1855 - "A rare $50 denomination gold "slug" was originally made in 1855 on Montgomery Street in San Francisco by well-known assayers and coiners of the day…. Only a dozen original 1855 Kellogg $50 gold coins are known to exist, and some have traded for as much as $300,000 …. (Some were found) among the tons of treasure recovered in the 1980s from the Central America that sank in a hurricane in September 1857 about 160 miles off the North Carolina coast.... On August 20, 1857, the gold sailed from San Francisco harbor aboard the S.S. Sonora on its journey to Panama. After reaching Panama, it then was taken by railroad to the Central America for its uncompleted, fabled voyage to New York City. http://www.sscentralamerica.com/commems.html "    

1855 - "Prepaid mail to San Francisco and inland California and Oregon was unaffected by the 1855 postal rate change. Only prepaid mail to the East was affected. The former rate of 6¢ was increased to 10¢. … This Period also witnessed the next great change in how mail traveled from San Francisco to the East, with the introduction of the Butterfield Stage from San Francisco across the Southern Route via Los Angeles and El Paso to St. Louis. Even after stage service was commenced, mail was carried to the East via Panama unless it was specially endorsed to go overland. http://www.hawaiianstamps.com/middletreaty.html"    

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.

• California State Employees may contact the State Information & Reference Center (916-654-0206; cslsirc@library.ca.gov) with the SITN issue number and the item number [S#].

• All other interested individuals should contact their local library - the items may be available there, or may be borrowed by your local library on your behalf.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE & LAW ENFORCEMENT

CRIMINAL JUSTICE POLICY

Barred For Life: Voting Rights Restoration in Permanent Disenfranchisement States. By Marc Mauer and Tushar Kansal, Sentencing Project. (The Project, Washington, DC) 2005. 26 p.

Full Text at: www.sentencingproject.org/pdfs/barredforlife.pdf

["An estimated 4.7 million Americans are not eligible to vote as a result of felony disenfranchisement laws that apply in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Election laws are determined by each state, and so disenfranchisement laws vary significantly across the country. Persons who are excluded from voting include people currently serving a felony sentence in prison or on probation or parole, as well as persons in 14 states which disenfranchise convicted persons even after completion of sentence."]

[Request #S52401]

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Department of Justice: The Missing Persons DNA Program Cannot Process All the Requests It Has Received Before the Fees That Is Funding It Expires, and It Also Needs to Improve Some Management Controls. By California State Auditor, Bureau of State Audits. (The Bureau, Sacramento, California) June 2005. 52 p.

Full Text at: www.bsa.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2004-114.pdf

["This concludes that the missing persons program reached full operation in July 2004... 'However, unless conditions change, it is unlikely to complete testing all of the requests it has already received before the fee supporting the program expires. Several elements of the missing persons program are sound, but the program needs to improve some of its managerial controls."]

[Request #S52402]

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Border Patrol: Avaliable Data on Interior Checkpoints Suggest Differences in Sector Performance. GAO-05-435. By the U. S. Government Accountability Office. (The Office, Washington,D.C.) July 2005. 91 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/new.items/d05435.pdf

["The Border Patrol operates 33 permanent traffic checkpoints in 8 of its 9 sectors in the southwest border states, supported by tactical checkpoints. While permanent checkpoints have the advantage of physical infrastructure, tactical ones have the mobility to block routes used to evade permanent ones and to respond to intelligence on illegal activity."]

[Request #S52403]

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Backfire at the Border: Why Enforcement Without Legalization Cannot Stop Illegal Immigration. By Douglas S. Massey, the Center for Trade Policy Studies, CATO Institute. (The Center, Washington, DC) June 13, 2005.

Full Text at: www.freetrade.org/pubs/pas/tpa-029.pdf

["Despite increased enforcement at the U.S.-Mexican border ... the number of foreign-born workers entering the United States illegally each year has not diminished.... Increased border enforcement has only succeeded in pushing immigration flows into more remote regions.... Enforcement has driven up the cost of crossing the border illegally, but has had the unintended consequence of encouraging illegal immigrants to stay longer in the United States to recoup the cost of entry."]

