New America in California
 

BIG IDEAS FOR CALIFORNIA

The Energy Security for American Families initiative will give moderate-income families the power to control their energy costs over the long term. Offering a combination of vouchers, low-interest loans, and market-based incentives, ESAF will enable working families to invest in energy-efficient cars, homes, and commutes. These families will be able to save money, year after year, gaining economic security. More

Support New America in California

Your tax-deductible gift will help bring promising new voices and ideas into California's discourse, and help shape the future of vital public policies.

California Books


Steven Hill
2006

Two Big Ideas for Reform in California

Seal of the State of CaliforniaCalifornians are frustrated and are calling for reform. Two big ideas advanced by the New America Foundation are at the center of the debate: a California constitutional convention and proportional representation for the electoral system.

The call for a California constitutional convention is growing. But how would the delegates be chosen? In this short and informative memo, Steven Hill outlines three possible methods for delegate selection as well as other important details for a constitutional convention.

California is a state of many distinct regions. To give citizens a voice on regional issues and to reinvigorate California's Legislature, Mark Paul and Micah Weinberg propose Personalized Full Representation for the 21st Century (PFR21), a system of representation by means of regionally based legislative elections that will allow the state's citizens to set the agenda for their regions and for the state as a whole.

Publications

The Little Unions That Couldn't

T.A. Frank | The Washington Monthly | November 6, 2009

The Perfect Lieutenant Governor: Me

Dear Gov. Schwarzenegger,

I hear you're searching for a new lieutenant governor. If I may be so bold, I can think of one Californian who is the right fit for the job.

Me.

Now that Lt. Gov. John Garamendi is vacating the office to take a seat in Congress, I know you're considering smart politicians of both parties. But selecting a proven leader would be a terrible mistake. Someone with real experience in government would be frustrated by the utter powerlessness and insignificance of the lieutenant governor's… more

Joe Mathews | Los Angeles Times | November 6, 2009

Don't Count Illegal Immigrants? That Doesn't Add Up

Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, has introduced legislation that, if passed, would instruct the U.S. Census Bureau not to take into account illegal immigrants and other noncitizens in the 2010 census. I'm all for it. Furthermore, I propose that the government no longer recognize deficits in budgets, record violent crimes in police reports, acknowledge casualties of war or count -- let alone give proper names! -- to hurricanes in weather reports.

Gregory Rodriguez | Los Angeles Times | November 2, 2009

The Conversation: Cut Health Costs? Here's A Prescription

There is widespread agreement that if federal health care reform passes, making it work will depend in great part on getting a handle on spiraling medical costs that already consume nearly one of every five dollars spent in the United States.

Micah Weinberg | Sacramento Bee | October 31, 2009

Romania's Amnesia-induced Ambivalence

Three weeks ago, when the Nobel committee awarded its literature prize to Romanian writer Herta Muller, it lauded her courageous and unflinching fictional portraits of "daily life in a stagnated dictatorship" in communist Romania. What they did not mention, however, was Muller's ongoing nonfictional critique of the leadership of post-communist Romania.

Gregory Rodriguez | Los Angeles Times | October 26, 2009

More:

All Publications | All Related Content | Program RSS Feed RSS feed for this program

Events

CA EVENT: The Future of Early Education Systems in California (Pre K-3rd)

As California struggles to close persistent achievement gaps, it is increasingly apparent that these gaps exist at school entry and that efforts to improve the early education systems (PreK-3rd) are warranted.   Please join us in the release of "On the Cusp in California: How PreK-3rd Strategies Could Improve Education in the Golden State," a policy paper from New America's Early Education Initiative that highlights key strategies for creating a more seamless system for early learning in California.

