Ventura County Star, May 19, 2012 - Michael Shires, associate professor of public policy at the School of Public Policy, was quoted in an article "Political Control Could Shift in Race for Supervisor," wherein he comments about the candidates and major issues in the Ventura County Board of Supervisors race. Read the article.

May 14, 2012, Pete Peterson (MPP '07), executive director of the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership at the School of Public Policy, has been appointed to the Advisory Council to the New America Foundation's new Center for Civic Innovation Project (CCIP). CCIP will explore ways technology can facilitate better, more informed relationships between citizens and governing institutions. Visit the CCIP website.

City Journal, May 4, 2012, - Pete Peterson (MPP '07), executive director of the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership at the School of Public Policy, authored an essay "Immersion Education for Parents," wherein he discusses how a local union is attempting to unionize minimally compensated, hard-working volunteers and classroom adjuncts who are funded by the local community and parents at a language immersion school in Culver City, California. Read the essay.

Wisconsin State Journal, May 5, 2012 - Luisa Blanco, assistant professor of economics at the School of Public Policy, authored an op-ed "Most American of Mexican Holidays," wherein she notes that while many Americans will celebrate the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo, a national holiday in the country of Mexico, formal celebratory activities are only likely to occur in the town of Puebla, where the battle being commemorated took place. Blanco also discusses the important relationship between the United States and Mexico and how the partnership is crucial to promote further economic development and security in the Western Hemisphere. Read the op-ed.

Malibu Times, May 2, 2012 - James R. Wilburn, dean of the Pepperdine School of Public Policy, was featured in an article "Pepperdine Dedicates Auditorium to Long-Serving Dean," highlighting the April 24 dedication of the new James R. Wilburn Auditorium, the largest meeting space on the Drescher Graduate Campus on the Malibu Campus. Read the article.

May 2, 2012, Students in adjunct professor Elan Melamid's "Children, Families, and Communities" class at the School of Public Policy recently spent weeks planning and executing a project to revamp the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center in Downtown Los Angeles. Read the story.

May 2, 2012, James Prieger, associate professor of economics at the School of Public Policy, and Daniel Heil (MPP '09) authored a book chapter "Economic Implications of E-Business for Organizations," that has been accepted for publication in Handbook on E-Business Strategic Management. The chapter reviews the macroeconomic and microeconomic impacts of e-business on organizations.

Forbes, May 1, 2012 - Michael Shires, associate professor of public policy at the School of Public Policy, coauthored "The Best Cities for Jobs," with Joel Kotkin. In their annual survey they note the overall decline of government jobs in more than half of the metropolitan cities surveyed, with jobs in energy, technology, and manufacturing showing the most growth. Read the article and view the rankings.

Fox Business News, April 19, 2012 - Michael Shires, associate professor of public policy at the School of Public Policy, was quoted in an article "Public Sector Employees: To Cut or Not to Cut?," wherein he comments on how municipal, state and federal governments lost 584,000 jobs since June 2009, while the private sector added 2.8 million jobs. He says that local governments used increasing property tax revenue to expand payrolls and increase salaries for employees and taxpayers are now being held responsible for those actions. Read the article.

The Wall Street Journal, April 22, 2012 - Angela Hawken, associate professor of public policy at the School of Public Policy, coauthored "Rethinking the War on Drugs," with Mark Kleiman and Jonathan Caulkins. They discuss how prohibition and legalization aren't the only choices when it comes to drugs and how proven programs can greatly reduce the harm caused by hard-core drug users and reduce the prison population. Read the essay.

U.S. News, April 17, 2012 - Angela Hawken, associate professor of public policy at the School of Public Policy, was quoted in "White House Drug Policy Shifts Strategy," wherein she comments on the White House's new plan that calls for treatment, not incarceration, for non-violent offenders. Hawken was part of President Obama's release of the national drug policy on April 17, 2012. Read the article.

Ventura County Star, April 14, 2012 - Ashley Trim (MPP '09), research coordinator at the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership at the School of Public Policy, authored "Building Community is Everyone's Responsibility," wherein she discusses the citizens' role in creating, maintaining, and governing the places in which they live, work, study, and play and how the struggling economy has offered an opportunity for citizens to do just that. Read the article.

April 16, 2012, The School of Public Policy will hold its 2012 commencement ceremony at Alumni Park on Friday, Apr. 20, at 10:30 a.m. on the Malibu campus. Honorary Degree recipients The Honorable Janice Hahn, U.S. Representative, 36th Congressional District and former council member of the 15th District, City of Los Angeles, and her brother The Honorable James K Hahn, Judge of the L.A. County Superior Court and former mayor, controller, and city attorney of the City of Los Angeles, will deliver the commencement address and receive honorary degrees. Geoffrey F. Segal (MPP '00) will be honored as the 2012 Distinguished Alumnus. School of PUblic Policy Graduation Information.

April 16, 2012, The School of Public Policy and The Trinity Forum are cohosting an evening conversation with Ross Douthat on "Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics" at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on April 17, 2012. Following introductory remarks by Pete Peterson (MPP '07), executive director of the Davenport Institute, responses will be provided by from National Public Radio (NPR) religion correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty and columnist Michael Gerson. More about this event and RSVP.

Economic Inquiry, April 2012 - James Prieger, associate professor of economics at the School of Public Policy, published the article "Applications Barrier to Entry and Exclusive Vertical Contracts in Platform Markets," with Wei-Min Hu. The article extends the empirical literature on whether vertical restraints are anticompetitive and focuses on exclusive contracting in platform markets, which feature indirect network effects and thus are susceptible to an applications barrier to entry. Download and read the paper.