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Irvine Center for Public Policy Research

  • UPDATED WEBSITE and New Location

      Click HERE to go to Californiapolicywatch.org       [...]
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    Posted: July 27, 2009, 3:45pm EDT
    by Richard

  • Healthcare Reform: Beyond the $1.6 Trillion Sticker Shock

    Number of comments: 1
    Policy research by Urban Institute Recently, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the Senate Finance Committee’s health reform plan would cost $1.6 trillion over 10 years. The estimate left many in Washington and around the country with sticker shock. Authors Linda Blumberg and John Holahan, of the Urban Institute,  place [...]
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    Posted: July 21, 2009, 3:57pm EDT
    by Richard

  • Proposition 13 – It’s time to close a big tax loophole for businesses

    Number of comments: 1
    From the Los Angeles Times by Michael Hiltzik  Of all the ways in which California residents have slit their fiscal throats over the last 30 years, surely the most inexplicable is the bestowal of a gaping tax loophole on commercial and industrial property owners. The culprit, no surprise, is that 31-year-old wolf in [...]
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    Posted: July 13, 2009, 8:31am EDT
    by Richard

  • Safety Net Effective at Fighting Poverty But Has Weakened for the Very Poorest

    From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities  As mounting job losses threaten to push more Americans into poverty and make poor families still poorer, a new examination of the public benefits system finds that it is more effective in reducing poverty than previously known but has become less effective over [...]
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    Posted: July 07, 2009, 8:47am EDT
    by Richard

  • Federal Election Commission Needs Reform

    Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) recently called on President Obama to replace two FEC commissioners, whose terms have expired, with new appointee’s committed to restoring the FEC’s role as a strong federal campaign finance watchdog. CREW concerns with recent FEC actions include: • Allowing Norm Coleman to use his [...]
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    Posted: July 06, 2009, 10:15am EDT
    by Richard

  • Anaheim’s Curt Pringle

    Anaheim’s mayor found a unique way to reap the benefits of competition to improve city services. By Stephen Goldsmith | April 6, 2009 From Governing Magazine Most conversations about Mayor Curt Pringle’s leadership in Anaheim, California, focus on how Pringle paved the way for a complete transformation of Anaheim’s downtown area by creating [...]
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    Posted: July 06, 2009, 10:00am EDT
    by Richard

  • Legislating Under the Influence – New Report from Common Cause on Health Care Industry Influence

    As the debate over reforming the health care system heats up in Congress, a new report by Common Cause finds that major health care interests are spending more than $1.4 million a day to lobby Capitol Hill so far this year, and that those same health care interests have significantly [...]
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    Posted: June 24, 2009, 10:50am EDT
    by Richard

  • CA Government Reform Poposals

    In the heated and partisan exchanges over the California budget, we often hear politicians complain that the California state structure is “fundamentally flawed” and that “restructuring” will be needed to fix the systemic issues that contribute to our inability to correct our long-term fiscal problems. The California Public Policy Institute has a [...]
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    Posted: June 24, 2009, 10:00am EDT
    by Richard

  • CA Budget Proposal Comparisons

    A Comparison of the Governor’s May Proposals and the Budget Conference Committee’s Proposals Analysis by the California Budget Project The CBP has published a table outlining major differences between the actions approved by the Conference Committee and the Governor’s May proposals. Details of the Conference Committee actions are based on summaries provided [...]
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    Posted: June 24, 2009, 9:22am EDT
    by Richard

  • FCC Nominee Opposes Fairness Doctrine

    In 1949, the Federal Communications Commission created the so-called the Fairness Doctrine. This policy was intended to ensure that federally-licensed radio and television stations using public airwaves, “provide a reasonable opportunity for the presentation of contrasting viewpoints” on “vitally important controversial issues.” The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the Fairness Doctrine:  A license permits broadcasting, [...]
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    Posted: June 17, 2009, 10:51am EDT
    by Richard

  • Torture, the painful truth

    COMMENTARY By Ben Ehrenreich – From the LA Times  It may be a blow to our self-image, but torture has been part of the American way for decades. Perhaps we protest too much. Torture, after all, is a venerable American tradition. If not quite as homespun as apple pie or lynching, it is [...]
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    Posted: June 15, 2009, 9:04am EDT
    by Richard

  • Homeland Security Report on Domestic “Radicalization and Recruitment”

    Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment. Key Findings: Threats from white supremacist and violent anti-government groups during 2009 have been largely rhetorical and have not indicated plans to carry out violent acts. Nevertheless, the consequences of a prolonged economic downturn—including real estate foreclosures, unemployment, and [...]
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    Posted: June 14, 2009, 4:07pm EDT
    by Richard

  • Prop 13 Reform Effort Launched in California

    Capitol Alert is reporting on the latest effort to reform California Proposition 13. When Prop 13 passed in 1978 it resulted in a cap on property tax rates in the state, reducing them by an average of 57%. In addition to lowering property taxes, the initiative also contained language requiring a [...]
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    Posted: May 28, 2009, 8:20pm EDT
    by Richard

  • A National Sales Tax?

