Rose Review Spring 2019

The Rose Review Director’s Report Andrew E. Busch, PhD

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pring 2019 has seen and will continue to see a number of exciting events and projects at the Rose Institute: Following on last year’s success, the Inland Empire Vision 2019 conference jointly organized with the Lowe Institute of Political Economy was again held in Roberts Pavilion for a crowd of more than 200 attendees. This year the program included a regional economic forecast, a panel on housing issues, and a collaborative exercise with the audience. Coordinated with the conference, a new issue of the Inland Empire Outlook was published focusing on housing.

A report on census projections and possible impact on state legislative redistricting was published in preparation for a webinar for local officials scheduled for April 18. Other plans and activities regarding redistricting are in development, including a webinar on the state redistricting commission coming up on May 2.

Students began work on new long-term projects including a transition of the Southern California online almanac into the Inland Empire Almanac with detailed information on each of the communities in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, and a project to track and summarize key pieces of legislation in the California legislature. An updated project on campaign finance in competitive districts will be completed by the end of the semester.

Spring 2019 2 - Student Managers' Report 3 - Inland Empire Vision 2019 Conference 4 - Project Updates 6 - Off-campus Reflections 8 - Senior Farewells 11 - Student Managers’ Farewells

The Rose Institute contracted with the City of Ontario to conduct and analyze a survey of citizen satisfaction.

The survey is underway as of this writing.

Students also worked with Prof. Ken Miller on his book comparing policy and politics in Texas and California, and with me on a one-volume encyclopedia of the presidential nominating system including delegate selection processes in each state.

The Rose Award dinner is scheduled for the evening of April 11, directly following the Board of Governors meeting. This year’s Award recipient is Zev Yaroslavsky, former Los Angeles County Supervisor.

Other speakers this semester have included journalist Dan Walters on the legacy of Jerry Brown. In May, political scientists Michael Fortner of CUNY will be visiting campus courtesy of the Rose Institute to offer a seminar on urban politics issues for interested faculty in the Government Department.

I am also pleased to be able to announce the selection of a new team of student managers, Sophia Helland (Student Manager) and Rachel Alaynick (Associate Student Manager). They have earned their positions through hard work and dedication to the Rose Institute, and the senior staff looks forward to working with them over the next year. Thanks to our outgoing mangers, Nicholas Fedorochko and Alec Lopata. Page 1

Student Managers' Report

Sophia Helland ’20, Student Manager

Rachel Alaynick ’20, Associate Student Manager

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s the year comes to a close, we are excited to transition in as the new Student Managers of the Rose Institute. We are grateful to the outgoing managers, Nick Fedorochko and Alec Lopata, for their leadership and vision for the past year; we hope to continue in their footsteps and wish them all the best. In the coming year, we hope to focus on building new institutional structures, building up the Rose’s relationships with outside organizations, and continuing to increase the technical skills of our research assistants. We cannot wait to see what the new year has in store.

Over the past year, we have been excited to see our new hires learn and grow as they concluded their training and new hire projects. At the end of last semester, all of our new hires presented their work and five were selected for continued research. We would like to extend a special thanks to our New Hire Manager, Bryn Miller, for her hard work shaping the new hire curriculum and guiding the incoming class.

In addition to the recent new hire projects, our research assistants have been busy innovating on projects from last semester and starting new ones. We are excited to begin a new project, currently titled the California Playbook, spearheaded by none other than our outgoing student manager Alec Lopata. The project’s goal is to provide timely information on major pieces of California legislation and provide yearly updates, especially as it pertains to the Inland Empire. Additionally, we have reintroduced the Fiscal Analysis project, which now focuses on the public pension crisis in California. Our Redistricting in America project has been busy preparing for the 2020 census, while the Competitive Districts team has concluded their 2016 report and is beginning research on the 2018 election cycle.

Spring 2019 was filled with many exciting events, including the annual Rose-Lowe Inland Empire Vision conference and new technical trainings for our research assistants. Our Tech team has been hard at work training both new hires and returning students in several programs and introduced a new communications initiative using Slack.

While we were excited to see the return of many juniors from their study abroad, we are saddened by the imminent departure of the class of 2019. The whole Institute is grateful for their hard work, guidance, and dedication. We wish all the best to Lindsay Burton, Nick Fedorochko, Charlie Harris, Alec Lopata, Bryn Miller, Skip Wiltshire-Gordon, Melia Wong, Zach Wong, and Bruno Youn.

