August 7, 1852 - "(Wells, Fargo & Co) ... having completed its organization is now ready to undertake a general Express Forwarding Agency and Commission Business ... energetic and faithful messengers, furnished with iron chests for the security of treasure and other valuable packages, accompanying each Express and upon all their lines, as well in California as in the Atlantic States."  The San Diego Herald  

August 7, 1852 - "Orleans House, Second, between J and K streets, Sacramento. Our friends and the public generally are informed that from and after this date, the charge for meals in the Restaurant will be reduced as enumerated and stated at foot. We return our warm and sincere thanks for the liberal patronage bestowed ... Henry & Moore"  The San Diego Herald  

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

CALIFORNIA READER

The CSUS Forecast of the Sacramento Region. By the California Institute for County Government. (The Institute, Sacramento, California) July 2002. 2 p.

Full Text at: www.cicg.org/forecast/jul02/July_2002_CSUS_Forecast.pdf

["First sign of economic weakness came last month when the Sacramento area failed to record any overall job growth for the first time in almost nine years.... Every area is going to go through a downturn." (Sacramento Bee July 26, 2002) D1.]

[Request #S5567]

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE & LAW ENFORCEMENT

IDENTITY THEFT

Identity Fraud: Prevalence and Links to Alien Illegal Activities. By United States General Accounting Office. GAO-02-830T. (The Office, Washington, DC) June 2002. 15 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-02-830T

["Richard Stana ... outlined massive identity theft over the past few years.... Stana pointed to a variety of measures to combat ID fraud, including the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act. It requires all travel and entry documents issued to aliens by the U.S., including visas, to be machine-readable, tamper-resistant, and include biometric identifiers by October 26, 2004." Airports (July 2, 2002) 4.]

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Holding the Line? The Effect of the Recent Border Build-Up on Unauthorized Immigration. By Belinda I. Reyes and others, Public Policy Institute of California (The Institute, San Francisco, California) 2002. 172 p.

Full Text at: www.ppic.org/publications/PPIC162/ppic162fulltext.pdf

SUMMARY: ["Despite large increases in spending and Border Patrol resources over the past nine years, the number of unauthorized immigrants in the United States has increased to levels higher than those in the pre-IRCA period. This report ... presents current alternatives to controlling and identifying the flow of unauthorized immigrants, including internal enforcement efforts, employer sanctions, national ID cards, regularization, guest worker programs, and foreign direct investment."]

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Prison Impact Study. Supplemental Report of the 2001 Budget Act for FY 2002-02. By the State Board of Equalization. (The Board, Sacramento, California) 2002. 98 p.; Appendices.

Full Text at: www.boe.ca.gov/pdf/prisonimpactstudy.pdf

["A report on the local sales tax revenues allocated to small host California cities in comparison to that of larger urban cities within a hundred mile radius.... Observations of real per capita taxable sales trends before and after facility construction and startup generally show no obvious consistent increases in these small host cities."]

[Request #S5570]

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Opportunities and Barriers in Probation Reform: A Case Study of Drug Testing and Sanctions. By Mark A.R. Kleiman, Drug Policy Analysis Program, UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research, and others. CPRC Brief. Vol. 14, No. 4. (California Policy Research Center, Berkeley, California) June 2002. 4 p.

Full Text at: www.ucop.edu/cprc/Sanctionsbrf.pdf

["Drug use by California's 600,000 probationers is a mainstay of the markets for cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.... A properly focused program of frequent drug testing and swift, consistent, but not severe, sanctions for violations, along with formal drug treatment for those who need it or want it, could substantially shrink the volume of drug use.... [Recommendations for implementation are listed.]

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The Open Door: How Militant Islamic Terrorists Entered and Remained in the United States, 1993-2001. By Steven A. Camarota. (Center For Immigration Studies, New York, New York) May 2002. 66 p.

Full Text at: www.cis.org/articles/2002/theopendoor.pdf

["Most of the 48 foreign-born terror suspects during the past decade came through the front door and lived here as legal immigrants, naturalized citizens or asylum seekers.... One-third -- 16 -- of the terrorists were in the country under legal temporary visas, posing as students, tourists and business travelers. Seventeen others were living in the United States as lawful permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Three had applications for asylum pending." San Diego Union Tribune (July 6, 2002) A11.]

