August 1999 PRI Ideas in Action
Policy Update and Monthly Impact Report

PRI continues to impact public policy in California, the nation, and abroad. The following is just a sample of PRI's recent contributions.

Health and Welfare

"Canada’s Health Care Goes South," by PRI President Sally Pipes, appeared in Investor’s Business Daily on August 16 and was republished in the Canadian capital by the Ottawa Citizen. Investor’s Business Daily has invited Sally to write a column for the "Brain Trust" by-monthly.

Naomi Lopez, director of PRI’s Center for Enterprise and Opportunity, contributed to Insight magazine’s September 13 national symposium about AIDS policy. Her article, "No: Killing the profit motive will slow the creation of new drugs," opposed demands that pharmaceutical companies disregard trade protections and argued that forcing companies to lower their prices would hurt the development of new drugs. Naomi Lopez was quoted in the August 11 Wall Street Journal about the stigma associated with the Food Stamp program and government-sponsored efforts to sign up welfare recipients. Naomi’s article, "Clinton’s Poverty Tour," ran in the July 28 Washington Times. Business First published Naomi’s "Economic opportunity attained by erasing regulatory burdens," on July 30. "Wives’ earning power can be a big issue, or no issue," by Jocelyn Parker, quotes Naomi in the July 26 Houston Chronicle and July 29 Amarillo Globe Times.

On August 11 PRI fellow Mark Schiller discussed mental-health parity legislation on the Diane Rehms radio show.

Education

The August 24 Orange County Register published "Child scare in California: Boxer, Eastin want billions for state early pre-schooling plan," by PRI editorial director Lloyd Billingsley.

Expanding the Charter Idea, by Lloyd Billingsley and Pamela Riley, co-director of PRI’s Center for School Reform, is ready for September release. Expanding the Charter Idea, the most comprehensive study of charter schools available, is the third in a series of templates on education reform.

On August 24, KQED-FM, the National Public Radio affiliate in San Francisco, broadcast a commentary by Lance Izumi, co-director of PRI’s Center for School Reform, about proposals to change the two-thirds voter approval requirement on local school bonds to a simple majority vote. "Bush’s Lesson Plan," by Stobhan Gorman, quotes Lance Izumi in the August 7 National Journal. On August 30 the Modesto Bee interviewed Lance about local school districts hiring consultants to help them pass local bond measures, and on August 31 K101 radio in the Bay Area interviewed Lance about the recent decision of a Clinton-appointed federal judge to invalidate a school-choice program in Cleveland. Lance said that the judge ignored a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision not to hear the school choice case, thereby, letting stand the voucher programs.

The Los Angeles Daily News published "Legal challenge to teachers’ test a disturbing one," by Lloyd Billingsley, on July 28.

Freedom and Technology

"Ghosts in the Machine," by Chris Oakes, in the July 30 Wired News, mentions PRI’s Governing Internet Privacy: A Free-Market Primer, by Justin Matlick. Justin’s "Privacy on the Internet: The Best Policy Is No Policy At All," appeared in the July Intellectual Ammunition.

Policy fellow Jessica Melugin was quoted in the August 10 San Francisco Chronicle. Justin Matlick spoke on "Governing the Internet" at the regional meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society in Vancouver, August 29-September 1. Eugene Volokh, UCLA law professor and PRI fellow in legal studies, spoke on the same panel.

Civil Rights

The San Francisco Independent newspaper interviewed Lance Izumi on August 19 about the effect of Prop. 209 on San Francisco race-preference programs in public contracting.

Environment

"Free-Market Environmentalism," by Jaime Sneider, quotes PRI’s book Free Market Environmentalism in the July 21 Columbia Daily Spectator. "A Few Hints of Green," by Margaret Kriz, mentions Steven Hayward, head of PRI’s Center for Environmental and Regulatory Reform, in the National Journal, August 7, 1999. The July American Oil and Gas Reporter quotes Steven Hayward in "CIPA Speakers Offer Predictions On O & G Prices, Production." Steven’s "Environment in need of middle of the road" appeared in the August 1 Rome News-Tribune.

Notables

On August 19 Channel 5-TV in San Francisco interviewed Sally Pipes for a major national show they are preparing on the legacy of Ronald Reagan. On August 22 Sally and Pamela Riley spoke to the National Federation of Women Legislators in Pasadena. August 10-13 Naomi Lopez and Jennifer Berkowitz, director of marketing and public affairs, attended the Nashville convention of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a bipartisan organization representing state legislators from all U.S. states, commonwealths, and territories. Naomi’s study "Barriers to Entrepreneurship" was featured at the gathering.

"Everyone’s Happy—Except the Voters," by PRI senior fellow in national issues Mark Davis, about Governor Gray Davis’ decision on Proposition 187, ran in the August 3 Los Angeles Times. Eugene Volokh was quoted in "Justices Uphold Workplace Ban on Racial Slurs," by Maria L. LaGanga, in the August 3 Los Angeles Times. The article also ran as "State High Court Backs Restraint of Slurs at Work," in the Sacramento Bee. Volokh was also quoted in the San Jose Mercury News.

"Fixing a clunker: Muni repair screams for privatization," by PRI summer intern Rachel Duncan, was featured in the July 16-22 edition of the San Francisco Business Times.

Register Now: Saturday, Octover 30, 1999, Lady Thatcher will address PRI’s 20^th anniversary gala privatization dinner at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco. Call Cindy Sparks at 415-989-0833.