COMMUNICATOR

May 21, 1998
The Communicator is the official program newsletter serving the students of the Graduate Programs in Public Policy and Administration and International Affairs at California State University, Sacramento.

Please note: this is an archived newsletter. The links and other information are NOT current.

Director's Corner

Faculty

Alumni

Contributions

Announcements

Career Opportunities

Student Jobs

Scholarships,
Grants, Fellowships...

Fall 1998 Class Schedule

Dates to Remember

Past Newsletters

DIRECTOR'S CORNER

As a result of the Program Review this Spring, IA faculty and students will be considering some changes this summer and fall. I will be working with a faculty committee this summer to consider the changes and I would very much appreciate any student feedback on proposed changes (My office phone is 278-4944, the e-mail is wasterj@csus.edu)

Overall, the Review Team found the IA program, students and faculty to be one of the best grad programs on campus. The Review Team did suggest several ideas that are important to discuss, including establishing:

1. concentrations - for example, International Environmental Policy, International Nongovernmental Organizations, International Political Economy, Latin America, Asian or Eastern European Area concentrations, etc;
2. a possible change in the language requirement to require a higher language skill level or, perhaps, two languages required;
3. a stronger methodological/statistical/research component in the required core;
4. recruiting more teachers across the CSUS campus to join in teaching IA courses;
5. a campus IA Advisory Board of both students and faculty;
6. an off-campus Advisory Board for the IA program;
7. specific presentation skills (public speaking, the use of presentation and electronic spreadsheet software, etc. built into core courses;
8. a culminating core seminar in which you exhibit the skills and knowledge learned in the IA program, and in which you preview your planned IA thesis topic.

These eight program suggestions promise to generate an interesting and productive discussion among IA faculty and students. Please e-mail me, drop by my office or phone with any response to these suggested changes, and with any additional ideas that you think might help make the already good IA program even better in the future.

Have a great summer!

Bob Waste

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FACULTY

Bob Waste Affairs Association, April 21-25, in (PPA) recently attended the Annual Meeting of the Urban Ft. Worth, Texas. While there he was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the UAA, attended meetings of the UAA Governing Board and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Urban Affairs, and delivered a paper entitled "Down-Sized Budgets and Disappearing Electorates: Metro Mail-In (MMI) Voting Can Help".

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ALUMNI

Here is the link to the CSUS Alumni Association website http://www.csus.edu/alum/.

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CONTRIBUTIONS

Legislative Council Elections
Hong Kong
24 May, 1998
by Phyllis E. Smith

Currently the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China is governed by a Provisional Legislative Council. On May 24 the SAR will hold its first general election since the handover from Great Britain to China last July. As might be expected, the election is generating a lot of local press; what it is not generating is interest on the part of the electorate. There are a number of theories on the reasons for this apathy, but one of them surely must be that the public does not understand the electoral system.

Here’s why:
The Legislative Council (Legco) has 60 members who will be elected under three different systems. Candidates running for office must choose to run for only one system. The Functional Constituencies will elect 30 members; the Geographical Constituencies, 20 members; and the Election Committee, 10 members. Following is an attempt to explain how the different systems work. This text has an accompanying chart; if you can’t download the chart, try drawing one of your own to accompany the description.

Functional Constituencies
Thirty seats are called functional seats and are elected by Functional Constituencies. Functional Constituencies are comprised of major organizations, associates, individuals or private companies that register and vote according to their function, which include, for example, accountants, attorneys, dentists, social workers and journalists. There are 28 functional constituencies voting for the 30 seats - labour gets three seats. Some functions let every qualified member vote (e.g., all lawyers get to vote); some, like banks, let each corporation vote. Some functions, such as Tourism, have only one candidate running; he’s a shoe-in.

Election Committee
Ten of the Legco seats will be elected by the Election Committee. The committee has 800 members, 200 from each of four sectors. The first three sectors are 1) industrial, commercial and financial; 2) the professions; and 3) labour, social services and religious. Each of those sectors is composed of representatives from sub-sectors, which are based on the Functional Constituencies (what’s confusing about that?). The fourth sector is comprised of members of the Provisional Legislative Council, Hong Kong deputies to the National People's Congress, representatives of Hong Kong members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and representatives of district-based organizations.

The first three sectors mentioned above elected their representatives on the Election Committee on April 2, but only 23% of eligible voters went to the polls, apparently due in large part to confusion on the part of the voters. The fourth sector doesn't elect its representatives; all fourth sector members sit on the committee.

Geographical Constituencies
The last 20 seats are elected by the Geographical Constituencies. Hong Kong is divided into five geographical areas, each getting three to five seats, based on population. However, voters don't choose individuals, they vote for lists of from one to five candidates. If a list wins a majority of votes, not everyone on the list is elected; the votes are proportioned out to the lists that were on the ballot under the Largest Remainder Formula.

