Debbie Cox Bultan in the East Bay Times: Will Oakland Promise be the next Bay Area export?

The City of Oakland has launched an ambitious set of programs known as Oakland Promise that dramatically reimagine how to deliver high-quality education and support to students from cradle to career while opening doors of economic opportunity along the way.

These initiatives are expected to serve 30,000 young people through 2035 by establishing college savings accounts for infants and providing scholarships to Oakland public school students from low-income families. Related programs seek to close the digital divide and hire more Oakland residents as teachers.

At a moment when unprecedented federal resources are flowing to communities to invest in education, broadband and infrastructure, there is a unique opportunity for communities across the country to benefit from successful models. So this leads to two fundamental questions: Is Oakland Promise working, and is it practical to export it across the nation?

On the first question, the results so far are promising. According to the city:

• #OaklandUndivided has delivered 35,000 computers, provided 15,000 hotspots and responded to 18,000 tech-support requests, increasing home access to a computer, internet and tech support for students from low-income backgrounds from 12% pre-pandemic to 98% at the end of the 2020-21 school year.

• Teachers Rooted in Oakland has supported 30 teachers with housing and guaranteed income who in turn support over 13,500 students.

• Oakland Promise has put more students on track to succeed in college, with more than $17 million in scholarships and persistence supports invested so far, and 1,300 students paired with mentors. Encouragingly, 88% of participants have persisted to a second year of college.

Longer term, researchers at the nonpartisan and independent research organization NORC at the University of Chicago are studying Oakland Promise’s cradle-to-career approach and Brilliant Baby program, which provides college savings accounts and family financial coaching. The results will be critical to evaluating the lasting impact and success of Oakland Promise.

On the second question — can the program be exported — the answer is undoubtedly yes. Communities will need to evaluate what works and adapt the programs to meet their needs. State and local leaders recognize that communities can benefit from Oakland’s framework of addressing key obstacles that children face from birth through high school in a comprehensive way.

The hardest question is about resources. Oakland has done an amazing job of scaling its innovative educational initiatives from an initial $160,000 investment in a director of education to a $3 million pilot (funded with $1 million of city funds and $2 million from philanthropic sources) to a $125 million public-private partnership (which has the potential to unlock $3 billion in public resources).

Notably, this includes a significant investment from the city’s property owners through Measure AA, a local initiative championed by Mayor Libby Schaaf and approved by 62% of Oakland voters in 2018 that set a special $198 annual inflation-adjusted parcel tax on single-family homes.

Cities and states will have to study how Oakland’s approach can be made workable in their communities based on the public and private resources available

Yet, the boldness of Oakland Promise — a fundamental rethinking of how educational services are provided so that students from the earliest age have a growth and college mindset — is inspiring. It is energizing to see how challenges that have seemed insurmountable for decades can be overcome.

That is the true opportunity before us — using Oakland’s innovative model to change not just one community but dozens of cities and states across the nation.

Debbie Cox Bultan is CEO of NewDEAL and the affiliated NewDEAL Forum, which identifies innovative, state and local pro-growth progressive policies and which brought a delegation of officials from eight states to the Bay Area in August on a fact-finding mission about Oakland Promise. Anthony Daniels, a member of that delegation, is the youngest and first African American minority leader of the Alabama House of Representatives.

KCBS Radio: Coverage of NewDEAL Oakland Briefing

KCBS Radio: Coverage of NewDEAL Oakland Briefing

KCBS All News Radio San Francisco on NewDEAL Oakland Briefing

KCBS All News Radio San Francisco on NewDEAL Oakland Briefing

KTVU FOX 2 News: NewDEAL Briefing in Oakland to Discuss Closing the Digital Divide

KTVU FOX 2 News: NewDEAL Briefing in Oakland to Discuss Closing the Digital Divide

Debbie Cox Bultan: A Recipe for Democratic Success This November

NewDEAL CEO Releases Statement Praising Inflation Reduction Act

For Immediate Release:                                                                

August 12, 2022                                                                         

Contact: Jonathon Dworkin (NewDEAL), 202-660-1340 x5, jonathon@newdealleaders.org

 

NewDEAL Praises Inflation Reduction Act

Climate change provisions are a huge win for state and local leaders

 

