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Analysis Online Headlines

May 11
Energy-Related Carbon Emissions Plunge
CO2 emissions were down 7% in 2009 representing the largest decline in recorded history.

May 10
Another Interesting Day on Wall Street
AnalysisOnline provides an economic update after the U.S. stock market posted its biggest one-day gain in over a year on Monday.

May 9
New Arizona Immigration Law: The Result of Years of Problems
The new Arizona immigration law is the result of years of problems and issues in the state. The Arizona Republic publishes a helpful timeline.

May 6
Containment on Sea Floor to Cope with Gulf Oil Spill
BP's Containment Vessel is on the sea floor to curtain the release of oil in to the Gulf

Reports

Immigration
Change in Make-Up of CA Immigrants
A new study predicts that Los Angeles, a favored destination for many immigrants, will become majority California-born by the time the 2010 census is completed.

Economy
California Budget: Issues Remain
California’s budget accord contains program cuts, but fails to address revenue volatility or prepare for looming future needs, according to research by the Public Policy Institute of California.

Energy
Buyer Perspective: Solar Panel "Bargain"
With state rebates, federal tax credits, and price cuts from manufacturers due to depressed demand, solar energy systems are as much as 50 percent off the original price without incentives.

Healthcare
Killing Jobs Through National Healthcare Reform
A new study from Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University uses cost estimates data from the CMS Acutary at the Department of Health and Human Services to find possible job losses from the new health care legislation that could go as high at 700,000.

CBO: Healthcare Reforms Won't Restrain Costs
Healthcare costs are pushing government spending unsustainably high – and there is nothing in Congressional healthcare reform bills that would change that.

Risk
Cutting the Cost of Risk
Some states are dropping expensive reinsurance coverage, which is designed to pay out when disaster pushes claims over-the-top. AnalysisOnline looks at this topic and gives a year-so-far review on risk.

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Powering California Forum-USC

An Energy Forum of California Leaders
Fall 2010 - University of Southern California

Energy supply and demand are critical to health of any economy. In the past decade ore more, California has taken steps to implement the most aggresive environmental laws in the nation. The effort to reduce carbon emissions has been noted around the world. Some view it as great leadership to impact global climate change while other experts believe that California's new laws are draconian, adversely impact the states economy and quality of life.

California's Big Questions

Last year the California Legislature and Governor set a new goal for achieving a higher use of renewable energy: 33% Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) by 2020. At the same time demand in the state for energy grows. There are many key questions that the state, if not the nation, must clearly face regarding its energy future:

1. What are the primary energy sources in the state today?
2. How much energy will California need in 2020?
3. What will be the energy cost to consumers under various energy supply scenarios?
4. How can renewable technologies be financed while providing respectable return-on-investment for investors?
5. What percentage of the overall energy need can renewable sources contribute currently, and what are realistic expectations for their generating power in 2020?
6. When will alternative fuels and vehicles be widely available to consumers?

New Powering California Study

Powering Arizona is a new study now underway that will be released this fall that will deal with these and many other questions. The study is being developed by a team of experts including:

Timothy Considine, Ph.D., Director of the Center on Energy Economics and Public Policy, University of Wyoming.; former Penn State Professor and research director

of similar studies for the World Bank and Israel.

Richard G. Little, Director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at the University of Southern California

Craig Smith, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Fall 2010 Forum of California Leaders

The University of Southern California will join with other academic institutions and The Communications Institute to host a forum of leaders to discuss the findings of the Powering California study and how they can be used to create sensible decisions for the future and deal with the impact of past decisions. The Forum co-chairs are:

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich

Forum participants will included leaders from the public and private sectors, NGO leaders, and media. The forum and research project are based upon preivous TCI project around the nation.