New America in California: New America Events

CA Event: Expanding Savings and Retirement Security

Communications — Thu, 22 May 2008 10:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
05/22/2008 - 12:00pm

Every day, six million Californians, or roughly 43 percent of workers in the state, go to work for an employer that does not provide any type of retirement pension or savings plan. This lack of retirement savings opportunities puts California working families at risk. On Thursday, May 22, Mark Iwry of the Brookings Institution will present on the current retirement savings crisis in America -- its causes and the continuing effect it will have on the financial security of working families as well as the state and national economy. Mr. Iwry will also discuss state and national policy options to significantly encourage retirement savings and the accumulation of assets by lower- and middle-income workers.

Mark Iwry is former benefits tax counsel for the Treasury Department. He is an expert on employee benefits, pensions, retirement, savings, and health care, and frequently advises and testifies before Congress on these issues. At Treasury, where he oversaw national policy on tax-qualified pension and 401(k) plans, as well as other employee benefits, Mr. Iwry played a key role in developing many important reforms to the nation's pension system. Mr. Iwry is one of the originators of the concept of state portable retirement savings account for private sector workers.

This event is co-hosted by the New America Foundation, the Assets Policy Initiative of California and the California Research Bureau, in association with Assemblymembers Kevin De Leon (D-Los Angeles) and Joel Anderson (R-La Mesa).

If you have questions, call or email Claudie Kiti Bustamante at (916) 448-5189 or bustamante@newamerica.net.

CA Event: Instant Runoff Voting and Minorities in L.A.

Communications — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 10:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
04/19/2008 - 10:00am

Currently, Los Angeles' local elections run on a wasteful, two-round election system. Last May, only 6 percent of voters turned out for the runoff election for the Los Angeles Community College Districts -- an election that cost taxpayers $5 million, or $40 per voter. For this reason, the LA City Council is seriously considering Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) for local elections.

By combining the general and runoff election into 1 single election, IRV will save millions of taxpayer dollars and help raise voter turnout. IRV allows voters to rank their choices, in order of preference (1-2-3). This way, if your first choice cannot win, your vote will go to your next choice.

Please join the New America Foundation/Political Reform Program and the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable for an engaging discussion on political reform and its impact on communities of color.

CA Event: Financial Literacy - Need, Strategy, Opportunity

Communications — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
04/17/2008 - 12:00pm

Families across America face a growing array of financial decisions in an increasingly complex financial environment. Consumers are expected to navigate an increasinly complex financial services market in order to save for retirement, higher education and homeownership. Those with low-incomes -- who disproportionately lack both financial know-how and relationships with financial institutions -- are especially vulnerable to being shut out of the financial marketplace.

On Thursday, April 17th, Ellen Seidman, Director of New America's Financial Services and Education Project, presented on the importance of financial literacy for both individual households and the broader macroeconomy and discussed:

Expanding access to wealth-building financial services especially for low- and moderate-income families,
Effective strategies to improve financial education such as the California's Statewide Financial Literacy Initiative
Forging a new responsibility framework for consumer financial services in the 21st century and,
Helping Americans to better manage their debt and make wise financial decisions.

Understanding the Bin Ladens (San Francisco)

Communications — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:30:00 -0400

A New America Event
04/15/2008 - 5:30pm

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and author of the national bestseller Ghost Wars, Steve Coll presents the story of the Bin Laden family's rise to power and privilege. In The Bin Ladens, Coll shows how the family navigated though and around economic and cultural hurdles, and he presents an authentic story of Saudi Arabia, America and those caught in the crossfire. Revealing new information, Coll shows how American influence changed a family's fortune and how one family member's rebellion changed the world.

"Riveting" - The New York Times

"Stunningly researched and grippingly told" - Los Angeles Times

"Marvelous" - The Washington Post

Please note that there is an $18 charge for non-members of the Commonwealth Club and a $12 charge for members.

To RSVP for this event, please go to the Commonwealth Club website.

CA Event: Banking the Unbanked

Communications — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 06:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
03/26/2008 - 12:00pm

Currently, too many Californians are disconnected from the financial mainstream. While national estimates show that 10 percent of households, including nearly one-quarter of the minority population, are "un-banked," meaning they lack a basic checking or savings account, 28 percent of California's adults do not have a checking or savings account. Recent market research indicates that Fresno and Los Angeles have the highest and third highest percentages of un-banked residents in the country respectively. Compounding the situation is the nearly 60 percent of California's lower income neighborhoods that do not have a bank or a credit union, according to analyses done by the Brookings Institution. Others may have bank branches that lack products and services that meet local consumers' needs.

On Tuesday, March 26th, Anne Stuhldreher, a senior policy advisor in the Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will discuss what it means to be "un-banked" and why it is a problem for California in particular. She will also provide an overview of Bank on California, which is modeled after Bank on San Francisco, headed by San Francisco City Treasurer José Cisneros. Cisneros will describe the ground-breaking initiative that successfully brought tens of thousands of local un-banked residents into the financial mainstream.

Inspired by the success in San Francisco, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently announced he would launch a Bank on California initiative to connect lower income un-banked Californians with the financial products and services they need to begin climbing up the economic ladder.

This event is co-hosted by the New America Foundation, the Assets Policy Initiative of California, the California Research Bureau, and in association with Assemblymember Ted Lieu (D-Torrance).

If you have questions, call or email Claudie Kiti Bustamante at (916) 448-5189 or bustamante@newamerica.net.

California Health Reform: Lessons for the Nation

Communications — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
03/07/2008 - 12:00pm

Efforts to reform California's health system hold many lessons for the nation. The bipartisan spirit displayed by Governor Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Núñez proves that Republicans and Democrats can work together to address the most challenging health care problems facing our nation. In addition, the campaign to cover all Californians united an unprecedented coalition of advocates: hospitals, insurers, large and small employers, labor, and patients. Rarely have such disparate interest groups united in favor of a health reform proposal as in California.

The California experience also serves as a reminder that comprehensive health reform contains many complex elements that require carefully crafted and politically feasible policy solutions. Above all, the cost of providing comprehensive health coverage—to both households and governments—represents real challenges to reform efforts.

Following the release of New America’s analysis of the California reform effort —Lessons from California’s Health Reform Efforts for the National Debate —–key stakeholders from California joined New America policy experts to evaluate the California reform effort and consider what lessons it can teach the nation.

Almost across the board, panelists emphasized the importance of strong leadership and recognized that California’s unique budgetary rules were a real impediment to reform efforts. Speakers highlighted that concerns about affordability, the employer role, and financing all played an important role in the California debate.

To view a video and transcript of this event, please visit the Kaiser Family Foundation website.

CA Event: Balancing California’s Checkbook

Communications — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
02/28/2008 - 12:00pm

Once again, California is facing a budget crisis -- but this is nothing new. The state has faced fiscal difficulties for over 30 years, problems magnified by initiative limitations, competing political objectives, and population growth. Fortunately, today we have bipartisan awareness about the structural nature of the state’s fiscal dysfunction and the need for long-term solutions. Our panel of seasoned political experts will discuss budgetary lessons learned and provide insight into the best course for California’s future.

This event is co-sponsored by the California Research Bureau, the James Irvine Foundation, the New America Foundation, PPIC and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

CA Event: How Do/Should We Tax?

Communications — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:34:00 -0500

A New America Event
02/27/2008 - 8:30am

California has a tax system largely fixed in place during the Great Depression, in an industrial economy-setting unconcerned with environmental sustainability. Two questions about this tax system are posed here: First, can California find ways to raise the revenue it needs in the 21st century that are a better fit with our high-tech, service-based economy than is the current system? Second, can California's tax/fee structure be used to meet the state's greenhouse gas emissions under its AB 32 guidelines?

On Feb. 27, 2008, the New America Foundation and the University of California Center in Sacramento hosted a half-day conference with experts discussing these pressing questions. An MP3 audio recording of the full event, as well as presentation materials and conference articles released at this event, are available below.

California Event: The Savings Crisis

Communications — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
02/14/2008 - 12:00pm

Personal savings rates have plummeted in the past decade to an all-time historic low. Many Americans aren't saving enough money for retirement, households are increasingly living day to day on high-interest credit cards, and millions are one medical emergency or layoff away from financial crisis. Moreover, poor savings rates mean that there is less money for domestic investment and to finance our government's debt.

As more and more Californians are expected to save for their own futures, millions of individuals get conflicting messages from government: Save, and don’t save. Over the last decade there has been an emerging consensus among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners about the importance of helping people save and build wealth by removing the barriers to save so that they can put themselves on a path to financial independence.

On Thursday, February 14th, Dory Rand, Senior Counsel to the National Shriver Center on Poverty Law will present on the importance of helping people save and build wealth by removing the barriers to save so that they can put themselves on a path to financial independence.

This event is co-hosted by the New America Foundation, the Assets Policy Initiative of California, and the California Research Bureau, in association with Assemblymember Ted Lieu (D-Torrance).

California's California

Communications — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
01/31/2008 - 12:00pm

Carol Whiteside, President of The Great Valley Center, presented on the challenges that families in California face in building savings and assets for education, retirement, homeownership, entrepreneurship, and security against economic crisis. While this is an issue throughout California, it is particularly so in the San Joaquin Valley. Capitol staff were briefed on the Valley's economy as it relates to family incomes and asset accumulation and how those factors relate to Valley residents' ability to pay for college education and/or job training, start small businesses, and sustain a decent standard of living in retirement.

This event was co-hosted by the New America Foundation, the Asset Policy Initiative of California, and the California Research Bureau, in association with Assemblymembers Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and Ted Gaines (R-Roseville).

CA Event: Overtreated

Communications — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
12/17/2007 - 12:00pm

In most markets, paying more buys better quality. When you pay $400 for a night in the Four Seasons, you expect to get a better room and better service than you would at Motel 6. But in health care, the normal rules of economics don't apply. The American health care system ranks in the bottom third of developed nations. American medicine kills 100,000 patients a year through medical error and our health statistics are on a par with the Czech Republic and Chile -- yet we spend twice as much per capita on average as any other developed country.

Shannon Brownlee, author of Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Us Sicker and Poorer, argues that as much as a third of every health care dollar, about $700 billion a year, is wasted on care that patients don't need -- and would probably avoid if they knew how useless and dangerous it is. California spends more per capita on unnecessary care than any other state except New Jersey. If we want to control costs and improve the quality of care, the ongoing efforts to cover the uninsured in the state should include payment reforms aimed at reducing over treatment.

Shannon Brownlee is a writer whose stories, essays, and opinion pieces about medicine and health care have appeared in such publications as The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, Slate, Time, Discover, BusinessWeek, Washington Monthly, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and The Wilson Quarterly. As a Schwartz Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation, Ms. Brownlee’s work focuses on the U.S. health care system, and the cultural, economic, and political forces that result in poor quality and high cost. She has written extensively about the lack of scientific evidence for many medical practices, and the problem of unnecessary care, which accounts for as much as a third of the nation’s health care bill. Her new book, Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Americans Sicker and Poorer, is published by Bloomsbury Press.

If you have questions, call or email Claudie Bustamante at (916) 448-5189 or bustamante@newamerica.net.

CA Event: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer

Communications — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
12/14/2007 - 3:00pm

Shannon Brownlee, award-winning journalist and senior fellow at the New America Foundation, has written and spoken widely about health care, genetic testing and the insurance industry, problems in the assisted reproductive industry, and the need for national policies to regulate new human genetic technologies.

In Overtreated, Shannon argues that the U.S. health care system delivers huge amounts of unnecessary care that is not only expensive and wasteful but can actually imperil our health. She shows how the interests of politicians and the medical-industrial complex continually trump those of patients, seducing the wealthy with unnecessary procedures and leaving the poor with haphazard access to treatment. In her talk, Shannon will also address the coming era of personalized genomic medicine. She’ll ask whether it is more likely to remedy the lack of evidence in current medical practice, or to exacerbate the problems of cost and unnecessary care.

Join the Center for Genetics and Society and the New America Foundation for a comprehensive look at how the American health care system fails to deliver value for its high spending. Egg Nog and holiday refreshments will be served.

To RSVP for this event, please click this link and sign up: Registration Page with name, affiliation, and contact information.

California Event: The Mortgage Crisis in California

Communications — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
11/19/2007 - 12:00pm

The New America Foundation and the Asset Policy Initiative of California, in association with Assemblymembers Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and Ted Gaines (R-Roseville), cordially invite you to join us Monday, November 19th, for the third in a series of policy forum discussions in Sacramento designed to inform policymakers, legislative staffers, and advocates about asset-building research, data, and policies.

Our featured speaker, Paul Leonard, will discuss the current subprime mortgage crisis — its causes, the continuing effect it will have on homeownership, wealth, and the California economy, and possible solutions. Paul directs the California operations of the Center for Responsible Lending. The Center is a non-profit, non-partisan research and policy organization dedicated to protecting homeownership and family wealth by working to eliminate abusive financial practices. CRL is affiliated with Self-Help, one of the nation's largest community development financial institutions.

Mexican Immigration and the Future of Race in America (San Francisco)

Communications — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 15:30:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/30/2007 - 5:30pm

Gregory Rodriguez's recently published book, Mongrels, Bastards, Orphans, and Vagabonds, is a seminal work on the history of the Mexican American experience and their long term cultural and political influence in the United States. Rodriguez examines the complexities of the Mexican American heritage and how its racial and cultural synthesis, its mestizaje, is continually changing the manner in which Americans think about race and their identity as a nation.

Gregory Rodriguez is an Irvine Senior Fellow and Director of the California Fellows Program at the New America Foundation. Rodriguez has written widely on issues of national identity, social cohesion, assimilation, race relations, religion, immigration, ethnicity, demographics, and social and political trends in such leading publications as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, where he is an op-ed columnist.

CA Event: Mexican Immigration and the Future of Race in America

Communications — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 10:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/29/2007 - 12:00pm

In the recently published, Mongrels, Bastards, Orphans, and Vagabonds, Gregory Rodriguez takes an in-depth look at the largest immigrant group in American history. Rodriguez examines the complexities of the heritage and the racial and cultural synthesis--mestizaje--that has defined the Mexican people since the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century. Vis-a-vis the present era of Mexican American confidence, Rodriguez argues that the rapidly expanding Mexican American integration in to the mainstream is changing not only how Americans think about race but how we envision our nation.

*The CSAC Conference Center is located at 1020 11th Street, 2nd Floor between K Street & J Street. The entrance to the center is located between the Pyramid Restaurant patio and Smith Gallery across from the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament main entrance on 11th Street. The building has a black awning with gold diamonds.

California Event: Assets and Opportunity

Communications — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 01:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/09/2007 - 12:00pm

The New America Foundation and the Asset Policy Initiative of California, in association with Assemblymembers Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and Ted Gaines (R-Roseville), recently launched the Bipartisan Asset Policy Forum, including a luncheon speaker series designed to educate policymakers, legislative staff and advocates on asset-building issues affecting Californians.

The next installment of this luncheon series will feature Jennifer Brooks, Policy Director at the Corporation For Enterprise Development (CFED). Ms. Brooks will discuss the state of asset building policy in California and its impact on the financial well-being of families across the state. Ms. Brooks will use the recently published 2007-2008 Assets and Opportunity Scorecard Report - which provides a comprehensive look at wealth, poverty and financial security of families in the United States - to describe the state of asset ownership and policy in California in a broader, comparative context.

California Event: White Certificates

Communications — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
09/19/2007 - 10:00am

As California searches for market-based incentives for energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reductions, white certificates -- tradable certificates representing one megawatt of verified electrical savings --are emerging as a promising policy option.

In this one-day seminar, nationally known experts will discuss the benefits and complications of white certificates as well as the ways in which white certificate programs affect incentives for energy efficiency. Following the presentations, Bill Prindle of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy will lead a robust discussion on the future of white certificates and California.

This event is hosted by Commissioner Rosenfeld’s office at the California Energy Commission and it is a joint presentation of the CEC, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, and the New America Foundation.

If you have questions, call or email Claudie Kiti Bustamante at (916) 448-5189 or Bustamante@newamerica.net.

To watch a live webcast of this event, please visit the California Energy Commission website.

California Event: Asset Policy 101

Communications — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
08/29/2007 - 12:00pm

In association with Assemblymembers Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and Ted Gaines (R-Roseville), New America in California hosted this dynamic policy discussion on how public policy can encourage saving and wealth building for all Californians.

Heather McCulloch, a leader on asset-building policy issues, provided an overview on the history and evolution of policy ideas, in the United States and aboard, for expanding saving by families and individuals. Ms. McCulloch is the founder of Asset Building Strategies, a nationally recognized consulting group that provides invaluable insights in building state and local support for such policies. An MP3 audio recording of the event is available below.

The Asset Policy Initiative of California (APIC) is a statewide network of stakeholders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors who are committed to increasing asset building opportunities for California’s working families. www.assetpolicy.org

California Event: Ensuring Seamless Insurance Coverage For All

Communications — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 19:28:00 -0400

A New America Event
07/09/2007 - 3:30pm

The Legislature, Governor Schwarzenegger and key health care stakeholders are deep in discussions on how to reform California’s broken health care system, including how to reduce the number of uninsured Californians. At this event, New America Foundation Health Policy Program Director Len Nichols and Peter Harbage discussed how to use the principles of seamless coverage and shared responsibility to create a process to ensure all Californians have health coverage, including what we can learn from recent successful experiments in enforcing the individual requirement to purchase auto insurance.

California Event: Repairing California Democracy

Communications — Tue, 22 May 2007 11:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
05/22/2007 - 12:00pm

There is a widening breach between most of the 35 million people residing in California and the fewer than 9 million who actually vote. Seven million Californians are eligible to vote but for one reason or another don’t bother. A small group of frequent voters, who are richer, whiter, older and hold different opinions on education, social spending, Prop.13, and more compared to their nonvoting neighbors -- form the majority that decides which candidates win and which ballot measures pass.

Thus, two Californias have emerged -- a small group that votes and a much larger group that does not, with only one side is electing political leaders who divide up the pie. The crucial challenge for California’s future is, how do we open up our political system so that it turns the non-voters into voters, and appeals to the broad interests of all Californians? What political reforms will allow California to realize its promise? Will redistricting reform accomplish it? If not, what other reforms are needed?

This event was held is in cooperation with the University of California Center Sacramento and the California Research Bureau. Video of the event is available at right, while an MP3 audio recording of Political Reform Program Director Steven Hill's presentation can be downloaded below.