Cal Poly Pomona fuels local economy

Pasadena Star News

By: Cynthia Kurtz

Posted: 9/10/2014 

Nothing impacts a region’s economy more than the quality of the educational systems that can satisfy a region’s need for workers, interns and researchers. When it comes to education, the San Gabriel Valley has an abundance of riches.

One example is the California State Polytechnic University at Pomona better known as Cal Poly Pomona.

This year Cal Poly is celebrating its 75th Anniversary. The University began as an all-male school on the winter ranch home of cereal entrepreneur W. K. Kellogg. 

Today the 1,438 acre campus is home to a diverse population of 22,000 students who enjoy the benefits of a historic campus, top ranked academic programs, and endless opportunities for involvement in extra-curricular activities.

To give you an idea about what an important and effective educational institution Cal Poly has become for the San Gabriel Valley and California, a few facts:

One out of every 15 engineers in California is a Cal Poly Pomona graduate.

One out of every five architects who pass the California Architects License Exam is a Cal Poly Pomona graduate.

When ranked by the salary potential of it graduates, Cal Poly Pomona ranks 13th among the nation’s universities according to PayScale, a global compensation data leader. The median starting salary of a Cal Poly alumnus is $48,500 and by mid-career that median salary climbs to $93,000.

Cal Poly Pomona’s annual spending generates a total impact of $319 million for our regional economy and contributes nearly $916.5 million to the state’s economy.

Leading this prestigious university since 2003 has been President Michael Ortiz.  President Ortiz is a lifelong educator whose expertise and commitment have launched the university into a new era and generated a multitude of achievements. These include being named:

1.    One of the best universities in the west by U.S. News and World Report in 2014,

2.      One of the 2014 best values in higher education in the United States by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine; and,

3.      One of the top 100 green campuses in the United States by the Sierra Club.

Under President Ortiz’s leadership the university increased graduation rates, constructed a new College of Business Administration and a Veterans Resource Center, renovated an expanded University library, and secured the largest cash gift awarded within the CSU system - a $42 million donation from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

President Ortiz recently announced his retirement. That is Cal Poly Pomona’s loss and the San Gabriel Valley’s loss. The San Gabriel Valley is a better place to live and work because of President Ortiz’s accomplishments at Cal Poly Pomona.

Heat, fires, drought stress SoCal power grid

Pasadena Star News

By: Cynthia Kurtz

Posted: 9/03/2014 

Above average heat, wildfires, and no rain have put extreme pressure on the reliability of the California power grid that moves electricity around the state. That was the message from Dr. Robert Weisenmiller, Chair of the California State Energy Commission, when he addressed a room of San Gabriel Valley business and education leaders a few weeks ago.

The California Energy Commission was created in 1974 to oversee state energy policy and planning. Dr. Robert Weisenmiller was appointed in 2010. Four of the five-member Energy Commission appointees are required by law to have specific professional training and Dr. Weisenmeiller fills the Engineer & Scientist position.

His 30-years of energy experience in electricity, gas markets and California regulatory markets is well suited to the issues the Commission is addressing this year.

It has been a hot summer. Temperatures are higher - 5.7 degrees above average in Southern California. That means more air conditioning and electric power usage. Overall the state has sufficient electric power and a 20 percent reserve. However, power isn’t generated where the demand is located and moving it around isn’t as easy as you may think.

In a typical year California has around 3,150 wildfires. According to the California Office of Emergency Services, as of August the state had already experienced 4,132 wildfires burning over 80,000 acres. And “wildfire season” is just beginning. In the past California could expect to have a “big” fire once a decade. There have been eight in the last 4 1/2 years.

Wildfires have major impacts on the power grid. First, they effect the Commission’s decisions about siting power facilities. Avoiding all the potential wildfire areas isn’t possible with 37 million acres of California at risk and 17 million acres at high risk. Wildfires also effect the movement of power around the state. When a fire interrupts a portion of the transmission system, the Commission has to re-route power around the fire area. Building this type of redundancy into the system is difficult.

Less water means less hydropower. Natural gas and out-of-state hydropower power are making up the difference but at a higher cost. Businesses and residents can expect to see those increased costs materialize in higher electric bills next year.

Not all the challenges are from nature. Some are also man-made. The closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) reduced power generation by 2,100 megawatts (MW) - almost three times the output of a standard 750 MW fossil fuel fired facility. Equally important was the location of SONGS. The transmission system was built based on the assumption that an operating plant would be there. 

A three to four day heat wave, higher demand in the western U.S., an outage at a strategically located plant, or fire damaging the grid could result in unplanned outages before the end of the year. But the biggest threat is one more year of drought. Then, Dr. Weisenmiller says, “All bets are off.”

Businesses and residents alike need to plan accordingly. Conserve energy whenever possible and if the state calls for a flex alert - be ready to reduce power dramatically.

Poverty costs businesses and society

Pasadena Star News

By: Cynthia Kurtz

Posted: 8/27/2014 

Being broke is an economic condition. Being poor is a disabling frame of mind and spirit. Fifty years after the signing of the War of Poverty Act by President Johnson on August 20, 1964, there are more Americans who are both broke and poor than ever before.

Over 48 million people in the United States live in poverty - almost 16 percent of the population.

"Putting Poverty in Southern California in Focus" was the theme of a recent forum convened by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). Within the SCAG region - which includes the counties of Los Angeles, Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura - over 3.2 million people or 1 in 15 live in poverty. One in four children live in poverty.

The forum brought together government, non-profits, business and faith based organizations to talk about why poverty still plagues our society. Why haven't the safety nets worked? What needs to be done differently? Who needs to be involved?

It is clear that poverty concerns everyone. Take one example: poverty can lead to and exacerbate health issues. When people can't afford healthcare, the emergency wards become overwhelmed and the costs go up affecting us all financially.

Businesses rely on people who can buy goods and services. There is a reason that businesses in poor neighborhoods don't do well. The poor do not have enough disposable income.

Even though the organizers didn't call for the definitive answers from this single forum, there was much agreement about the causes of poverty and steps required to end it.

First, social safety nets do work at helping those in poverty. There are many effective programs on the front line feeding, clothing and sheltering those who need some extra assistance. These programs have helped millions of people have better lives.

What the programs have failed to do is move people from poverty to prosperity. That needs to be the new goal. Or, as Frank Talarico, Jr., President & CEO of Goodwill of Orange County put it, "A hand up not a hand out."

It starts with education. Former Governor Gray Davis stressed California must "double down on education." For every dollar spent on pre-K for poor children, an estimated $7 is saved on future government services.

People need jobs. The consequences of public policies that are detrimental to job growth are crippling. It is time to get serious about regulatory reform. You can't produce jobs quickly when it takes years for projects to go through approval processes and the accompanying lawsuits.

Keep families together. A two parent family is the best predictor of the social mobility of children. Changes in tax policy for married couples would help.

Raise the minimum wage. We all know that minimum wage can't stay the same forever. Today, there must be some number between no increase and $15 per hour that reasonable people can agree on.

Finally, everyone must become involved. Raising people out of poverty, raises us all.

Voter opposition linked to costs involved

Pasadena Star News
By: Cynthia Kurtz
Posted: 8/13/2014  

The Public Policy Institute of California - a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank - just released its July 2014 survey on the environment. PPIC has been surveying California residents since 1998 on a variety of public policy issues. Through their work, policy makers are able to gage likely voter’s positions on important issues. Survey questions are repeated from year to year allowing readers to see how opinions change over time.

Over two-thirds - actually 68 percent of the state’s adults support AB 32 - the law requiring California to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. But this is 10 percent lower than at the peak of the law’s popularity in 2007. 

When considering how to meet these new emission requirements, three out of four adults favor stricter emissions on power plants. Similarly, 76 percent favor requiring oil companies to produce fuels with lower emissions unless producing those lower emission fuels would mean an increase in gas prices. Then, the support for lower emission fuels drops to 39 percent with 57 percent opposing.

