The Maddy Report (TV)
The Maddy Report is our weekly public affairs TV program covering how State and Federal policy and politics impact California, generally, and the San Joaquin Valley, in particular. It is broadcasted on KVPT (Valley PBS), KSEE (NBC Fresno) and the Cal Channel (statewide).
The goal of The Maddy Report is to encourage a deeper understanding of the issues facing our nation, state and region through a thoughtful, objective, fair and civilized exchange of ideas.
Modeled after such programs as Meet the Press, Washington Week, This Week and Face the Nation, The Maddy Report is a public affairs program that includes interviews with national, state and regional leaders and experts on the issues of the day, as well as a roundtable discussion with invited political reporters and columnists.
The program is moderated by the Maddy Institute’s Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
The Maddy Report debuted in 2006.
The following is a list with links to the most recent Maddy Report shows.
California’s Agricultural Value Chain: Cultivating (Economic) Growth?
The State of K-12 Education (Part 1): Gov. Brown’s Education Agenda
The State of K-12 Education (Part 2): The California Legislature’s Education Agenda
The State of K-12 Education (Part 3): The Divergent Voices of Reform
Federal Health Care Reform Comes to California (Part 2): The State’s Role
California’s Master Plan for Higher Education
Redistricting and Open Primaries
Is California’s regulatory climate too much, not enough or just right?
Reforming California- Part Two: Political Leaders Weigh In
The State of the (Public Employee) Union
California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley
Jobs Crisis: The Federal Response
Jobs Crisis: The State Response
Jobs Crisis: The Local/Regional Response
The Tea Party: Pendulum Politics or Something More?
California’s Fiscal Outlook: From Worse to Better—But Still Not Good
California Politics: Reviewing 2011 and Previewing 2012
California’s High Speed Rail’s New Business Plan: Back on Track?
California’s Community Colleges: Getting Students to Finish What They Started?
California’s Agricultural Value Chain: Cultivating (Economic) Growth?
The State of K-12 Education (Part 1): Gov. Brown’s Education Agenda
California educates one-eighth of all students in the U.S, but it is ranking at the bottom of the states in terms of math and reading, which helps explain why our students are not competitive internationally. California has tried to improve schools through detailed regulations, categorical spending programs, and a virtually undecipherable finance system. In his 2012 State of the State speech, Gov. Jerry Brown made K-12 education a key focus.
In the first part of our three part series on K-12 education in California, we will examine the details of the Governor’s proposal and whether they will they make California schools great again.
H.D. Palmer, Deputy Director for External Affairs at the California Department of Finance, Sue Burr, Executive Director of the California State Board of Education, and John Fensterwald, editor of ”The Educated Guess,” a blog on California education written for the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, discuss Governor Brown’s education agenda for 2012.
The State of K-12 Education (Part 2): The California Legislature’s Education Agenda
According to the Public Policy Institute of California, California educates more than 6 million kids in its public schools. Many of these children are economically disadvantaged and many are not native speakers. Despite these challenges and years of constrained budgets, test scores have been rising. Further improvement will be challenging given the budget situation, the inequitable distribution of school dollars, and the complexity of government funding mechanisms.
In the second part of our three part series on K-12 education in California, Assemblymember Julia Brownley (Democrat from Santa Monica), Chair of the Education Committee, Assemblymember Chris Norby (Republican from Fullerton), Vice Chair of the Education Committee, and Kevin Yamamura, a reporter for the Sacramento Bee, will examine what the California legislature is doing to address the challenges faced by California schools.
The State of K-12 Education (Part 3): The Divergent Voices of Reform
As U.S. and California students’ test scores fall behind in the world, the education reform debate has heated up. The public school system was established as a crucial part of our nation’s democracy, which granted all children the same opportunity to learn and succeed. In this sense, public education is the great equalizer, but not all schools are created equal. Are poverty and other social factors to blame? Or is it that our standards are too low? While there may be disagreement on the cause of K-12 problems, everyone agrees that it needs improvement.
In the third part of our three part series on K-12 education in California, Michelle Rhee, CEO of Students First and former Chancellor of the Washington, D.C. Public Schools, Dean Vogel, President of the California Teachers Association, and Carol Kocivar, President of the California State PTA, discuss what should be done to address the challenges faced by California schools.