[Request #S52404]

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A Blueprint for Juvenile Justice Reform. By Youth Transition Funders Group. (The Group, Basehor, Kansas) 2005. 15 p.

Full Text at: www.ytfg.org/documents/Platform_Juvenile_Justice.pdf

["The Juvenile Justice Work Group offers a new resource on the challenges and opportunities to improve the administration of justice for youth across the country. It highlights innovative reforms and partnerships between foundations and public systems. It also provides a partial list of resources in the field."]

[Request #S52405]

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CULTURE AND SOCIETY

GAYS & LESBIANS

B. Bridget Koebke, et al. v. Bernardo Heights Country Club. California Supreme Court. S124179. August 1, 2005. Various pagings.

Full Text at: www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/S124179.PDF

["California businesses must treat same-sex domestic partners the same as married couples, the court ruled in the case of a golf club that denied a family membership to a lesbian couple.... The justices crafted a narrow decision and sidestepped arguments that a business policy favoring married couples discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation -- similar to arguments raised in a separate case challenging California's ban on same-sex marriage. There was no need to address that issue in this case, the court said, because no evidence was offered that the golf club's policy was intended to discriminate against gays and lesbians." San Francisco Chronicle (August 2, 2005) 1.]

[Request #S52406]

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Hispanics and Social Security: The Implications of Reform Proposals. Hispanics’ Large Stake in the Social Security Debate. And The Importance of Social Security to the Hispanic Community. By Fernando Torres-Gil and others, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (The Center, Washington, DC) June 28, 2005.

[“[The authors] have analyzed the particular importance of the Social Security system to the Hispanic community... In this analysis, [the authors] outline the potential effects of Social Security reform on Hispanic Americans. [The authors] consider how the Administration’s proposals to change Social Security benefits would affect the Hispanic community. [The authors] also discuss alternative types of reforms.”]

Hispanics and Social Security: The Implications of Reform Proposals. 17 p.:
http://www.cbpp.org/6-28-05socsec2.pdf

Hispanics' Large Stake in the Social Security Debate. 5 p.:
http://www.cbpp.org/6-28-05socsec.pdf

The Importance of Social Security to the Hispanic Community. 16 p.:
http://www.cbpp.org/6-28-05socsec3.pdf

[Request #S52407]

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DEMOGRAPHY

IMMIGRANTS

California Demographic Futures: Projections to 2030, by Immigrant Generations, Nativity, and Time of Arrival in U.S. By Dowell Myers and others, School of Policy, Planning, and Development, University of Southern California. (The University, Los Angeles, California) 2005. 22 p.

Full Text at: www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/futures/pdf/Myers_Pitkin_Park_CDF_ReportSummary.pdf

["This report offers a mid-decade view of California’s demographic future, including how the state’s population has changed in the last 25 years, a detailed profile of the current situation, and a new projection of changes in the coming 25 years, to 2030... The California Demographic Futures projections place special emphasis on showing the growth and change of the foreign-born population and their native-born children, the 'second generation.'"]

[Request #S52410]

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Unauthorized Migrants: Numbers and Characteristics. By Jeffrey S. Passel, Pew Hispanic Center. Prepared for Task Force on Immigration and America's Future. (The Center, ) June 14, 2005. 44 p.

Full Text at: pewhispanic.org/files/reports/46.pdf

["In the Pew Hispanic Center study of immigration trends, analysts estimated that in March 2004 about 10.3 million immigrants from around the world were living in the United States without legal documents to be here -- some 24 percent of them in California. About 10.6 million people born in Mexico live in the U.S. -- about 5.9 million of them illegally." Los Angeles Daily News (June 15, 2005) 1.]

[Request #S52409]

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ECONOMY

BUSINESS CLIMATE

The New Agenda For Minority Business Development. By The Boston Consulting Group. (The Group, Boston, Massachusetts) June 2005. 67 p.

Full Text at: www.bcg.com/publications/files/910104614Jun05RHdjTexKauffmanshort.pdf

["Minority-owned businesses have made great strides in recent years, but a report says they must now adjust to a changing marketplace.... Minority businessess are not maintaining pace with the larger business community and that it is necessary for the companies to work with corporations as well as government agencies to continue to grow." Sacramento Bee (July 12, 2005) D2.]

