Policy Chats UCR School of Public Policy

In this episode, Judge Magdalena Cohen, Jennifer Bender, Eric Stopher, Deborah Johnson, and Dr. Stephanie Brooks Holliday talk with students from the UC Riverside School of Public Policy about the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (or CARE) Act and the intersection of mental health and criminal justice in California.  



Podcast Highlights:

“We do what we can to make sure that coming out of an inpatient setting, that person is prioritized, to receive the services that they need, including medication. We have a whole host of outpatient clinics from the city of Riverside all the way to Blythe, and so really we try to work with that individual to provide them with the best of their needs. And it's individualized, whatever it's going to take… to keep that person stable in the community.”

-       Deborah Johnson on the topic of ensuring that care is provided to individuals beyond hospitalization, helping ease them with their transition.

“It's a policy thing that has to be looked at, is how are we going to plan for those housing issues [that are so prevalent in California], not only in Care Courts, but in any other program that the state wants to have the counties look at, and even with LPS. And I think that that's not a problem, but something that Riverside is not unique to, but it's certainly more unique than some of the other larger counties in California.”

-       Eric Stopher on the topic of how Riverside County is preparing to provide housing amidst a state housing shortage. 

“Even though there are a range of services available, some of the limiting factors are having enough providers to be able to offer services to everyone who might need [them]. There's a lot of variation from county to county with respect to the resources that are available, meaning that a lot of times it feels like access to mental health services can really be determined by the zip code that you live in.”

-       Dr. Stephanie Brooks Holliday on the topic of geographic barriers to resources. 



Guests:

Judge Magdalena Cohen (Judge, Riverside Superior Court)

Jennifer Bender (Deputy Public Defender, Riverside County Public Defender’s Office)

Eric Stopher (Deputy County Counsel, County of Riverside )

Deborah Johnson (Director of Innovation/Integration, Riverside University Health System - Behavioral Health)

Dr. Stephanie Brooks Holliday (Senior Behavioral Scientist; Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School) 

Interviewer:

Rachel Strausman (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean’s Vice Chief Ambassador) 

Music by: C Codainehttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/Minimal_1625https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/PhaseCommercial Links:spp-ikhrata.eventbrite.com

bit.ly/spp-ikhratahttps://spp.ucr.edu/ba-mpp

https://spp.ucr.edu/mpp 



This is a production of the UCR School of Public Policy: https://spp.ucr.edu/ Subscribe to this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Learn more about the series and other episodes via https://spp.ucr.edu/podcast. 

In this episode, California State Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes talks with students from the UC Riverside School of Public Policy about election policies and civic engagement.  



About Sabrina Cervantes:

Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes was elected in November 2016 and represents California’s 58th Assembly District. Assemblymember Cervantes earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of California, Riverside and completed an executive education program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She currently serves as Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, leading a record-breaking 35 legislative members, which also includes a historic number of 21 Latinas. The first Latina Millennial elected to the State Assembly, she is currently a member of the Human Rights Campaign and serves on the Advisory Board for the University of California, Riverside (UCR) School of Public Policy. 

Learn more about Sabrina Cervantes via https://a58.asmdc.org/biography 



Podcast Highlights:  

“One thing that I have  learned, being the first Latina millennial to represent us here in the legislature... [is that] bringing these experiences to these positions of power and advocacy and having a seat at the table, that's what drives good public policy, that we each have something to bring to the table. No matter your background, no matter your experience, that's what makes the difference in the future of our communities.”

-      Sabrina Cervantes on how diverse individual experiences drive good public policy. 

“In 2021, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors voted by a vote of 4 to 1 to adopt a Supervisorial district map for the 2020 round of redistricting that was really fraught with a lot of controversy. Many individuals, organizations, and elected leaders really noted that it fractured the Latino community within our county. That means it dilutes the Latino voting power and their capacity to elect a representative of their choice. And so this failure to protect voting rights and comply with state and federal law underscores the need for an independent redistricting commission to draw fair maps for Riverside County. That is why we got to work on AB 1307 [to allow] truly independent and unbiased citizens who are empowered to draw supervisorial districts for Riverside County.”