As always, we are grateful to senior staff for all of their patience and advice. Thank you to Dr. Busch, Dr. Miller, Mrs. Nadon, and Marionette Moore for everything they do for the Rose. We look forward to another fantastic year of research studying state and local government.  Page 2

Inland Empire Vision 2019 Conference

Brian Desatnik, Jeff Collins, and Jim Holas discussing housing at the IE Vision conference.

Photo credit: Maria Gastellum Vera ’22

The Rose Institute and the Lowe Institute co-hosted the second annual Inland Empire Vision Conference on Tuesday, March 12, at the Roberts Pavilion of Claremont McKenna College. More than 220 local government officials and business leaders attended the event. Students from both institutes displayed posters highlighting their research.

Cameron Shelton, director of the Lowe Institute, welcomed the attendees. Manfred Keil, Associate Professot of Economics at CMC delivered the Inland Empire Economic Forecast, featuring the CMC-Cadence Capital Inland Empire Consumer Sentiment Index. A panel featuring Jeff Collins from Southern California News Group, Brian Desatnik from the City of Redlands, and Jim Holas from William Lyon Homes, comprised the panel that discussed the regulatory environment and the current housing market in the Inland Empire.

One unique element of the conference was the collaborative exercise wherein participants responded to questions about key challenges facing the Inland Empire. This was facilitated by Rose Institute Director Andrew Busch. Students from the Lowe, Kravis Leadership, and Rose Institutes assisted by keeping notes of the table discussion points and relaying the information using the user-interfaced program, Sli.do, which then compiles and displays the results in real time. The results of this exercise are available on our website and the Inland Empire Vision website.

Claremont McKenna College President Hiram Chodosh wrapped up the program with his views of what the members of the Inland Empire community, individuals and groups alike, need to focus on to make the area a better place for every one to live and do business.

This year, our presenting sponsor was Cadence Capital, which also funded the Inland Empire Consumer Sentiment Index Report. Gold sponsors were Citizens Business Bank, Oremor Automotive Group, and the Southern California News Group. Citrus Valley Association of Realtors continued to support us with a Silver-level sponsorship. Bronze sponsors were San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and KCAA Radio. The City of Ontario joined in as a municipal sponsor. The City of Eastvale and Wayfair provided additional support. ď ľ Page 3

Project PROJECT Updates UPDATES Fiscal Analysis

California Almanac

The Fiscal Analysis project is in its infancy. We are currently preparing a white paper that gives an overview of California’s pension crisis and pays particular attention to how several cities and municipalities have responded in different ways to the crisis. The paper is divided into two sections: a section with macro-narrative that articulates a high-level view of the crisis and reports on the health of CalPERs (California Public Employees’ Retirement System) and a section that examines how several selected municipalities have responded to the pension pressures.

The Southern California Almanac was originally an interactive online almanac of cities, counties, and their governments. The current goal of the Southern California Almanac is now to present information about the demographics and economic landscape of the Inland Empire to local officials and policy analysts.

There are four major areas in which data is being collected: demographics, economics, education, and governmental. In terms of demographics, we examine census data ranging from race/ethnicity statistics, percent married, percent with children, and the amount of time a resident stays in a city. With respect to economics, we look at homeownership rates, median income, and retail sales. Under the umbrella topic of education, our team is analyzing median years of education, dropout rates, and the percentage of the residential population with degrees in education. Our team is currently in the process of collecting data relevant to local governments in the Inland Empire. We are focused on providing accessible information via an interactive database about key demographic and economic variables specific to the Inland Empire and some of its neighboring cities in the LA County.

Bruno Youn ’19

Future projects may include a comparative pension system analysis between California and other states or further investigation of institutional obstacles to reform.

Competitive Districts Sophia Helland ’20

Competitive Districts is excited to be finishing our white paper on the 2016 election cycle and beginning to collect data on the 2018 cycle. Our most recent report looked at issues such as the timing of expenditures and donations, how campaigns prioritized their expenditures, which professions donated to campaigns, whether outside organizations are more likely to spend money on Democrats or Republicans, and the impact of spending on electoral outcomes. The project relies on data from the Cal-Access campaign finance database, which is publicly available on the California Secretary of State’s website.

The most recent report built on our 2014 findings by examining contributions data, and our 2018 report will further expand the scope of the project by looking at races for statewide offices in addition to the state legislature.