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Donde esta la justicia?: A Call to Action on Behalf of Latino and Latina Youth in the U.S. Justice System. By Francisco A. Villarruel. Building Blocks for Youth, (BBFY, Washington, DC) July 2002. 125 p.

Full Text at: www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/Full%20Report%20English.pdf

Executive Summary: ["Compared with whites, Latino and Latina youth in the justice system get dramatically 'more time for the same crime,' and often face language barriers.... Anti-gang laws that cover a broad range of youth offenses into adult felonies have disproportionately hurt Latino youth.... The report calls for better data collection to understand the full extent of the problem, better risk assessment instruments to reduce decision-making based on stereotype, and better strategies and accountability to eliminate racism in the justice system." Connect for Kids (July 22, 2002)]

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CULTURE AND SOCIETY

CULTURAL POLICY

Policy Research on Community Arts: A Collective Endeavor. By Maria-Rosario Jackson, Urban Institute. The Community Arts Network (The Network, Blackburg, Virginia) 2002. 6 p.

Full Text at: www.communityarts.net/readingroom/archive/intro-research.php

["The breadth, depth and value of a broad array of artistic activity evident in many American communities are not easily apparent or grasped.... How do we improve our understanding of American communities ... position the arts (broadly defined) alongside other areas of policy -- housing, employment, economic development, education -- on equal footing ... arrive at more reliable information about the cultural assets we have, how fragile or robust they are, and what they contribute to society?" Cultural Policy Listserv (July 17, 2002)]

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Policy Partners: Making the Case for State Investments In Culture. By M. Christine Dwyer and Susan Frankel, RMC Research Corporation. Funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Center for Arts and Culture (The Center,Washington, DC) 2002. 81 p.

Full Text at: www.culturalpolicy.org/pdf/policypartners.pdf

["This is a guide to action that can help state leaders and advocates for the arts, folklife, humanities, and preservation come together and create strategies to preserve and increase resources for culture." Cultural Policy Listserv (July 30, 2002)]

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DEMOGRAPHY

IMMIGRATION

Enchilada Lite: A Post ­9/11 Mexican Migration Agreement. By Robert S. Leiken, Brookings Instution. Prepared for the Center for Immigration Studies. (The Center, Washington, DC) March 2002. 36 p.

Full Text at: www.cis.org/articles/2002/leiken.pdf

["The answer is not somehow to close down the Mexican border.... Together with Mexico we need to create a 'smart border' with pre-clearance for goods, identification cards keyed into licenses read by cameras. E-Z passes and fast lanes for frequent travelers, scanners, mobile X-ray units, and other innovations.... Mexico's aim is to 'regularize' Mexican migration; to make it 'safe, legal, orderly, and humane.'"]

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ECONOMY

CALIFORNIA

California Economic Update: California Economy Weathers Downturn. By the California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency. (The Agency, Sacramento, California) Summer 2002. 8 p.

Full Text at: commerce.ca.gov/ttca/pdfs/detail/ersi/EconomicUpdate.pdf

["The California economy has experienced both expected and unforeseen challenges to its growth and competitiveness during the past two years.... The state has been affected by the 'dot.com' bust, an electricity crisis, the national effects of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, and weak economic growth globally. This article summarizes state economic trends over the past year, and discusses the path towards recovery."]

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Artichoke Joe's, et al v. Gale Norton, et al. U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California. CIV-S-01-0248 DFL GGH. July 29, 2002. 97 p.

Full Text at: 207.41.18.73/caed/DOCUMENTS/Opinions/Levi/artjoe.pdf

["A Sacramento federal judge agreed that California has granted Indian tribes a monopoly on Las Vegas-style gambling but rejected challenges to the arrangement by card rooms and charities. U.S. District Judge David F. Levi ruled that federal statutes and case law give Indians a preferred legal status because of the government's historic obligation to them." Sacramento Bee (July 30, 2002) A1.]

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Economic Impact of A West Coast Dock Shutdown. By Stephen S. Cohen, Berkeley Roundtable On the International Economy, University of California, Berkeley. (The Author, Berkeley, California) January 2002. 10 p.

Full Text at: www.portmod.org/news/2002/May%202/Cohen%20Final%20Jan%202002.pdf

["West Coast Labor Dispute Threatens Economy: Longshoremen fear that their jobs -- and those of future generations -- are under siege.... A study by Stephen S. Cohen ... estimated that a five-day work stoppage would cost the nation's economy $4.7 billion and that the cost of a 20-day stoppage would be $48.6 billion." San Francisco Chronicle (June 25, 2002) A19.]

