Gavin Gets His Close-Up

Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, Professor of the Practice of Public Policy Communication, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, and Doug Jeffe, Communications and Public Affairs Strategist

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019

Our new Governor spent his eight years as Jerry Brown’s Lieutenant Governor with not a whole lot to do. Gavin Newsom s making up for lost time in his first hundred days in office. Right from his Inauguration, Newsom burst out of the gate with new priorities and an aggressive style that is putting his […]

Finger Pointing Won’t Be Enough to Win California

By Sherry Bebitch Jeffe & Doug Jeffe

Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, Professor of the Practice of Public Policy Communication, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, and Doug Jeffe, Communications and Public Affairs Strategist

Friday, March 8th, 2019

Those poor souls who spent a rainy Saturday morning watching cable news were treated to stereophonic whining– a grievance medley by President Donald Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders. During his two-plus hour rant at CPAC, President Trump lashed out at Democrats, Robert Mueller, Jeff Sessions, the media and a cast of thousands. Meanwhile, Senator Sanders […]

Cue the Newsom Era!

By Sherry Bebitch Jeffe & Doug Jeffe

Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, Professor of the Practice of Public Policy Communication, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, and Doug Jeffe, Communications and Public Affairs Strategist

Wednesday, February 13th, 2019

Jerry Brown isn’t California’s governor any more. Governor Gavin Newsom’s first State of the State address couldn’t have made it clearer. That’s not merely because, right out of the box, Governor Newsom telegraphed that he wouldn’t be as guarded in his criticism of President Trump as Brown attempted to be.

He Huffed and He Puffed, and SHE Blew His Wall Down

By Sherry Bebitch Jeffe & Doug Jeffe

Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, Professor of the Practice of Public Policy Communication, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, and Doug Jeffe, Communications and Public Affairs Strategist

Tuesday, February 5th, 2019

When Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union Message tonight, he will be doing it in Nancy Pelosi’s House. The first faceoff between President Donald Trump and Speaker Nancy Pelosi clearly demonstrated who is the amateur and who is the pro in Washington’s political arena. The Speaker took The Donald to the woodshed as […]

California’s Presidential Primary Might Matter

By Sherry Bebitch Jeffe & Doug Jeffe

Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, Professor of the Practice of Public Policy Communication, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, and Doug Jeffe, Communications and Public Affairs Strategist

Tuesday, January 15th, 2019

You may have heard this one before: California is going to be a difference-maker in the Presidential nominating process in 2020. Well, this time, that might be right. By moving the California Presidential Primary to March 3, the Golden State has positioned itself to be a significant, if not determinative, battleground in the race to […]

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

By Sherry Bebitch Jeffe & Doug Jeffe

Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, Professor of the Practice of Public Policy Communication, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, and Doug Jeffe, Communications and Public Affairs Strategist

Thursday, January 3rd, 2019

Two weeks in London—watching the British Brexit fiasco and the French meltdown—led to the realization that Europe really is as screwed up as the good old US of A. Some takeaways from our visit:

Far Left California? Not So Much

By Sherry Bebitch Jeffe & Doug Jeffe

Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, Professor of the Practice of Public Policy Communication, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, and Doug Jeffe, Communications and Public Affairs Strategist

Friday, November 16th, 2018

California is undeniably a deep blue state, but that doesn’t mean the electorate is all that “progressive” (read: “liberal.” “left-wing,” or “Berniecrat”—your choice.) . The Golden State is Obama-Clinton-Jerry Brown territory, not the far-left bastion painted by national Republicans. This year’s mid-term election results underscored that reality. Governor-elect Gavin Newsom talked a progressive game and […]

It’s All About Trump

By Sherry Bebitch Jeffe & Doug Jeffe

Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, Professor of the Practice of Public Policy Communication, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, and Doug Jeffe, Communications and Public Affairs Strategist

Monday, November 5th, 2018

What, on paper, should look like a lackluster midterm election in California is turning into a donnybrook that is engaging not only political junkies but the rest of us. Credit, of course, goes to Donald Trump. In ordinary times, this election would be pretty ho-hum in the Golden State. The top races for Governor and […]

The GOP and Prop. 6 Face Potholes in November

By Sherry Bebitch Jeffe & Doug Jeffe

Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, Professor of the Practice of Public Policy Communication, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, and Doug Jeffe, Communications and Public Affairs Strategist

Monday, October 22nd, 2018

The California GOP’s Hail Mary pass seems to be falling flat. Republican representation on the state’s Congressional delegation is on the verge of sinking into single digits, while Democrats are driving to lock in supermajorities in the Legislature and to score another sweep of statewide offices. In an attempt to stave off devastation in the […]

The GOP’s Court of Last Resort

By Sherry Bebitch Jeffe & Doug Jeffe

Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, Professor of the Practice of Public Policy Communication, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, and Doug Jeffe, Communications and Public Affairs Strategist

Thursday, October 4th, 2018

It’s ironic that the Republican establishment, which has long railed against judicial activism, is increasingly looking at the courts as the last bastion of the GOP “resistance”. There is a logic in the determination of President Trump and the Republican leadership to make over the nation’s courts. But their dogged pursuit of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court is likely to exact […]

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