[Request #S52411]

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"The Central American Free Trade Agreement: What's at Stake for California Agriculture?" By Mechel S. Paggi and others, Center for Agricultural Business. (The Center, Fresno, California) April 2005. 43 p.

Full Text at: cati.csufresno.edu/cab/PDF/CAFTA_screen.pdf

["A new agreement among the United States and seven Central American countries may allow for 'modest' market gains by California agricultral commodity producers, according to a report....The report outlines opportunities and challenges likely to face California agribusinesses as a result of the introduction of CAFTA." Update, CSU Fresno, (Spring 2005)1.]

[Request #S52415]

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California 2025: Taking on the Future. By Ellen Hanak and Mark Baldassare, Public Policy Institute of California (The Institute, San Francisco, California.) 2005. 318p.

Full Text at: www.ppic.org/content/pubs/R_605MB2R.pdf

["California will not grow as quickly as it has, and it is not hurtling into a fiscal and social abyss, as many had feared, according to a research group. But 8 million to 10 million more preple will live here by 2025. And the state doesn't produce enough college graduates to fuel its own economy, nor is it preparing its roads, water resources or once-celebrated school systems for the future." San Francisco Chronicle (June 2, 20050 1p.]

[Request #S52412]

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Grading Places: What Do the Business Rankings Really Tell Us? By Peter Fisher, University of Iowa. Prepared for the Economic Policy Institute. (The Institute, Washington, DC) 2005. 106 p.

Full Text at: www.epinet.org/books/grading_places/grading_places_(full_text).pdf

["In this report we critique five major rankings that claim to measure the capacity or potential for economic growth. Are they based on science? Do they have biases? Do they in fact work as predictors of economic activity? The indices analyzed here vary widely in the factors that underlie them, but they have one thing in common: they claim that places with lower taxes and fewer government regulations are better." Publisher's Announcement (June 30, 2005) 1.]

[Request #S52413]

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"The Economic Impact of University of the Pacific." By the Business Forecasting Center, Eberhart School of Business. (The Center, Stockton, California) June 2005. 36 p.

Full Text at: forecast.pacific.edu/Pacific%20Economic%20Impact%20Report.pdf

["University of the Pacific generates more than a half-billion for Northern California's economy, says a report.... The report looked at the expenditures of Pacific's students, employees and operations, as well as construction projects at the university's main campus in Stockton, the dental school in San Francisco and law school in Sacramento." The Stockton Record (July 19, 2005) D1.]

[Request #S52414]

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Recapturing the Dream: A Winning Strategy for the L.A. Region. By Joel Kotkin and Jack Kyser, La Jolla Institute. (The Institute, Ontario, California.) 2005. 52 p.

Full Text at: laedc.org/data/pdf/LAEDC_recapturingthedream.pdf

["Southern California's economy will grow at a healthy pace this year and next, aided by improving outlooks for business and professional services, technology, tourism and bio-medicine, according to a report.... Technology jobs are rebounding, while the region's bio-medical industry is expected to benefit from increased stem cell research." Los Angeles Times (July 19, 2005) 1.]

[Request #S52416]

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EDUCATION

EDUCATION FINANCE

Proposition 76: School Funding: State Spending: Initiative Constitutional Amendment. By the Legislative Analyst's Office. (The Office, Sacramento, California) July 2005. Various pagings.

Full Text at: www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2005/76_11_2005.htm

["This measure makes major changes to California’s Constitution relating to the state budget.... The measure creates an additional state spending limit, grants the Governor substantial new power to unilaterally reduce state spending, and revises key provisions in the California Constitution relating to school and community college funding."]

[Request #S52422]

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No Child Left Behind: The Dangers of Centralized Education Policy. By Lawrence A. Uzzell, CATO Institute. (The Institute, Washington, DC) May 31, 2005. 28 p.

Full Text at: www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa544.pdf

["The NCLB statute is a reform strategy at war with itself.... Washington will be forced either to allow the states great leeway in how they implement NCLB or to make NCLB more detailed, prescriptive and top-heavy.... It is too early to know for certain which scenario will prevail, but it is already clear that state and local education officials are skillfully protecting their interests in ways that undermine the intent of NCLB."]

