1852 - "William Brown Ide, the first and only 'President' of the California Republic ... died in Monroeville in 1852 of smallpox.... On June 14, 1846, the Bear Flag was raised and (William Brown) Ide was chosen to lead the new California Republic. After 24 days, the Bear Flaggers learned that the United States had declared war on Mexico. On July 9th, they raised the American flag and joined with the U.S. forces to capture the rest of California. The Bear Flag Revolt: The First Step in California's March to Statehood "  http://www.colusi.org/linked/html/bear_flag_revolt  

1852 - "After the war, (William Brown) Ide returned to his Rancho de la Barranca Colorada near present-day Red Bluff, California. He made a fortune in the Northern Mines in the lull between the discovery of gold in 1848 and the Gold Rush of 1849…. At the time of his death in Monroeville, California in 1852, he held several elective and appointive offices in the government of Colusa county in Northern California. Bear Flag Revolt: The First Step in California's March to Statehood "  http://www.colusi.org/linked/html/bear_flag_revolt  

Studies in the News is a very current compilation of items significant to the Legislature and Governor's Office. It is created weekly by the State Library's Research Bureau to supplement the public policy debate in California’s Capitol. To help share the latest information with state policymakers, these reading lists are now being made accessible through the State Library’s website. This week's list of current articles in various public policy areas is presented below.

Service to State Employees:

• When available, the URL for the full text of each item is provided.

• Items in the State Library collection can be checked out to state officials and staff.

• Access to all materials listed will be provided by the State Information Reference Center, either by e-mail to cslsirc@library.ca.gov or by calling 654-0261.

CALIFORNIA READER

South Los Angeles Rising: Opportunities for Economic Self-Sufficiency Ten Years after the 1992 Civil Unrest. By Mark Drayse and Daniel Flaming, Economic Roundtable. Economic Roundtable Briefing Paper. (The Roundtable, Los Angeles, California) April 2002. 15 p.

["Legacy of the Riots: 1992-2002; Four Corners Tell South L.A. Tale: Poverty and blight still haunt key intersections, but bright spots in the business landscape also are found... The parts of South Los Angeles that were most vibrant before the riots have shown clear improvement. Banks have stepped up small-business and mortgage lending." Los Angeles Times (April 23, 2002) A1.]

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California Metropatterns: A Regional Agenda for Community and Stability in California. By Myron Orfield and Thomas Luce, Metropolitan Area Research Corporation. (The Corporation, Minneapolis, Minnesota) April 2002. 51 p.

Full Text at: www.metroresearch.org/maps/region_maps/CA%20web%20layout%20FINAL.pdf

["The Regional Future: This study shows that the communities most at risk in the current system are two groups of suburbs -- older suburbs whose tax bases are growing slowly and whose retail centers are losing out to the big boxes at the fringes; and growing bedroom suburbs without regional tax generators and faced with all the costs of population growth." Sacramento Bee (June 16, 2002) 1.]

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"Postcard Perfect: Despite the High-Tech Slowdown, Business Prospects in the West Continue to Shine." By Kurt Badenhausen. IN: Forbes, vol. 169, no. 13 (May 27, 2002) pp. 126-129.

Full Text at: www.forbes.com/2002/05/09/bestplaces.html

["In the fourth annual Forbes/Milken Institute Best Places for Business and Careers, California has grabbed six of the ten top spots, one more than last year. With over $1 trillion worth of goods and services produced each year, the Golden State generates 13% of total GDP in the U.S., making it the world's fifth-largest economy.... San Diego, ranked number 8 last year, rose to the top this year."]

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE & LAW ENFORCEMENT

JAILS

Jail Suicides Reach Record Pace in State. By John Johnson. IN: Los Angeles Times (June 16, 2002) Alt

["Incarceration: Last year, 38 inmates killed themselves. Some experts blame the recent surge on forcing more of the mentally ill behind bars.... The death toll was a sharp rise over the 23 suicides recorded in 2000. It also surpassed the previous high of 37, recorded nearly 20 years ago before sweeping reforms were adopted to identify suicidal arrestees and keep them under close supervision."]