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Preparing for the Next Silicon Valley: Opportunities and Choices. By Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network. (The Network, Santa Clara, California) June 2002. 31 p.

Full Text at: www.jointventure.org/nsv/nsvchoices.pdf

["This paper identifies the economic opportunities and risks associated with the evolving convergence of biotechnology, nanotechnology and information technology. Regional leaders have a choice in how they collaborate in meeting the challenges presented by this convergence. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate discussion and action in preparing for the next wave of social and technological innovation."]

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Are Tijuana's and Mexicali's Maquiladora Plants Competitive? By James Gerber and others. Prepared for San Diego Dialogue's Forum Fronterizo program. Briefing Paper. (The Forum, San Diego, California) July 2002. 25 p.

Full Text at: www.sandiegodialogue.org/pdfs/jul18_bp.pdf

["This paper ... focuses on the two most dynamic parts of the industry at the national level, electronics and autoparts, but it limits its sample to the two main centers of production in Baja California, Tijuana and Mexicali. The goal of this paper is to answer questions about the long-run viability of manufacturing."]

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Beige Book: Review and Analysis: Robust Recovery or Modest Growth. By Dean Baker, Financial Markets Center. (The Center, Philomont, Virginia) June 12, 2002. 2 p.

Full Text at: www.fmcenter.org/pdf/Beige061202.pdf

["The economy continued to expand through May, the beige book concluded, but the details described an expansion that was noticeably less robust than the one reported in ... April." (New York Times) June 16, 2002. Section 3 p. 4.]

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EDUCATION

CALIFORNIA

The California Master Plan for Education: Draft. By the Joint Committee to Develop a Master Plan for Education - Kindergarten through University. (The Committee, Sacramento, California) July 2002. 96 p.

Full Text at: www.sen.ca.gov/masterplan/0207302NDDRAFTMASTERPLAN.PDF

["A new blueprint ... once reserved for colleges and universities includes guidelines for K-12 schools.... The draft document will be presented ... for final approval by the end of August. At that time, some recommendations will become the basis for bills; others will not have to be legislated." Sacramento Bee (July 31, 2002) A3.]

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What We Have Learned About Class Size Reduction In California. Edited by George W. Bohrnstedt and Brian M. Stecher. Prepared by the CSR Research Consortium. Prepared for the California Department of Education (The Department, Sacramento, California). Prepublication: August 2002. 59 p.

Full Text at: www.classize.org/techreport/CSR_Capstone_prepub.pdf

["Achievement scores have risen significantly in California's elementary schools in the last 6 years -- during the same period when a Class Size Reduction (CSR) program was implemented. However, it's not clear if the popular program played a significant role in the improvement." RAND News Bulletin (July 2002)]

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The Class Size Debate. By Alan B. Krueger, Princeton University, and others. Economic Policy Institute (The Institute, Washington, DC) 2002. 111 p.

Full Text at: epinet.org/books/classsizedebate.pdf

["Smaller classes improve academic performance and future job earnings for millions of students. Reductions necessarily involve hiring more teachers, and teacher quality is much more important than class size in affecting student outcomes. The study uses detailed research and analysis on many aspects of the debate, including student performance, test scores, education policies and teacher-student ratios." HandsNet (July 19, 2002)]

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The College Board and Disabilities Rights Advocates Announce Agreement to Drop Flagging from Standardized Tests: Press Release. By the College Board. (The Board, New York, New York) July 17, 2002. 2 p.

Full Text at: www.collegeboard.com/press/article/0,1443,11360,00.html

["Disabled's SAT Scores Won't Be Singled Out: The Board announced that [after September 2003] it will stop notifying universities and colleges when disabled students receive extra time or other special accommodations on the SAT college entrance exam.... The agreement was part of a legal settlement with an Oakland nonprofit law firm, Disabilities Rights Advocates." San Francisco Chronicle (July 17, 2002) A4.]

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The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings. By Jennifer Cheeseman Day and Eric Newburger. U.S. Census Bureau. (Bureau, Washington, DC) July 2002. 13 p.

Full Text at: www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/p23-210.pdf

["A Bureau survey shows a college graduate can expect to earn $2.1 million working full-time between ages 25 and 64.... A master's degree-holder is projected to earn $2.5 million, while someone with a professional degree, such as a doctor or lawyer, could make even more -- $4.4 million.... In contrast, a high school graduate can expect to make $1.2 million during the working years." Associated Press Online (July 18, 2002) 1.]