For example, if there are five lists for five seats, each list getting 20% of the vote will get a seat. Any remaining seats will be awarded to the lists with the largest number of remaining seats. So if List No. 1 receives 35% of the vote it will get a seat for its first 20%, and its remaining 15% of votes will compete with other lists. List No. 4 may have got only 19% of the vote, not enough for a seat right up front, but enough to beat List No. 1 in the remainder part of the decision.

Parties
There are at least eight political parties, and their names don’t always tell you which way they lean. The Democratic party is just that – pro-democracy, suspicious of Beijing, and the largest party. It will win the popular vote, taking as many as 13 of the 20 seats, and with its independent democratic allies, up to 18 seats.

However, the Functional Constituencies and Election Committee will elect the majority of seats, and their parties are generally pro-Beijing. The Liberal Party, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), and the Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People’s Livelihood (ADPL) appear unwilling to put the word "communist" in their names, but they seem to lean that way.

Other issues
Many people can vote twice - in the geographical election and the functional election. Some can even vote three times because of the functional aspect of the Election Committee. One criticism of this system is there are certain groups that tend to be under-represented – non-employed women and students, for example, who don’t have a role in the functional groups.

Any permanent resident over 18 can vote. "Permanent" appears to be defined by length of stay and whether you consider another country your real home. So non-Chinese people can vote. There are 2.7 million registered voters, and polls indicate a possible 35% turnout.

Non-Chinese can also run for office, provided they are permanent residents and they don't end up in more than 20% of the Legco seats. I think there is one non-Chinese candidate running in the Functional Constituency race.

Over time the number of seats elected by the geographical constituencies will increase, to 24 in 2000 and 30 in 2004. After that hasn't yet been decided, but the ultimate goal is to have everyone elected by geographical constituency, and possibly even as individuals, rather than members of a list.

There are 71 Geographical Constituency candidates, 15 of them women; 60 Functional Constituency candidates, including six women; and 45 Election Committee candidates, but 20 of their pictures are missing from my government-produced book so I don’t know how many are women. However, in a little cartoon in the book over half the Legco members are women – wishful thinking? No blondes, though.

Questions or comments: please write to me at phylesmith@aol.com

Sources
"Drowning by numbers" by Chris Wright, HK Magazine, 17 April 1998
1998 Election Special, Information Services Department, Hong Kong SAR, May 1998
"Hong Kong Election Raises Concerns", Mark J. Porubcansky, Associated Press

(Phyllis E. Smith is a current student in the MPPA program working on her thesis.)

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Advancing the science, processes, art and image of public administration.
1998 ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER INFORMATION

Honoring:
GERALD GOLDBERG,Outstanding Public Administrator
BILL EDGAR, Outstanding Public Service
JEFF CHAPMAN, Ph.D, Outstanding Educator
EILEEN ROUSH, Outstanding Student (PPA Student!!!!)
SACRAMENTO CITY MANAGEMENT ACADEMY, Government Innovation
When: Wednesday, June 10, 1998
Where: Radisson Hotel, 500 Leisure Lane, Sacramento
Cost: $29.50 per dinner
Time: 5:30 pm Social Hour (no-host bar)
6:30 pm Dinner
7:30 pm Award Presentations
You may pick up a reservation and form information form at the PPA office (Bus 3038) or call Suzi to have one faxed to you.(278-6557)

 

Graduate Students Research Award

Congratulations to Chuck Anders (MPPA 1997) for receiving the 1st place award at the 12th annual CSU Students Research competition - graduate division! Chuck competed with graduate students and recent alumni from the entire CSU system. We've reproduced the abstract of Chuck's research project below. You may contact Chuck's advisor, Rob Wassmer, if you would like to read the complete text.

AN INQUIRY INTO THE CAUSES OF COUNTY FISCAL STRESS IN CALIFORNIA

By

Charles Anders

County governments in California have been experiencing varying degrees of fiscal stress during the last decade. As a result of this fiscal stress, counties have consistently cut the level of local services - such as public library hours, investment in local infrastructure, and local public safety. These cuts have a negative affect upon the quality of life in California and the state's ability to attract business. The purpose of this thesis is identify the particular factors that are causing fiscal stress in county government to inform decision makers as to how they may more effectively address the current problem.
The thesis used data from a number of state and federal publications I order to identify the causes of county fiscal stress. Please refer to Appendix 3-1 (p.88) for a complete list of data sources.
The results of this thesis suggest counties' fiscal problems are a result of the revenue limitations placed upon them by Proposition 13 and the expenditure requirements created by counties responsibility to administer health, welfare, and criminal justice programs. Adjusting these structural components of the state and local fiscal and governance structure would substantially improve counties' fiscal condition.