Almost 7 million Californians were without health insurance last year. Not surprisingly, the Valley is home to more of the uninsured than other areas of the state due to our higher poverty levels, higher unemployment rates, and large number of undocumented residents. As the new federal health care reform law takes effect, experts on all sides are weighing in on how the new law ought to be implemented.
Sandra Shewry, Director of State Health Policy at the California HealthCare Foundation, Nicole Kasabian Evans, Vice-President of the CA Association of Health Care Plans, and Dr. John Capitman, Executive Director of the Central Valley Health Policy Institute, discuss how federal health care reform will be implemented in California and give their thoughts on the prognosis on what it could mean for California and the San Joaquin Valley.
Federal Health Care Reform Comes to California (Part 2): The State’s Role
California has one of the highest rates of uninsured people in the nation. Supporters of the federal health care reform law say that, if done wisely, it could result in covering more than 80% of California’s uninsured.
What impact will federal health care reform have on MediCal and the State budget? What impact will it have on counties that have covered indigent care costs? Will it make health care in California more efficient, effective, and affordable?
Senator Ed Hernandez, Democrat from West Covina and Chair of the Senate’s Health Committee, Assemblymember Linda Halderman, Republican from Fresno and Vice Chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Aging and Long Term Care, and Dan Weintraub, a well respected reporter on health care issue in California from HealthyCal.org, discuss these questions and more.
California’s Master Plan for Higher Education
When California adopted its ground-breaking “Master Plan for Higher Education” in 1960, it was widely acknowledged for creating the foundation for California’s unparalleled economic success over the next 50 years. While polls indicate that nearly all Californians say the state’s higher education system is very important to the state’s economic vitality over the next 20 years, they have watched the State’s share of the UC budget cut by almost a third and the CSU System budget cut almost in half. Last year, California spent $4.7 billion on higher education, while spending $6 billion on prisons.
Can we afford the State’s Master Plan for Higher Education—or do we need a Plan B? Who should be responsible for funding higher ed—the state or the individual? What can be done to control the escalating costs that are putting a college degree out of the reach of average Californians?
Dr. Dorothy Leland, Chancellor of UC Merced, and Dr. John Welty, President of California State University, Fresno, give their take on the future of higher education in California.
In January, voters were being told to brace for historic cuts in light of a projected $26 billion shortfall in the State Budget. When the May Revise, capturing April’s tax receipts, came out, however, voters were told the good news that revenues were much higher than projected—$6.6 billion higher—and that, combined with earlier cuts, reduced the projected deficit to “only” $9.6 billion. To some, that meant the looming crisis has been averted, at least temporarily.
Redistricting and Open Primaries
Every 10 years, after the federal census, every state—including California—must redraw the boundaries of its legislative districts to reflect the new population data. Previously, these boundaries were drawn—some say gerrymandered—by lawmakers.
In the last two years, voters have passed propositions giving an independent Citizen’s Redistricting Commission authority over State Legislative and Congressional Districts. As if new state and federal legislative districts were not enough, voters approved an open primary system in which only the top two vote-getters advance, even if they are from the same political party.
Citizen Redistricting Commission Commissioner Stanley Forbes, State Assemblymembers Henry Perea and Bill Berryhill, John Meyers, Sacramento Bureau Chief for KQED, and Dan Walter, Veteran Sacramento Bee Columnist, discuss how this will all play out and how it will change California’s political landscape.
Is California’s regulatory climate too much, not enough or just right?
Progressives like FDR, thought some government regulation—protecting workers and the environment, promoting fairness in business transactions or achieving other social goals—was necessary to control the excesses of businesses. Ronald Reagan, on the other hand, preached the gospel of laissez-faire capitalism—the discipline of the market and self-regulation—and the belief that government wasn’t part of the solution; it was part of the problem. Which is the correct approach? The debate continues to this day.
While some cite the fact that California generally fares poorly on many national rankings on business climate, others note that the state’s economy has grown at roughly the same rate as the national average for the last 30 years.
Jack Stewart, president of California Manufacturers & Technology Association, Assemblymember David Valadao, Republican from Hanford, Assemblymember Henry Perea, Democrat from Fresno, discuss the question is California’s regulatory environment too much, not enough or just right?