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Profile of Undergraduates in U.S. Postsecondary Education Institutions: 1999–2000. National Center for Education Statistics, Office of Educational Research & Improvement, U.S. Dept. of Education. (The Department, Washington, D.C.) 2002. 184 p.

Full Text at: nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002168.PDF

["14.5 percent of students received mostly A's, more than a third of students received grades mostly at or below the C mark. And 48.9 percent of African-American undergraduates received the latter grades .... The new report ... also includes information on race, gender, and other demographic data; where undergraduates enroll and what they study; and risk factors that affect whether students complete their studies and earn a degree." Chronicle of Higher Education (June 27, 2002) [online].]

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An Evaluation of the Foreign Student Program. By George J. Borjas, Center for Immigration Studies. (The Center, Washington, DC) June 2002. 12 p.

Full Text at: www.cis.org/articles/2002/back602.pdf

["Questioning The Foreign Student Program: Harvard Professor George J. Borjas is laying out the case: 'The remarkably powerful combination of INS ineptitude and the higher-education sector's greed perverted what would have seemed to be a sensible and noble effort into an economically dubious proposition and a national security fiasco,' Borjas concludes." Washington Post (June 25, 2002) A17.]

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The Final Report and Findings of the Safe Schools Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States. By Bryan Vossekuil and others. United States Secret Service. United States Department of Education. (The Departments, Washington, DC) May 2002. 50 p.

Full Text at: www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SDFS/preventingattacksreport.pdf

["This ... investigation into school shootings and assaults ... did identify key prevention questions and resources for effective intervention before an attack takes place. They found that incidents of targeted violence at school are rarely sudden, impulsive acts; prior to most incidents, other people knew about the attacker's idea or plan." Connect for Kids (July 22, 2002) 1.]

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EMPLOYMENT

DISCRIMINATION

Sexual Orientation-Based Employment Discrimination: States' Experience with Statutory Prohibitions. By the U.S. General Accounting Office. GAO-02-878R. (The Office, Washington, DC) July 9, 2002. 12 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-02-878R

["Twelve states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws that prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation.... We collected data from each state on the numbers of employment discrimination complaints filed, and the proportion of those complaints involving sexual orientation.... By far, California has had the highest number."]

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ENERGY

Order Concerning Governance of the California Independent System Operator Corporation. By the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (The Commission, Washington, DC) July 17, 2002. 30 p.

Full Text at: www.ferc.fed.us/electric/bulkpower/el01-35-07-17-02.pdf

["The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted to disband a five-member board that governs the California power market.... The commission said the governor's appointees were not independent and 'will hamper the ability of the ISO to implement the ISO's market redesign proposal.' Instead, the federal regulators are calling for a new, nine-member board of energy experts with no ties to politics or power companies to be in place by January." San Francisco Chronicle (July 19, 2002) 1.]

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Energy Markets: Concerted Actions Needed by FERC to Confront Challenges that Impede Effective Oversight. By the U.S. General Accounting Office. GAO-02-656. (The Office, Washington, DC) June 2002. 97 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/new.items/d02656.pdf

["Federal energy regulators failed to set up measures to protect consumers when they approved California's deregulation scheme and are still outgunned by energy traders a year after the energy crisis that hobbled the state.... 'FERC is not adequately performing the oversight that is needed to ensure that the prices produced by these markets are just and reasonable, and therefore, it is not fulfilling its regulatory mandate." Los Angeles Times (June 18, 2002) A1.]

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Restructured Electricity Markets: California Market Design Enabled Exercise of Market Power. By U.S. General Accounting Office. GAO-02-828 (The Office, Washington, DC) July 2002. 47 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/new.items/d02828.pdf

["Deregulation of electricity in California "created almost textbook conditions" for energy companies to keep power prices unfairly high in 2000 and 2001.... 'Wholesale electricity suppliers exercised market power by raising prices above competitive levels.'" The San Diego Union Tribune (July 17, 2002) 1.]

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The Summer 2001 Conservation Report. By California Energy Commission. (The Commission, Sacramento, California) June 2002. 25 p.

