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Is there a middle ground between open borders and immigration restriction? This thought-provoking discussion with GOP strategist Mike Madrid and Venezuelan immigrant Dr. Daniel DiMartino explores the complex realities of America's immigration debate beyond the partisan talking points.

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The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.

Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.

For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director of the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu

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This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.

It is reported that California governor Gavin Newsom and the state legislature have agreed to provide $20 billion in funding ($1 billion annually) from the state’s cap and trade program. The California High Speed Rail Authority indicates that the total cost of the Gilroy to Palmdale segment would be $87 billion and would be completed by 2038.

There is still a considerable funding gap for the Gilroy to Merced (or Madera) segment. This portion of the route includes expensive tunneling through Pacheco Pass. Then there is the Bakersfield to Palmdale segment over Tehachapi Pass which is probably even more challenging.

If the present plan works out (and no one would be more surprised at that than me), a passenger getting on the train in San Francisco might wait up to three hours for the last part of the trip to Los Angeles. Of course, CHSRA could substitute bus connection service for anything they don’t finish, like the Amtrak San Joaquin’s do already on the Bakersfield to Los Angeles segment.

CHSRA indicated that this agreement “resolves all identified funding gaps for the Early Operating Segment (Merced to Palmdale).” I doubt it. The scaled back project could take many more years and many billions more.

Wendell Cox is principal of Demographia, an international public policy firm located in the St. Louis metropolitan area. He is a Senior Fellow with Unleash Prosperity in Washington and the Frontier Centre for Public Policy in Winnipeg and a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Demographics and Policy at Chapman University in Orange, California. He has served as a visiting professor at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers in Paris. His principal interests are economics, poverty alleviation, demographics, urban policy and transport. He is author of the annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey and author of Demographia World Urban Areas.

Mayor Tom Bradley appointed him to three terms on the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (1977-1985), which was a predecessor agency to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich appointed him to the Amtrak Reform Council, to complete the unexpired term of New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman (1999-2002). He is author of War on the Dream: How Anti-Sprawl Policy Threatens the Quality of Life and Toward More Prosperous Cities: A Framing Essay on Urban Areas, Transport, Planning and the Dimensions of Sustainability.

I had the pleasure of serving with John Zimmerman on the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (LACTC), which was the predecessor, along with the Southern California Regional Transportation District (SCRTD) to Metro (the present Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority).

John was elected to LACTC by local council members from Los Angeles County cities outside Los Angeles and Long Beach. He served as a Norwalk, California city councilman from 1957 to 1982. He was a dedicated and active member of LACTC and passed away in 1992.

The city of Norwalk is located immediately east of more famous Lakewood, which was in many ways a model of the post-World War II suburbanization that has dominated urban growth in the United States. Lakewood was incorporated in 1954 (see map above).

What reminded me of John was an article describing a proposal to develop a gondola system to link Disneyland with other attractions in the city of Anaheim. John frequently tried to create interest in a gondola based rapid transit system throughout Los Angeles County. He was convinced that it would maximize transit ridership cost effectively.

John was the only one of the 11 voting members who indicated any interest in the gondola proposal (this included me). The Anaheim proposal is far shorter, at 3.8 miles. More worryingly, it is not clear how the system would be funded, and according to Urbanize LA, the cost has tripled since December. Hopefully the Anaheim city council will recognize that a system that has tripled in cost in so little time can escalate even more on the way to completion.

But it seems clear that this gondola system has a chance to be built. I suspect if John were still with us, he would be an enthusiastic supporter.

Wendell Cox is principal of Demographia, an international public policy firm located in the St. Louis metropolitan area. He is a Senior Fellow with Unleash Prosperity in Washington and the Frontier Centre for Public Policy in Winnipeg and a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Demographics and Policy at Chapman University in Orange, California. He has served as a visiting professor at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers in Paris. His principal interests are economics, poverty alleviation, demographics, urban policy and transport. He is author of the annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey and author of Demographia World Urban Areas.

Mayor Tom Bradley appointed him to three terms on the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (1977-1985), which was a predecessor agency to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich appointed him to the Amtrak Reform Council, to complete the unexpired term of New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman (1999-2002). He is author of War on the Dream: How Anti-Sprawl Policy Threatens the Quality of Life and Toward More Prosperous Cities: A Framing Essay on Urban Areas, Transport, Planning and the Dimensions of Sustainability.

The technological revolution of artificial intelligence isn't just changing how businesses operate—it's transforming how they're governed. In this riveting conversation, we're joined by Dean Yoost, former senior partner at PWC, and Ashwin Rangan, CEO of DoubleCheck, to explore their groundbreaking book "Governance in the Age of AI: A Director's Handbook."

Listen on Apple Podcast
More podcast episodes & show notes at JoelKotkin.com

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Support Our Work

The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.

Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.

For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director of the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu

Follow us on LinkedIn

Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism

Learn more about Joel’s book ‘The Coming of Neo-Feudalism‘

Sign Up For News & Alerts

This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.

The global balance of power is undergoing a dramatic transformation that extends far beyond the US-China rivalry dominating Western headlines. This eye-opening conversation with experts from three continents reveals how developing nations are reshaping international relations through demographic advantages, economic growth, and strategic non-alignment.

Listen on Apple Podcast
More podcast episodes & show notes at JoelKotkin.com

Watch this Episode

Support Our Work

The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.

Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.

For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director of the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu

Follow us on LinkedIn

Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism

Learn more about Joel’s book ‘The Coming of Neo-Feudalism‘

Sign Up For News & Alerts

This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.