Although still in its infancy, the USC Schwarzenegger Institute has already generated extensive media coverage in connection with its mission and activities.
Schwarzenegger founded the Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy at USC, the non-profit Regions of Climate Action and the After-School All-Stars Program. His passion for environmental issues also manifested in executive producing and starring in the Emmy-winning Showtime documentary Years of Living Dangerously, and his expertise in physical fitness led to serving as chairman of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition. Hollywood Reporter
In order to achieve a bold vision of a cleaner energy future, more cities and states need to move at the local level to advance upgrades that can protect properties and saves lives. But despite a recent groundswell of political support for green initiatives, sustainability and resiliency upgrades remain limited and unaffordable for most Americans. The Washington Times
As independent commissions become more popular, there is evidence that they are having the desired effect. Christian Grose, the academic director of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy, has conducted research showing that states with independent commissions tend to be fairer and more representative. In California, "the statewide votes matched the outcomes somewhat more proportionally than we see in these other extreme gerrymandering states so in that sense the commission had an impact," Grose said. CalMatters
Luxury cabanas atop Austin’s JW Marriott kept state legislators cool poolside as August-in-Texas temperatures soared above 103 degrees during each day of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s 2019 annual meeting. The gathered Republican officials could enjoy a $14 rooftop Peppered Paloma cocktail with Patrón silver, housemade grapefruit poblano soda, and Chilean salt, all while gazing over Lady Bird Lake and the nearby state Capitol, or catching a ballgame on the cabana’s 55-inch private TV. Slate
Greta Thunberg, who famously doesn’t fly for carbon footprint reasons, is not wasting any more time. She’s going down the road through the U.S. and Canada, and, by December 2, will land in Santiago, Chile, for the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference. She’ll be protesting and striking and meeting whales along the way. Vanity Fair
Arnold Schwarzenegger provided climate-change activist Greta Thunberg with some muscle in her plans to take on Canada – by arranging to have a Tesla Model 3 at her disposal, according to a report. The Terminator’s rep told Car & Driver that the actor had asked the 16-year-old Swedish student to call “if she needed anything.” Page Six
He’s a former Apprentice host with a larger-than-life persona and a signature catchphrase. He’s a Republican who turned success on-screen into a late career in politics, winning a tough race against a better-credentialed opponent. Arnold Schwarzenegger, at least in some ways, is a lot like Donald Trump. But the former California governor now revels in his role as a gadfly to the president. The Atlantic
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday praised actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) for an op-ed he penned discussing widespread gerrymandering across the country. Schwarzenegger wrote the piece for The Washington Post last week, saying that gerrymandering is “bad for democracy” and American voters “ought to be outraged over the way it debases free elections and fair results.” The Hill
When a North Carolina court overturned the state’s legislative map as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander last week, the unanimous decision provided much more than a needed victory free and fair elections. It was also a valuable reminder: Partisan gerrymandering affects much more than Congress, distorting representation in state houses and senates nationwide. The Washington Post
California has been a leader in the fight to clean our air since one of my heroes, Ronald Reagan, was our governor. The Trump administration, for some reason, is hellbent on reversing decades of history and progress. Whether it is political pettiness, shortsightedness or just plain jealousy, I couldn’t tell you. I can tell you that it’s wrong. It’s un-American. And it’s an affront to long-standing conservative principles. The Washington Post