National University System Institute for Policy Research

Past Years

Pocket Change: City Bankruptcy?: October 26, 2009 - During the 2005 San Diego Mayoral race there was serious talk about the city declaring bankruptcy as the best way to get out of its fiscal hole. While politicians have shied away from even mentioning the idea since then, talk of bankruptcy is still alive in San Diego. Continue reading »

Hearing Both Sides on San Diego's Cannabis Clubs: October 8, 2009 - With drug activists winning a key legal victory this spring, the City of San Diego must set new policies to regulate the local cultivation and distribution of medical marijuana. As a citizen's commission is now formed to address the needs of the cannabis community, they must also safeguard everyday residents with equal vigor, who are under threat of an unregulated cannabis trade that is growing under the radar. Continue reading »

A Post-Consumer San Diego Economy: October 1, 2009 - Four miles from my neighborhood is one of the many "community serving" retail centers that dot San Diego's landscape. Built in 1993 and with more than 500,000 square feet of space, it prospered during the boom of the first half of the decade. Continue reading »

Pocket Change: Budget future brings hiring freeze: September 28, 2009 - A week ago, San Diego's Chief Operating Officer, Jay Goldstone, released a memo that projects the General Fund deficit for the Fiscal Year 2011 budget to be more than $100 million. This prompted Goldstone to impose an immediate hiring freeze across city government. Continue reading »

Ratifying a Reformer: September 24, 2009 - A coalition of grassroots activist groups has been recently working to derail the confirmation of a key appointee of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Rather than heed the calls of alarmists, state lawmakers would be prudent to embrace a champion of high-tech innovation and consumer choice. Continue reading »