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Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994. By Patrick J. Langan and David J. Levine, Bureau of Justice Statistics NCJ 193427. (The Bureau, Washington, DC) June 2002. 16 p.

Full Text at: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/rpr94.pdf

["Reports on the rearrest, reconviction, and reincarceration of former inmates who were tracked for 3 years after their release from prisons in 15 States in 1994. The former inmates represent two-thirds of all prisoners released in the United States that year. The report includes prisoner demographic characteristics (gender, race, Hispanic origin, and age), criminal record, types of offenses for which they were imprisoned, the effects of length of stay in prison on likelihood of rearrest, and comparisons with a study of prisoners released in 1983.]

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Homeland Security: Key Elements to Unify Efforts Are Underway but Uncertainty Remains. By U. S. General Accounting Office. (The Office, Washington, DC) June 2002. 37 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-02-610

["The homeland security efforts of public and private entities do not yet represent a unified approach, although key supporting elements for such an approach are emerging.... In the interim, the potential exists for an uncoordinated approach to homeland security that may lead to duplication of efforts or gaps in coverage, misallocation of resources, and inadequate monitoring of expenditures."]

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The Implications of the September 11 Terrorist Attacks for California: A Collection of Issue Papers. Edited by K. Jack Riley and Mark Hanson, Rand Criminal Justice. Prepared for the Speaker of the California Assembly. (RAND, Santa Monica) 2002. 86 p.

Full Text at: www.rand.org/publications/IP/IP223/IP223.pdf

["We present a subset of the topics we collectively chose in this volume: terrorism's impact on the travel and tourism industry ... implications of the attacks for the airline industry ... consequences of the attacks for insurance markets ... the state's preparedness for bioterror attacks ... access to, and control of dangerous biological materials [and] the psychological effects of terrorism in California."]

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CULTURE AND SOCIETY

CULTURAL POLICY

Cataclysm and Challenge: Impact of September 11, 2001 on Our Nation's Cultural Heritage. By Ruth Hargraves, Heritage Preservation, Inc. (Heritage Preservation, New York, New York) 2002. 32 p.

["This report offer[s] the first comprehensive study of what was lost -- both in Lower Manhattan and at the Pentagon on September 11. The report also highlights findings obtained from a survey conducted in the months immediately following September 2001 that included museums, libraries, archives and other collecting institutions in Lower Manhattan. It reveals significant lessons that may help protect our nation's cultural heritage from future disasters." Cultural Policy Listserv (June 12, 2002) 1.]

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Immigration Enforcement: Challenges to Implementing the INS Interior Enforcement Strategy. By U. S. General Accounting Office. (The Office, Washington, DC) June 2002. 10 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-02-861T

["The report points out that 'historically, Congress and INS have devoted over five times more resources in terms of staff and budget on border enforcement than on interior enforcement.'... Noting that INS's interior enforcement mission is considerable, GAO, nevertheless, found that INS must address these management and technology issues if the program is to achieve its full potential." California Capitol Hill Bulletin (June 20, 2002) 2.]

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DEMOGRAPHY

CENSUS

Los Angeles Area Census 2000 Statistical Compilation: Covering Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties. By the Economic Information and Research Development, Los Angeles County Economics Development Corporation. (The Corporation, Los Angeles, California) June 2002. 142 p.

Full Text at: www.e-edge.org/special/Census2000-LA5.pdf

[Includes: "Basic Demographic Data: Racial Composition ... Gender and Age ... Housing Situation ... Social Characteristics: School Enrollment and Education ... Nativity and Place of Birth ... Language Spoken at Home ... Economic Characteristics: Employment Status ... Daily Commute ... Occupation ...Family Income ... Poverty Rate ... Housing Characteristics: Housing Age and Resident Tenure [and others]"]

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Los Angeles County Census 2000 Statistical Compilation. By Economic Information and Research Development and Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. (The Corporation, Los Angeles, California) June 2002. 74 p.