 

Announcement National Association of Regional Councils 32nd Annual Conference & Exhibition

"The Regional Council of the 21st Century" Tulsa,Oklahoma, June 13-16, 1998
Every year since 1996, the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) has brought together its members, supporters and friends from across the country to shape and build the face of Regional Councils. This year's conference will focus on the "Regional Council of the 21st Century," their roles, responsibilities and relationships to other regional organizations and other interests in the century of the region! The program will address the common challenges facing regional councils and other regional of organizations, while providing an opportunity to network and share experiences, successes and failures with fellow regional professionals. Come join in the excitement and let NARC assist you in enhancing the capabilities of your regional organization so that we can all remain a vital partner in the 21st century!
Who Should Attend:Planning Organizations Board Members and staff of Regional Councils, Metropolitan or other regional organizations, State and Local policy officials, regional leaders, representatives of regional civic organizations, chambers of commerce, academic institutions, economic development organizations, public relations professionals, finance administrators, vendors, and consultants.
Please contact:ext.18. NARC Sylvia Bryant at NARC with any questions at 202-457-0710, Registration 1700 K Street,, NW Suite 1300, Washington, DC 20006--Fax; 202-296-9352

Those of you who would like to be on the PPA/IA ListProc contact the department office at (916) 278-6557 or suzi_byrd@csus.edu.

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CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

POLICY ANALYST POSITION
The California Association of Children's Homes
is looking for a creative and energetic person who is interested in local, regional, and statewide public policy in the areas of foster care, child welfare, mental health, and juvenile justice. The Successful applicant will be skilled at developing and maintaining positive and productive relationships with a variety of individuals including CCH members, state and local government staff, and child advocates. We are seeking an individual who is interested in a challenging position with a variety of responsibilities in a small, but fast paced organization. Good writing skills and the ability to travel regularly in California are important. A master's degree and public policy experience are preferred. Applicants with a bachelor's degrees and relevant experience will be considered. The salary range begins at $30,000 but is negotiable depending on skills and experience. Send resume and writing sample to:
Fran Edelstein, Ph.D., Deputy Director
California Association of Children's Homes
1431 Third Street, Suite 12
Sacramento, CA 94814
916-442-4800(phone), 916-441-0459 (fax)

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STUDENT JOBS

SACRAMENTO-BASED INTERNSHIP
with East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) Office of Inter-Governmental Affairs and Bay-Delta Consensus Team

Legislative Program
EMBUD's State and Federal Legislative Programs are responsible for monitoring legislative activity in the State legislature and Congress, and advocating EMBUD's position on various legislative issues.the Legislative Program staff are responsible for providing policy analysis to the EMBUD Board of Directors, and communicating the potential impacts or benefits of legislative measures to Legislators, legislative staff, state agencies, industry associations, other water agencies, and other stakeholder interests in Sacramento. The work of the Legislative Program involves extensive coordination with the EMBUD water and wastewater operations staff, the community affairs program staff, the public relations staff, and other staff within the organization who are able to supply technical data to support an EMBUD position on a bill.In addition, the Legislative Program staff are responsible for synthesizing federal legislative and regulatory information of the Board of Directors in order to guide policy decisions concerning federal issues.
Bay-Delta Team
In December 1994, state and federal resource agencies, along with water agencies and environmental organizations, reached a historic Bay-Delta Accord. This Bay-Delta Accord detailed interim measures for enhancing both environmental protection and regulatory stability in the Bay-Delta Estuary form 1995 through 1997.The Accord also paved the way for the new CALFED Bay-Delta Program, and ambitious planning effort between state and federal agencies for developing a long-range , comprehensive solution in the Bay-Delta. CALFED is a consortium of ten state and federal agencies responsible for developing a consensus-based, long-term solution for the Bay-Delta, which will address continuing ecosystem restoration, water supply reliability, water quality concerns, and levee stabilization. The Bay-Delta Consensus Team is responsible for conducting policy analysis of the CALFED process and Bay Delta resolution alternatives, and to assess the compatibility of the CALFED work product with EMBUD's water supply management program. EBMUD's Bay-Delta Consensus Team is intensively engaged in a variety of CALFED forums designed to achieve consensus among all stakeholders on crucial issues regarding water rights, environmental restoration, and supply reliability.

Legislative Activities

• Assist staff in obtaining detailed information for use in advocacy on legislative issues.
• Assist in the preparation on graphics presentations and advocacy materials for use in the legislative process.
• Research documents of interest EBMUD prepared by other agencies; prepare summary reports for use by EMBUD staff.
• Monitor legislative committee hearings where bills of interest to EBMUD are being considered; report back to EMBUD staff by preparing written summaries of important issues of interest.
• Assist in the tracking and summarize disposition of bills which have an impact on EBMUD.
• Assist staff in the performance of administrative support duties.