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Nandeeni Patel ’21

Redistricting Rachel Alaynick ’20

The redistricting project finished a report that summarizes expected changes to the number of Assembly, State Senate, and congressional district seats on a regional basis in California’s 2020 redistricting cycle. The project team is preparing to host a series of webinars this spring and fall and has been laying the foundation for those with research on statutory changes to the Independent Redistricting Commission, as well the implementation of the California Voting Rights Act.

Project Updates SB-535

Anna Green ’21 After researching California Senate Bill (SB) 535 last semester as part of the Rose Institute New Hire Training, I am now working to transform my research, examining the impacts of SB 535 on the Inland Empire, into an Inland Empire Outlook article for next fall. SB 535 amends the 2006 California Global Warming Solutions Act to appropriate profits from the state’s cap-andtrade emissions program towards infrastructure and programming in disadvantaged communities. SB 535 has a broad and complex impact on the Inland Empire.

Although it positively impacts the area as a whole, its influence on individual disadvantaged communities is difficult to discern. In my final article, I hope to clarify the ways that this bill has benefited the Inland Empire while highlighting the shortcomings of its funding.

Miller-Rose Initiative Database Benjamin McAnally ’21

After cataloguing all successful 2017 and 2018 initiatives last semester, students have been working to update the database with any new post-election legal challenges to the initiatives. They have already tracked all challenges regarding the new initiatives and are working backwards to cover older challenges. Significant patterns in the most recent initiatives were three expansions to Medicaid, three legalizations of medical marijuana, and Utah almost doubling its number of successful initiatives. Students are also beginning to propose areas of interest for potential white papers related to the database, which they will work with Professor Miller to publish next semester. 

Associate Director Ken Miller, center, with Rose Research Assistants, from left, Maya Ghosh ’22, Zenaida Huerta ’20, Adhitya Venkatraman ’22, Lindsay Burton ’19, Melia Wong ’19, Zane Tolchinsky ’20, Nick Fedorochko ’19, and Charlie Harris ’19. ’

Photo credit: Marionette Moore

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OFF-CAMPUS REFLECTIONS Melanie Wolfe ’20 Melanie spent her junior fall studying at Universidad Carlos III in Madrid, Spain. Although she enjoyed immersing herself in Spanish culture and studying religion and sociology in Spain, she found the most impactful moments of the semester were often walking around the city and absorbing all of the urban innovations currently being implemented in Madrid. Since returning to the Rose, Melanie has been thinking about the Inland Empire and Southern California cities in light of Madrid’s urban design philosophy centered history, culture, and community, and she hopes to learn more about urban planning in the IE during her last year at the Rose. The opportunity to study regional and urban economics across the globe while spending four months living in one of the world’s great cities provided just the inspiration Melanie needed to come back to Claremont and jump back into the workroom to return to her research.

Photo Courtesy of Melanie Wolfe ’20

Nicholas Sage ’20 Nick spent the fall semester working for Senator Patty Murray and studying on the CMC Washington Program. The research and writing skills Nick cultivated at the Rose Institute served him well on Capitol Hill, as he supported the senator’s legislative staff by writing policy memos on a variety of issues including immigration, criminal justice, cybersecurity, and social welfare.

He enjoyed having a front row seat to critical political developments such as the Kavanaugh Confirmation and the 2018 midterm elections. Similarly, Nick was excited to observe the dynamics between federal lawmakers and state and local officials and intends to bring his insights from Washington D.C. back to the Rose Institute.

Photo Courtesy of Nick Sage ’20

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OFF-CAMPUS REFLECTIONS

Joseph Noss ’20 Joe spent his semester in D.C. working at the political consulting firm SKDKnickerbocker. Although Joe is Canadian, he had always dreamed of immersing himself in the American electoral experience. At SKDK, Joe got the opportunity to help with the political advertising process from start to finish by doing research on different congressional campaigns, helping to write scripts, and even being an extra in a few advertisements—check out NJ-05 “double dipping John McCann” ad. While DC was a lot of fun, Joe is excited to return to the Rose and turn his attention to more substantive research.

Zane Tolchinsky ’20

Joe Noss ’20, second from left, and Zane Tochinsky ’20, far right, with friends.