Full Text at: www.energy.ca.gov/efficiency/2001_CONSERVATION_REPORT.PDF

["It is no surprise that during last year's electricity crisis, Californians were motivated to conserve energy. What is surprising is that they did so 'to stop energy suppliers from over charging'.... Almost 80 percent of consumers surveyed listed this rationale among their top reasons for energy conservation." Sacramento Business Journal (May 21, 2002) 1.]

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FERC Identified Four Civil Penalties That Are Covered by the Inflation Adjustment Act. By Honorable Patrick H. Wood III. General Accounting Office. GAO 02-888R. (The Office, Washington, DC) July 15, 2002. 4 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/new.items/d02888r.pdf

["Federal energy regulators failed to increase several fines for wrongdoing even though all agencies are required to do so to account for inflation under a 1990 law.... The commission's deputy general counsel 'confirmed that FERC had not published any penalty adjustment regulations pursuant to the Inflation Adjustment Act'.... This is the second recent report to highlight enforcement weaknesses at the commission." San Diego Union Tribune (July 16, 2002) 1.]

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ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES

BEACHES

Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches. By the Natural Resources Defense Council. (The Council, New York, New York ) July 2002. 35 p.

Full Text at: www2.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/sumcal.pdf

["Southern California is the 'national epicenter' of coastal pollution, with one in three U.S. beach closures and warnings occurring between Rincon Beach in Ventura County and the Mexican border.... 'It's true that part of that reality is because we do a better job monitoring,' said David Beckman.... But more than '5,000 closures and advisories in four counties is still a significantly big problem by any manner of arithmetic'." Los Angeles Times (July 25, 2002) 1.]

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Preparing For a Changing Climate: The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change for California: The California Regional Assessment. Final Draft Report. By Robert Wilkinson, California Regional Assessment Group, University of California, Santa Barbara. Prepared for the U.S. Global Research Program. (The Group, Santa Barbara, California) June 2002. 432 p.

Full Text at: www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/pubs/CA_Report.pdf

["This assessment of the potential impacts of climate change and variability ... builds on important scientific research and analysis conducted over the past several decades which provides a valuable basis for ongoing assessment .... with what is currently known about the potential impacts of climate change and variability."]

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Endangered Species Program: Information on How Funds are Allocated and What Activities are Emphasized. By the US General Accounting Office. GAO-12-581. (The Office, Washington, DC) June 2002. 71 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/new.items/d02581.pdf

["Workers at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are so bogged down by lawsuits and other paperwork they have little time for conservation or recovery of endangered species.... The report blames the paperwork glut in part on unclear guidelines that make it difficult for workers to designate critical habitats that are not vulnerable to legal challenges." Associated Press (July 23, 2002) 1.]

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Green Watchdog 2002: 18 Recommendations To Save Californians Money & Save California's Environment. A Green Scissors Project. By Friends of the Earth and others.(Friends, Washington, DC) 2002. 24 p.

Full Text at: www.calpirg.org/reports/CAgreenscissors02.pdf

["Environmentalists Say Polluters Should Fill $24 Billion California Budget Gap: From ending tax breaks for oil companies and loggers, to raising fees on pesticides and killing controversial construction projects, a coalition of 26 environmental and consumer groups unveiled ... a document they say could reduce pollution and the California's budget woes at the same time." San Jose Mercury (May 17, 2002) 1.]

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Designing a Climate-Friendly Energy Policy: Options for the Near Term. By Douglas Smith and others. Prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. (The Center, Arlington, Virginia) 56 p.

Full Text at: www.pewclimate.org/projects/energy_policy.pdf

["A new report identifying a range of feasible near-term "climate-friendly" energy policy options that can satisfy traditional U.S. energy policy objectives while reducing future U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.... 'The notion that energy policy and climate policy objectives are necessarily at odds is simply a myth,' said Eileen Claussen, President of the Pew Center." US Newswire (July 24, 2002) 1.]

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Scorched Earth: Global Climate Change Impacts on Public Lands and Waters. By Elisa Lynch and others, Bluewater Network. (The Network, San Francisco, California) June 2002. 52 p.

Full Text at: www.bluewaternetwork.org/reports/rep_ca_global_scorched.pdf

["Scorched Earth describes the expected impacts of global climate change on public lands and waters; outlines the relevant legal requirements of federal agencies charged with protecting these resources; and provides recommendations for safeguarding these special places and the wildlife they protect."]

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GENERAL GOVERNMENT

ACCOUNTABILITY

Who’s Watching The Watchdogs? In The Wake of Enron: A Survey of State Accounting Board Membership and the Need for Reform. By Ellen Montgomery. (U.S. PIRG, Washington, DC) 2002. 19 p.

Full Text at: enronwatchdog.org/PDFs/watchingthewatchdogs_6_02.pdf

["The only state or federal public agencies with authority to terminate accounting licenses are overwhelmingly controlled by the accountants they regulate, with 80 percent of all seats held by accountants.... This report examines potential conflicts of interest in the 51 (50 states and the District of Columbia) state agencies with regulatory authority over accountants, known as the state boards of accountancy.... The report also reviews national oversight of the accounting industry."]

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The Civil Service Vacancy Game: Abusive Practices Or Underlying Structural Problems? By The California Budget Project. (The Project, Sacramento, California) 2002. 10 p.

Full Text at: www.cbp.org/2002/bb020501.htm

["Some have argued that managers are deliberately keeping positions vacant so they can spend the money at their discretion. Those on the other side of the issue, however, argue that inadequate department budgets force managers to keep positions vacant so they can use the resulting savings to run their programs. This brief attempts to sort out this complex issue."]

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President Bush's Tax Plan: Impacts on Age and Income Groups. By John R. Gist, Public Policy Institute, American Association of Retired Persons. Issue Brief. (The Association, Washington, DC) May 2002. 13 p.

Full Text at: research.aarp.org/econ/ib54_tax.pdf

["The issue of who gained the most from the income tax cuts in the Economic Growth and Revenue Reconciliation Act of 2001 is examined, focusing on age groups, income groups, and types of tax filers. The impact on the federal budget surpluses and the ability to finance Social Security is also discussed."]

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State Insurance Regulation: Efforts to Streamline Key Licensing and Approval Processes Face Challenges. By the General Accounting Office. GAO-02-842T. (The Office, Washington, DC) June 18, 2002. 18 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/new.items/d02842t.pdf

["Current efforts ... are focused on developing more streamlined state-based application and review processes for insurer licensing.... Continuing success on many regulatory streamlining efforts depends on state legislatures' willingness to trust other regulatory entities, either other states or entities."]

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Opportunity Lost: The Rise and Fall of Trust and Confidence in Government After September 11. By G. Calvin Mackenzie and Judith M. Labiner, Center for Public Service, the Brookings Institution (The Institution, Washington, DC) May 30, 2002. 18 p.

Full Text at: www.brookings.edu/dybdocroot/gs/cps/opportunityfinal.pdf

["Public trust in government ... has declined in recent months but is still above the level it was before the terrorist attacks.... Favorability ratings rose across-the-board after September 11, but nowhere was the spike more evident, and precipitous, as with the federal government."]

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State Budget Actions 2001: Special Fiscal Report. By Corina Eckl and Arturo Perez, Fiscal Affairs Project, National Conference of State Legislatures. May 2002. 57 p. And State Fiscal Update June 2002. By the National Conference of State Legislatures. (NCSL, Denver, Colorado) June 4, 2002. 29 p.

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

["This Report provides general fund budget information for all 50 states. It summarizes state finances in fiscal year 2001 and provides the outlook for fiscal year 2002.... The report provides a snapshot of state fiscal conditions and serves as an indicator of state fiscal trends."]

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HEALTH

DRUG USE

Substance Use and the Risk of Suicide Among Youths. By the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (The Administration, Washington, DC) July 2002. Various pagings.

Full Text at: www.samhsa.gov/oas/2k2/suicide/suicide.pdf

["Close to 3 million Americans age 12 to 17 considered suicide in 2000 and more than a third of those actually tried to kill themselves, a government survey found.... The study showed that only 1 in 3 of those who reported considering suicide received counseling." San Francisco Chronicle (July 15, 2002) A7.

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Physical Activity Fundamental to Preventing Disease. By the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (The Department, Washington, DC) June 20, 2002. 19 p.

Full Text at: aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/physicalactivity/physicalactivity.pdf

["The ... percentage of young people who are overweight has almost doubled in the last 20 years for children aged 6-11 and almost tripled for adolescents aged 12-19. Despite the well-known benefits of physical activity, most adults and many children lead a relatively sedentary lifestyle. Physical activity declines dramatically over the course of adolescence, and girls are significantly less likely than boys to participate regularly in vigorous physical activity." Connect for Kids (June 24, 2002)]

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"Doctors Applaud Supreme Court's HMO Review Ruling." By Tanya Albert. IN: American Medical News (July 8/15, 2002) 3 p.

Full Text at: ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/amnews/pick_02/gvl20708.htm

["Decision Sparks Renewed Debate on Stalled Patients' Bill of Rights Legislation: A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling has helped physicians regain some control over medical decision-making.... The high court upheld an Illinois law that established an independent medical review system for cases in which a treating physician and a patient's health plan disagree on what is medically necessary for the patient."]

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The People v. Myron Mower. California Supreme Court. S094490. July 18, 2002

Full Text at: www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/S094490.PDF

["The California Supreme Court gave seriously ill patients who use marijuana powerful legal protection, ruling that the state's medical marijuana law can help pot users avoid being tried for drug offenses.... The high court said the initiative provided a much stronger shield, giving patients a total defense during trial and a way to get the charges dismissed long before then." San Francisco Chronicle (July 19, 2002) A1.]

[Request #S5612]

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The Obesity Epidemic: How States Can Trim the "Fat". By Michael P. Fierro, NGA Center for Best Practices (National Governor's Association, Washington, DC) June 13, 2002. 10 p.

Full Text at: www.nga.org/cda/files/OBESITYIB.pdf

["In the last five years the number of children with adult-onset diabetes has increased ten-fold, much of it related to obesity. Obesity is not just a personal matter -- it's a costly public health concern.... States can do a great deal to promote better diet, increase physical activity and improve community design, and improve prevention and treatment available through healthcare systems in order to prevent much of the death, disease and disability associated with obesity." Connect for Kids (June 24, 2002)]

[Request #S5613]

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Profiting From Pain: Where Prescription Drug Dollars Go. By Families U.S.A. Foundation (The Foundation, Washington, DC) July 2002. 44 p.

Full Text at: www.familiesusa.org/PPreport.pdf

["Pharmaceutical companies often spend twice as much on overhead, marketing, advertising and promotion than they spend on research and development of new drugs... the findings run counter to President Bush's and pharmaceutical companies' assertion that the industry "needs high prices to fund the search for new and better drugs." Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report (July 18, 2002)]

[Request #S5614]

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Paul A. Dowhal v. Smithkline Beecham Consumer Healthcare, etc, et al. Court of Appeal of California, First Appellate District, Division Five. A094460. July 12, 2002. 17 p.

Full Text at: www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/A094460.DOC

["California Law Trumps FDA, Court Rules: Over the opposition of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a Court of Appeal panel ... reinstated a lawsuit whose goal is to require new or additional warning labels on patches and other anti-smoking products containing nicotine, the active ingredient in tobacco." San Francisco Chronicle (July 13, 2002) 1.]

[Request #S5615]

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HUMAN SERVICES

CHILD CARE

Federal Child Care Funding For Low-Income Families: How Much Is Needed? By Jane Koppelman. National Health Policy Forum (The Forum, Washington, DC) July 22, 2002. 15 p.

Full Text at: www.nhpf.org/pdfs/8-780+(web).pdf

["The ability of low-income parents to enter and stay in the workforce - the central goal of welfare reform - relies heavily on their ability to find reliable and affordable child care ... Congress will settle on a funding level for CCDF and TANF, but the number of families those funds will reach will depend on other decisions - made largely by the states - such as income eligibility and program quality levels."]

[Request #S5616]

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Foster Care: Recent Legislation Helps States Focus on Finding Permanent Homes for Children, but Long-Standing Barriers Remain. By U. S. General Accounting Office. GAO 02-585. (The Office, Washington, DC) June 2002. 65 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-02-585

["While an increasing number of children have been placed in permanent homes ... we know little about the role ASFA played in the adoption increases or ... whether children who reunify with their family are more or less likely to return to foster care or whether these adoptions are more or less stable than adoptions from previous years. The availability of reliable data ... is essential to efforts to improve the child welfare system."]

[Request #S5617]

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Nonresident Father Involvement: Do Mothers and Fathers See Eye-to-Eye? An Investigation of the Impact of Reporting Discrepancies on Parameter Estimates: Dissertation. By Lee Mizell, Rand Graduate School. (RAND, Santa Monica, California) 2002. 194 p.

Full Text at: www.rand.org/publications/RGSD/RGSD164/RGSD164.pdf

["This dissertation ... reveals how using paired data for traditionally difficult-to-survey families may be biased in the absence of a nonresponse correction.... It identifies if and/or which parameter estimates in existing research that use mothers as proxy reporters for nonresident fathers might be biased.... This study illuminates the question of whether or not it is worthwhile to allocate additional resources to collect data from them."]

[Request #S5618]

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Panhandling. By Michael S. Scott, Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice. (The Department, Washington, DC) 2002. 72 p.

Full Text at: www.usdoj.gov/cops/pdf/cp_resources/guidebooks/e12011407.PDF

["This describes the most common forms of begging, reviews contributing factors and, provides a series of questions to facilitate analysis of the local problem. Public policy and the opinions of stakeholders are also reviewed, as well as the welfare of the panhandlers."]

[Request #S5619]

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Welfare Reform: With TANF Flexibility, States Vary in How They Implement Work Requirements and Time Limits. By U. S. General Accounting Office. GAO-02-770. (The Office, Washington, DC) July 2002. 48 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/new.items/d02770.pdf

["The information we gathered came from 4 states [including California].... with telephone interviews with Colorado, Hawaii, Florida, Michigan and Massachusetts.... With the flexibility allowed states, the percentage of adults in work or work-related activities varied greatly among the states ... ranging from about 6 percent to more than 70 percent."]

[Request #S5620]

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INSURANCE

INSURANCE COMPANIES

Gerling Global Reinsurance Corporation of America, et al., v. Harry W. Low, Commissioner of Insurance. United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. No. 01-17023,01-17433,02-15282. July 15, 2002. 16 p.

Full Text at: www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/15341DC0D6C517F688256BF40072A0AC/$file/0117023.pdf?openelement

["Holocaust-era Insurance Disclosure Backed by Court: California insurance companies must disclose information about Holocaust-era insurance policies that affiliates sold in Europe.... The court upheld a state law designed to inform Holocaust survivors, and their descendants, about insurance benefits that may never have been paid." San Francisco Chronicle (July 16, 2002) B1.]

[Request #S5621]

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TRANSPORTATION

AUTOMOBILE SAFETY

Teenage Seat Belt Use: White Paper. By Anne T. McCartt and Veronika I. Shabanova, Preusser Research Group, Inc. Prepared for the National Safety Council. (The Council, Washington, DC) July 8, 2002. 29 p.

Full Text at: www.nsc.org/public/teen0702.pdf

["In California 65 percent [of teenagers] were wearing seat belts ... but in 12 states, fewer than a quarter of the teenagers who died were wearing them. If teenagers in the other 49 states used belts as often as those in California, 600 of those (4,700) who died would have lived, the investigators said. Thousand of others who suffered crippling injuries would have been less seriously hurt." San Francisco Chronicle (July 15, 2002) A2.]

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Toll-Highway Finance Lessons from Orange County. By Marlon G. Boarnet, University of California, Irvine, and others. Prepared for the California Policy Research Center. (The Center, Berkeley, California) June 2002. 70 p.

Full Text at: www.ucop.edu/cprc/Tollroadrpt.pdf

["Tolls have long been suggested as one possible supplement to gas-tax revenues, but generally play only a minor role in California. Our findings illuminate why toll highways were pursued in Orange County and how well toll finance worked." CPRC Brief (June 2002) 1.]

[Request #S5623]

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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.]

CULTURE AND SOCIETY

WOMEN

Ways Women Work. By Judith Rosener. (Harvard Business School, Boston, Massechusetts) 2002.

["There's no question that as women have come into positions of power, they have gained unprecedented access to information about the workings of their organizations.... Professor Judith Rosener says women have already brought a different ethic to the workplace ... women tend to be more interactive in their leadership." Sacramento Bee (July 9, 2002)E1.]

[Request #S5624]

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HEALTH

CANCER

“Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Postmenopausal Lymph Node-Negative Breast Cancer: It Ain’t Necessarily So.” IN Journal of National Cancer Institute, vol. 94 pp. 1041-1043.

[“Chemotherapy offers no benefit for post menopausal women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer that has not spread to the lymph nodes.... Researchers say in such women after surgery, the estrogen-blocking drug tamoxifen by itself protects against the disease. The findings could mean thousands of American women diagnosed each year could avoid the side effects of chemotherapy.” Sacramento Bee (July 17, 2002) A7.]

[Request #S5626]

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