Rose Institute of State and Local Government

The Rose Institute thanks this year’s student managers, Chad McElroy ’26 and Joan Hanson ’26, for their excellent work over the past year. Their contributions are greatly appreciated, and they will be missed.

Aria Fafat, a PPE major from Singapore, has conducted research at the Institute on criminal justice, election systems, and immigration. Kevin Bender, an Economics major from Temecula, California, has worked on the Institute's data team, contributing to economic policy research.

Congratulations to our new student managers for the 2026–2027 academic year, Aria Fafat and Kevin Bender!

Rose Institute Board Members Deborah Gonzalez '85 and Eric Figueroa '92 visited the Rose on Friday, February 27th, to share their experiences in local budget policy. Thank you to our speakers and to Jada Cook ’26 and Professor Rose for organizing the budget policy workshops.

The Rose Institute of State and Local Government with the California City Management Foundation, presented the 2025 California City Manager Survey at the League of California Cities. Assistant Director Bipasa Nadon presented the findings. roseinstitute.cmc.edu/rose-institute…

Rose Institute board members Scott Ochoa ‘93 and Christopher Townsend ‘82 visited the Rose Institute to share their experiences in budget policy. Thank you to our speakers and to Jada Cook ’26 and Professor Rose for organizing this series of budget policy workshops.

A recent article by Professor Andrew Sinclair and Rose Institute alums analyzes election cycles before and after the implementation of California’s top-two primary system to assess its impact on participation and competition. doi.org/10.1017/spq.20…

A new book published in January 2026 features a chapter by Professor Michael Fortner and former Rose Institute Student Manager Cameron Stevens ’23 examining the roots of mass incarceration in the United States. To read the full chapter, visit: doi.org/10.1093/978019…

The Rose Institute is excited to announce it received a generous grant from the Haynes Foundation to study implementation of LA County’s historic Measure G governance reforms. The Institute will be working with city managers to promote successful implementation of these reforms.

California’s transition to universal vote-by-mail has transformed election administration. A new report by Keith Maben finds that despite initial delays, counties are becoming more efficient through institutional learning, improving ballot-processing speed. Read at link in bio!

Join us at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum on11/14, for lunch with Henry Olsen ’83, one of the nation’s most insightful political analysts, for “Kings, Queens, and Jokers: American Political Trends for 2026 and Beyond." Sign up for the talk here: cmc.edu/athenaeum/king…

In her new role, she joins our Senior Staff, will supervise Rose Institute research projects, and help oversee student training programs. Please join us in welcoming Professor Rose!

A leading scholar of federalism and public policy, Professor Rose joined CMC in 2014 (tenured 2016), became founding director of the Public Policy major in 2019, and received the Roy P. Crocker Award for Service in 2021.

We’re delighted to announce that Professor Shanna Rose, the Alice Tweed Tuohy Professor of Management and Government and director of CMC’s Public Policy major, has been named Associate Director of the Rose Institute, effective immediately.

Read on to see what Proposition 50 changes, who’s for it (and against it), and how your vote will matter: sbsun.com/2025/09/18/pro…

The proposed change comes in response to recent partisan mid-cycle redistricting efforts in Texas, with California lawmakers arguing that new maps are needed to ensure competitive elections, but opponents warn that the proposal threatens the transparency that voters fought for.

Professor Ken Miller and Rose Research Assistant Quinten Carney ’26 examine Proposition 50, a constitutional amendment on California’s November ballot that would temporarily replace the current independent redistricting commission with a legislature-drawn map through 2030.

City Managers are the backbone of effective local governance—overseeing services, managing budgets, and guiding long-term planning. Learn more about their impact and why their role matters in our latest report. roseinstitute.cmc.edu/2025-californi…

The Rose Institute's new report, "Mapping the Revolution in California City Council Election Systems," documents and analyzes the transformation of city council election systems in CA following the 2001 California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). s10294.pcdn.co/wp-content/upl…

New Study Finds California Cities Quickly Shifting to District-Based Council Election Systems prn.to/3EmCVVG