Full Text at: www.e-edge.org/special/Census2000-LAC.pdf

[Includes: "Basic Demographic Data: Racial Composition ... Social Characteristics: School Enrollment and Education ... Nativity and Place of Birth ... Language Spoken at Home ... Economic Characteristics: Employment Status ... Daily Commute ... Household Income ... Poverty Rate ... Housing Characteristics: Housing Structure and Density ... Housing Age and Resident Tenure ... [and others]"]

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Understanding the Future of Californian's Fertility: The Role of Immigrants. By Laura E. Hill and Hans P. Johnson. Public Policy Institute of California (The Institute, San Francisco, California) 2002. 97 p.

Full Text at: www.ppic.org/publications/PPIC158/index.html

["U.S. born children of immigrants will likely have substantially lower birth rates than their parents, and this birth pattern could significantly lower population growth projections for the state." PPIC Quarterly (July 2002)1.]

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ECONOMY

CONSUMER PROTECTION

American Financial Services Association v. City of Oakland and Redevelopment Agency of the City of Oakland. Alameda County Superior Court. No. 2001-027338. June 21, 2002. 19 p.

["Superior Court Judge James Richman ruled that the Oakland ordinance is not pre-empted by state law, the argument made by the American Financial Services Association.... Oakland was the first California city to target predatory lending-high-cost loans.... Oakland's ordinance goes further than state law by requiring borrowers to receive counseling prior to closing a high-cost loan." San Francisco Chronicle(June 25, 2002). B2.]

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Risk or Race? Racial Disparities and the Subprime Refinance Market. By Calvin Bradford, Calvin Bradford & Associates. Prepared for the Center for Community Change. (The Center, Washington DC) May 2002. 106 p.

Full Text at: www.communitychange.org/NRP/Risk%20or%20Race,%205-02.pdf

["In its most surprising finding, the study said that the racial disparities increased as homeowners' salaries rose. Among households that made at least 120 percent of the typical income in their metropolitan area, 32 percent of blacks held high-interest, or subprime, loans while only 11 percent of whites did. Among households that made 80 percent or less of the typical local salary, 56 percent of blacks had subprime loans and 25 percent of whites did." New York Times (May 1 2002) 1.]

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Year-By-Year Analysis of the Bush Tax Cuts Shows Growing Tilt to the Very Rich. By Citizens for Tax Justice. (The Institute, Washington, DC) June 12, 2002. 5 p.

Full Text at: www.ctj.org/pdf/gwb0602.pdf

["A new study reveals...for the first time who stands to benefit from the 2001-enacted Bush tax cuts in each year from 2001 through 2010." Electronic Policy Network (June 29, 2002)1.]

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EDUCATION

ACCOUNTABILITY

Testing the Testers 2002: An Annual Ranking of State Accountability System Executive Summary. By The Princeton Review. (The Review, New York, New York) June 2002. 46 p.; Appendices.

Full Text at: www.review.com/stateStudy/pushPdf.cfm?file=1

["During the Winter of 2001-2002, The Princeton Review conducted this first Annual Ranking of State Accountability Systems.... The emphasis is on the complete accountability system: is it consistent, secure, open to public scrutiny, and flexible enough to improve over time? Does it allow schools flexibility in how they meet standards? ... The mid-ranked state, Utah, received a raw score of 130 out of a possible 200, while the ten bottom-ranked programs all had scores of 97 or lower.... [California received a raw score of 133.50, ranking 21st.]"]

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Class Size Reduction, Teacher Quality, and Academic Achievement in California Public Elementary Schools. By Christopher Jepsen and Steven Rivkin. Public Policy Institute of California. (The Institute, San Francisco, California) 2002. 136 p.