Reforming California- Part Two: Political Leaders Weigh In
In the 1970’s, California’s legislature was described as “the finest in the world” because of the expertise, diligence and collegiality exhibited by its members. The opinion of the California legislature, however, has undergone a stunning decline in the last 30 years. A recent poll found 81% of voters disapproved of their legislature and only 12% approved.
Due to the hyper-partisan environment in Sacramento, the one thing that does appear to be bi-partisan is the willingness of both Democrats and Republicans to punish their members when they do attempt to get things done by working across the aisle. The dysfunctional nature of state politics led The Economist to call California a “failed” state. How did things go so terribly wrong—and what can be done to restore the California Dream?
In part two of our two part series on reforming California, former Senate Minority Leader Dave Cogdill, former Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines, and former Assembly member Sarah Reyes discuss how governmental bodies can deliver better results with greater accountability, how to make the budget process more disciplined and focused—so that we only spend the money we have —and we spend it wisely, and identify the key political reforms that could put the State back on track.
California’s High Speed Rail – Train Drain or Transportation Salvation?
The issue of transportation is critical in California—the world’s sixth largest economy that is projected to grow by over 10 million people in the next fifteen years. As a result, we will need to spend over $100 billion in new highways and airports just to keep up if we don’t improve our passenger rail service. Anticipating these transportation challenges, voters passed Prop 1A in 2008, which allowed the state to sell almost $10 billion in general obligation bonds to partially fund the development and construction of a high speed rail system in California.
At the time, Dan Weintraub of the Sacramento Bee posed the question of whether high speed rail would be the State’s transportation salvation or a road to nowhere. In almost three years since the multi-billion high speed rail bond passed—and billions more in federal dollars committed—many are still debating that question.
What is the current status of high speed rail in California? What is the vision and benefits of high speed rail? How much will it cost to develop, build and maintain a fully functioning system? Will the High Speed Rail Authority’s new business plan, due in October, answer the charges of its critics? How will the Authority keep high speed rail on track in light of the inevitable delays that come with building such a mega project?
Roelof van Ark, Executive Director of California’s High Speed Rail Authority, comments on the above questions.
High speed rail may be a state-wide project, but local politicians have played and are continuing to play a critical role in the debate both for and against this project that has national implications.
Congressman, then State Senator, Jim Costa from Fresno introduced an initial bond for high speed rail in 2002. Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani of Merced authored the $10 billion high speed rail bond passed by the voters in 2008. Congressman Devin Nunes of Visalia has been a vocal critic of high speed rail, calling it a “high speed train wreck.” Lastly, Congressman Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, the House Majority Whip, has denounced high speed rail, further clouding the political future of this ambitious project running through his own hometown.
Critics say that money is being misspent, ridership studies are inflated, the route is being driven by politics and the system will never be self-supporting. Proponents maintain that high speed rail will reduce congestion on our freeways, airports and freight rail lines, improve our air quality, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create tens of thousands of high paying jobs throughout the state and, particularly, here in the Valley.
We will talk with the key political and business leaders, as well as the author of a California Senate-commissioned study of the financial feasibility of high speed rail, and see who is aboard for high speed rail.
Recently, public employee pensions have been the source of growing controversy. Often, in the fight over pension reform, politicians, the public and media lump all public employee benefits together and compare those to private sector workers who generally get less generous retirement payouts. However, that hides tremendous disparities that exist between different public employee groups’ pensions. Teachers, for example, contribute more of their salaries to their retirement and collect less in benefits than other public employees.
Can the debate on pension reform move from one of polarizing rhetoric to one of mutual compromise that will stabilize budgets and make pensions fair for everyone?
Jason Sisney, LAO State Finance Director, Marcia Fritz, President of California Pension Reform, Allan Clark, President of the California School Employees Association, and Jon Ortiz of The Sacramento Bee’s State Worker blog give their views of the key experts and players in the debate.
The State of the (Public Employee) Union
As cities, counties and states struggle to balance budgets, public employee unions have come under fire from critics arguing that their compensation and benefits, especially their pensions, are overly generous. Some of the most notable battles have occurred in Wisconsin, where Governor Scott Walker sought to eliminate collective bargaining rights for many public employees, and Ohio, where an anti-union measure is the subject of a proposed voter referendum.
