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Honor Society
Online Journals - Volume 7
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Closing Down
Problem/Nuisance Properties:
Does Oakland’s Strategy Work to Reduce Crime? |
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By
Paul Figueroa, Golden Gate University |
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the Article in Acrobat Reader |
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Abstract
In the late 1980’s the Oakland Police Department pioneered a process that
allowed the City of Oakland and Alameda County agencies to close specific
properties that contributed to unsafe conditions in neighborhoods. These
conditions include run down and/or abandoned homes where owners allow crime to
flourish on the property (problem/nuisance properties). The properties can be
businesses, apartments or single-family homes. In this paper, the researcher
studied the closing down of the blighted property at 1956 85th Avenue, Oakland,
CA. The study gathered and analyzed information from crimes statistics, personal
interviews, literature reviews, survey of residents in the 1900 block of 85th
Avenue and survey of government employees involved in the closure of the
problem/nuisance properties. The case study compares two periods: before the
problem property was closed and after the problem property was closed.
The research showed a sharp reduction of crime at 1956 85th Avenue and in the
1900 block of 85th Avenue, after the property was shut down on December 2, 2002.
It shows that the residents’ observations in the 1900 block of 85th Avenue
closely match the expectations of the government employees who work on
problem/nuisance properties. In addition, the residents in the 1900 block of
85th Avenue felt safer as a direct result of the property closure and
rehabilitation.
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Paul Figueroa
Lieutenant
Police Department, Oakland,
California |
Author
Biography
Paul Figueroa is a Lieutenant of
Police for the Oakland Police Department, Oakland, California. He
has worked in the Patrol Division, Community Policing Unit, Criminal
Investigation Division, Training Section, and as the Chief of Staff
for the Chief of Police. He is currently assigned as the Police
Service Area Commander for Police District 6. He earned his
undergraduate degree in Political Science from California State
University at Hayward.
He is currently enrolled in the
Executive Master’s Degree Program for Public Administration at
Golden Gate University, San Francisco, California. His research interests include community
policing, problem solving, and innovative crime fighting strategies. |
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Local Citizen
Participation:
Case Study of a Community Development Board |
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By
Karen E. Sutton,
University of South Florida |
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the Article in Acrobat Reader |
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Abstract
Citizen participation is critical to governmental managers and bureaucrats at
all levels to ensure government knows the intensity and need of issues that are
facing and affecting the citizens (Burby, 2003; Glaser, Parker, and Payton,
2001; Irvin and Stansbury, 2004; King and Stivers, 1998; Santos and Chess,
2003). Active citizen participation helps ensure that the decisions and
policies, which any level of government enacts, reflect public interest. Thus,
if citizens are involved in the decision making process from the start, they are
usually more supportive of and desirous of achieving the ultimate outcome. The
social benefits and overall, long-range goals of citizen participation are
worthwhile to citizens and government.
While different universities and organizations have researched many types of
citizen participation, not much research has been done to examine citizen
advisory committees. These committees usually provide citizens with access to
government and a meaningful role in the provision of services, but the
authoritative power of the advisory committee affects whether citizens have
influence on decision-making, administrators, and elected officials.
I chose to analyze a specific citizen advisory committee with decision-making
authority in a mid-sized city (Clearwater, Florida). Based on the context of
local citizen participation and public administration goals and practices, my
purpose is to determine how this specific advisory committee affects citizen
participation and the evaluation of issues. My second purpose is to determine
what other issues regarding management, politics, ethics, organization, and
other citizen advisory board topics that this type of committee influences. What
is the committee’s reaction to and influence on public participation and issues?
Conversely, what influence do citizens have on the government and the committee?
I explored this specific committee to determine if the community does or may
benefit from its present and future work.
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| Author
Biography
Karen E. Sutton received her
undergraduate degree in English/Journalism in 1982 from Plattsburgh
state University College. After 15 years in the journalism field,
she realized the ultimate goal in each position was to help the
public—from revealing funding sources to sharing my managerial and
people skills to pushing community projects through bureaucracy and
stubborn neighborhoods to helping addicts and homeless find
themselves. She realized she could attain this goal with a Master in
Public Administration, which she attained from University of South
Florida in December 2004. After interning in a county Management and
Budget office for her last year, Karen is seeking a position that
will meld her education and work experience in local government. As
a public administrator, Karen would aim to help government at all
levels be more responsive and efficient as government drives
community organizations forward—all of which can ultimately improve
everyone’s quality of life.
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Representative
Government and Gender Diversity in State Legislative Bodies |
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By
Rebekah B. Steen, University of South Carolina |
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the Article in Acrobat Reader |
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Abstract
The focus of this report is contemporary gender diversity in state legislatures.
The fifty states present a wide variation in rates of gender diversity among
their state legislatures and a combined national average of 22.4%. This arguable
under-representation of women in state legislative bodies relates to the concept
of representative government, wherein democratically elected officials should
mirror the ethic and gender composition of the population to be representative
of the people. To better understand current rates of gender diversity in state
legislatures, the study compares the rates of gender diversity among twelve
selected states with corresponding demographic and cultural characteristics to
find if environment can be named a determining factor for rates of gender
diversity. In addition, the states are grouped and analyzed in pairs chosen by
shared borders to establish if regionalism is a factor in gender diversity. The
findings indicate that inconsistencies among rates of gender diversity within
state legislatures cannot be readily explained using the demographical and
cultural measures of this study. Strong, positive relationships between the rate
of gender diversity and personal per capita income and educational attainment
are found while a probable correlation appears to exist between gender diversity
and metropolitan population. However, regionalism does not appear to be a factor
in the states studied. These factors may be representative of an evolving
society that is more conducive to female representation, thus providing
encouragement for improved gender diversity in the future.
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| Author
Biography
Rebekah B. Steen is a 2004 graduate
in the Master of Public Administration program at the University of
South Carolina where her studies focused on nonprofit administration
and state government. She obtained an undergraduate degree in art
history from the University of South Carolina as well.
Her background in cultural and
historical organizations played a significant role in her study of
public administration. Rebekah has previously worked with the
Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site and the South Carolina
Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology. She now plans for a
career in legislative affairs, having served as a legislative
researcher with Hollings and Associates and being presently employed
as an administrator with Southern Strategy Group in Columbia, South
Carolina.
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