Full Text at: www.ppic.org/publications/PPIC161/ppic161fulltext.pdf

["California's $1 billion-a-year experiment with class- size reduction isn't producing the monumental benefits lawmakers had hoped for, according to a new study.... Overall, schools that reduced their average class size by 10 students saw the number of 3rd graders with test scores above the national median jump by only 3% to 4%. Although the numbers seem surprising, the weak improvements can be attributed to the statewide teaching shortage, caused in part by the class-size reduction law." Contra Costa Times (June 26, 2002)]

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Commercialism in Schools. By Kirstin Larson. Education Resources Information Center. (ERIC, Washington, DC) May 2002. Various pagings

Full Text at: eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/digest158.html

["The dramatic rise in commercial activities in schools has sparked intense public debate. In exchange for advertising space and marketing research, businesses are providing money, teaching materials, technology resources, and sports equipment to schools. This Digest offers an overview of commercial activities in schools, discusses ethical and legal issues, offers policy guidelines, and highlights strategies for negotiating contracts in line with the needs and values of schools. " ERIC/CEM ONLINE (June 2002).]

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Losing Ground: A National Status Report on the Affordability of American Higher Education. By the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. (The Center, San Jose, California) 2002. 31 p.

Full Text at: www.highereducation.org/reports/losing_ground/affordability_report_final.pdf

["Public college and university tuition requires an ever-larger share of the annual income of most American families, according to this report. The report finds that public higher education has become less affordable for all but the wealthiest Americans. Early indications show that more ground is being lost during the current economic downturn. It focuses on the nation's public two- and four-year colleges and universities, which enroll more than 80% of college students in America."]

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Los Angeles Unified School District: Outdated, Scarce Textbooks at Some Schools Appear to Have a Lesser Effect on Academic Performance Than Other Factors, but the District Should Improve Its Management of Textbook Purchasing and Inventory. By the California State Auditor, Bureau of State Audits. 2001-124. (The Bureau, Sacramento, California) June 2002. 90 p.

Full Text at: www.bsa.ca.gov/bsa/pdfs/2001124.pdf

["[The study] ... concludes that LAUSD does not always spend its restricted textbook and other instructional materials funds appropriately.... [It] concludes that LAUSD needs to manage its textbook inventories better to ensure that each student has a current textbook and to assist the public in assessing school quality." StateNet Capitol Journal (July 2, 2002) 2.]

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Zelman v Simmons-Harris. Supreme Court of the United States. No. 00-1751. June 27, 2002. 98 p.

Full Text at: www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/01pdf/00-1751.pdf

["The justices overturned by a 5-4 vote a U.S. appeals court ruling that struck down an experimental private school voucher program in Cleveland for violating constitutional church-state separation. In one of the most important church-state cases in decades on an issue that could reshape American education, the high court said in an opinion by Chief Justice William Rehnquist that the program passed constitutional muster. 'In sum, the Ohio program is entirely neutral with respect to religion. It provides benefits directly to a wide spectrum of individuals, defined only by financial need and residence in a particular school district,' he said." Washington Post (June 27, 2002) [online].]

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The Problem of Taking Private School Voucher Programs to Scale: The Next Issue in the Voucher Wars. By Richard D. Kahlenberg, The Century Foundation. (The Foundation, New York, New York) June 27, 2002. 8 p.

Full Text at: www.tcf.org/Publications/Education/vouchers.pdf

["Once voucher programs expand to include larger number of low income students, the private schools are likely to face the difficulties of high poverty public schools – negative peer influence, low parental involvement, and less ability to attract qualified teaching staff." Policy Action Network (July 10, 2002)]

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EMPLOYMENT

DISCRIMINATION

Dan Esberg. v. Union Oil Company of California, et. al. Supreme Court of California. S096524. June 24, 2002. Various pagings.

Full Text at: www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/S096524.PDF

[“In a blow to California workers over 40, the state Supreme Court ruled … that employers are free to discriminate against older workers in awarding college tuition and other on-the-job benefits…. The Legislature has prohibited employers from discriminating on the basis of age when they make decisions about hiring, discharging, suspensions, and demoting…. Justice Joyce Kennard in the court’s opinion said … ‘the law does not prohibit discrimination in the terms, conditions or privileges.” San Francisco Chronicle (June 25, 2002) A1.]

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ENERGY

ELECTRICITY INDUSTRY

Strengthening the Grid: Effect of High-Temperature Superconducting Power Technologies on Reliability, Power Transfer Capacity, and Energy Use. By Richard Silberglitt and others.(Rand Corporation, Santa Monica, California) 2002. 114 p.