    The Washington Post is reporting that interest is growing among some Washington policymakers for a possible national sales tax, also knownn as a Value-Added Tax (VAT). There is a growing awareness of the need for fundamental tax reform,” Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said in an interview. “I think a VAT and a [...]
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    Posted: May 28, 2009, 9:04am EDT
    by Richard

  • Same-sex Marriage Initiative Gathering Signatures in CA for 2010 Ballot

    Reinstates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. Initiative Constitutional Amendment Circulation Deadline: 08/17/09 Signatures Required: 694,354 Repeals the current provision in California’s Constitution that states only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Provides that the initiative is not intended, and shall not be interpreted, to [...]
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    Posted: May 27, 2009, 9:01am EDT
    by Richard

  • What You Need to Know About Supreme Court Nominations

    Graphic showing the Supreme Court Justice nomination process from Open Congress Posted in National, Public policy Tagged: Public policy, Senate Judicary, Supreme court confirmation process, Supreme court nomination [...]
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    Posted: May 27, 2009, 8:35am EDT
    by Richard

  • Great Park Takes Shape

    Orange County’s mega-park clears one hurdle but hits others Reprinted from Government magazine Ask 10 people what a park should be, and you’re likely to get 10 different answers. Some think parks are for strolling, hiking, bicycling or rollerblading. Others envision gardens, fountains and manicured lawns. A park can be a place [...]
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    Posted: May 20, 2009, 10:25am EDT
    by Richard

  • The Myth of Private-sector Performance Pay

    From the Economic Policy Institute Proponents of pay-for-performance for teachers argue that such compensation models are ubiquitous in the private sector. For example, billionaire housing entrepreneur Eli Broad recently asserted that he “could not think of any other profession that does not have any rewards for excellence.” However, a new EPI [...]
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    Posted: May 14, 2009, 7:21pm EDT
    by Richard

  • CA Gov Proposes the sale of OC fairgrounds

    From the Orange County Regsiter Documents obtained by The Orange County Register show that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger WILL propose that the state sell the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa as part of an “extraordinary” response to extraordinarily tough times. The 43 pages in documents show that the governor is planning to [...]
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    Posted: May 14, 2009, 5:01pm EDT
    by Richard

  • Who’s Behind the Financial Meltdown?

    From the Center for Public Integrity The top subprime lenders whose loans are largely blamed for triggering the global economic meltdown were owned or backed by giant banks now collecting billions of dollars in bailout money, according to Who’s Behind the Financial Meltdown? a new investigation by the Center for Public [...]
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    Posted: May 08, 2009, 8:13am EDT
    by Richard

  • Congress Looks to Investigate Wall Street

    From OpenCongress The House of Representatives is expected to follow the Senate’s lead in approving legislation to establish a bipartisan Financial Markets Commission, made up of lawyers, economists and regulators, to examine the causes, both global and domestic, of the economic crisis. The commission is being already being referred to as a [...]
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    Posted: May 05, 2009, 12:59pm EDT
    by Richard

  • CA Senate Bill 93 Altering Redevelopment Law A Concern to Cities

    From the League of California Cities Senate Bill Altering Redevelopment Law Remains of Concern to Cities For the last month the California Redevelopment Association (CRA) and the League have been involved in an effort to negotiate and resolve issues associated with SB 93 (Kehoe), a bill which contains provisions which would expose [...]
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    Posted: May 03, 2009, 6:15pm EDT
    by Richard

  • A Call for Lobbyist Registration and Disclosure in Orange County

    Orange Juice has a good post below on the need for registration of lobbyists in Orange County. Lobbyists have had the run of Orange County for far too long.  In fact Orange County doesn’t even demand that they register with the County – and the public has no idea who these [...]
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    Posted: May 01, 2009, 10:17am EDT
    by Richard

  • House Passes Consumer Credit Card Protection Bill

    Number of comments: 1
    H.R. 627 – Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Act of 2009 From Bloomberg The legislation, which also imposes limits on card interest rates and fees, passed by a vote of 357-70. President Barack Obama supports the measure, and it may be taken up by the Senate next week. “Very soon this will be [...]
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    Posted: April 30, 2009, 4:08pm EDT
    by Richard