[Request #S52417]

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Improving High School: A Strategic Approach. By Paul Warren, Legislative Analyst's Office. (The Office, Sacramento, California) 2005. 76 p.

Full Text at: www.lao.ca.gov/2005/high_schools/improving_hs_050905.pdf

["This report examines high schools through the lens of three groups of high school students: dropouts; the general track; and the university track. Students in the three groups have very different experiences in high school. Their success in high school and their post-high school options reflect those experiences."]

[Request #S52418]

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Funding Higher Education: A Primer. By Steve Boilard and others, the Legislative Analyst's Office. (The Office, Sacramento, California) June 2005. 60 p.

Full Text at: www.lao.ca.gov/2005/fund_highred/062905_fundng_highred.pdf

["This primer is organized into the following sections: 1) overview of California’s higher education system, 2) enrollment, 3) student fees, 4) financial aid, 5) other budget considerations, and 6) accountability. At the end of each section, [the authors] identify several policy questions that [the authors] believe warrant the Legislature’s attention. [The authors] follow these with recommendations for legislative action on higher education funding issues in the near term."]

[Request #S52419]

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Global Higher Education Rankings: Affordability and Accessibility in Comparative Review. By the Educational Policy Institute. (The Institute, Washington DC) 2005. 77 p.

Full Text at: www.educationalpolicy.org/pdf/Global2005.pdf

["The United States ranks 13th in affordability because of its high tuition and cost of living. However, it places fourth in accessibility, with nearly a third of adults ages 25 to 34 having been able to pay the price to complete a college degree." Chronicle of Higher Education (April 15, 2005) 1.]

[Request #S52420]

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EMPLOYMENT

LABOR UNION

Proposition 75: Public Employee Union Dues: Required Employee Consent for Political Contributions: Initiative Statute. By the Legislative Analyst's Office. (The Office, Sacramento, California) July 2005. Various pagings.

Full Text at: www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2005/75_11_2005.htm

["This measure amends state statutes to require public employee unions to get annual, written consent from a government employee in order to charge and use that employee’s dues or fees for political purposes. This requirement would apply to both members and nonmembers of a union."]

[Request #S52425]

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California State Personnel Board, et al. v. California State Employees Association. California Supreme Court. S122058. July 28, 2005. 20 p.

Full Text at: www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/S122058.PDF

["State labor contracts requiring that jobs and promotions go to qualified applicants with the most seniority violate the California Constitution's merit system, the court ruled.... The contracts covered as many as 24,000 clerical and administrative employees and technicians in various state agencies, although only a small number were hired or promoted under the disputed provisions." San Francisco Chronicle (July 29, 2005) 1.]

[Request #S52423]

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Edna Miller, et al. v. Department of Corrections, et al. California Supreme Court. S114097. July 18, 2005. 40 p.

Full Text at: www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/S114097.PDF

["Workers who lose promotions to colleagues who are sleeping with the boss can sue their employers for sexual harassment, the court ruled. In a significant expansion of sexual harassment law in California, the state high court unanimously decided that any worker, male or female, could suffer sexual harassment even if his or her boss never asked for sexual favors or made inappropriate advances. Previously, only the worker who had the affair or received unwanted sexual attention could prevail in California." Los Angeles Times (July 19, 2005) A1.]

[Request #S52424]

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ENERGY

ELECTRICITY INDUSTRY

Proposition 80: Electric Service Providers: Regulation: Initiative Statute. By the Legislative Analyst's Office. (The Office, Sacramento, California) July 2005. Various pagings.

Full Text at: www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2005/80_11_2005.htm

["The measure addresses a number of aspects of the state’s electricity market: the regulation of the electrical service providers and direct access, the procurement process, resource adequacy requirements, the renewables portfolio standard, and the use of time-differentiated electricity rates. Each of these aspects is discussed."]

[Request #S52427]

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Public Utilites Commission: Since the Judical Review Act of 1998, the Number of Petitions Seeking Judicial Review of Commission Decisions Has Increased. By California State Auditor. (The Auditor, Sacramento, California) July 2005. 46 p.