Full Text at: www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1531/index.html

["The slow growth of power transmission systems and the large growth in demand for power have contributed to higher electricity prices and reduced reliability in a number of areas across the United States in recent years. High-temperature superconducting power technologies can address existing problems."]

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Restructured Electricity Markets: Three States’ Experiences in Adding Generating Capacity. By General Accounting Office. (The Office, Washington, DC) May 2002. 56 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/new.items/d02427.pdf

[“Falling power prices, turmoil in the energy industry and concerns about state involvement in the electricity market have slowed development of power plants in California, according to a congressional study…. But … developers have indicated to the state that only five power plants – with a total capacity of 3,200 megawatts – will be postponed, for up to two years.”]

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ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES

AIR POLLUTION

Air Pollution: Emissions from Older Electricity Generating Units. By General Accounting Office. GAO-02-709. (The Office, Washington, DC) June 12, 2002. 25 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-02-709

["Older electricity generating units -- those that began operating before 1972 -- emitted 59 percent of the sulfur dioxide, 47 percent of the nitrogen oxides, and 42 percent of the carbon dioxide from fossil-fuel units in 2000, while generating 42 percent of all electricity produced by fossil-fuel units.... For equal quantities of electricity generated, older units, in the aggregate, emitted about twice as much sulfur dioxide and about 25 percent more nitrogen oxides than did the newer units."]

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The Dangers of the Dirtiest Diesels: The Health and Welfare Impacts of Nonroad Heavy-Duty Diesel Engines and Fuels. By Michael P. Walsh (The State and Territorial Air Pollution Program Administrators and the Association of Local Air Pollution Control Officials, Washington, DC) June 2002. 50 p.

Full Text at: www.4cleanair.org/FINALNonroadHDDReport.pdf

["Millions of bulldozers, portable generators and irrigation pumps create a surprisingly serious health risk from air pollution touching off a new regulatory battle between the Bush administration and environmental groups. The study noted that off-road diesel equipment and vehicles produced more fine-particle pollutants than all the nation's diesel-powered cars, trucks and buses combined." San Francisco Chronicle (June 11, 2002) A8.]

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The Clean Air Color Line: Why Non-Anglo Californians Will Benefit Most From New State Particulate Standards. By Tenee Sharp and Bill Walter. Environmental Working Group. (The Group, Washington, DC) June 2002. 10 p.

Full Text at: www.ewg.org/reports/particlecivics/part2/particlecivics2_report.pdf

["Hispanics living in poor neighborhoods in the San Joaquin Valley breathe dirtier air than wealther, Caucasian residents in more affluent areas.... 'The whiter or richer your neighborhood is, the cleaner the air you breathe'.... According to the EWG, new particulate standards would reduce pollution-related deaths by 86% and hospital emissions by 55% for people living in predominantly minority communities. And for every million residents in nonwhite communities, there would be 164,000 fewer asthma attacks and 86,500 fewer lost work days each year." The Fresno Bee (June 21, 2002) 1.]

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PPIC Statewide Survey: Survey on Californians and the Environment. By Mark Baldassare, Public Policy Institute of California. (The Institute, San Francisco, California) June 2002. 43 p.

Full Text at: www.ppic.org/publications/CalSurvey28/survey28.pdf

["Californians don't think there's been much progress in solving environmental problems in the past two decades. About 34 percent of respondents said air pollution was their most important concern, followed by 13 percent citing growth and development. Water, ocean and beach pollution ranked third at 12 percent, and 9 percent of residents of respondents said water supply was the top issue." Sacramento Bee (June 27, 2002) A5.]

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GENERAL GOVERNMENT

ACCOUNTABILITY

U.S. General Accounting Office: The Role of GAO in Assisting Congressional Oversight. By J. Christopher Mihm. United States General Accounting Office. (The Office, Washington, DC) June 2002. 12 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-02-816T

["Each year, we issue well over 1,000 audit and evaluation products to assist Congress in its decision making and oversight responsibilities.... At the end of fiscal year 2001, 79 percent of the recommendations we made 4 years ago have been implemented. We use a 4-year interval because our historical data show that agencies often need this length of time to complete action on our recommendations."]