  • Some Seek Tighter Limits On Condemnation Of Blighted Property

    The Wall Street Journal  reports on efforts to limit the reach of the US Supreme Court’s ruling in Kelo v. City of New London in which it ruled that “governments also can take property for the purpose of promoting ‘economic development,’ a broader justification than the court had previously allowed.” [...]
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    Posted: April 30, 2009, 8:36am EDT
    by Richard

  • Cap and Trade 101 - a Policy Brief

    From American Progress The goal: To steadily reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions economy-wide in a cost-effective manner. The cap: Each large-scale emitter, or company, will have a limit on the amount of greenhouse gas that it can emit. The firm must have an “emissions permit” for every ton of [...]
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    Posted: April 29, 2009, 7:23pm EDT
    by Richard

  • House Passes Hate Crimes Prevention Bill

    The House of Representatives has voted 249-179 to approve The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, H.R. 1913. President Obama had issued a statement urging support saying the bill will “protect all of our citizens from violent acts of intolerance” and “enhance civil rights protections. Critics concerned that bill creates “new [...]
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    Posted: April 29, 2009, 2:21pm EDT
    by Richard

  • Are Community Land Trusts the Solution to the Foreclosure Crisis?

    From Project Foreclosure Can new public policy and homeowner education plans stem the worst of the foreclosure crisis? The National Community Land Trust Network and Lincoln Institute of Land Policy believe they can. According to their report: “Owned by nonprofits, CLTs lease the land and typically sell the buildings on the land [...]
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    Posted: April 28, 2009, 8:07pm EDT
    by Richard

  • CA Statewide Special Election, May 19, 2009

    On May 19th, voters  in California will decide the outcome of six statewide propositions placed on the ballot by the California State Legislature to help with the state’s growing budget deficit and financial crisis. Here is a brief summary of the propositions on the ballot:   PROPOSITION 1A: State Budget. Changes California Budget Process. [...]
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    Posted: April 22, 2009, 2:54pm EDT
    by Richard

  • Political Fundraising Steams Past Billion Dollar Milestone

    From the CA Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) A new report released by the state’s campaign finance watchdog revealed that politicians vying for legislative and statewide office raised more than $1 billion since voters capped the size of direct campaign contributions. The Fair Political Practices Commission’s report, “The Billion Dollar Money Train,” [...]
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    Posted: April 13, 2009, 1:55pm EDT
    by Richard

  •  Welcome to the first edition of ...

     Welcome to the first edition of Policy 2.0 where we will comment on important public policy articles, posts, blogs, research papers and commentaries written by others online.  In this feature, we will offer summaries and links to posts we think are important. The Irvine Center for Public Public Policy Research is a nonpartisan and [...]
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    Posted: April 03, 2009, 9:13am EDT
    by Richard

  • 2009 CA Budget Challenge - Write your own online CA budget!

    The nonpartisan Next 10 has launched its 2009 online write-your-own California budget web site: www.next10.org/challenge/ Some of you may recall that this group started the budget challenge a few yeas ago in an effort to help Californians understand the trade-offs required to balance a state budget. Next10 even has a roadshow [...]
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    Posted: April 02, 2009, 12:10pm EDT
    by Richard

  • What the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Means for Your City

    On Feb. 17, President Barack Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The ARRA’s purpose is to: Preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery Assist those most impacted by the recession Provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health Invest [...]
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    Posted: April 02, 2009, 8:39am EDT
    by Richard

  • California State Sales Tax One of the Highest in Nation

    At a time when one of out of ten Californians are unemployed and the nation is in the midst of the deepest recession since the 1930’s, the State of California recently increased its sales tax by 1% making it one of the highest in the nation and increasing costs on all [...]
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    Posted: April 01, 2009, 10:56am EDT
    by Richard

  • US Infrastructure at Risk

    Reprinted from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Jon Schmitz The nation has gone backward in the last four years from an already sorry performance in maintaining vital infrastructure, a national engineers group reported recently. America’s infrastructure rates a cumulative grade of D,” the American Society of Civil Engineers said, citing delayed maintenance and chronic [...]
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    Posted: March 26, 2009, 8:55am EDT
    by Richard

  • The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

    The U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a law ensuring public access to U.S. government records. FOIA carries a presumption of disclosure; the burden is on the government - not the public - to substantiate why information may not be released. Upon written request, agencies of the United States [...]
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    Posted: March 22, 2009, 9:12pm EDT
    by Richard

  • Data Point: CA Unemployment at 20-Year High

    California unemployment has more than doubled over the past two years, from a low of 4.8 percent in November 2006, to 6.2 percent in February 2008, to 10.1 percent in January and to 10.5 percent in February 2009. In percentage terms, it rose 69 percent over the past year, which [...]
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    Posted: March 22, 2009, 9:00pm EDT
    by Richard