Full Text at: www.bsa.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2004-118.pdf

["This report concludes that together with legislation passed in 1996, the Calderon-Peace-MacBride Judicial Review Act of 1998 (act) expanded the courts in which parties could seek judicial review of commission decisions and broadened the grounds on which judicial review could be sought. Although the average annual number of decisions made by the commission in the six years since the act had not substantially changed from the five-year period before the act, the average annual number of petitions seeking judicial review of commmission decisions and increased. Moreover, since the act, the number of petitions for which the courts have granted review of commission decisions had increased."]

[Request #S52426]

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ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES

AIR POLLUTION

Air Pollution Control Officer’s Determination of VOC Emission Factors for Dairies. By David Crow, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. (The District, Fresno, California) August 1, 2005.

["Officials said gases from ruminating dairy cows, not exhaust from cars, are the region's biggest single source of a chief smog-forming pollutant. Every year, the average dairy cow produces 19.3 pounds of gases, called volatile organic compounds.... The dairy industry will be forced to invest millions of dollars in expensive pollution-control technology in feedlots and waste lagoons, and may even have to consider altering animals' diets to meet the region's planned air-quality regulations. Not surprisingly, industry officials challenged the estimate as scientifically unsound." Los Angeles Times (August 2, 2005) 1.]

Determination. 31 p.
http://www.valleyair.org/busind/pto/dpag/APCO%20Determination%20of%20EF_August%201_.pdf

Press release. 2 p.
http://www.valleyair.org/Recent_news/Media_releases/Rls%20Dairy%20EF%20settled%2008-01-05.pdf

Appendicies. Various pagings.
http://www.valleyair.org/busind/pto/dpag/APCO_VOC_EFD_Appendices.htm

[Request #S52428]

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Livestock Emissions Research Symposium Presentations. By Frank Mitloehner, University of California, Davis, and others. Presented to the Air Resources Board. (The Board, Sacramento, California). January 26, 2005.

[Includes: "Ammonia and Hydrogen Sulfide Emissions from Beef Cattle Feedlots;" "On Farm Measurements of Methane and Select Carbonyl Emission Factors for Dairy Cattle;" "Reactive Organic Gases and Amine Emissions from a Northern California, Flushed Lane Dairy: Technical Approach and Report of Emisson Factors;" "Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Dairy Cows and Their Excreta;" "Emissions from Poultry Production;" and others.

Presentations. Various pagings.
www.arb.ca.gov/ag/caf/lersymp.htm

List of Volatile Organic Compounds. 2 p.
http://www.arb.ca.gov/ag/caf/mitloehnerdata.pdf

[Request #S52431]

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Testing the Waters 2005: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches. By Mark Dorfman, Natural Resource Defense Council. (The Council, New York, New York) July 2005.

["Beach closings and pollution advisories in San Francisco and Los Angeles hit record highs in 2004. The advocacy group based its report on data collected by state and local agencies. It acknowledged that increased testing might simply be revealing a more complete picture of coastal pollution.... Statewide, however, the picture was rosier: the total beach closures and warnings in California were down by 26 percent." San Francisco Chronicle) July 29, 2005) 1.]

Full Report. 280 p.
http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/ttw2005.pdf

Executive Summary. 8 p.
http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/exesum.pdf

California Results. 29 p.
http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/sumcal.pdf

[Request #S52432]

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Special Survey on the Environment in Collaboration with The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. By Mark Baldassare. Public Policy Instutite of California. (PPIC, San Francisco, California) July 2005. 40 p.

Full Text at: www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=623

["According to a new statewide poll ... Californians by large margins support many of Schwarzenegger's environmental efforts -- from increasing solar power and hydrogen cars to reducing global-warming emissions. But as the governor's overall approval ratings continue to tumble, the public is giving him little credit for being an environmental leader..." San Jose Mercury News (July 21, 2005) 1.]

[Request #S52429]

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Water for Growth: California's New Frontier. By Ellen Hanak, Public Policy Institute of California. (The Institute, San Francisco, California) July 2005.

["California's thirst for water will jump by 40 percent during the next 25 years at current rates, with much of the water going for landscaping in the hot, dry inland valleys that will see the bulk of the population growth, warns a study.... Using water more efficiently is key to meeting the growing demand, said the report.... More water storage could help, including innovative ideas like storing water underground as well as in traditional reservoirs, said Hanak. And more exotic ideas, like desalination and cloud-seeding could play a role in some areas. " Associated Press (July 27, 2005) 1.]