This is a particularly interesting finding since a new fuel tax increase of between 16 cents and 76 cents is scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2015. It is part of the implementation of AB 32. Currently, the state legislature is considering AB 69 (Perea) that would delay implementation of the increase for three years but Sacramento insiders are predicting that the bill will stall in committee without ever receiving a floor vote.

There is also strong support for requiring automakers to improve fuel efficiency - 85 percent of adults and 79 percent of likely voters support. And there is strong opposition to building more power plants - 64 percent of adults and 56 percent of likely voters oppose. Support for nuclear power use to be stronger but started to decline after the 2011 nuclear disaster in Japan. 

Increasing federal funding for developing wind, solar and hydrogen is strong - 78 percent of all adults and 73 percent of likely voters say yes. Requiring that one-third of the state’s electricity come from these renewable sources is also popular among adults (76 percent favor) and likely voters (73 percent favor) unless it means an increase in power bills. Then support drops to 40 percent with 50 percent opposing

Clearly most Californians want to be good stewards of the environment. But paying for it is a different matter. If someone else, such as business or government, is required to foot the bill, then support is strong. But when the cost shifts directly to consumers, popularity drops dramatically.

The flaw in this thinking is that consumers pay regardless. We pay in taxes or in the cost of products and services. Making a direct connection between cost and benefit would provide a better way to set priorities on what environmental policies we want and what we are willing to pay.

Today's office environment is more mobile

Pasadena Star News

By: Cynthia Kurtz

Posted: 8/6/2014 

There is cautious optimism about the economy. We have achieved six months of job growth averaging over 200,000 new jobs per month. The housing market is slowly recovering. Without the fear of job losses looming, home owners are ready to move into larger homes freeing up homes for first time buyers.

Industrial space is scarce, especially in the San Gabriel Valley. Vacancy rates dropped to 3.3 percent in 2013 the lowest in the Los Angeles region and almost a full point below the Los Angeles County average.

The holdout in this good news story is the commercial office market which is recovering at a much slower pace. Vacancy rates in the San Gabriel Valley have dropped from the 2009 peak of 18.4 percent, ending 2013 at 16.2 percent.

The essence of what workers are looking for in office space has been set on its ear. Just 10 years ago the individual 250 square foot office was considered standard and everyone eyed the carpeted "corner office" with the double doors - preferably with a view. 

The office was where you kept everything you needed to do your job - files, phone, contacts, computer, books, and an ergonomic chair. It was literally a home away from home.

The recession and technology have changed everything, partially due to necessity and partially because it is possible. 

As workforce numbers contracted and extra overhead became a drag on the bottom line, leases were re-negotiated for less space. Workers adapted to taking conference calls in their cars, meetings in coffee shops, and working from home. 

As the economy rebounds, the demand for office space is not keeping up. Why not? Don't we all want our large offices back? There are several factors that are influencing the office market. Certainly the recovery is not strong enough to throw caution to the wind. Many businesses are still holding on to cash rather than committing to long-term leases.

But there is a change in what workers want and need as well. Recent trends are toward non-dedicated work space with more amenities like natural light, on-site cafes, open floor plans, and sound control. Younger workers want more flexibility, common space and an environment that is conducive to team projects. 

Wireless technology, mobile devices and less paper are trumping large desks and private offices. Computers and phones fit in the palm of our hands. And our contacts and files? Well, they reside in the "cloud." 

Companies are finding that is more important that their employees be able to work anytime from anywhere than it is to come to the office every day. The average office size has dropped to 185 square feet and it may go lower yet.

The commercial office market is already adjusting. New companies that lease "shared co-op" styled space are popping up. Smart developers and architects are retrofitting and reconfiguring existing buildings to respond to the changing demand. Some are even adding residential units.

It isn't as easy as taking down walls. More employees in a building mean more parking, more restrooms and more elevators. But it is clear that offices of the future are going to look very different.