New Survey Finds Doing Business in Southern California Remains Costly Most businesses leaving California are headed for lower-cost western states, according to a survey by Claremont McKenna College’s Rose Institute and Kosmont Companies Claremont, CA – The 2022 Kosmont-Rose Institute Cost of Doing Business Survey finds that the cost of doing business in California is… Continue Reading
Gonzalez ’85, Witt ’00 Step Up as Board Vice Chairs
Rose Institute Board Elevates Two to Vice Chair Roles Alumnae Gonzalez ’85 P’14, Witt ’00 Deliver Keen Experience and Policy Insights The Board of Governors of the Rose Institute of State and Local Government at Claremont McKenna College (CMC) has appointed Deborah Gonzalez ’85 P’14, and Jessica Witt ’00 to the position of vice-chairs. Gonzalez… Continue Reading
Eric Figueroa ’92 Joins Rose Institute Board
Eric Figueroa ’92, P’21, a leader in local government in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been appointed to the Rose Institute Board of Governors at Claremont McKenna College (CMC). Figueroa has served as city manager of the City of Martinez since 2019. Working with his city council, Figueroa led Martinez through the Covid-19 pandemic.… Continue Reading
Lisa Pitney ’89 Joins Rose Institute Board
Lisa Pitney ’89, Disney Executive and Claremont McKenna College Alum, Joins the Rose Institute Board Lisa Pitney CMC ’89, vice president of government relations for the Walt Disney Company, has been appointed to the Board of Governors of the Rose Institute of State and Local Government at Claremont McKenna College (CMC). Pitney has worked for… Continue Reading
Sean Elsbernd ’97 Joins Rose Institute Board
Sean Elsbernd ’97, Chief of Staff to San Francisco Mayor London Breed, has been appointed to the Board of Governors of the Rose Institute of State and Local Government at Claremont McKenna College (CMC). Elsbernd became the Mayor’s Chief of Staff in 2018, following six years of service as United States Senator Dianne Feinstein’s… Continue Reading
In Memoriam: Frank Tripepi
Frank Tripepi, who was born in Dearborn, Michigan in 1947, is a leader in civic management and a longtime member of the Rose Institute of State and Local Government Board of Governors. He passed away on Sunday, June 19, 2022, at the age of 74. Frank joined the Rose Institute board in 2008, bringing with… Continue Reading
Q&A: CA’s Top-Two Election System
June 1, 2022 The Rose Institute published today the first in a series of Questions and Answers about politics. This first offering is on California’s top-two election system, written by J. Andrew Sinclair, an assistant professor of government at Claremont McKenna College and a faculty advisor of the Rose Institute. This report is a culmination… Continue Reading
Rose Institute California population change map
California continues to lose population, according to recent estimates by the California Department of Finance (DOF). After posting its first annual population loss in 2020 (down 182,083), the state lost another 117,552 in 2021. California’s population has now fallen to 39,185,605. This map, produced by Rose Institute researcher Thomas Short using DOF data, shows that… Continue Reading
2022 Graduates say goodbye to the Rose Institute (for now)
The Rose Institute congratulates these outstanding seniors for completing their academic work at CMC. As they bid goodbye to undergraduate research, we welcome them into the Rose Institute Alumni Society. Here are portions of their farewell messages, what they have accomplished at the Institute, and their short-term plans. Katherine Paige Adelman “Working alongside such a… Continue Reading
Spring 2022 IEO and Rose Review published
The most recent issues of the Inland Empire Outlook and the Rose Review have been published, in time for the Institute’s Board of Governors meeting on April 21, The Inland Empire Outlook Spring 2022 edition features articles submitted by four research assistants as their new hire project proposal and, with assistance from senior staff of… Continue Reading
Ryder Todd Smith ’96 Appointed Chair of the Institute Advisory Board
The Rose Institute of State and Local Government at Claremont McKenna College (CMC) Board of Governors has appointed Ryder Todd Smith ’96 as chair. Smith, who joined the Rose Institute’s board in 2016, has served as acting chair since April 2020. He succeeds Ray Remy ’59, who passed away in December 2019. Smith is president… Continue Reading
New Hires for 2021
This year, we selected eight sophomores and five first-years out of a strong pool of applicants from the five colleges. It was an interesting challenge for the Rose Institute student managers and senior staff but we believe we found good students to add to our already impressive group of research assistants. Congratulations to the lucky… Continue Reading

CMC-Rose Institute Poll Compares Political Attitudes in CA and NY in Time of Crisis for Governors
To hear the KPCC “Air-Talk” interview with Dr. Kenneth P. Miller and Dr. Andrew Sinclair regarding this study, go to this section on KPCC’s website: The Politics of California and New York and How Voters in Both States View Their Political Institutions. Continue Reading
Bessette-Sinclair article in Real Clear Policy on Capital Punishment
CMC professors Joseph Bessette and Andrew Sinclair recently released the results of two Rose Institute-sponsored national surveys of public attitudes toward the death penalty. The surveys, conducted in 2019 and 2020, polled approximately 5,000 respondents. The surveys provide evidence that Americans hold nuanced views regarding capital punishment, and that by some measures their support for… Continue Reading
Outstanding Senior Class Recognized at Commencement 2021
The Rose Institute is so proud to recognize the class of 2021 for their outstanding accomplishments. Each of them has contributed to the Rose Institute through the projects they have been involved in through their tenure at the Institute. We only hope that we have contributed to their overall experiences at Claremont McKenna College. Katherine… Continue Reading
Ronald C. Moe ’59 Collection Donated to the Rose Institute of State and Local Government
The Rose Institute of State and Local Government is proud to announce that the published writings and unpublished notes of one of America’s foremost experts on American government, Dr. Ronald C. Moe, have been donated to the Rose Institute by his wife of 35 years, Grace Moe of Washington, D.C. A native of San Diego,… Continue Reading
Federalism 2021: COVID-19 Mandates
Photo Credit: Frauke Riether from Pixabay Released March 14, 2021 COVID-19 Mask Mandates & Vaccine Mandates: Does the federal government have the power to implement these policies? by Sevion DaCosta ’21, Tara Mehra ’22, Marshall Bessey ’22 As President Joe Biden assumes office after a contentious election and transition, the focus shifts back to two… Continue Reading
Announcing Kenneth Miller as New Rose Institute Director
Dear CMC Community: We are pleased to announce that Kenneth P. Miller, Don H. and Edessa Rose Associate Professor of State and Local Government, has been appointed Director of the Rose Institute of State and Local Government, effective July 1, 2021. We are thrilled to have Professor Miller take on this important leadership role at… Continue Reading
Reapportionment in the Supreme Court
JACOB LEISCHNER’21 wrote this article for the Fall 2020 edition of the Inland Empire Outlook The right to vote, and have that vote heard, is one of the most fundamental principles of the American republic. Every ten years – following the decennial census – states engage in the process of redistricting, where new district lines… Continue Reading