Leti Volpp interviewed by Associated Press, Dec. 7, 2015
“Excluding almost a quarter of the world’s population from setting foot in the United States based solely upon their religious identity would never pass constitutional muster,” Volpp said.
Reactions to Trump’s plan to bar Muslims from entering US
Leti Volpp quoted in The Fresno Bee, Dec. 7, 2015
“Is Trump talking about Muslim-American citizens? If so, the right to enter one’s country of citizenship is an internationally guaranteed human right.”
UCLA and UC Berkeley say California has neglected biofuel opportunities
Ethan Elkind quoted in Biofuels Digest, Dec. 7, 2015
“We have the potential in California to produce a significant amount of low-carbon fuel to meet our transportation needs over the coming decades, but the state has not yet taken full advantage of its own agricultural opportunities to increase biofuel production.”
San Bernardino, Paris attacks revive post-9/11 fears
Christopher Kutz interviewed by San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 5, 2015
If the San Bernardino shooters are found to have terrorist ties, their possible local links should be investigated, too, said UC Berkeley Professor of Law Chris Kutz. … “But it should be done extremely carefully and with sensitivity with respect to the rights of the American Muslim community,” Kutz said.
State should set goals on use of low-carbon biofuel
Ethan Elkind writes for The Sacramento Bee, Dec. 5, 2015
At the federal level, new rules from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued Monday will boost biofuel production nationwide, while in California, our environmental policies also promote low-carbon biofuels. But the state needs additional biofuel policies to reduce transportation emissions further and benefit local economies in the process.
San Bernardino shooting: Does blanket TV coverage change minds?
Franklin Zimring interviewed by Los Angeles Times, Dec. 5, 2015
“The reason that gun control laws do or don’t pass is not so much the number of people for or against it, but how deeply they feel,” Zimring said. “And for pro-gun, anti-more-control folks, it’s much more important to them — they care more deeply about their cause — than the average citizen.”
Why companies shouldn’t be scared of the clean energy patent boom
Robert Merges interviewed by Bloomberg BNA, Dec. 4, 2015
The good news about the boom in clean energy patents, Merges said, is that it means companies are investing in this technology. “And that’s just fantastic news from a general perspective of what’s happening in the world,” he said.
We’ve had a massive decline in gun violence in the United States. Here’s why.
Franklin Zimring interviewed by The Washington Post, Dec. 3, 2015
In New York City, the recruitment of more officers was a crucial reason that the decline in crime was larger and more sustained than in other cities, according to Franklin Zimring. … As Zimring notes, police in New York were among the first to realize the potential for computers to aid in fighting crime.
The dangers of “downloading while Asian”
Leti Volpp interviewed by SF Weekly News, Nov. 25, 2015
“Asians, and in particular the Chinese, were structured as aliens to be excluded,” she said, adding that people should be skeptical of embracing the “model minority” stereotype. “We’ve seen people being profiled for downloading data while Asian. Now people are being profiled for emailing while Chinese,” Volpp said.
East Bay cops to get pot breath tests
Andrea Roth quoted in San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 2, 2015
“For many people out there, the concern about drugged driving is one of the main political hindrances to supporting legalization,” she said. “And I think anything that could be seen as a legitimate way of dealing with DUI-marijuana can only help the legalization movement.”