Zane spent his fall semester on CMC’s Washington Program. While in D.C., Zane worked full-time as a public policy intern for Wexler | Walker Public Policy Associates, a DC lobbying firm. Through this internship, Zane gained a new level of familiarity with the national political scene, and how the private sector interacts with government. When he wasn’t working, Zane was taking courses and working on an independent study project on the midterm-results of Orange County. Through this experience, Zane realized his love for Washington and is excited to take what he learned and apply it to his work at the Rose Institute.

Photo Courtesy of Zane Tolchinsky ’20

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Senior Farewells

Left to Right: Skip Wiltshire-Gordon ’19, Alec Lopata ’19, Melia Wong ’19, Charlie Harris ’19, Bruno Youn ’19

Photo credit: MARIA GASTELUM VERA ‘22 All other Photos in this article taken by Wesley Whitaker ’18

Lindsay Burton To my Rosies, I wish there was a way to communicate the love, gratitude, and pride I have for each and every one of you. I am left a better person because of you all, and I will always carry with me all of the laughs, the struggles, the antics, and even the quiet moments of shift. I wish for nothing more than watching you all achieve your dreams; whether or not in California politics. From the late night karaoke sessions, BOG prep, Downton Abbey viewings, redistricting reports, and everything in between, I can’t imagine my college career without all of our memories. Above all else, thank you for supporting me through my terrorism history project, and transition into my Army career. I can’t wait to see you all on the other side of Claremont. Please never stop being hungry and striving to accomplish nothing less than your true potentials. Thank you, and I love you all.

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Senior Farewells Charlie Harris

As my time in Claremont comes to an end, I’ve been reflecting on all the amazing opportunities and experiences I’ve had here. As I think back through the years, I’m not surprised that many of my fondest memories are somehow connected to my time at the Rose Institute. First of all, I’ve gotten to do amazing research on everything from marijuana legalization, to the Inland Empire logistics industry, to the history of legislative responses to terrorism. I also can’t forget all the Board of Governors meetings I’ve attended and at which I’ve made presentations. It was always a lot of fun to talk about my research in front of such a distinguished group. Along the way I’ve also got to know a lot of enthusiastic and passionate people who share my interests in state and local government. Even when we weren’t doing Rose work, I knew there was always a community of my peers who were there to support me in everything I did. Finally, I’m forever grateful for the guidance and mentorship I’ve received from Dr. Busch, Dr. Miller, Mrs. Nadon, and Marionette. You all have made a positive impact on my life that I will carry with me when I leave CMC behind.

Bryn Miller

As I told some friends the other day, getting hired at the Rose was the single best thing to happen to me in college. The Rose has provided me with some of my best friends, a place on campus that feels like home, and clear direction for my future. I entered college wanting to join the Foreign Service and work abroad, but the Rose has taught me two important lessons. First, governance and education at the local level is what I care about.

I now plan to pursue a career working with cities, first as a teacher and later in education policy or administration. Second, a strong community is the most important thing to me. My experience as part of the Rose family helped me realize that I want to stay close to friends and family in the United States and build a strong community here, rather than move around abroad. I am so grateful to the Rose for everything over the past four years -- you all have set a high bar for my future workplaces!

Skip Wiltshire-Gordon My experiences at the Rose Institute stand out as some of my most important at CMC. I am so grateful for the opportunities the Institute has given me: hands-on research with professors and students, conversations with fascinating speakers, training on important software I would have never received otherwise, and even a quiet study space when all others failed. More than anything, however, I am thankful for the important friendships I made here. Getting to know and work alongside Rosies from the Class of 2016 to the Class of 2022 has a uniquely wonderful experience. A special thank you to Professor Busch, Dr. Miller, Mrs. Nadon, and Marionette for all your support and investment in me. I am now excited to join the ranks as a Rose Institute alum!

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Senior Farewells Melia Wong I have been and will continue to feel so much gratitude for the wonderful community that the Rose has offered me during my time at CMC. From working on my New Hire Project on music education funding, to spreading the Rose’s work and impact as Communications Manager, my time at the Rose has been exciting and engaging. One of my fondest memories is seeing certain Senior Staff members singing karaoke at the annual holiday party. Thank you to the Rose family: Dr. Busch, Dr. Miller, Mrs. Nadon, Marionette, and especially my fellow research assistants who made this experience so phenomenal.

