign Finance Reform," organized by the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy in Sacramento and the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), drew more than 300 state capital politicos, attorneys, reform advocates and academics.

April 24, 2012

A massive slowdown in California's population growth means the state likely won't reach 50 million residents until the year 2046, according to a new USC analysis released today. That's a far slower rate of growth than the latest official projection released in 2007 by the state's Department of Finance that shows California reaching 50 million residents in the year 2032. The population slowdown may bring reprieve to a fiscally strapped state under pressure to keep up with infrastructure needs, said report co-author Dowell Myers, professor at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.

April 24, 2012

Andre Birotte Jr., United States attorney for the Central District of California, invoked the words of one of America's greatest civil rights crusaders during the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy Dean's Distinguished Lecture on April 3 at Doheny Memorial Library. "It was Martin Luther King who so profoundly observed that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice," Birotte said. His talk, "Protecting Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in 21st Century Los Angeles," introduced his office, which aims to promote justice.

April 24, 2012

The Los Angeles Times featured a study by Professor Dowell Myers of the USC Price School and John Pitkin of USC's Population Dynamics Research Group finding that California's population will grow at a much slower rate than previously predicted. The report was also covered by the United Press International, CBS News Los Angeles affliated KCBS-TV, McClatchy News Service, and Science Daily.

April 23, 2012

The Wall Street Journal quoted Professor Roberto Suro of the USC Price School, USC Annenberg School, and John Pitkin of USC's Population Dynamics Research Group about immigration policies in the United States.

April 23, 2012

United Press International featured research by Adam Rose of the USC Price School about the potential effects of a dirty bomb on Los Angeles. The study found that such a terrorist attack could have a decade-long impact and cost the city nearly $16 billion. The research focused on the psychological effects of a dirty bomb attack. "The economic effects of the public's change in behavior are 15 times more costly than the immediate damage in the wake of a disaster," Rose said. The study was also covered by the Huffington Post, KPCC-FM, NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV, and KNX-AM.

April 22, 2012

USA Todayfeatured a study by Professor Dowell Myers of the USC Price School and John Pitkin of USC's Population Dynamics Research Group finding that California's population will grow at a much slower rate than previously predicted. This could be a boon to state coffers, the story noted. "This is surely good news for local governments and taxpayers who are struggling to keep up with the costs of growth," Myers said. "This is more manageable growth and that's good news for California," he told the Los Angeles Times. The study was covered by a second Los Angeles Times story, a third Los Angeles Times story, Reuters, KPCC-FM, the Sacramento Bee, ABC News Los Angeles affiliate KABC-TV, LA Observed, the Long Beach Press- Telegram, City News Service, and L.A. Weekly .

April 22, 2012

The Fresno Bee quoted Professor Dowell Myers of the USC Price School about home ownership among immigrants.

April 20, 2012

Reuters quoted Professor Richard Little of the USC Price School about public-private partnerships funding road projects.

April 19, 2012

The Orange County Register featured "Rethinking Campaign Finance Reform and Disclosure," a symposium co-hosted by the USC Price School and the Fair Political Practices Commission. Ann Ravel, the commission's chairwoman, told the assembled campaign professionals and good-government advocates that she wants bloggers and other Internet content providers to disclose if they're being paid by political campaigns. The symposium was also covered by the Los Angeles Times, a second Los Angeles Times story, and the Sacramento Bee.

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 18, 2012

The Los Angeles Times quoted Richard Green, USC Price professor and director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, about the Southern California housing market.