Jennifer Granholm writes for POLITICO, July 31, 2012
The Congress is staring over a fiscal cliff. One that we’re warned will pull down our nation on Dec. 31 if there’s no agreement to extend the Bush tax cuts or avert automatic spending cuts that Congress agreed to in the debt ceiling debate in the summer of 2011 — cuts weirdly named, like the title monster in a B horror film, “The Sequester.”
Eric Rakowski quoted in San Jose Mercury News, July 31, 2012
Bondonno’s rulings awarding Desmarais six-figures in the Reed case are questioned by some legal scholars. “It seems crazy on the face of it,” said UC Berkeley law professor Eric Rakowski, who specializes in trusts and estates, and called the award “absurd.” “It’s completely unreasonable for a (trustee) to spend more money defending a fee request than the amount of the fee itself,” Rakowski said.
David Onek host of California Progress Report, July 31, 2012
“There have been around 1,000 lifers since 1990 who have been paroled for murder. Zero of them have been convicted of a new murder. And only 13 of them out of 1,000 have been re-incarcerated for any kind of new offense. Only six of those, six out of a 1,000, have been re-incarcerated for a violent or serious crime.”
Jeffrey Selbin writes for The Yale Law Journal, July 30, 2012
The Greiner and Pattanayak study coincides with a moment of crisis in American law and society, as exhibited by rising rates of poverty and inequality. This widening crisis is exacerbated by deteriorating conditions in public access to courts and legal representation. High-quality research offers a valuable opportunity to understand and improve local and institutional responses to this growing crisis.
Russell Robinson cited in Slate, July 30, 2012
Berkeley Law professor Russell Robinson argues that the First Amendment likely protects the rights of directors and producers to take race into consideration when it’s integral to the narrative—say, if you’re casting a real-life historical figure. However, the decision to make a character one ethnicity or another is often based on less clearly protected factors—like a fear that “mainstream” audiences won’t buy tickets to a film starring actors of color or the belief that only white characters can serve as audience stand-ins.
Alex Wang quoted in USA Today, July 29, 2012
Both the Qidong and Shifang demonstrations “reflect what happens when there are no effective formal channels for public input into environmental decision making”…. Berkeley’s Wang said he hopes Qidong is “a wake-up call” for leaders: “If they don’t create genuine channels for engaging with the public before polluting projects are approved, they will inevitably have to deal with the much uglier aftermath when protests erupt.”
Ken Taymor quoted in GlobeSt.com, July 24, 2012
“Knowing the science of building management and knowing the features of your building may be more efficient than going and getting a loan and installing all sorts of new stuff in your building,” Taymor tells GlobeSt.com. “Before running to look at capital improvements, look at building management and operational improvements. If you’re looking at capital improvements, the analysis of the savings really needs to be individualized to your energy consumption.”
Jennifer Granholm writes for POLITICO, July 24, 2012
A member of the Chinese delegation approached me and asked, “So, when do you think the U.S. will adopt national energy policy?” I rolled my eyes and shrugged my shoulders. “With the tea party and Republicans in Congress,” I sighed, “it won’t happen anytime soon.” The official smiled with delight. “Take your time,” he said.
Christopher Edley quoted in San Jose Mercury News, July 24, 2012
“I worry that jumping into what our private peer institutions are doing feels a little like me-tooism rather than a vision,” he said. “Our mission has to do more with figuring out how to serve the thousands of California students who won’t fit on a UC campus. It risks being a distraction from the somewhat urgent need to figure this stuff out.”
Alan Auerbach quoted in Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2012
“Unfortunately, this is the new normal in Washington,” said Alan Auerbach.