-       Sabrina Cervantes on the importance of electing an independent citizen’s redistricting board for Riverside County.

“Even in these positions of power as a woman of color and just a minority, we are still not the majority. When I step into rooms, oftentimes I'm still the only woman or woman of color, whether that's locally or whether that's in Sacramento. And we are changing that paradigm by electing more women and people of all different backgrounds. And I just really always encourage folks to lean in with the experiences that you bring to create that positive change and that ripple effect that will come with it.”

-       Sabrina Cervantes on increasing diversity within the elected representatives. 



Guest:

Sabrina Cervantes (California State Assemblymember) 

Interviewers:

Rachel Strausman (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean’s Vice Chief Ambassador)

Joseph Anastacio (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean’s Ambassador) 

Watch the video version of this episode here: https://youtu.be/57h7hjkC6ME

Music by: C Codainehttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/Minimal_1625https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/PhaseCommercial Links:

https://bit.ly/spp-homeless-aid

https://www.scipolsymposium.org/

https://spp.ucr.edu/ba-mpp

https://spp.ucr.edu/mpp 



This is a production of the UCR School of Public Policy: https://spp.ucr.edu/ Subscribe to this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Learn more about the series and other episodes via https://spp.ucr.edu/podcast. 

In this episode, California State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas talks with students from the UC Riverside School of Public Policy about increasing equity and job quality with the groundbreaking California Senate Bill 150.  

About Lola Smallwood-Cuevas:

Since graduating from the California State University at Hayward, Lola Smallwood-Cuevas has had an influential career, working with the Newspaper Guild before co-founding the Los Angeles Black Worker Center. She later went on to become the Project Director for the UCLA Labor Center, where she directed the Center for the Advancement of Racial Equity (CARE) at Work, before becoming California State Senator in 2022, representing the 28th District.

Learn more about Lola Smallwood-Cuevas via https://sd28.senate.ca.gov/biography



Podcast Highlights:  

“Far too many of our families are living in poverty, far too many of our families are facing homelessness, food insecurity, and the only way we can transform that is through quality work and particularly working with our union partners and our education partners.”

-       California State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas on the topic of the necessity of collaboration to achieve meaningful progress for working-class families. 

“Our bill ensures that every project that we are building through these climate resiliency funds are built with community benefits agreements and project labor agreements... Our intention is that all of the work, including the manufacturing, will also be supported by this policy... because at the end of the day, our state only does well when all of the workers in our state are doing well."

-       California State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas on the topic of the relationship between the success of California workers and the success of the state as a collective. 

"We have tremendous state agencies that have tremendous resources, some of the most creative minds in this state. And our job [as legislators] is to make sure that we are bringing them to the table, and we're breaking down their silos so that they can come together, share information, maximize their capacity, and do the work that the people of California needs them to do."

-       California State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas on the topic of the role of legislators in supporting individuals to make change. 



Guest:

Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (California State Senator) 

Interviewers:

Raiyan Kalam (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean’s Chief Ambassador)

Dinara Godage (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean’s Ambassador) 

Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/9ukTHtM-Tcs



Music by: C Codainehttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/Minimal_1625https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/PhaseCommercial Links:CARE Act Live Podcast Recording: https://presley-care.eventbrite.com/

Violeta Aguilar-Wyrick Community Seminar: https://spp-aguilar-wyrick.eventbrite.com/, https://bit.ly/spp-aguilar-wyrick

UCR School of Public Policy MPP Program: https://spp.ucr.edu/ba-mpp, https://spp.ucr.edu/mpp 



This is a production of the UCR School of Public Policy: https://spp.ucr.edu/ Subscribe to this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Learn more about the series and other episodes via https://spp.ucr.edu/podcast. 

In this episode, Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce Chairman of the Board Bob Mendez talks with students from the UC Riverside School of Public Policy about policies that impact middle income families, and how we can alter existing policies to create a better environment for them to thrive.  