Are public employee unions and their ability to bargain collectively the cause of government deficits? Is privatization of government services the answer? What about the influence of public employee unions in politics—is it corrupting the political process and bankrupting our government—or merely giving thousands of public workers a voice in the terms and conditions of their employment?
Steve Maviglio, a Democratic Strategist, a former Press Secretary to Governor Gray Davis and a former Deputy Chief of Staff to two Speakers of the Assembly, Paul McIntosh, Executive Director of the California State Association of Counties, Jon Ortiz, who writes The State Worker Blog for the Sacramento Bee, and Dan Walters, a veteran Capitol observer and columnist of the Sacramento Bee, give their take on the current State of the (Public Sector) Union.
California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley
Established by an executive order from Governor Schwarzenegger in June 2005 and renewed in November 2006, the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley is an unprecedented effort to focus attention on the needs of the San Joaquin Valley by bringing together public and private leaders and resources to address the top challenges faced by the region—from economic development to infrastructure to building sustainable communities. Veteran Sacramento observer Dan Walters compared it to FDR’s Tennessee Valley Authority.
The result was a Strategic Plan for the Valley—with over hundreds of specific actions that address the critical challenges facing our region. How successful has the Partnership been in achieving its goals? What actions are being taken to address the region’s chronic unemployment, housing crisis, infrastructure needs and the possibility of the region’s population doubling by 2050?
Stockton Mayor Ann Johnston, Merced Mayor Bill Spriggs, Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin, and Visalia Mayor Bob Link comment on the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, specifically discussing how far we have come and where we are going in the future.
Every 10 years, after the federal census, every state, including California, must redraw the boundaries of its legislative districts to reflect the new population data. Previously, these boundaries were drawn—some say gerrymandered—by lawmakers. This time, however, voters gave an independent Citizen’s Redistricting Commission authority over State Legislative and Congressional Districts. After months of work, the Commission has published their final maps for the State Senate, State Assembly and Congressional Districts.
In the first part of a two part series on the redistricting, we will examine what factors the Redistricting Commission used to come up with the final legislative districts, the possible legal challenges being discussed to overturn the work of the Commission and what impact redistricting will eventually have on the political calculus in Sacramento and Washington.
Commissioner Stanley Forbes of the Citizen Redistricting Commission and Dan Walters, veteran Capitol observer and columnist of the Sacramento Bee give their take on the new political maps and what this might mean for the future political direction of California.
The dilemma is part of a familiar pattern in California, where the state relies heavily on income taxes that go up and down with the economy, and when the economy starts to rebound and tax receipts pour in the budget crisis is quickly forgotten.
Mac Taylor, leader of the State’s non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (or LAO), who is credited by both parties as providing accurate, unbiased information on fiscal and policy matters, Democratic State Senator Michael Rubio and Republican State Senator Jean Fuller are asked will this year be any different and will California’s structural deficit finally be addressed?
Jobs Crisis: The Federal Response
With an unemployment rate around 9 percent nationally, 12 percent in California and between 15 to 20 percent in much of the San Joaquin Valley, jobs has been a topic that has dominated the political agenda at all levels.
In the first part of a three part series on the jobs crisis, we will examine whether an increasingly polarized Capital can resist the temptation to score political points and reach the kind of compromise that will get us out of the economic ditch we are in.
Congressman Jim Costa, Democrat from Fresno will give us the federal government’s response to the job crisis.
Jobs Crisis: The State Response
California’s unemployment rate seems stuck at 12 percent, which is higher than the national average. Fresno and San Bernardino are among the 10 poorest large cities in the U.S. The value of the average California home has dropped by about $90,000. About 3 percent of all home mortgages are in foreclosure. Also, while 150,000 California students get their college diplomas each year, the state is creating only about 50,000 jobs for people with college degrees.
In the second part of a three part series on the jobs crisis, we will examine what solutions are being debated in at the State Capital to solve California’s unique economic challenges, including both the poverty and unemployment rate.
Sen. Anthony Cannella, Sen. Michael Rubio and John Kabateck, California Executive Director of the National Federation of Independent Business, give their take on what the state government’s response is to the job crisis.