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State Fiscal Update: June 2002. By National Conference of State Legislatures, Federation of Tax Administrators and others. (NCSL, Washington, D.C.) June 2002. 29 p.; Appendices.

Full Text at: www.ncsl.org/programs/fiscal/sfo2002.pdf

["A May survey of state departments of revenue showed that 2002 individual income tax receipts through the end of April were off significantly from comparable periods in 2001.... Meanwhile, the dollar amount of individual income tax refunds processed by states increased by nearly 14 percent during the 2002 processing season."]

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May Revision Cuts Fall Heavily on Poor. By the California Budget Project. Budget Watch. vol. 8, no. 2. (The Project, Sacramento, California) May 2002. 8 p.

Full Text at: www.cbp.org/

["The Project estimates that well over half (57.3 percent) of the new spending reductions proposed in the May Revision target programs that assist low-income and other vulnerable Californians. Over half (53.6 percent) would affect programs that have income eligibility guidelines or otherwise are aimed at low-income Californians."]

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Executive Order Relating to Temporary Emergency Expenditures Providing for the Operations, Maintenance, Support, and Functioning of the Government of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. By Governor Paul Patton. (Secretary of State, Frankfort, Kentucky) 2002-727. June 26, 2002. 5p.

Full Text at: www.osbd.state.ky.us/publications/Exec%20Order%202002-727.pdf

["Gov. Paul Patton signed an executive order to implement his own $18 billion spending plan for the state for the next year, in the absence of a state budget. The move, which came after lawmakers twice failed to agree on a state budget, is unprecedented for Kentucky, and raises many legal and political questions. One lawsuit seeking clarification already had been filed." Lexington Herald-Leader (June 27, 2002) A1.]

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Highlights of Significant Legislation Pending in 2002: Draft. By Sherry Agnos and others, Senate Office of Research. (The Office, Sacramento, California) July 2002. 126 p.

Full Text at: www.sen.ca.gov/sor/LEGSUM602.HTML

["The Summary highlights significant measures in more than 30 issue areas that generally have met their legislative deadlines and, in some cases, have reached the governor's desk. [It] offers an overview of the issues the Legislature is addressing in 2002. StateNet Capitol Journal (July 3, 2002) 3.]

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HEALTH

HEALTH CARE

National Survey on Health Care. By the Kaiser Family Foundation, National Public Radio and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. (The Foundation, Menlo Park, California) June 2002. 8 p.

Full Text at: www.kff.org/content/2002/3239/Health_Care_Summary_Final.pdf

["Access to Care: Survey Finds Socioeconomic 'Divide': Results of a survey indicate a 'significant medical divide' along socioeconomic lines in the United States.... Forty four percent of families surveyed said they had had at least one problem with access to health care.... People who are uninsured, who have lower incomes and who have not graduated from high school were more likely to report such problems." American Health Line (June 5, 2002) 1.]

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Enrolling Children and Families in Health Coverage: The Promise of Doing More. By Donna Cohen Ross and Laura Cox, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (The Foundation, Washington, DC) June 2002. 64 p.

Full Text at: www.kff.org/content/2002/20020611/4046.pdf

["This 50-state survey, part of the Kaiser Family Fund's "Building on Medicaid" series, finds that states are taking steps to transform Medicaid from its original welfare-based program into something resembling a more traditional health insurance program." Connect for Kids (June 17, 2002)]

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The State of Health Insurance in California: Findings From the 2001 California Health Interview Survey. By E. Richard Brown and others, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. (The Center, Los Angeles, California) June 2002. 86 p.

Full Text at: www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/publications/shic062002.pdf

["An estimated 4,519,000 Californians lacked health insurance at the time they were interviewed in 2001. An additional 1,753,000 persons were insured when interviewed, but were uninsured during at least some of the preceding 12 months. Thus, a total of 6.3 million Californians experienced lack of coverage during at least some part of the year. These and other key research findings are presented and discussed."]

