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- Creator:
- Alaniz, Dolores
- Description:
- This thesis investigates implementation of the California Case Management System (CCMS) in Sacramento County. CCMS is the information technology system used by California courts, and is funded through the Trial Court Funding Act of 1997 and the Trial Court Facilities Act of 2002. The system is evaluated using an implementation analysis framework and a set of best practices criteria for information technology transitions. It is recommended that the Legislature require the Administrative Office of the Courts adopt a reporting structure and process to increase accountability, mitigate risks, justify appropriations, and report budgetary expenditures. Sources consulted included case studies, project management reports, books, professional journals and scholarly articles.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration
- Creator:
- Myers, Stephen Reitenour
- Description:
- This thesis explores public policies that have the potential to meet the 20% statewide edible food recovery mandates of SB 1383. This policy became law in 2016 as part of a broader effort to curb methane emissions, of which about a fifth is attributable to landfilled organic waste. While there have been significant successes at the city level across the nation, and while there are promising models at the county and regional level in California, a statewide edible food recovery mandate is unprecedented, and has the potential to throw local food distribution and waste hauling systems into chaos if not adequately designed and managed. The overall goal of this thesis is to identify policies that can enable local jurisdictions to meet their statutorily-required edible food recovery amounts with reasonable expenditures of money and effort. To make these determinations, I used Bardach’s (2012) analytical research method, the “Eightfold Path,” to develop a list of policy alternatives and criteria by which to assess them. The resulting analysis allowed me to plot alternatives along one axis of a table and criteria along the other, creating a “Criteria Alternatives Matrix,” or “CAM” for short. I analyzed four policy alternatives that the literature and my conversations with stakeholders in the waste management and food recovery fields recommended, and determined that one of the four policies have a relatively high likelihood of success according to the five criteria by which I evaluated each. I also determined that two other complementary alternatives could also be successful. The use of software to match donors and recovery organizations with on-the-spot transporters for time-sensitive donations was the top-ranked alternative, with (1) utilization of public health inspectors to promote recovery among regulated food distributors and (2) facilitation of planning and coordination between donors, recovery organizations, and transporters as equally-ranked complements. I recommended the implementation of donation-matching software as the strongest option to address the issue, but also indicated that some combination of the three could be particularly effective in facilitating edible food recovery in the near future.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration
- Creator:
- Landa, Israel
- Description:
- Receiving student financial aid in the form of grants, loans, and work-study increases college access for students planning to attend a college or university. Early on, California made a commitment to make sure the University of California (UC) was accessible to students by providing financial assistance to eligible students in the form of free tuition. Over the years, state financial support has decreased, ending the no-tuition policy and increasing the cost of attendance at a UC. According to the UC, tuition and fee increases have been accompanied by substantial increases in financial aid. However, it is unclear if the UC is using financial aid optimally to ensure access to UC by historically underserved students. This study seeks to understand the characteristics of students who receive financial aid at the UC and how financial aid is being allocated. This study finds that all else being constant, White undergraduate students are more likely to receive financial aid, but Latino, Black, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Asian undergraduate students receive more financial aid than White undergraduate students at the UC. However, even as Latino and Black undergraduate students receive more financial assistance and their enrollment at UC has increased, enrollment rates continue to be lower than their White counterparts and they are less likely to receive aid at all. This thesis uses 2007-08 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:08) data collected by US Department of Education. This study surveyed 2007-2008 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in federal financial aid eligible postsecondary institutions in the United States and Puerto Rico. I used a logistic regression and an ordinary least squares regression to estimate the differences in the amounts received by different groups of undergraduate students attending the University of California (UC). After controlling for different variables, I found out that overall, Latino and Black undergraduate students tend to receive more financial aid than their White counterparts. However, when looking at longitudinal data on enrollment, these same students groups continue to be underrepresented at UC, in particular Black undergraduate Students. Even though Latino and Black students receive more financial aid overall at a UC, enrollment numbers still do not reflect the makeup of California’s high school graduating demographics. Given the history of underrepresentation at UC, it is important for policy makers to figure out ways to increase access to these students. I recommend that the state consider providing more free financial aid to cover the full cost of an education, which includes tuition, fees, books, transportation, housing and living expenses. I also recommend that the Legislature require the UC share disaggregated student financial aid data with academic researchers for the purposes of reporting and statistical analysis. This should provide some insights on how to expand financial aid to cover the full cost of attendance and expand access for those students with the most need, and ensure that access is provided in an equitable manner.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration
- Creator:
- Johnson, Mark H.