Report. 169 p.
http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/R_705EHR.pdf

Research Brief. 2 p.
http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/RB_705EHRB.pdf

[Request #S52430]

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GENERAL GOVERNMENT

ELECTION REFORM

"Paying for Politics." By John M. De Figueiredo and Elizabeth Garrett. IN: Southern California Law Review, vol. 78 no. 3 (March 2005) pp. 591-667.

["With the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, Congress enacted the most sweeping reform of the federal campaign system in nearly thirty years. Commentators hailed the bill as the 'most farreaching and controversial attempt to restructure the national political process in a generation' and as the answer to American's demand for reform 'in order to reclaim the power of their voices and their votes.' When the Supreme Court endorsed virtually the entire bill as constitutional in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, it set the stage for the 2004 election, the first to be held under the new campaign rules."]

[Request #S52433]

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FFIS Competitive Grant Update. By the Federal Funds Information for States. Update 05-25. (FFIS, Washington, DC) July 18, 2005. Various pagings.

Full Text at: www.ncsl.org/ffis/subs/cg/2005/CG05-25.htm

["Includes: "Environmental Quality Incentives Program Streambank and Water Quality;" "State Vocational Rehabilitation Unit In-Service Training;" and " National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers and others."]

[Request #S52434]

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Proposition 77: Reapportionment: Initiative Constitutional Amendment. By the Legislative Analyst's Office. (The Office, Sacramento, California) July 2005. Various pagings.

Full Text at: www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2005/77_11_2005.htm

["This measure requires that a three-member panel of retired federal and/or state judges (“special masters”) develop redistricting plans.... [and] adds new requirements regarding the drawing of district boundaries."]

[Request #S52435]

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Supplemental Report of the 2005 Budget Act Year: Containing Statements of Intent for Requests for Studies Adopted by the Legislature. Compiled by the Legislative Analyst’s Office. (The Office, Sacramento, CA) July 18, 2005. 102 p.

Full Text at: www.lao.ca.gov/2005/supp_report/supp_rpt_2005.pdf

[This report contains statements of legislative intent that were adopted by the conference committee on the 2005 Budget.]

[Request #S52436]

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Major Features of the 2005 California Budget. By Elizabeth Hill, Legislative Analyst's Office. (LAO, Sacramento, CA) July, 2005. 32 p.

Full Text at: www.lao.ca.gov/2005/major_features/2005-06_major_features.pdf

["The yearly, multibillion-dollar deficits simply reflect the gap between the state's spending obligations and its revenues.... Elizabeth Hill ... has estimated the state will pay about $4 billion next fiscal year to begin chipping away at its budget-related debts and interest." Sacramento Bee (July 25, 2005) A1.]

[Request #S52438]

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Hispanics and the 2004 Election: Population, Electorate and Voters. By Roberto Suro and others, Pew Hispanic Institute. (The Institute, Washington, DC) June 27, 2005. 31 p.

Full Text at: pewhispanic.org/files/reports/48.pdf

["Hispanics accounted for half of the population growth in the United States between the elections of 2000 and 2004 but only one-tenth of the increase in the total votes cast. This gap between the very substantial growth ... and modest electoral clout ... is primarly the result of Hispanics too young to vote or are ineligible because they are not citizens."]

[Request #S52439]

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HEALTH

ABORTION

Proposition 73: Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor’s Pregnancy: Initiative Constitutional Amendment. By the Legislative Analyst's Office. (The Office, Sacramento, California) July 2005. Various pagings.

Full Text at: www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2005/73_11_2005.htm

["Minors in the state currently receive abortion services to the same extent as adults.... This proposition amends the California Constitution to require, with certain exceptions, a physician ... to notify the parent or legal guardian of a pregnant minor at least 48 hours before performing an abortion involving that minor."]

[Request #S52440]

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Agriculture & Air Quality Summary and Implementation: White Paper on Senate Bill 700 (Florez). By the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association. (The Association, Sacramento, California) 2005. Various pagings.