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Health Policy for Low-Income People: Profiles of 13 States. By Amy Westpfahl Lutzky and others, The Urban Institute. Occasional Paper No. 57. (The Institute, Washington, DC) May 2002. 77 p.

Full Text at: www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/310490_ANF_OP57.pdf

["To learn how states have responded to federal constraints and state flexibility during the past three years, the Institute examined state priority-setting and program operations in health policy affecting the low-income populations in 13 states [including California].... A series of case study reports were developed that focus on changes in health care policy in each state, building on earlier baseline studies in the same states."]

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Prescription Drugs: State Monitoring Programs Provide Useful Tool to Reduce Diversion. By United States General Accounting Office. GAO-02-634. (The Office, Washington, DC) May 17, 2002. 27 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-02-634

["All 15 state Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs collect information about the prescribing, dispensing, and use of prescription drugs and distribute it to medical practitioners, pharmacies, and state law enforcement and regulatory agencies, but the programs differ in terms of objectives, design, and operations.... States with PDMPs have realized benefits in their efforts to reduce drug diversion."]

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Early Experience with Covering Uninsured Parents Under SCHIP. By Embry Howell, Urban Institute and others. New Federalism Series A, No. A-51. (The Institute, Washington, DC) May 2002. 8 p.

Full Text at: www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/310498_A51.pdf

["This brief examines the opportunity under SCHIP to provide coverage for low-income parents. It draws on information collected in semi-structured interviews with state and federal officials, published and unpublished reports, and state SCHIP enrollment data. We highlight the experience of four states: Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin ... the first four states to apply and receive waivers to use SCHIP funding to cover parents."]

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HOUSING

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

The State of The Nation Housing 2002. By Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. (The Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts) 46 p.

Full Text at: www.knowledgeplex.org/kp/report/report/relfiles/jchs_0624_son2002.pdf

Nation's Housing Gap Is Widening: In its annual report, the center said 'extreme affordability pressures' threaten the nation's 20 million lowest income families.... The California Association of Realtors said only 22 percent of the households in the San Diego area can afford to buy a median-price home." San Diego Union Tribune (June 25, 2002) 1.]

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San Francisco Bay Area Housing Crisis Report Card. By The Non Profit Housing Association of Northern California and Greenbelt Alliance. (The Assocation, San Francisco, California) June 2002. 28 p.

Full Text at: .www.nonprofithousing.org/about/pressroom/releases/posted/housingcrisis_release.pdf

[“Despite the nearly constant hand wringing over the lack of affordable housing in the Bay Area, few local governments are fulfilling the legal obligation to do something about it, according to an advocacy group that issued a report…. Only 12 of 100 cities in the nine-county Bay Area actually met state-mandated guidelines to come up with strategies to provide more housing for moderate and low-income residents.” San Francisco Chronicle (June 26, 2002) 1.]

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"Consumers Keep Home Prices Rising Throughout the West. By the Economic Research Department, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Western Economic Developments. (The Bank, San Francisco, California) June 2002 12 p.

Full Text at: www.frbsf.org/publications/economics/wed/2002/wed0206bk.pdf

["In the first quarter, Twelfth Federal Reserve District home prices rose 5.7% and home sales increased by 11% on a year-over-year basis.... Housing markets have been especially strong in California, with home prices increasing 7.4% and home sales rising 20%.... In California, a relative backlog of demand (represented by a high jobs-to-housing ratio) should work to keep housing markets in the state tight in coming quarters."]

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The Housing Cycle Barometer. By John Burns. (John Burns Real Estate Consulting, Inc., Irvine, California ) 4 p.

Full Text at: www.realestateconsulting.com/strategic.html

["Housing prices have outstripped incomes by such a wide margin in much of California and some cities in other states that home values in those markets could stagnate or suffer a sharp decline, according to a controversial report ." Los Angeles Times (June 26, 2002) [online].]

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Multi-Family Housing is Being Constructed On Los Angeles Commercial Strips: Research Brief. By Jane Blumenfeld, Solimar Research Group, Incorporated. (The Group, Ventura, California) June 14, 2002. 6 p.

