SPPD In the News

Demographic Changes May Favor Democrats, Myers Says
SPPD Professor Dowell Myers was quoted in a recent New York Times story about demographic changes that may favor Democrats. A younger, native-born Latino generation that has a tendency to support Democrats is coming of age, Myers said.
» Read the complete New York Times article.

Rising Oil Prices Make U.S. Car Manufacturers Think Small
Professor Lisa Schweitzer was quoted in a Chicago Tribune story about U.S. car manufacturers increasingly offering smaller vehicles. "It's about time," Schweitzer said. "Gas had to almost hit $5 before they started waking up." Consumers accustomed to big vehicles will chafe at giving up the space and convenience features that typically come in SUVs and large cars, but climbing gas prices will steer more buyers to smaller vehicles and engines, she added. "A lot of people will have to downsize because of fuel prices."
» Read the complete Chicago Tribune article.

Jeffe Dissects Congressional Efforts to Allow Offshore Drilling
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.
» Read the complete Congressional Quarterly article.

Painter Examines Effects of Bank Mergers on Consumers, Industry
Gary Painter was quoted in a recent La Opinion story about the impact of bank mergers on consumers. In the short term, mergers can have a positive effect on the industry, in that they can prevent institutions from going bankrupt, but in the long term, it's better for consumers to have more options, Painter said. An abundance of "giants" poses dangers for the industry, he added.
» Read the complete La Opinion article.

More than 9 Million Latinos Expected to Head to Polls in November, According to TRPI
A recent Arizona Republic story cited the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at USC, which predicts that 9.3 million Latinos will cast ballots in the November general election.
» Read the complete Arizona Republic article.

Green Discusses Government's Intervention with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Richard Green, director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, was quoted in a San Jose Mercury News story about whether the government¹s intervention in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will result in changes to underwriting guidelines at the companies. Such changes are very unlikely because of the government's plan to step in if the companies need help, Green said. Lending standards are already tight at Freddie and Fannie, and the loans they back aren't the risky sub-prime loans that have sunk the housing market, he added. However, government intervention to bolster Freddie and Fannie could eventually lead to higher rates for loans if new, proposed oversight by the Federal Reserve required the two companies to raise more capital, Green said.
» Read the complete San Jose Mercury News article.

USC Keston Institute to Review Port's Findings on Magnetic Levitation Train Systems
A Long Beach Press-Telegram story reported that USC's Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy will provide third-party review for the Port of Long Beach Harbor Commission's findings regarding maglev train systems.
» Read the complete Long Beach Press-Telegram article.

SPPD Professor Presents Immigration Research to State Lawmakers
Professor Dowell Myers served as an expert witness before the California Senate Select Committee on Immigration and the Economy on June 9. His testimony before state lawmakers was featured on BBC Radio World Service. Myers' research suggests that immigrants can help fill the gap left in the work force as aging baby boomers retire, the BBC story noted. "People view immigration as being a problem about immigrants, but really our problem today is not immigrants but is the rest of us," Myers said. "The number of seniors is skyrocketing. We have to figure out how we're going to live in an aging society. Immigrants are part of the solution, they're not the problem."
» Read the complete article.

Alumnus Pledges $50,000 Toward Newland Professorship in Public Administration
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development announced today that alumnus Dr. Kenneth Macias pledged $50,000 toward the school's Chester A. Newland Endowed Professorship in Public Administration at the USC State Capital Center in Sacramento.
» Read the complete article.

SPPD Students Sweep Fellowship Awards
In an unprecedented sweep, all three recipients of the William A. Carlson Fellowship award – presented by the California Redevelopment Agency in March – are current students at SPPD.
» Read the complete article.

SPPD Alumnus Is Committed to Giving Back to Community — and SPPD
Jim Lewis vividly remembers the kind of enriching "family environment" present at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development during his undergraduate years more than a decade ago. "Faculty members exposed me to things I never would have imagined,” Lewis said. “They invested in me." Now, he's returning the favor. Lewis, the 33-year-old the assistant city manager of Atascadero, Calif., recently donated a $250,000 insurance trust to SPPD.
» Read the complete article.