- Description:
- For this thesis, I explore how Local Control Action Plans (LCAPs), under the Local Control Funding Formula, follow established administrative theory on strategic planning while also raising questions about how districts develop LCAPs. To explore these case studies, I develop an exploratory framework derived from literature on the topic, including synoptic and periodic strategic planning, executive-led versus worker-led strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement. In order to conduct this analysis, I selected the following four school districts from different locales: Folsom Cordova Unified, Dixon Unified, San Juan Unified, and Amador County Unified to identify any themes in the district LCAPs. After applying my exploratory framework to analyze my district findings, I found three different themes within the districts sampled: (a) districts’ planning committees tend to specialize in their roles, (b) human resource and material resource conditions within districts could have an impact on the development of LCAPs, and (c) districts tend to act creatively when developing their LCAPs. Finally, I conclude with a hypothesis about local control and advise on further research.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration
- Creator:
- Drane, Natasha Marie
- Description:
- On January 31, 2018, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors (Board), during a workshop, focused its attention on retail shopping centers experiencing chronic vacancies. In 2017, another major big-box retail closure in a shopping center prone to big-box departure sparked the Board’s discussion of this issue. The Board’s interest in declining shopping centers within Sacramento County (county) is the impetus of this Master’s in Public Policy and Administration thesis. This thesis employs a nested research design using both quantitative (regression analysis) and qualitative (interviews) methods. The regression analysis attempts to answer the research question: What causes vacancies in power centers located within Sacramento County? The findings of this portion of the study show location to competition and socioeconomic characteristics of neighborhoods near shopping centers highly influence vacancies. Specifically, when competition increases by one retail power center within one to three miles, the vacancy rate of a retail power center increases by 26 percent. The competition variables within 3-5 miles and within 8-10 miles have a positive effect on lease rates, driving vacancy rates down by 14 percent and 8 percent respectively. Household income above $200,000 decreased vacancy rates by 6.9 percent and having a higher education degree decreased vacancy rates by 3.25 percent. The regression analysis provides information, given available data, about what contributes to vacancies in Sacramento big-box retail centers, but this thesis also aimed to understand qualitatively what the county can do, if anything, to help these shopping centers with high vacancy rates and in decline or at risk of decline. The qualitative research question is: What can Sacramento County do, if anything, to help shopping centers in decline or at risk of decline become profitable again? Whether a local government intervenes into a declining shopping depends on the consideration of several factors, including retail market conditions as well as ownership and shopping center characteristics. The decision to provide incentives requires a determination of whether the incentive will help improve the outcome of the property over the long term, which requires a look at retail market conditions, owner needs, and property needs. Identifying the needs of owners and the property are important, but a local government must also evaluate its own priorities and identify its financial and human resource capacity to provide an incentive. The most important incentives for developers are certainty of time and cost, but economic incentives help also, when it determines the success of a project. The recommendations presented in this thesis take into consideration factors that the county can exercise control over and that can help improve economic development activities in the county in order to address the broader issue of declining retail shopping centers.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration
- Creator:
- Branch, Charles Ross
- Description:
- Since California began decarbonizing its energy supply nearly 20 years ago, the state has become a leader in the clean energy revolution. Backed mostly by a rapid expansion of solar energy, California now generates more renewable energy than any other state in the nation. Although California’s growth in solar energy is impressive, it does not come without challenges. Most concerning of these challenges is grid imbalance between energy supply and energy demand over the course of a day. Referred to as the “duck curve,” the imbalance raises concerns about the grid’s ability to integrate more solar energy as California moves to a 100 percent carbon free energy supply. This thesis explores energy storage as one approach to address California’s duck curve and meet the state’s energy policy goals. More specifically, I look at four energy storage technologies and perform a criteria-alternative matrix (CAM) analysis to determine which storage technology best mitigates the duck curve while helping California achieve its energy goals. The thesis concludes that policymakers and regulators should implement the four following recommendations: Recommendation #1: Adopt an “all of the above” strategy in terms of storage technologies. Recommendation #2: Pursue underground CAES as a priority for utility-scale energy storage. Recommendation #3: Expand the use hydrogen fuel cells for increased grid flexibility. Recommendation #4: Reduce reliance on solar energy by classifying large hydro as “renewable” energy.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration
- Creator:
- Khan, Anam H.