Full Text at: www.capcoa.org/sb_700.htm

"In some parts of the state, air quality is very bad and agricultural activities are significant contributors to the problem. Poor air quality harms public health; it causes and/or exacerbates asthma, respiratory illnesses, heart and lung disease, and early mortality. Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable. Parts of California, such as the San Joaquin Valley and the South Coast, have some of the highest asthma rates in the nation."

[Request #S52442]

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Medicaid Managed Care Looking Forward, Looking Back. By Neva Kaye. National Academy for State Health Policy. (The Academy, Portland, Maine) June 2005. 122 p.

Full Text at: www.nashp.org/Files/mmc_guide_final_draft_6-16.pdf

["Since 1990 managed care has grown to be the dominant delivery system in Medicaid. State Medicaid agencies have both expanded managed care to cover more complex populations and established mechanisms to ensure access and quality. These years have also seen a consolidation in the Medicaid marketplace and the increase use of managed care organizations that serve a primarily public population."]

[Request #S52443]

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More Than Half of Californians in HMOs Are Overweight or Obese. By Gerald F. Kominsky and others, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. (The Center, Los Angeles, California.) July 2005. 8p.

Full Text at: www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/pubs/files/Obesity_HMO_PB.071905.pdf

["More than five million Californians enrolled in HMOs -- over half of all HMO enrollees ages 12 to 64 -- are overweight or obese based on a survey. It is a costly problem, adding approximately $7.7 billion a year to medical care costs in California alone. HMOs should address this problem both to help their membership lead healthier, more productive lives, and to control growing health care costs."

NOTE: For those interested, additional public policy Readings on Obesity are available from the California Research Bureau.]

[Request #S52301]

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Proposition 78: Prescription Drugs: Discounts: Initiative Statute. By the Legislative Analyst's Office. (The Office, Sacramento, California) July 2005. Various pagings.

Full Text at: www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2005/78_11_2005.htm

["This proposition creates a new state drug discount program to reduce the costs that certain residents of the state would pay for prescription drugs purchased at pharmacies."]

[Request #S52445]

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Recommendations for Emergency Preparedness and Public Health: Letter Report. By Little Hoover Commission. 170a. (The Commission, Sacramento, California) June, 2005. 15 p.

Full Text at: www.lhc.ca.gov/lhcdir/emergprep/report170a.pdf

["Veteran scientists are grappling with a different sort of biological problem: They are getting old. Short of cash, and unable to compete with private biotechnology companies, the California Department of Health Services is often unable to replace the microbiologists who retire. The nonpartisan Little Hoover Commission warned that the labor shortage could have horrific consequences. 'The State has not deployed a public health surveillance system that could detect serious threats in time to save thousands of lives," wrote commission Chairman Michael Alpert, in a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers. "The State has not stopped the serious erosion of its laboratory capacity, which is essential to analyzing medical responses."" San Francisco Chronicle (July 31, 2005) online.

NOTE: For those interested, additional public policy Readings on Public Health and Emergency Preparedness are available from the California Research Bureau.]

[Request #S52446]

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Emergency Preparedness Review: Testimony. By Alan P. Zelicoff, former senior scientist, Center for Arms Control and National Security, and others. Presented to the Little Hoover Commission. (The Commission, Sacramento, California). May 26, 2005. Various pagings.

Full Text at: www.lhc.ca.gov/lhcdir/May05.html

["Thankfully, while bioterrorism has not reared its ugly head in the intervening time at least two completely novel infectious diseases have appeared or spread across the country – SARS and West Nile fever.... This State (and just about all others) have done little to substantively prepare for the next naturally occurring, totally new and unexpected disease outbreak (let alone bioterrorism) and even more important we have not solved the fundamental communications problem among public health officials, physicians, emergency response personnel, nurses and other health care providers, hospitals and veterinarians." Includes: Testimony by Colonel Robert Kadlec, Staff Director, Subcommittee on Bioterrorism and Public Health, U. S. Senate; Eric M. Koscove, Chief, Emergency Department, Kaiser Permanente; Peter Abbott, President, California Public Health Association; Carmen R. Nevarez, Public Health Institute; and others.]

