Leif Wellington Haase: All Publications, Events and Press

CA EVENT: Censorship and Politics

Communications — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/10/2008 - 12:00pm

Come hear more about the book that Studs Terkel calls "revelatory and stunning"; that Anthony Lewis praises for providing "a dramatic glimpse of a dark American past"; that Publishers Weekly says "artfully weaves the personal and the political" in a way that "readers will find engaging on more than one level." Rick Wartzman, Irvine senior fellow at the New America Foundation, will lecture on his new book, "Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John… more

CA Event: The Next World - How Should the United States Respond to Rising Powers?

Communications — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
09/05/2008 - 8:00am

The rise of other global powers is a profound new reality of today’s world. As headlines remind us nearly everyday, China, India, Russia, as well as the European Union, Japan, and others are rapidly gaining strength and influence. How should the U.S. navigate this new world landscape? Does the rise of these powers represent an ideological challenge or an economic boom? Will global warming convince us we are all in the same boat? The Next World conference will explore… more

Leif Wellington Haase in Perfil.com | 'Real Estate Crisis and the End of the American Dream'

Communications — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:08:00 -0400

New America in the News:

(Perfil.com, translated version)--...Finally, banks can seize the homes in 2007 were initiated 2.2 million procedures, according to RealtyTrac consultancy. The over-indebted families are expelled, the abandoned houses are degraded and this affects the level of the neighborhood, so the bank must liquidate the property, with lower market prices. "If there are many vacant houses, at some point this phenomenon occurs," says Leif Haase, a leader of the research centre New American Foundation, California... LINK to Article

CA Event: From Pluribus to Unum

Communications — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:45:00 -0400

A New America Event
07/25/2008 - 12:00pm

Though the southern border tends to be a focal point for debates about immigration, the anxiety that many Americans express is really about whether integration happens after people have crossed our country's borders. The question of immigrant integration is nowhere more relevant than in California, where more than one in four residents is foreign born. On Friday July 25th, Dr. Tomás Jiménez will discuss the state of immigrant integration amongst California's newcomers and their descendents. He will… more

CA Event: Climate Change Solutions

Communications — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:51:00 -0400

A New America Event
07/17/2008 - 12:00pm

The G-8 recently endorsed cutting global emissions of greenhouse gases by 50 percent by 2050 and called for nations around the world to set midterm reduction targets. What role do U.S. states play in this process and what steps should they take? New America Climate Policy Director Terry Tamminen and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger David Crane will give an overview of state and federal policies to date, while discussing the steps that California and other states can take… more

CA Event: The Subprime/Foreclosure Crisis

Communications — Fri, 30 May 2008 01:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
06/11/2008 - 12:00pm

The U.S. economy has been gripped by a relentless housing crisis for almost two years. A key driver in this crisis has been the many subprime mortgages that involved high rates and fees -- often requiring no down payments -- that were made in the past several years. California is ground zero in the subprime crisis and the resultant spillover effects -- foreclosures, bankruptcies, decreasing property values to name a few. Recognizing that relying on the market alone is unlikely… more

CA Pension Bill in Sacramento Bee | Plan to Open Up CalPERS Reflects Worry About Inadequate Saving for Retirement

Communications — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:58:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Sacramento Bee | Plan to Open Up CalPERS Reflects Worry About Inadequate Saving for Retirement

Investing for retirement is the financial equivalent of eating your vegetables: It's good for you, but sometimes downright distasteful.

Now a proposal making its way through the California Legislature has people talking about whether the state can make putting aside retirement money more palatable.

The plan would let private businesses and workers funnel direct payroll deposits into a retirement investment account. The California Public Employees' Retirement… more

CA Retirement Saving Proposal in Sacramento Bee | California Assembly Panel Passes State-run IRA Proposal

Communications — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:15:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Sacramento Bee | California Assembly Panel Passes State-run IRA Proposal

A proposal to open California's retirement system to private sector workers prompted questions Wednesday about government competing with investment firms and the pension system's ability to handle the unique program.