Jobs Crisis: The Local/Regional Response
It’s been said that, “as goes California, so goes the nation.” The same could be said for the relationship between the Central Valley and California, but the region lags behind other areas of the state in virtually every indicator of economic well-being. Yet despite this symbiotic relationship, the Central Valley has often been overlooked in Sacramento and Washington. Any economic turnaround has to start with local and regional leadership.
In the third part of a three part series on the jobs crisis, we will examine what solutions are being proposed at the local and regional levels to solve the San Joaquin Valley’s unique economic challenges.
Antonio Avalos, professor of labor economics at California State University, Fresno, Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin, Mike Dozier, lead executive of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, and Brad Triebsch, Principal of the $100 million Central Valley Venture Fund, all comment on the job crisis.
How many times have you heard from politicians that they will eliminate “fraud, waste and abuse?” While no one disagrees on that sentiment, few realize that agencies and commissions already exist whose sole mission is to make government more efficient and effective. Who are they and what do they do?
Mac Taylor, leader of the State’s non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (or LAO), California State Auditor Elaine Howle, and Stuart Drown, the Executive Director of California’s Little Hoover Commission, are all members of three state watchdog groups that work to make the California government more responsive to its citizens. These three speak on this episode, as well as Dan Walters, the Sacramento Bee’s popular political commentator, who will give analysis of all three watchdogs.
The Tea Party: Pendulum Politics or Something More?
After Pres. Obama’s inauguration and Rick Santelli’s infamous rant on CNBC in February of 2009, disgruntled conservatives began raucous protests in opposition to bank bailouts, taxes and what they perceived as the over-intrusiveness of the federal government. The tea party surge helped the GOP take back control of the House in the 2010 midterm elections. Today, the Tea Party is a political player with a significant role in the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. One of the most visible Tea Party organizations is the Tea Party Express.
Sal Russo, the chief political strategist for the Tea Party Express, comments on this episode.
California’s Fiscal Outlook: From Worse to Better—But Still Not Good
As California’s non-partisan Legislative Analyst notes, “California and the nation are recovering from the longest and most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression.” Unemployment in California has remained above 11% for two years, and over one million jobs have disappeared since 2008. As a result, State revenues will be $3.7 billion below the level assumed in the June 2011 budget package and will likely result in $2 billion in “trigger cuts,” and then there is the issue of next year’s projected $10 billion deficit.
Mac Taylor, the State’s Legislative Analyst, and John Myers, KQED’s Sacramento Bureau Chief, comment on the question what is California’s fiscal outlook?
California Politics: Reviewing 2011 and Previewing 2012
When Governor Jerry Brown was sworn in, he told California to be prepared for “a tough budget for tough times.” Although the deficit was shrunk in half, the State still faces a $4 billion dollar gap, likely resulting in cuts to various state programs. The budget, pension reform, high speed rail, and the possibility of ballot initiatives will all be hot topics for the 2012 November ballot.
John Myers, KQED’s Sacramento Bureau Chief and Dan Walters, the Sacramento Bee’s columnist covering State Politics, give us their take on the year 2011 in review, as well as what will be on the political agenda at the State Capital in 2012.
California’s High Speed Rail’s New Business Plan: Back on Track?
The issue of transportation is critical in California. To keep up with population growth, we will need to spend over $100 billion on highways and airports just if we do not improve our rail service. Voters passed Prop 1A in 2008, which allowed the state to sell almost $10 billion in general obligation bonds to partially fund the development and construction of a high speed rail system in California. There are many proponents and critics of the projects.
Executive Director of California’s High Speed Rail Authority, Roelof van Ark, Elizabeth Goldstein Alexis, co-founder of Californians Advocating Responsible Rail Design and Al Smith, CEO of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce give their take on high speed rail in California.
California’s Community Colleges: Getting Students to Finish What They Started?
Under the state’s Master Plan for Higher Education, community colleges have offered a degree to anyone who wanted to attend. A new task force states that they can no longer be all things to all people. It made 22 recommendations by creating a statewide assessment system, requiring students to declare a program of study early in their career, creating an online advising system that helps them keep track of their progress, and cutting off fee waivers to students who are persistently failing or dropping courses.
Dr. Jack Scott, Chancellor of the California Community College System, as well as a leader of a community college, Dr. Ben Duran, President of Merced College give their take on the task force’s recommendations.