About Bob Mendez:A former member of the US Navy, Bob Mendez has had a decorated career in finance, having worked at Merrill Lynch Smith Barney, and Morgan Stanley. He also is actively involved in his community as Chairman of the Board for the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce, Chairperson on Budget Engagement Commission for the City of Riverside, and a member of the Honorary Commanders - a civilian organization that supports the March Air Reserve Base.Learn more about Bob Mendez via https://www.raymondjames.com/rlmwealthgroup/about-us/bio?_=bob.mendez 



Podcast Highlights: 

“When we look at middle-income families as a whole in our society, they provide us with a source of economic stability in that they generally make up the largest portion of the workforce. They can provide a steady stream of local income and taxes as well. And it's critical, especially for any local economy like here in Riverside, which [needs to be able to demonstrate they have a stable workforce] in order to be able to effectively borrow. Plus, they provide consumer spending, which is critical for our local businesses…”

-       Bob Mendez on the topic of the value middle income families bring to local families. 

“The California Environmental Quality Act, is designed to protect our environment. So, I understand the need for CEQA and I like some aspects of it, but there are certain things that could easily be tweaked in order to help, especially suffering middle income families. It's my understanding that, when a developer is looking to build a housing unit, there is approximately $40,000 to $50,000 of cost associated with just regulations that go into the building of just one unit. And we could make simple, I think, adjustments there [so that middle income families can have access to housing they can afford].“

-       Bob Mendez on the unintended consequences policies such as CEQA bring forth, despite good intentions. “I always say it comes down to three things, and it's jobs, jobs, and jobs. You know, we really need to come together, you know, in terms of being able to all move in the right direction to produce good paying jobs for individuals. You know, we just really have to break down all these silos between the city, the county, even our institutions of higher education, and the chamber, you know, where we all work collectively together for the betterment of our community."

-      Bob Mendez on the importance of collaboration between sectors to create jobs and effective change. 



Guest:

Bob Mendez (Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce Chairman of the Board ) 

Interviewers:

Rachel Strausman (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean’s Vice Chief Ambassador)

Pia Prashanth (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean’s Ambassador) 

Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/AoX6HO_K8AY?si=aH7l4IouhnzmuSkt

Music by: C Codainehttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/Minimal_1625https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/PhaseCommercial Links:https://spp.ucr.edu/ba-mpphttps://spp.ucr.edu/mpp 

This is a production of the UCR School of Public Policy: https://spp.ucr.edu/ 

Subscribe to this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Learn more about the series and other episodes via https://spp.ucr.edu/podcast. 

In this episode, Dr. Johannes Moenius, Peggi Hazlett, Sheheryar Kaoosji, and Dr. Juan De Lara talk with the University of California, Riverside Inland Center for Sustainable Development about the impacts of logistics and warehousing on employment and quality of jobs in the Inland Region.  



About the Inland Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD):

Established in 2003, the ICSD conducts and disseminates research and reports on issues of suburban growth and its impact on social, environmental, and transport systems. At our center, we focus on our region's interconnections between social well-being, the economy, and environmental sustainability. 

Learn more about ICSD via icsd.ucr.edu 



Podcast Highlights:  

“It's really hard to overestimate the importance of the logistics sector for the Inland Empire at this point in the economic development of the Inland Empire and actually also for the Southern California region. It’s by now the largest employer - about 16.4% of all employment in the Inland Empire actually is in the logistics sector."

-        Dr. Johannes Moenius on the topic of the impact of the logistics sector within the Inland Empire. 



“This sector in particular has designed its workflows and its work systems in a way to really take advantage of temporary work to really keep a permanent underclass of workers who are always desperate to get a permanent job. It also destabilizes the sector because those people who do have permanent jobs know there's always somebody looking over their shoulder for the next person who's trying to get their job, doing that same job sometimes for half the wage.”

-       Sheheryar Kaoosji on the topic of the detrimental hiring practices that are standard within the warehousing industry. 