"We just don't know if it's going to work yet," Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries, R-Lake Elsinore, said of the proposal to have the California Public Employees' Retirement System offer IRA accounts to workers whose employers don't offer retirement savings… more

Lessons From California's Health Reform Efforts For the National Debate

Health Policy — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:10:00 -0500

In January 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled a comprehensive health care plan that aimed to provide quality, affordable health insurance to all Californians. Based on individual responsibility, the plan focused on prevention and wellness and emphasized a shared responsibility approach to financing.

After almost a year of negotiations between Governor Schwarzenegger and Democratic legislative leaders, compromise legislation with a framework and goals similar to the governor’s original proposal passed the State Assembly with a large majority. This compromise legislation, however, was later rejected by the California Senate’s Health committee.

The effort to reform California’s health care system faced several obstacles unique to the state. Californians seeking reform had a very narrow margin of error within a complex set of legislative, political, and demographic challenges. Health reform proponents also encountered several systemic roadblocks regarding affordability and sustainability common to health care reform proposals generally.

Nonetheless, the bipartisan spirit displayed by Governor Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Núñez showed that Republicans and Democrats can work together to solve our nation’s challenging health care crisis and proved that lawmakers can reach consensus without compromising core values. This bipartisan effort to cover all Californians united a broad coalition of advocates representing citizens, patients, workers, employers large and small, hospitals, insurers, and politicians.

While comprehensive health reform legislation was never signed into law, efforts to reform California’s health system produced a number of lessons for the national health care debate and other states seeking to institute reforms. Among the most important: leadership matters, broad coalitions can be built and maintained, and the issues of affordability for families and sustainability for taxpayers must be satisfactorily addressed.

For the full text of the policy paper, please see the PDF attached below.

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… more

Why the Budget Gap Shouldn't Derail Health Care Reform

adminn — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:06:00 -0500

As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has released his budget threatened by $14 billion of red ink, many are asking whether California can afford the ambitious health care reforms that passed the state Assembly in December. Given the social and economic costs of leaving as many as 6.5 million Californians uninsured, the better question may be: Can we afford not to? Those worried by the possible impact of the budget gap on health reform include Senate President Pro Tem Don… more

Why the State's Budget Gap Shouldn't Derail Health Care Reform

Health Policy — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:47:00 -0500

On January 15, 2008, the San Francisco Chronicle featured an opinion piece authored by Leif Wellington Haase and Peter Harbage of the New America Foundation. The article, titled “Why the state’s the budget gap shouldn’t derail health reform,” presented several statistics on the importance of health reform. This background and analysis document offers the underlying support for the statistics used in their argument.

New America Welcomes Historic Vote on California Health Reform

Jerry Irvine — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 20:42:00 -0500

Len Nichols, Director of the Health Policy Program at the New America Foundation, made the following statement today after the California Assembly voted to approve health care legislation that would cover all Californians. New America has provided policy and communications advice to Governor Schwarzenegger, his staff, and to Democratic leaders throughout the reform debate. Many of New America’s core health reform principles, including an individual mandate, are included in the proposal:

“Today is an exciting day for Californians, and for all Americans. This historic Assembly vote encourages us to believe that creating a system of coverage for all Americans is possible. The growing momentum for comprehensive health reform is real.

Amidst the most partisan political atmosphere in recent memory, a Republican governor and Democratic legislators reached common ground and linked together their respective visions. This bipartisan spirit is a model for our nation. It should inspire lawmakers in Washington to move beyond rhetoric and have a serious bipartisan conversation about health reform.

The Governor’s shared responsibility approach means that everyone must play a role in implementing and sustaining health reform. Likewise, this victory belongs to the many groups who united around the common goal of covering all Californians. It could not have been achieved without the commitment and mutual respect shown by the Governor, Assembly Speaker Nunez, and Senate President Perata. We hope the Senate will follow suit and build on this accomplishment.