  • Planned Parenthood Gets 30 Day Notice from OC Supervisors

    The Orange County Board of Supervisors plans to cut funding to Planned Parenthood. Posted in Orange County, Public policy, Video Tagged: Abortion, Healthcare, OC Supervisors, Orange County, Orange County Politics, public policy video, reproductive rights [...]
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    Posted: March 18, 2009, 7:35pm EDT
    by Richard

  • Strengthen Think Tank Accountability

    By: J.H. Snider. Published in Politico February 3, 2009 Every time there is a presidential transition, we are reminded of the power of think tanks, as dozens of administration officials and think tank employees switch jobs. Consider John Podesta. After serving as President Bill Clinton’s chief of staff, he became a [...]
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    Posted: March 18, 2009, 8:38am EDT
    by Richard

  • You-Tube Congress Channel - Grassley on Healthcare

    You-tube now allows members of the U.S Senate and House of Representatives to post video’s and share their positions on important public policy and polictical matters. I would encourage you to check it out on you-tube. Meanwhile, we will occasionally post a video from the Senate or House You-tube Hub.   In this [...]
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    Posted: March 18, 2009, 8:20am EDT
    by Richard

  • Sunshine Week - Citizen Access to Government Information

    What is Sunshine Week? Sunshine Week is a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries, non-profits, schools and others interested in the public’s right to know. Sunshine Week is led by the [...]
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    Posted: March 16, 2009, 3:19pm EDT
    by Richard

  • CA Special Election May 19th - Analysis of Proposition 1A

    On May 19, 2009  the state of California will hold a special election with six statewide propositions on the ballot. Here is an analysis of proposition 1A as provided by the California State Legislative Analyst’s Office. Proposition 1A - State Finance This measure would make major changes to the way in which the state [...]
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    Posted: March 12, 2009, 1:48pm EDT
    by Richard

  • CA Supreme Court Hears Prop 8 Arguments

    An overview of the arguments made to the California Supreme Court on March 5, 2009 Posted in California, Public policy Tagged: California politics, California propositions, California public policy, civil rights, gay marriage, public policy video [...]
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    Posted: March 06, 2009, 9:14am EST
    by Richard

  • Bank Nationalization: A Report from the Brookings Institution

    Bank nationalization is the topic “du jour” in Washington and on Wall Street. Citigroup has essentially proposed a partial nationalization that would give the government 30-40% ownership. The stock market, for its part, is so concerned about the possibility of wider bank nationalizations that key Administration and Fed officials are [...]
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    Posted: February 25, 2009, 7:41pm EST
    by Richard

  • CA Government Reform Effort Targets 2/3 Budget Rule

    California opinion leaders who turned out recently at a forum on government reforms said their top priority is getting rid of the Legislature’s requirement for a two-thirds vote to approve state budgets and taxes, which has been blamed for record-long budget delays. The supermajority rule and the mammoth effort it took the [...]
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    Posted: February 25, 2009, 5:16pm EST
    by Richard

  • CA Poll shows wide-open races for governor in 2010

    Democrat Dianne Feinstein enjoys a comfortable lead over all comers in a hypothetical 2010 gubernatorial match-up, according to a new Capitol Weekly/Probolsky Research poll. On the Republican side, a wide-open race shows former eBay CEO Meg Whitman and former Congressman Tom Campbell ahead in a very early measure of support. Campbell [...]
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    Posted: February 07, 2009, 8:26pm EST
    by Richard

  • CA Survey: 75% Say State Moving in Wrong Direction

    Number of comments: 1
    A majority of Californians support President Barack Obama’s economic recovery plan and see it as important in meeting the state’s infrastructure needs, according to a survey released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) with funding from The James Irvine Foundation. As Obama begins his presidency, Californians express both [...]
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    Posted: January 29, 2009, 8:01pm EST
    by Richard

  • Data Point: Job Creation Declines Sharply

    Number of comments: 1
    Data Point: Job Creation Declines Sharply [...]
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    Posted: January 10, 2009, 8:43pm EST
    by Richard

  • Number of Homeless Families Climbing Due to Recession

    The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has released a new paper, “Number of Homeless Families Climbing  Due to  Recession;  Recovery Package Should Include New Housing Vouchers and Other Measures to Prevent Homelessness” In the next few years, the nation is likely to experience the sharpest increases in severe poverty in over 30 [...]
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    Posted: January 08, 2009, 7:29pm EST
    by Richard

  • Leveraging Infrastructure Investment Now and for the Future

    By the Brookings Institute - Members of Congress and the new administration are currently debating a recovery plan that could direct hundreds of billions of dollars towards infrastructure to help put Americans back to work and get our economy moving by rebuilding our roads, bridges, and mass transit systems. Though state governments [...]
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    Posted: January 04, 2009, 8:55pm EST
    by Richard
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