Zach Wong The Rose has impacted my life in many ways, and I’m very thankful for the opportunities and relationships I’ve developed over four years. As an underclassmen, I most valued the professional development that I don’t think I could have found at many other places at CMC - working in a professional office setting, developing workplace skills, and opportunities to publish. Additionally, the mentorship of older students such as Jessica Jin, Hannah Oh, and Wes Whitaker were invaluable.

Bruno Youn I will miss the Rose community intensely; Rosies have been among my closest circle of friends whom I can trust. I will miss the camaraderie of 2 AM study sessions and Athenaeum talks. The Rose has taught me many lessons, and not just about state and local government. Among these lessons are those on social interaction, in both professional and non-professional contexts.

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Student Managers’ Farewells NICHOLAS FEDOROCHKO 2018-2019 Student Manager From my very first semester, with Jessica Jin ’16, and her overhaul of the new hire curriculum, all of my work at the Rose has felt substantive and rewarding. Having the agency to design my own research project, see it picked up by the Institute, and eventually grown to a team of five researchers was an experience that few other organizations on this campus would provide new students. My time as Student Manager was the capstone of the personal growth and development the Rose has consistently provided me, and there was nothing more rewarding than trying my hardest to give back to an institution and community that has given me so much. I find the Rose’s model of student management a clear testament to a philosophy unique to the Rose as one of many institutes on campus: students and their Alec Lopota ’19 and Nicholas Fedorochko ’19 development are prioritized, and their opinions are listened to with Photo credit: Maria Gastelum Vera near equal weight to faculty. This model works—few institutes are as organized, productive, and rewarding as the Rose. More than all of this, however, the community and friendships that I have cultivated at the Rose have by far been the most valuable part of my time as an RA. Countless procrastination sessions masquerading as late-night debates and conversations are what I will truly remember when I look back years from now. I also want to end by thanking Senior Staff: Marionette, Dr. Busch, Dr. Miller, and Mrs. Nadon are who make all of our priceless memories of the Rose possible and without them the Rose would grind to a halt!  ALEC LOPATA, 2018-2019 Associate Student Manager During my time as Associate Student Manager this past year, one of my mantras to help encourage community building within the institute has been “Rose is Family!” Repeating it at every student staff meeting this past year may have drained some of its power, but to me, the meaning behind this phrase is still very real. From the day Manav Kholi ’16 and Nina Kamath ’16 brought me up the Kravis elevator to tell me I had been hired, I knew I had found my place on this campus. The Rose has truly felt like a home for me at CMC, and I cannot imagine my life over the past four years without it. I have been able to fun afternoons and long evenings with some of the smartest, kindest and most inspiring people I have ever met. Rosies of previous years, especially Tim Plummer ’17 and Wesley Whitaker ’18, have been incredible mentors for me, and I have met some of my best friends through the Rose. I have been given incredible opportunities to do really interesting research to enrich myself and the community around me, and have been immensely proud and humbled to help lead this research my senior year as Associate Student Manager. When I leave CMC, one of the hardest parts will be to say goodbye to the Rose Institute. Working at the Rose and being part of this community has meant the world to me, and has given me more than anyone could ever expect from an oncampus job. I cannot go without specifically thanking Dr. Busch, Dr. Miller, Mrs. Nadon, and Marionette for their dedication and work to make the Rose Institute the great place that it is, year after year. And of course, a big thank you to Nick for being a great student manager and partner for this amazing capstone to our time at the Rose. And for one last time, Rose is Family!  Page 11

Photo Credit: Marionette Moore

Photo Credit: CMC

Photo Credit : Mario

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Green ’21 edit: Anna Photo Cr

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Student Staff

Senior Staff

Sophia Helland ’20

Andrew E. Busch, PhD

Student Manager

Rachel Alaynick ’20

Associate Student Manager

Rose Review Staff Rachel Alaynick ’20 Elena Castellanos ’21 Maya Ghosh ’22 Anna Green ’21 Huerta ’20 PageZenaida 12 Adhitya Venkatraman ’22

Director

The mission of the R ose Institu te is to enhance the ed uc ation of students at Cl aremont McKenna College, to pr od uce high q ualit y rese ar ch, and to pr omote public under standing on issues of state and lo c al g overnment, politics, and polic y, with an emphasis on C alifornia .

Ken Miller, JD, PhD Associate Director

Bipasa Nadon, JD Assistant Director

Marionette Moore

Administrative Assistant

WWW.ROSEINSTIT U TE.ORG