Full Text at: www.solimar.org/pdfs/LA_Multifamily_Research_Brief.pdf

["As suburban-era cities have become 'land poor,' both planners and developers have advocated the recycling of underutilized commercial property for high-density housing.... As retail becomes consolidated into big boxes and suburban-style centers, the amount of land required for retail space is in decline, thus freeing up land for residential development.... A new analysis shows that multi-family residential development is ocurring on commercial strips in L.A.]

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HUMAN SERVICES

ELDERLY

Government Spending in an Older America. By Ronald Lee and John Haaga. Population Reference Bureau. (The Bureau, Washington, DC) May 2002. 39 p.

Full Text at: www.prb.org/pdf/ReportonAmericaGovtSpendng.pdf

["The population of the U.S. is getting older, and older people receive more in public benefits than they pay each year in taxes. How should our public finance system be changed in order to deal with this new demographic situation? The sooner steps are taken to deal with the coming changes, the less stressful the situation will be, suggest the authors. Current forecasts imply that Americans will have to choose among different options: get used to the government share of the economy being much greater than they have been used to in peacetime; make age-related benefits less generous or less universal; restructure the systems to reduce public obligation; or develop some combination of the first three."]

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Retaining Foster Parents. By the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Service. (OEI-07-00-00601). (The Office, Bethedsa, Maryland) May 2002. 25 p.

Full Text at: oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-07-00-00601.pdf

["This report suggests several specific ways to improve services available to foster families, such as a creating a statewide informational "Foster Parent Tool Kit," encouraging information sharing among foster parents, establishing "clothes closets" to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for foster parents, making child care and respite care services more accessible, and designating foster parent advocates. It also recommends that ACF assist States in developing a retention tracking system to identify barriers to continued fostering." Children's Bureau Express, June 2002, (online).]

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INSURANCE

INSURANCE

State Insurance Regulation: Efforts to Streamline Key Licensing and Approval Processes Face Challenges. By U. S. General Accounting Office. (The Office, Washington, DC) June 18, 2002. 18 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-02-842T

["Many insurance industry participants advocate more uniform standards as a way to help streamline regulatory processes....This statement focuses on three initiatives, highlighting their status to date, the issues encountered, and their prospects for success. These initiatives are commonly referred to as: Producer Licensing Reciprocity and Uniformity; Speed to Market; and National Treatment of Companies."]

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WASHINGTON READER

TRANSIT

California Capitol Hill Bulletin. By the California Institute For Federal Policy Research. Vol. 9, Bulletin 18 (The Institute, Washington, DC) June 20, 2002. 5 p.

Full Text at: www.calinst.org/bulletins/bull918.pdf

Includes: "Senate Judiciary Reports In-State Tuition Bill For Immigrants;" "Water and Power Panel Addresses California Plan For Colorado River;" "Senate Finance Committee Leaders Developing Welfare Reform Plan;" and others.]

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[The following studies, reports, and documents have been ordered or requested, but have not yet arrived. Requests may be placed, and copies will be provided when the material arrives.]

ECONOMY

INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE

Market-Driven Politics: Neoliberal Democracy and the Public Interest. By Colin Leys. (Verso Books, New York, New York) December 2001. 256 p. TC

["The book is a multi-level study, moving between an analysis of global ecoonomic forces through national politics to the changes occurring week by week in two fields of public life that are both fundamentally important and familiar to everyone -- television broadcasting and health care." Publisher Announcement. Note: Market-Driven Politics... will be available for 3 day loan]

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HEALTH

OBESITY

"The Challenge of Preventing and Treating Obesity in Low-income, Preschool Children." By Leigh A. Chamberlin and others. IN: Archives Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. vol. 156 no. 7 (July 2002) pp. 662-668.

["Obesity has become a common nutritional concern among low-income, preschool children, a primary target population of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Nutrition counseling efforts in WIC target childhood obesity. The authors explore the challenges that exist in preventing and managing childhood obesity in the quest to develop new approaches."]

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