Table of Contents

 

1. Grads help California city electrify vehicle fleet

2. Foreign election interference has a long history

3. Student honors veterans by serving them

4. The side effects of legal cannabis

5. Study: South LA leaders have diverse needs for trees

6. USC Price in the Media

 

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When the California city of Rancho Cucamonga decided to electrify its vehicle fleet, Lindsay McElwain knew who to call: the USC Price School, her alma mater.

• Having earned a Master of Public Administration degree in 2021, McElwain knew first-hand how our students work with real clients to solve complex problems for their capstone projects.

So began a partnership that gave five recent USC Price School graduates experience working closely with a local government and fire district for their capstone project.

• Students interviewed stakeholders, researched electrification case studies, and produced a report identifying obstacles and best practices to convert roughly 200 gas-powered vehicles into electric vehicles (EVs).
  
  
• That report is now guiding city leaders as they procure EVs to cut emissions, save money on fuel costs and comply with state climate regulations.

Read more about the electric capstone project.

The deeply divisive U.S. presidential election featured evidence of foreign influence from American adversaries. But such propaganda targeting U.S. voters is hardly new, according to panelists at the 11th George Washington Leadership Lecture Series, an event co-hosted by the USC Price School.

• Foreign interference in U.S. presidential elections goes back to the early 1800s and even decades before then.
  
  
• The methods may have changed but not so much the strategies. A Spanish diplomat to the U.S., for example, used newspapers to spread propaganda during elections in the 1800s.

Learn more about the history of foreign election interference.

While earning his Master of Public Policy, Dennis Wu works as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, adjudicating claims made by veterans for medical and pension benefits.

• In his words: “Even though we’re not at war anymore in Afghanistan or in Iraq, we need to recognize that our country still has an obligation to help our veterans who made the sacrifice of serving who experience difficulties that we need to help them work through,” Wu said.

Read more about Wu and his service.

Marijuana laws in the U.S. have changed rapidly over the past decade, with roughly half of states permitting adults to consume cannabis recreationally.

• Proponents say legalizing cannabis can reduce racial disparities in drug arrests, raise tax revenue and control cannabis purity.
  
  
• But the fast-growing retail market and availability of high-potency marijuana has raised public health concerns at a time when it’s difficult to assess which policy approaches are most effective.

Professor Rosalie Pacula, a leading expert on cannabis policy, joined the PricePod to discuss her research about different regulatory approaches taken by states, as well as the public health outcomes on addiction, ER visits, mental health and youth smoking.

 

Take a listen

In the latest study conducted by USC researchers to explore how to grow an urban forest in Los Angeles, community leaders in South L.A. underscored the lack of tree shade in their neighborhood compared to other parts of the city and expressed hope that city leaders will address this imbalance.

• Compared to L.A.’s average of 21% tree canopy coverage, South L.A. communities average roughly 13% – with some areas falling as low as 5%.

In her words: “As climate change intensifies, tree shade will become an increasingly important way to stay cool and avoid the worst effects of intense heat,” said Assistant Professor Santina Contreras. “While these facts have been well understood, the voices of vulnerable communities have frequently been left out of the conversation on these issues.”

Read more about the lack of trees in South L.A.

 

The Christian Science Monitor featured Jeffery Jenkins in a story about Republicans retaking the U.S. Senate.

 

CNBC and Wired talked to Genevieve Kanter about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s potential public health role in the Trump Administration.

 

Associated Press interviewed Mindy Romero about long voter lines in Hawaii. The Sacramento Bee, Public News Service and KCAL also quoted Romero about the election.

 

The New York Times spoke to Shaun Harper about anti-D.E.I. agitators on social media.

 

Barron’s and The Economic Times quoted Roberto Suro about the Democratic Party’s struggles in U.S. elections.

 

Yahoo News, CalMatters and Deseret News interviewed Christian Grose about the U.S. presidential and California elections.

 

The Desert Review covered a report co-authored by Rosalie Pacula about high-potency cannabis.

 

This represents only a portion of recent USC Price faculty media.

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