Washington, DC – NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan released the following statement in response to today’s vote by the U.S. House of Representatives on the Inflation Reduction Act, which now heads to the President’s desk:

“For years, state and local leaders have implemented climate solutions by setting clean electricity standards, investing in emission-free transportation, and making buildings more efficient, while advocating relentlessly for the federal government to do its part to make possible the dramatic national emissions reductions that this crisis requires. The Biden Administration and this Congress have finally broken through the gridlock to address the dangerous consequences of global warming, and they have sent a message to the world that the United States can deliver on combating climate change. Tax credits for clean energy, energy efficiency, and more will supercharge state and local leaders’ ongoing efforts, and will result in lower energy costs for their constituents.

“Importantly, the legislation also addresses the high cost of health care, which is a challenge for working families across the country, by extending health insurance subsidies for middle and low-income Americans and lowering the cost of prescription drugs.

“The Inflation Reduction Act is a tremendous achievement on two of the biggest challenges facing our country: the cost of health care and the cost of climate change. I join NewDEAL Leaders across the country in applauding President Biden and Democrats in Congress for getting this bill done and delivering relief to working families at this vital time.”

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NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan Co-writes Op-Ed in Route Fifty: How State and Local Leaders Can Use Data to Ensure Broadband Access for All

By Debbie Cox Bultan and Nichole Dunn

JULY 12, 2022 05:08 PM ET

 

COMMENTARY | To maximize the $65 billion in federal funds available to expand high-speed internet, governments must first identify the biggest barriers to access in their communities.

How State and Local Leaders Can Use Data to Ensure Broadband Access for All

A lasting image from early in the pandemic is of two students sitting on the curb in a fast-food restaurant parking lot, using the restaurant’s Wi-Fi to complete their schoolwork. The pandemic exposed how much our lives have moved online—from work to education to health care to government services—and the deep divide between those with and without internet access.

The need to expand high-speed internet access is clear, but broadband data does not deliver an accurate picture of where households lack connectivity and does not measure the impact of affordability and other obstacles like connection speed that go beyond just physical access to a broadband connection. To fully address the digital divide, policymakers need more detailed information on affordability, reliability, speed and inequities in access to make sound decisions about broadband investments for their communities.

The $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act included $65 billion to help ensure that every American has access to a high-quality broadband connection. Policymakers have a historic opportunity to help close the digital divide, but they will need better data to achieve this goal.

At a recent White House convening, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo made clear that state funding from the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program would be contingent on each state’s plans to fully address community needs and identify priority areas for broadband investments. To maximize the impact of the new law, which also includes a Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program, state and local leaders will need to quickly gather the best available data, including accurate maps of where service is currently available.

The good news is the federal government has provided the guidance and resources in both the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the American Rescue Plan Act to help communities pull together the needed data. Specifically, the $350 billion included in ARPA’s state and local fiscal recovery funds plan can be used to build governments’ data infrastructure and capacity. State and local leaders must embrace the chance to use these one-time resources to invest in collecting and analyzing data.

A report released earlier this year by the NewDEAL Forum, “Bridging the Digital Divide”, identifies success stories from state and local officials whose efforts represent models for leaders across the country to take advantage of an infusion of federal dollars. Some of the more promising models include financial incentives to collect better data, leveraging geographic information system mapping and directly engaging with community members to identify broadband gaps. Below are specific examples of states and localities that have advanced innovative approaches.

 

Financially incentivizing communities. In Colorado, state Sen. Jeff Bridges sponsored a bill to help fund broadband expansion through an improved grant distribution process that prioritizes critically underserved communities, including low-income and hard-to-reach areas on tribal land. To ensure the funds reach the targeted communities, Sen. Bridges included a requirement for the broadband deployment board to develop a map identifying critically unserved areas in the state and reference it when reviewing applications. Grant applicants must provide granular mapping data to demonstrate the community’s needs and report on how the funds were used to improve speeds, rates and services. The bill was signed into law last July.