CALFED Bay-Delta Activities

• Monitor meeting of the various CALFED Bay-Delta Stakeholders groups and provide EBMUD staff with written summaries of meeting outcomes.
• Assist staff in the preparation of information on EMBUD's CALFED-and other Bay-Delta related activities for transmittal to outside agencies for use at meetings, consideration during internal discussions, and for presentations before interest groups.
• Work closely with staff to identify and research, data collection or data compilation needs during preparation of background memos and reports on various Bay-Delta issues.
  Contact: Randele Kanouse, Special Assistant to the General Manger
  East Bay Municipal Utility District
  1127-11th Street, Suite 414,
  Sacramento, Ca 95814-3810 (916)443-6948

Excellent Internship Opportunity

Internship Title: Television Political Reporter Intern
Company Name: Northern California News Satellite (NCNS) Sacramento, CA
Northern California News Satellite is California's leading television political news service, providing capitol news coverage to about 30 television stations around the state. NCNS is located directly across the street form the State Capitol, in the headquarters of its parents company, PACSAT. Political reporter interns will assist the news department in gathering stories from state government agencies, including the legislature and governor's office. Interns have the rare opportunity to gain first hand experience in political news coverage from the State Capitol. Successful applicants should have a journalism background with a strong interest in politics. A previous internship in television news is also a plus. Scheduling is flexible. Interested students should call NCNS as soon as possible.Contact: Marcey Brightwell
Phone: (916)446-7890 Fax: (916)446-7893

Internship Opportunity Institute for Local Self Government Public Accountability Mechanisms.

The Institute for Local Self Government may have a summer internship opportunity available for an energetic graduate student with solid writing and research skills. The project involves assisting the Institute in developing a work program on public accountability mechanisms. If practicable, the project may also involve some preliminary publications on the same topic.

Topic Background: The Institute's interest in this areas stems from discussions with business leaders and others in the context of governmental reform efforts. For example, focus groups conducted for the California Governance Consensus Project in July of 1997 identified lack of accountability as a "major" issue of concern with respect to local government.

The public alienation from its governing institutions has serious implications for the quality of life in California, particularly when the public itself wields ultimate authority over most aspects of revenue raising at the local government. The sources of this authority include proposition 13 (imposing property tax limitations and a two-thirds voter approval requirement for special taxes), 62 (imposing a majority voter approval requirement for general taxes in general law cities and property-related fees), as well as the two-thirds voter approval requirement for bonded indebtedness.

Many cities have already made accountability and responsiveness a key priority at the local level; other local entities can learn from these pioneering experiences, adapting those elements that are appropriate and responsive to the issues and concerns in their communities. Moreover, as an organization whose mission is to encourage local self government through a well informed and active citizenry and public officials, the Institute for local self government is in a unique position to identify, analyze and publicize these innovative programs being tested at the local level.

Internship Description Accordingly the Institute is looking for an individual to assist it in developing this element of its 1998-1999 work program. This would involve the following tasks:Reviewing Existing Literature/Resources, Identifying Gaps in distribution/Focus of Existing Resources, Identifying/Interviewing Key Resource People, Defining Project Objectives/Goals/Methodology.Institute for Local Self Government Internship Preparing Project Outline for Funding Proposal In addition, some of this inquiry may produce sufficient information to prepare an initial resource guide/packet for city officials on this issue.

About the Institute for Local Self Government The Institute for Local Self Government is the 501(c)(3) research arm for the League of California Cities. Founded in 1955, the Institute's mission is to articulate and encourage local self governance through a well informed and active citizenry and public officials; to exert a leadership role in giving guidance to public interest groups and governmental agencies; and to serve as a catalyst for collaborative processes in addressing issues and taking actions to enhance the vitality of local governments.

Other Information: The internship would pay $1280 per month for a full time internship based in Sacramento, plus public transit/parking expense. The internship would run form June 1 to mid-August. The intern would work under supervision of the Institute's executive director.Interested students should send a cover letter, resume and writing sample to:
JoAnne Speers
Executive Director
Institute for Local Self Government
1400 K. Street 4^th floor
Sacramento, CA 95814 (916)658-8240
The institute is an equal opportunity employer.

Go to the CSUS Foundation web site for a listing of Employment Opportunities on and off campus.

Go to the Community College Foundation job listing web site for student employment opportunities off campus.

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SCHOLARSHIPS, GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS...

The Financial Aid Office here at CSUS has some great information for those seeking scholarships. Just go to http://www.csus.edu/faid/finschlr.html for more information.

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FALL 1998 CLASS SCHEDULE

*First semester Thesis Students
**Second Semester Thesis Students

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DATES TO REMEMBER

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We welcome your contributions to the Communicator! Make announcements, share your good news, reflect on your academic and professional achievements, or submit an article. Contact the Director, Bob Waste, or the Department Secretary, Suzi Byrd, (916) 278-6557, in the PPA/IA Department Office.