[Request #S52447]

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HOUSING

HOME OWNERSHIP

A Primer on California's Housing Programs. By California Budget Project. (The Project, Sacramento, California) May 25, 2005. 20 p.

Full Text at: www.cbp.org/2005/0505bb_housing.pdf

["California offers more than three dozen programs designed to help families achieve homeownership, increase the state's housing supply, and ensure that individuals with special needs have a roof over their heads.... This report provides a short overview of California's housing programs, examines state spending on housing, and takes a brief look at major local and federal housing programs."]

[Request #S52449]

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HUMAN SERVICES

CHILD SUPPORT

Child Support Enforcement Program: The State Has Contracted With Bank of America to Implement the State Disbursement Unit to Collect and Disburse Child Support Payments. By California State Auditor, California Bureau of State Audits. (The Bureau, Sacramento, California) March 2005. 23 p.

Full Text at: www.bsa.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/99028.4.pdf

["This report discusses the final stages of the project team's process for selecting a vendor to provide SDU services."]

[Request #S52450]

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2005 Kids Count Data Book: State Profiles of Child Well-being: Helping Our Most Vulnerable Families Overcome Barriers to Work and Achieve Financial Success. By the Annie E. Casey Foundation. (The Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland) 2005. 197 p.

Full Text at: www.aecf.org/publications/data/2005db.pdf

["The annual Data Book reports that national trends in child well-being are no longer improving in the rapid and sustained way they did in the late 1990s. Among the negative trends: the number of children who live with parents facing persistent unemployment grew to 4 million, an increase of more than 1 million since 2000.

2005 Kids Count Data Book. 197 p.:
http://www.aecf.org/publications/data/2005db.pdf

State-Level Data Online. Various pagings.:
http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/sld/databook.jsp

[Request #S52451]

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Mary Doe v. Arthur Mann. U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. 04-15477. July 19, 2005. 58 p.

Full Text at: www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/A32D0DBFC890578788257042008169C7/$file/0415477.pdf?openelement

["In a significant case for Native Americans, a court ruled that tribes cannot stop California courts from taking Indian children from their parents.... Tribes around the country have moved to assert more authority in recent years, arguing that Indian children are better off remaining within their tribes than being placed for adoption.... Some states, notably Wisconsin, have concluded that involuntary child custody proceedings lie outside state purview, while state courts in Washington and Idaho have deduced the opposite." Los Angeles Times (July 20, 2005) 1.]

[Request #S52453]

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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

GAMBLING INDUSTRY

The Indian Gaming Industry Report. By Alan Meister. (Casino City Press, Newton, Massachusetts) 2005. 88 p.

["The Indian Gaming Industry Report provides 2004 statistics for the United States Indian gaming industry on a state-by-state basis, including number of facilities, tribes, gaming machines, table games, gaming and non-gaming revenue, market summaries, trends, and revenue sharing with state and local governments"] Publisher's Announcement (2005) 1.

[Request #S52454]

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ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES

ASBESTOS

Residential Proximity to Naturally Occuring Asbestos and Mesothelioma Risk in California. By Xue-lie Pan and others. IN: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (June 23, 2005).]

["People who live near the kind of rocks that can contain asbestos are more likely than other Californians to contract a rare cancer. The study ... has been eagerly awaited by federal officials trying to understand possible links between the rocks beneath our feet and asbestos-related diseases.... The study could hold special interest for foothills communities, including El Dorado Hills, where elevated levels of asbestos fibers have been measured in the air around joggers, bicyclists and others pursuing dust-raising activities." Sacramento Bee (June 28, 2005) A1.]

[Request #S52455]

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HEALTH

PUBLIC HEALTH

"The Next Pandemic." By Laurie Garrett. IN: Foreign Affairs, vol. 84, no. 4. (July/August 2005)

Full Text at: www.foreignaffairs.org/20050701faessay84401/laurie-garrett/the-next-pandemic.html [requires password]

["Summary: Since it first emerged in 1997, avian influenza has become deadlier and more resilient. It has infected 109 people and killed 59 of them. If the virus becomes capable of human-to-human transmission and retains its extraordinary potency, humanity could face a pandemic unlike any ever witnessed."]

[Request #S52457]

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