Leveraging technology tools. Across the country, policymakers are establishing centralized broadband offices that coordinate their efforts to address connectivity challenges. Florida state Sen. Loranne Ausley championed legislation that established the Florida Office of Broadband, through which the state is investing $1.5 million to fund GIS mapping to “identify where broadband capable networks exist, where service is available to users, and gaps in rural areas,” the Herald-Tribune reported. Additionally, the office is working with providers, local governments and community organizations to verify data and help policymakers better understand the nature of the connectivity gap.

Engaging residents on broadband gaps. In Santa Ana, California, Mayor Vincente Sarmiento is using $3.5 million of ARPA funds to conduct a citywide survey to better understand the gaps in service, which will help the city implement solutions that meet the needs of its most disadvantaged residents and businesses.

More examples of how state, local and tribal governments are using data-driven solutions to broadband and other challenges are available in Results for America’s ARP Data and Evidence Dashboard. Accessing all these new federal infrastructure funds will take time and resources, but a new partnership—led by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Results for America, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities–is offering to help underserved communities navigate the nearly 400 funding opportunities available through IIJA.

Increasing broadband access is a key component of achieving an equitable economic recovery. Leaders must not miss this moment to close the digital divide. With detailed information and strategic investments, policymakers can help ensure that all residents have equal access to the high-speed internet connections that are a basic need in today’s economy.

Debbie Cox Bultan is CEO of NewDEAL Leaders and NewDEAL Forum. Nichole Dunn is vice president of federal policy at Results for America.

NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan’s Op-ed in RouteFifty: Roe is Gone. States and Localities Must Protect Reproductive Rights

By Debbie Cox Bultan, CEO, NewDEAL

JUNE 27, 2022 05:14 PM ET

 

COMMENTARY | The 50-year era of Roe v. Wade has ended. We need a new movement in America to elect leaders who will restore the rights that have been ripped away.

 

In a deeply troubling 6-3 decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, the Supreme Court eliminated the 50-year constitutional right to seek an abortion—going against the will of the majority of Americans. Now, access to reproductive care is at the mercy of politics, erasing the protections that Roe provided.

It will cost lives, eliminate access to health care for millions, especially low-income people and people of color, and fundamentally change the relationship between people and the government.

As a result of this decision, the next battle for reproductive rights will move to states and local governments.

At least 13 states have in place so-called “trigger laws” that will completely eliminate access to abortion in those states the moment that the decision in the Dobbs case is certified. Other states have—and will continue to—further limit access to health care and family planning services to the point where it’s nonexistent.

States Defending Reproductive Rights

But all is not lost. Across the country, some courageous state and local leaders are standing up and fighting for the right to choose.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, both Democrats, are taking significant steps to fortify access to abortion including for out-of-state residents. Colorado passed the Reproductive Health Equity Act, guaranteeing access to reproductive care before and after pregnancy.  New York has approved measures to shield providers and patients from out-of-state legal action.

In Maryland, the Democratic-controlled state legislature passed a law (overriding a veto of Republican Gov. Larry Hogan) that would provide training for medical professionals including nurse practitioners, physician assistants and nurse midwives to perform abortions. It also provides funding to reduce health disparities and ensure that Maryland Medicaid funds can support abortions.

In Oregon, the legislature spent more than $15 million to help the state expand its health-care workforce, and Connecticut approved a bill that would shield providers from facing penalties from other states.

Meanwhile, some local prosecutors in southern right-leaning states such as Virginia, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas and Tennessee have said that they will not enforce abortion bans or use scarce resources to investigate and try patients and providers accused of breaking state laws.

And mayors across the country have weighed in with resolutions and public statements, reaffirming their strong support for safe, comprehensive reproductive health care.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Pragmatic progressive leaders at every level of government are looking for additional ways to expand access to care, protect patients and health-care providers and ensure that abortion access going forward isn’t just limited to the wealthy.

Looking Ahead

In the short run, state and local leaders should band together, share policies that work, and do all they can to preserve meaningful access to health-care and family-planning services in America, recognizing that limits and bans on abortion could also affect access to other services.

Long term, we must face the reality that Americans can no longer expect the justice system to intervene to protect individuals and their doctors from political interference in this very personal health decision.

That’s why we need a new movement in America to elect leaders who will restore the rights that have been ripped away. While that must include strong majorities in Congress and Democratic presidents, state and local elections are vital. Every vote that reduces the extremism in state legislatures, elects governors and legislators who will protect reproductive rights and elevates key leaders in other positions, like the prosecutors mentioned above, will help Americans get access to the care they deserve.

