Pat Brown Institute Releases Executive Summary of the “2010 Los Angeles State of the City Report”

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The 6th edition of the Pat Brown Institute Report, made public at the Cal State Los Angeles Press Conference, raised questions about City leadership on the issues of housing and immigration. 

The Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs (PBI) made public the 6th edition of its “Los Angeles: State of the City” (SOTC) report this morning at a press conference held at California State University, Los Angeles. The 2010 edition is generously funded by the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation.

“Trying to determine who are the heroes and villains in the ongoing story of Los Angeles is both a difficult and unenviable task,” said SOTC report editor and CSULA Geography Department Chair Dr. Ali Modarres. “What we’ve tried to do is provide the start for conversations between policymakers, residents, nonprofit organizations and other stakeholders. It is important to remind ourselves who we are, why we are here and what we are supposed to do.”

This annual enterprise of the PBI features articles from eight regional experts who offer substantive discussions on critical issues impacting the quality of life in Los Angeles—including the economy, immigration, housing, transportation, sustainable development, and healthcare reform. Pat Brown Institute Executive Director Dr. Jaime Regalado joked that there were no “softball questions” coming from the media and many centered on housing and immigration.

Contributing PBI SOTC author Dr. Jacqueline Leavitt left no uncertainty as to the importance of her focus area: “Housing is a human rights issue and relying on market conditions is not enough for the working poor.”

Whether it was the recent gubernatorial dust-up on undocumented workers or lingering feelings over Arizona’s aggressive legislation, several questions arose on the issue of immigration and comparisons to Mayor Mike Bloomberg in New York. USC professor Dowell Myers said: “Most of the big decisions are made at the state and federal level but most people think at the City level.”

The press conference also included Dr. Michael Cousineau who spoke on the issue of healthcare, Dr. Richard Willson who talked about transportation and Dr. Dan Flaming who addressed economic conditions.

The Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute of Public Affairs, a presidentially chartered institute at California State University, Los Angeles, is a non-partisan public policy center dedicated to sustaining vision and legacy of former California Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown through convening public policy forums, engaging multi sector stakeholders and diverse communities, and conducting timely policy research and community driven initiatives. For more information, go to http://www.patbrowninstitute.org/.