Although still in its infancy, the USC Schwarzenegger Institute has already generated extensive media coverage in connection with its mission and activities.
California witnessed its first statewide race featuring contenders from the same political party but listening to campaign consultants for Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez at a Friday forum presented by the USC’s Schwarzenegger Institute lessons that might translate to future similar contests—say the 2018 governor’s race—may be hard to draw. In many ways, the senate race was a unique contest. Fox&Hounds
Since voters approved the top two primary in June 2010, the system has been praised, criticized and analyzed with varying degree of intensity but without a consensus about whether it improved democracy in California. More analysis is coming this Friday as the Schwarzenegger Institute at the University of Southern California is hosting a discussion of the U.S. Senate race that featured two Democrats vying for the prestigious and powerful post. Fox&Hounds
California politicos reflected on leadership on climate policy at a reception Wednesday to celebrate the state's landmark climate laws. "We've proven that we don't have to choose between a healthy environment and a strong economy," Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) said. The event marked the 10th anniversary of Assembly Bill 32, which established the state's cap-and-trade program, in which companies buy permits to pollute, and set a target for reducing emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The Los Angeles Times
Brown and his predecessor, Schwarzenegger, and legislative leaders gathered in the courtyard outside the California museum to mark the 10-year anniversary of the passage of Assembly Bill 32, the iconic measure that requires California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020. The Sacramento Bee
The former California governor famous for saying “I’ll be back” returned to Sacramento Wednesday. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined Gov. Jerry Brown and other state leaders to mark the 10th anniversary of the historic climate change law that’s considered a main part of his legacy. Capital Public Radio
Did former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger preserve more land than any governor in the state's history? A top official with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute recently made this claim. Capital Public Radio's PolitiFact reporter Chris Nichols has this fact check. Click link to listen. NPR - KVCR
As former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders campaign across California, voters in the Golden State are most concerned about jobs and the economy heading into the state’s June 7 primary. For seven out of 10 people surveyed, the economy is their top concern, according to a Field Poll released Thursday, conducted for the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. International Business Times
Nearly three-quarters of likely California voters say the economy and jobs are among the most important issues in deciding their vote ahead of the June 7 presidential primary, according to a USC Schwarzenegger Institute/Field Poll . MSNBC.com
By Bonnie Reiss and Christian Grose, The Sacramento Bee. As Californians and voters across the United States watch with various degrees of interest and fascination the Republican and Democratic presidential campaigns, one thing is clear: Political polarization is the order of the day. Traditionally it is said that to win the Republican nomination you must appeal to the more conservative elements of the party, and to win the Democratic nomination you must appeal to the more liberal elements of the party. The popularity of Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders seems to validate that belief as well as some extreme policy positions being taken by more centrist candidates.
It was like the debut of an environmentally themed buddy cop drama, with a political odd couple uniting against a common foe. In one chair was California’s governor, Jerry Brown, the cerebral Democrat known for dropping Latin phrases into Capitol news conferences. In the other was his predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Republican movie star who is fond of finding ways to compare political issues to his championship bodybuilding career. It’s hard to imagine two more different people serving back-to-back in the same political office, but on Sunday they sat for a joint interview to put a bipartisan spin on fighting climate change, a key issue for both of them. The Los Angeles Times