- Description:
- The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, often shortened to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is a federal statute that represented the most significant regulatory overhaul and expansion of health coverage since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. Yet the act remains controversial. Indeed, the current federal administration has taken various steps to constrain it. While the debate on effects of the ACA are still in question, data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) suggests that since implementation until 2016, more than 20 million Americans have received health coverage because of ACA. In addition, information from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index (WBI) has shown a dramatic and steady decline in the uninsured rate since the 2012-2013 baseline period before ACA’s major coverage provisions took place. It is therefore important now more than ever to study the varying effects of ACA not only at the federal level but in California as well. Given ongoing efforts by various parties to undermine the ACA, it is essential to know what the impact could be. Furthermore, arguments in support of ACA could be used in the future to establish state laws that keep some provisions or version of ACA in place in California. Prior research has shown that health insurance coverage is linked to life satisfaction. I extend this research and delve further into the topic by assessing whether or not increased coverage from the Affordable Care Act led to increased life satisfaction and in particular, the improvement of mental health. Drawing from BRFSS data, the largest continuously conducted health survey system in the world, I investigated this topic using multiple regression analysis. Based on my data and the results from my regressions, I found that the number of individuals with some form of health coverage increased from pre-ACA implementation in 2010 to post-ACA implementation in 2016. I also found that life satisfaction levels increased during these years. When it comes to mental health, I found there was an increase in the percentage of respondents that experienced zero days of mental health distress. Along these lines, the percentage of respondents that experienced some mental distress, either 6-15 days or 16-30 days both decreased from 2010 to 2016. When looking at the regression results, I found that individuals with health care coverage were more satisfied with life. As expected, I found that good health led to higher life satisfaction values and the same to be true for mental health. The results in this study support the expansion of health care coverage that has been obtained through the ACA, and emphasize the importance of modernizing policies in the world of mental health. With nearly one-third of those covered under ACA exhibiting an existing mental disorder, policies at both the state and federal level need to encompass solutions to resolve the growing mental health disorder issues in the nation.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration
- Creator:
- Fesler, Nathan Stephen
- Description:
- The State of California’s Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishing and Thermal Insulation (BEARHFTI) is the only regulatory agency that has imposed smoldering safety standards for upholstered furniture. However, this does not address ignition from an open flame. In response to industry input, BEARHFTI is evaluating a fire barrier performance standard that requires a flame-resistant fire barrier to improve the resistance of upholstered furniture to an open flame. The desirability of mandating fire barriers in upholstered furniture for residential use depends upon whether the benefits from pursuing a regulatory requirement exceed the cost of imposing it. This thesis evaluates the efficiency of California’s currently proposed fire barrier performance standard. Through a Benefit-Cost Analysis, I account for the likely future benefits for Californians of the adoption of a fire barrier performance standard, and the likely future costs to furniture manufactures of implementing it for home furniture sold in the state. Using a unique Benefit-Cost framework, the estimated net present value over a 16-year time horizon is negative $836,539,890, suggesting the costs will far outweigh the benefits. Given an inherent level of uncertainty in the model assumptions and data used, a sensitivity analysis was performed to check the robustness of the initial findings to model changes. A range of sensitivity analyses of the benefit/cost inputs and model parameters indicate the initial negative findings are robust to changes in assumptions. Therefore, I conclude that directly imposing a fire barrier performance standard is not an efficient approach to protecting California consumers against upholstered furniture fire losses caused by an open flame. As a policy alternative, I propose BEARHFTI consider a product warning label requirement to reduce consumer harm from upholstered furniture flammability risk.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration
- Creator:
- Losé, Victoria
- Description:
- Statement of Problem: The U.S. Department of Justice started to notice an influx of youth becoming wards of the state throughout the United States. A common pattern that judges noticed for these youth included being in the child welfare system along with the justice system. Judges ordered all the participating agencies that coordinate care for youth in the child welfare system to come together to provide more effective and efficient services to their shared clientele. This cross-agency collaboration includes Child Welfare, Probation, Behavioral Health Services, Department of Education, and Juvenile Courts. These agencies must work together to help their shared client. However, that includes sharing personally identifiable information. With these collaborations’ privacy laws prohibit data sharing amongst outside agencies. My thesis explored how the impact of privacy laws could be overcome, by focusing on Sacramento County’s implementation of the Cross Over Youth Project Mode as a case study. Sources of Data: I used a qualitative approach for this research. I conducted non-participant observations of meetings to see if these privacy laws impacted any information these stakeholders shared amongst each other. Additionally, I conducted interviews of the staff from the different agencies participating in this cross-agency collaboration. Conclusions Reached: The current policy does allow for sharing data. However, the process could be expedited if the language in the policy actually explicitly stated that all stakeholders that form a multidisciplinary team are also allowed to share data with one another.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration
- Creator:
- Holland, Kevin Robert
- Description:
- A major change is occurring within the American workforce. The Baby Boomers who have been employed within the general workforce force for decades are now retiring or becoming eligible to retire. The gap left within organizations from the retirement of these older and skilled workers will be felt across all segments of society. As a result, younger generations of workers will need to step in and fill the void left by the Baby Boomers. To address these changes, organizations will need to plan for and accommodate an age diverse workforce. This is nowhere more evident than within the Federal government where a large proportion of workers are older Baby Boomers. As they retire, Federal agencies will need to develop personnel plans to attract and retain younger workers more urgently than organizations within the private sector. All this involves understanding the values and motives from an age and generational perspective. Little research has examined age and/or generational differences within the public sector. Fewer studies still, have examined age and/or generational differences within the Federal workforce. I therefore contribute to the literature by using 1979 Federal Employee Attitude Survey (FEAS) and 2008 Federal Human Capital Survey (FHCS) data in my thesis to determine what if any age and/or generational differences exist in values/motivations within the Federal workforce. The results from logistic regressions and Pearson Chi2 tests revealed there are age and generational differences on values/motives within the Federal workforce.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration