HOMELESS PLAN PASSES COUNTY SUPERVISOR’S; UNIVERSAL PRESCHOOL: NEW REPORT QUESTIONS ITS BENEFITS; PROPOSITION 36 STUDY; LABOR UNREST SPARKS HUGE PROTESTS IN FRANCE; SAGE WISDOM FROM MASTERS OF THE BUSINESS CYCLE
HOMELESS PLAN PASSES COUNTY SUPERVISOR’S
It’s being called a major shift in homeless policy: the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a $100 million plan yesterday that will establish five regional homeless centers across the county to provide shelter and social services for transients. This plan coincides with a push by city and state officials to tackle blight in downtown LA, which has one of the largest concentrations of homeless people in the country.
UNIVERSAL PRESCHOOL: NEW REPORT QUESTIONS ITS BENEFITS
Evidence clearly shows that quality preschool is beneficial to children’s intellectual growth. Proposition 82, the ``Preschool for All'' initiative led by film director Rob Reiner, would provide at least $23 billion over the coming decade to enroll about 70 percent of the state’s four year-olds in half-day preschool programs at no direct cost to parents. A report released today by Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) asks some tough questions about the viability and benefits of universal preschool. Should California build and run a universal system of preschool, or should public support be targeted toward children whose families face the biggest obstacles to access and who stand to gain the most from such instruction? In other words, who will benefit and who should pay? Universal preschool is an appealing ideal, buy is it the best policy approach to early childhood education? Larry speaks with Prof. Bruce Fuller, a co-author of the PACE report, and Maryann O’Sullivan, Founder and CEO of Preschool California to explore the options and issues.
PROPOSITION 36 STUDY
A newly released UCLA study reports that California taxpayers save nearly $2.50 for every dollar invested in nonviolent drug offenders eligible for substance abuse treatment under the state’s Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act of 2000 (SACPA), or Proposition 36. This is the first report to examine costs vs. benefits related to Prop. 36 and comes as continued state funding for the program is under discussion. Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed spending 120 million on Prop. 36 for the next fiscal year – the same amount spent each year since the program began. He also favors changing the law to allow jail time for offenders who skip treatment.
LABOR UNREST SPARKS HUGE PROTESTS IN FRANCE
A few months ago violent protests rolled across suburban areas of France. These involved young disaffected Arab immigrants. That has since settled down, but now an even larger wave of protests is sweeping French cities, and some put the number of participants at more than one million. This time it’s mainly unions and student groups pushing against a new French law that would make it easier to fire young workers. Again, the issue is mainly about jobs. As of yesterday there were over 250 protests across the country and, although most were peaceful, there were some reports of violence. Larry talks about the latest unrest in France with a reporter for Agence France Press. He’ll also talk to the Consul General of France and Dominic Thomas, the chair of the Department of French and Francophone Studies at UCLA.
SAGE WISDOM FROM MASTERS OF THE BUSINESS CYCLE
Why did so many businesses crash and burn, while others seemed to thrive in the general recession following the spectacular dot-com collapse? In his new book, The Well-Timed Strategy, author Peter Navarro shares managerial insights that led some of the best companies in the world through troubled waters into profitability.