There is much work left to be done in California. However, it is clear there is a growing consensus that our health system is in need of serious repair and that sustainable reform will take a bipartisan effort. As the country debates how to cover all Americans, California is leading the way toward comprehensive health reform.”

Video of this event, as provided by Gov. Schwarzenegger's office, is available below.

On California's Quest for Health Reform

Articles — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 06:16:00 -0400

Twenty-five years ago, 49er quarterback Joe Montana connected with Dwight Clark on a last-minute miracle pass that changed the history of pro football forever. The metaphor for saving California health-care reform in 2007 resides in that memory.

Several national media reports of the death of reform are premature. But we are truly down to the final minute. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s original plan was good, but not perfect. Those for whom the perfect is the enemy of the good have effectively… more

Leif Wellington Haase Quoted on Health Policy

Communications — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 23:51:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Gov. Bill Richardson [D-NM] on Tuesday fleshed out his $100 billion national plan for universal health care, which contains a few unique features but fails to set him far apart from the other Democratic presidential candidates, according to one analyst.

“I think it’s a very sensible plan, but it doesn’t differentiate him from the pack,” Leif Wellington Haase, director of New America Foundation’s California program and former health care fellow at The Century Foundation, said in a telephone interview.

The New America… more

New America Names New Director of California Program

Jerry Irvine — Tue, 22 May 2007 12:46:00 -0400

WASHINGTON, DC (May 22, 2007) — The New America Foundation is pleased to announce that Leif Wellington Haase will take over the reigns of its California Program in Sacramento. Haase will lead ongoing efforts to advance ground-breaking policy solutions to the state’s problems while enriching the quality of public debate in our nation’s leading laboratory of democracy. Gregory Rodriguez, who will continue as Irvine Senior Fellow, will assume additional responsibilities as Director of the California Fellows Program. Mark Paul, a veteran California journalist and policy analyst, will serve as Senior Scholar.

Previously, Leif Wellington Haase led health policy reform efforts at The Century Foundation, a leading think tank and public policy research foundation. Among his many responsibilities there, Haase directed the Foundation’s Projects on Bioterrorism and Public Health. He is the author of two books on health care reform and serves as a frequent media commentator and expert resource, appearing on leading broadcast and print media around the nation including ABC News, CNBC, NPR, Associated Press, and Time Magazine. Haas received his Bachelor’s degree from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and holds two Master’s degrees in American Studies from Yale University.

Gregory Rodriguez, currently an Irvine Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation, will assume additional responsibilities as Director of the California Fellows Program. Rodriguez is an op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times and has been a Fellow at New America since its inception in 1999. As Director of the Fellows Program Rodriguez will select and guide the work of a group of California Fellows. Rodriguez, who received his Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, is an internationally acclaimed expert on issues of acculturation and immigration and the author of a forthcoming book on Mexican immigration and the future of race in America.

Mark Paul, who will serve as Senior Scholar for New America’s California Program, brings a wealth of experience in California journalism, politics and policymaking to the position. Paul was Deputy Editor of the Sacramento Bee’s editorial pages, supervising political columnists and writing editorials on issues of local, state, and national importance. Recently, Paul served as Deputy Treasurer for the State of California (2004-2005) and as Executive Director of the California Health Facilities Financing Authority. Paul received his Bachelor’s degree in History and his Master’s degree in U.S. History, both from Stanford University.

In its first three years, New America’s California Program has grown to over 15 positions located throughout the state. Its Fellows have authored over 300 articles in all of the state's major media outlets and published five books. The Foundation has also developed a series of ongoing policy programs in California in the areas of health care, financial savings, political reform, immigration and energy. The program regularly convenes major policy events throughout the state featuring prominent speakers including the state’s legislative leaders and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. David Lesher, previous Director of the California Program at New America, is now Government Affairs director at the Public Policy Institute of California. He oversaw the launch of the California Program in Sacramento in 2004.