10/29/2009 - 11:30am
10/29/2009 - 1:00pm

CA EVENT: Updating California's Poverty Measure

The California Asset Building program hosted a policy roundtable discussion Wednesday October 14 in the State Capitol on updating the antiquated and misleading way we measure poverty. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Director of Poverty Research, Mark Levitan, led Assembly and Senate staff in the in-depth discussion (view his presentation here). Last year, New York City enacted an updated and improved poverty measure based on recommendations made by the National Academy of Sciences.
10/14/2009 - 12:00pm
10/14/2009 - 1:30pm

CA EVENT: Governors' Global Climate Summit 2

Following up on last year's successful Summit, we will continue to expand our network of subnational collaboration to stimulate economic growth, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, create green jobs, promote clean energy solutions, and reduce greenhouse gas pollution.

09/29/2009 - 12:00pm
10/02/2009 - 6:00pm

CA EVENT: Pop-Up Magazine 2

"Heavy with bold-faced names... fast, loose, often funny, and wholly unpredictable." San Francisco Chronicle 

09/25/2009 - 7:00pm
09/25/2009 - 9:30pm

CA EVENT: Asia Resurgent?

Please join us in a lunch discussion featuring two dynamic authors. Nicholas Schmidle, author of To Live or to Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan will discuss the most recent and turbulent period of Pakistan’s history. His observations provide a contemporary history of this country at a time when President Pervez Musharraf’s power was waning and the Taliban’s was growing, and when Americans began to realize that Pakistan’s fate is inextricably linked with our own.

09/16/2009 - 12:00pm
09/16/2009 - 1:30pm

More:

All Events | All Related Content | Program RSS Feed RSS feed for this program

About Us

California Flag California has long been the nation’s leading laboratory of democracy, setting trends for the country as a whole and providing a testing ground for new policy ideas. New America has established a substantial presence in California, with the dual purpose of introducing cutting-edge solutions to the state’s foremost challenges and of enriching the quality of California’s public debate.

California today is undergoing unprecedented change, driven by rapid population growth, increasing ethnic diversity and new patterns of economic activity. These changes place enormous pressure on the state’s budget, schools, housing and infrastructure, as well as on California’s system of governance, which is in urgent need of reform.

Thanks to support from the James Irvine Foundation, New America has launched a multifaceted program to address these daunting problems. New America’s California Program appoints seven California-based Fellows per year, and houses New America’s Political Reform Program. In addition, it pursues state-specific initiatives in conjunction with New America’s national Asset Building, Education and Health Policy Programs, in each case crafting innovative solutions that can overcome California’s polarized, political debate.

New America’s staff and Fellows are regularly invited to brief California’s Governor, key legislators and their staff. This has led to the introduction of several pieces of important, bipartisan legislation. Meanwhile, our California-based staff and Fellows have published hundreds of articles in all of the state’s leading publications, contributing fresh ideas for meeting California’s most pressing public needs.

A more-detailed program description is available here.

Staff and Fellows

California Program

Asset Building Program

California Education Program

Political Reform Program

Climate Policy Program

California Fellows Program

Click on any name above for more information.

CALIFORNIA VIDEO PLAYLIST


Media Contact in California

For California press inquiries, please contact:

Elizabeth Wu
Manager, California Media
(510) 295-9859
wu@newamerica.net

California Staff & Fellows

Leif Wellington Haase

Leif Wellington Haase Director, California Program

Leif Wellington Haase is Director of New America's California Program, which aims to improve the state's public debate by sponsoring a wide range of research, writing, and events on issues of critical importance to the future of California. His primary responsibilities include promoting the work of New America's programs and… more

Areas of Expertise: Education, Fiscal Policy, Health Policy, Political Reform, Retirement Security, Trade & Globalization
For New America's complete Experts Guide, please click here.

Follow Us

TwitterYouTube
FlickrUstream

 
New America in California, 921 11th Street, Suite 901, Sacramento, CA 95814
http://www.newamerica.net/california

New America content carries a Creative Commons license, which permits non-commercial re-use when proper attribution is provided. For additional information, please visit http://www.newamerica.net/about/copyright

This site carries a Creative Commons license, which permits non-commercial re-use of New America content when proper attribution is provided. Please click on this image for more details.