Contact: Jenesse Miller at (213) 810-8554 or jenessem@usc.edu
Expanding trade and investment at the subnational level
“Gov. Brown was a pioneer in establishing trade and investment agreements at the subnational level, rather than waiting for the federal government to move forward on trade opportunities. He saw both opportunity and flexibility with key trading partners for California, signing trade and investment MOUs with Mexico and China.
“With regard to climate change, he was a founder of the Under 2 MOU, which brought together states, cities, and provinces in making a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in line with the Paris Accord Agreement. His global perspective was quite ahead of his time in terms of how other states operate.”
Brian Peck is an adjunct assistant professor at the USC Gould School of Law. He was the top international trade and investment official for Gov. Brown from 2013-2016.
Contact: (213) 740-2563 or bpeck@law.usc.edu
Seeing things as they ought to be
“Jerry Brown is a quintessential man of the west. He has a deep-seated set of values and believes in responsibility to the country and the state of California.
“The ‘Moonbeam’ analogy is because he’s a man with a great vision. He sees things as they should be and tries to get us there, using a more creative role of government in advancing solutions to big global challenges like global warming. He hasn’t completely realized his goals, but he had very big goals.”
Anne Crigler is a professor of political science at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
Contact: (213) 740-3168 or acrigler@usc.edu
Championing the arts and arts education
“Jerry Brown has championed the arts and arts education and has made California a national model for supporting the arts. Fifteen years ago the California legislature eliminated the state’s arts council. Governor Brown brought the agency budget to an all-time high. He has even, for the first time, brought significant funds for the arts in prisons, which in my view is a powerful rehabilitating program.”
Dana Gioia is Judge Widney Professor of Poetry and Public Culture at USC. He was appointed California Poet Laureate by Jerry Brown and served from December 2015 to October 2018.
Contact: (213) 740-2797 or gioia@usc.edu
Defying stereotypes about older Americans
“Jerry Brown’s legacy is very forward-looking, which defies some of the stereotypes surrounding aging and older adults. People sometimes think older adults only act on self-interests and have less focus on the needs and futures of the younger generations. Clearly this is not always the case, and certainly not for Brown.”
Jennifer Ailshire is assistant professor of gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and of sociology and spatial sciences at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
Contact: (213) 740-7245 or ailshire@usc.edu
Putting justice back into the legal system
“Governor Brown has shifted the criminal justice conversation from pure retribution to accountability and rehabilitation, replacing cruel and costly incarceration with incentives and opportunities for redemption. His policies have put a measure of justice back into the legal system, allowing many to move beyond past wrongs and make meaningful contributions to our communities.
“During Brown’s recent terms, California has led the nation in passing laws that recognize even youth who commit serious crimes are still youth.”
Heidi Rummel co-directs the Post-Conviction Justice Project at the USC Gould School of Law.
Contact: (213) 740-6288 or hrummel@law.usc.edu
Changing perspectives on regulations
“Jerry Brown has been consistent in many ways. He has focused on climate change and the environment during both tenures as governor. He was a skinflint in the 1970s and he still is a skinflint today.
“However, as mayor of Oakland, Brown shifted his perspective on some of the state mandates enacted while he occupied the State Capitol’s corner office. He came face to face with building and environmental regulations that hindered his ability to accomplish the goals he wanted to achieve. That helped shape the policy agenda of his second, and last, turn as governor of the state of California. And his legacy as well.”
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe is professor of the practice of public policy communication at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.
Contact: (310) 641-7472 or sbjcgs@aol.com
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“Gov. Brown was a pioneer in establishing trade and investment agreements at the subnational level, rather than waiting for the federal government to move forward on trade opportunities. He saw both opportunity and flexibility with key trading partners for California, signing trade and investment MOUs with Mexico and China.
