Both Doug Johnson and Professor Pitney were quoted in the Pasadena Star News on the subject of Mike Eng’s (D – El Monte) rise to the chairmanship of the California Assembley Transportation Committee. The article speculates that his rise might mean more transportation funds for San Gabriel Valley projects such as the extension of Interstate… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Rose Report
Pitney on Obama's gains among women
Professor Pitney was quoted in a Catholic Online article on the subject of recent Obama gains against McCain among women. Pitney addresses why he thinks this is true: “In part it’s a bump” because the Illinois senator became the presumptive Democratic nominee, said John Pitney, a professor of American politics at Claremont McKenna College in… Continue Reading
Primary Turnout Crosses 25%
With all but three small counties reporting their remaining uncounted ballot numbers, turnout for last Tuesday’s election is finally clear at 28.8 percent. The counties report 4.1 million ballots counted, with almost 490,000 ballots uncounted. There may be a slight reduction from 27.4 percent due to the differences in timing between the counted and uncounted… Continue Reading
Pitney and Johnson on Local Political Donations
The influence of wealthy donors on local elections is the subject of an article in Sunday’s Whittier Daily News. The article focuses on the growing influence of independent groups because of restrictions on donating directly to campaigns. Pitney said: “The big donors are just as powerful as when they used to donate directly to the… Continue Reading
Pitney on the General Election campaign
The Wall Street Journal had an article on Saturday about quotes and clips from the democratic primary that are being brought up again by the Republican National Committee to use against Obama. Pitney had this to say on the subject: But this year’s campaign will offer a particularly large trove for Republican researchers, given its… Continue Reading
Dr. Frates on Oil Prices
The Business Press, with coverage in the Inland Empire, has an article about the effect of recently high oil prices on local businesses. As would be expected, companies feel increasing pressure from the rise in the cost of gasoline, to the point of raising delivery fees and using other methods to recuperating their costs. Dr.… Continue Reading
Dr. Frates on City Lobbyists
The North County Times reports that the city of Escondido is considering cutting its state and federal lobbyists in order to save money. The Times referenced Dr. Frates: A college professor near Los Angeles who studies the issue said cities typically do not suffer very much when they discontinue paying their lobbyist for a short… Continue Reading
New California Assembly Speaker on Redistricting Reform Possibility
Karen Bass, the recently chosen Speaker of the Assembly, talked with the Los Angeles Times recently about the possibility of redistricting reform in California. She considers an independent commission reasonable, but takes issue with the possibility of reduced diversity among the legislature: What does concern me, though, is maintaining the diversity of the house. And… Continue Reading
Dr. Frates on Education Cuts
The Voice of San Diego reports on the annual process of threatened layoffs in California schools that are subsequently rescinded, a back and forth process that discourages current teachers and dissuades potential educators. The Voice quoted Dr. Frates: Those cycles breed skepticism about school budget cuts across the political spectrum. Teachers union president Camille Zombro… Continue Reading
Red Bull Primary
Excerpt from Dr. Pitney’s editorial on the National Review Online: Hillary Clinton’s reference to the Robert F. Kennedy assassination caused a stir. It passed. She apologized, RFK’s son said that it was no big deal, Barack Obama shrugged it off, and smart journalists acknowledged that it was a case study of a media feeding frenzy.… Continue Reading