Roe is gone. There’s nothing we can do about that. Now we must begin the long road back to reestablishing the guarantees that stood for half a century—starting at the state and local level.

Debbie Cox Bultan has 25 years of experience in politics, public policy and nonprofit leadership. As CEO of NewDEAL, she oversees strategy and day-to-day operations for the organization. Prior to helping launch NewDEAL, she spent 15 years at the Democratic Leadership Council.

Rebecca Perkins Kwoka Opinion in the Concord Monitor: Climate change is our generation’s make-or-break moment

By Rebecca Perkins Kwoka

Rebecca Perkins Kwoka is a state senator representing NH’s 21st District. She is a member of NewDEAL’s national network of state and local policymakers. She lives in Portsmouth with her wife and daughter.

In the 1960s, America brought together the best scientists and engineers to engage in the “space race.” Half a century later, when a global pandemic struck, we supported scientists to develop safe, effective vaccines in record time, saving lives here and around the globe.

When our nation commits to big things, there is no obstacle we cannot overcome. And when historians look back on the 2020s, I hope it will be written that we seized the moment to stem the impacts of human-made climate change.

A recent report from the United Nations stated that the window to act to prevent unsustainable climate chaos is rapidly closing. But it is not closed yet. We have time to make key changes that will create and sustain a healthy, vibrant planet for generations to come.

Late last year, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. Just as important as its impact on repairing roads and bridges, the IIJA represents the greatest opportunity our country has ever had to invest in clean energy, including to tear down some of the biggest barriers to the energy transition our country, and our plant, so desperately needs

As New York Times columnist Tom Friedman recently noted, one of the major obstacles to clean energy is delivering solar and wind energy from where it is produced to where it is needed. In other words, reliable transmission lines.

In many years working in the green energy industry, I observed this obstacle firsthand. The IIJA provides $11 billion for upgrading and fixing our transmission infrastructure, including $2.5 billion specifically to “improve access to cheaper clean energy sources.”

It is imperative that my fellow legislators in New Hampshire, and around the nation, seize this moment to implement big, bold initiatives while also leveraging private sector partnerships to unlock more funding.

But how do we do that?

I recently returned from a summit organized by NewDEAL, which brings together state and local elected officials and outside experts to identify solutions to our biggest challenges. In a panel I led with other leaders in the climate sector, we discussed how the IIJA, if invested and leveraged in the right programs, can usher in a clean energy economy while creating quality jobs and advancing equity, particularly in low-income communities and communities of color.

And we can start making progress right away.

As we look toward transitioning from dirty energy to green energy, the Department of Energy will join with the Department of Transportation to build out the nation’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure. More electric vehicles on the road not only reduces our need for dirty energy, it will make our nation more energy-independent, relying less on oil that comes from nations that may or may not hold our best interests at heart.

In order to help people in their homes, the Department of Energy announced in March that it was accepting applications from states and localities for more than $3 billion in funding for its Weatherization Assistance Program. Some of that funding can help low-income households across New Hampshire with various upgrades that will reduce energy costs.

Improvements might include installing insulation; updating heating and cooling systems; and upgrading electrical appliances. Nationwide, homeowners typically save almost $400 per year through this program.

The bipartisan bill also provides funding to help make our schools more energy efficient. Beginning this fall, school districts can apply for grants to make clean energy upgrades and improvements. There’s an additional $5 billion available to help localities purchase electric school buses rather than diesel ones.

While electric buses cost more initially, they save taxpayers money in the long run because of reduced maintenance and fuel costs. Plus, they will further reduce our dependence on foreign oil and keep harmful pollutants out of the air our children breathe.

In the New Hampshire Senate, I’m working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make these and other clean energy policies as successful as possible. And because the IIJA encourages it, I’m looking for opportunities to work with legislative partners in other states in order to amplify our efforts and reap combined benefits.

We’re at a critical moment in not only our nation’s history, but our planet’s history. As President Biden has said, “There is nothing America can’t do if we put our minds to it.”

Climate change is our generation’s make-or-break moment. There’s no time to waste.

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