“I'd like to see a shift in the narrative when we start to talk about these things. I'd like to see some change in the way that the industry is upskilling its employees to make sure that they are the next generation of workers that we need to have to move with the technology changes that are happening in the industry.”

-       Peggi Hazlett on the topic of the future of warehousing industry jobs as technology only continues to advance. 



Guests:

Dr. Johannes Moenius (William R. and S. Sue Johnson Endowed Chair of Spatial Economic Analysis and Regional Planning at University of Redlands)Peggi Hazlett (Chief Executive Officer, Greater Ontario Business Council)Sheheryar Kaoosji (Executive Director, Warehouse Worker Resource Center)Dr. Juan De Lara (Director, Center for Latinx and Latin American Studies at University of Southern California) 



Interviewer:

Rick Bishop (External Director, Inland Center for Sustainable Development)



Music by: C Codainehttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/Minimal_1625https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/Phase

Commercial Link:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/winning-big-for-workers-through-politics-and-policy-registration-799346445737 



This is a production of the UCR School of Public Policy: https://spp.ucr.edu/ 

Subscribe to this podcast so you don’t miss an episode.

Learn more about the series and other episodes via https://spp.ucr.edu/podcast. 

In this episode, President and CEO of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce Nicholas Adcock talks with students from the UC Riverside School of Public Policy about the importance of local economies and their relevance in an increasingly globalized world.  



About Nicholas Adcock:

Nicholas Adcock currently serves on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity, Riverside and previously served as president of the Pick Group of Young Professionals. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government from the University of California, Riverside. Nicholas Adcock joined the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce in 2009 as the Community Development Coordinator and rose through positions of Communications & Marketing Manager and Governmental Affairs Manager before becoming the organization's Vice President in 2013. During that time, he focused on projects like securing state funding and accreditation for the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside, advocating for reform and relief for businesses against predatory litigation, and securing local control of Ontario International Airport. More recently, Nicholas led the effort to transition several of the Chamber’s value and membership programs to virtual settings and provide the latest news, resources, and information to local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more about Nicholas Adcock via https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-adcock-b5b77b75. 



Podcast Highlights:  

“We naturally tend to think that with the internet and e-commerce and all the wonderful sort of tools and realms in which people communicate or engage with each other, we tend to think that everything is on a global economy. And there are parts of it where it certainly is. But if you think for the average person so much of their lives is impacted and influenced by local decisions… In a globalized world that we live in, being hyper-local is more important than ever.”

-       Nicholas Adcock on the topic of the importance of local economies amid an increasingly globalized world. 

“And when you have strong economies, strong communities, it's because usually everybody understands where they bring the most strengths and not trying to be one thing for all people. I'm not trying to replicate government because that's their job. I'm not trying to replicate a corporation because that's their job. I'm trying to replicate what a Chamber of Commerce is set to do. I'm kind of bridging the gaps of what the other entity in a way can't fulfill.”

-       Nicholas Adcock on the topic of how a strong local economy is built by different organizations focusing on their specialties.  

“The trick of it all is you've got to think about a problem we experience today, can we fix it so that it's not a problem still 10 years from now...  To some degree I try to feel like if we can figure out whatever that root problem is then usually it helps us both both in both contexts, both today and tomorrow.”

-       Nicholas Adcock on the topic of the necessity of solving local problems so they don’t persist and remain future issues. 



Guest:

Nicholas Adcock (President and CEO of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce) 

Interviewers:

Rachel Strausman (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean’s Vice Chief Ambassador)

Naia Pizarro (UCR Public Policy Major, UCR School of Public Policy Student Senator) 

LINK YOUTUBE-ANCHORMusic by: C Codainehttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/Minimal_1625https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/PhaseCommercial Links:https://spp.ucr.edu/ba-mpphttps://spp.ucr.edu/mpp 

This is a production of the UCR School of Public Policy: https://spp.ucr.edu/ 

Subscribe to this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Learn more about the series and other episodes via https://spp.ucr.edu/podcast.