Sacramento State Department of Public Policy and Administration

Check out the published paper of recent Alum, Shoshana F. Levy, with Professor Wassmer!

"Why cities resist new housing: NIMBYism, institutions, and permitting relative to need"

Why cities resist new housing: NIMBYism, institutions, and permitting relative to need California’s Fifth Regional Housing Needs Allocation provides forecasts of new housing units needed across four household income levels in cities for the periods 2013–2015 to 2021–2023 to address t...

Congratulations to Dr. Ahrum Chang for receiving the 2026 Outstanding Wisdom and Leadership Award!

Congratulations, Dr. Ahrum Chang! PPA faculty member wins award

"I am a first-generation postgraduate student from a single-father, immigrant household, who faced the challenge of navigating higher education without a roadmap, ultimately earning admission to Sacramento State’s MPPA program after six years in the workforce. I am currently pursuing my Master of Public Policy and Administration at Sacramento State. Professionally, I have built experience through full-time association management work while preparing for graduate study, and I am interested in applying my skills toward healthcare governance consulting or museum curation after completing the program, with the goal of improving systems-level decision-making and public outcomes." - Dya H. Carranza

You are all invited to attend the Spring 2026 Culminating Project Presentations on Monday, May 18th at 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM at the downtown campus on 304 S St.. (Street parking is available.) Please see the event program below, as we are doing things a little bit differently this semester. We look forward to seeing the MPPA community there!

The Nordykes invite MPPA faculty, current and new students, and alum to their home in celebration of another successful school year!

RSVP: https://lnkd.in/g8sWU-em
You are welcome to bring along a significant other and children. They have a pool!

Last Name A-G bring an entrée or salad for 4
Last Name H-P bring a dessert or appetizer for 4
Last Name Q-Z bring an adult beverage for 6

Nordykes Provide Non-Adult Beverages

Join us for GASPPA’s Annual Career Fair and connect with several government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and other leaders in the Sacramento region! Explore new ways into different career pathways, build your network, and discover opportunities that align with YOUR passion!

📅 April 17, 2026
⏰ 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
📍 Sac State Downtown

Two PPA students presented their culminating project research at the Student Research Symposium on March 4th. The winners have now been announced, and those PPA students won both first and second place in the Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Graduate session.

Shannon Swanson won first place with her presentation “Impacts of California’s School Funding Mechanism,” and Noella Handley won second place with their presentation “The Creative Process of Policy Actors.”

https://www.csus.edu/college/social-sciences-interdisciplinary-studies/public-policy-administration/spotlights/s26-student-research-symposium.html

Two PPA students, Noella Handley and Shannon Swanson, will be presenting their culminating project research at the upcoming Student Research Symposium on Wednesday, March 4th at the University Union. They will be presenting during the Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies Grad session from 11am to 12:30 in Pacific Suite II (3rd floor).

Noella’s presentation is titled “The Creative Process of Policy Actors” and Shannon’s presentation is titled “Impacts of California’s School Funding Mechanism."

Are you for or against California's Billionaire Tax? We talk with two public policy/tax experts on the pros and cons on having one here.

The proposed California "Billionaire Tax Act" initiative aims to charge a one-time 5% tax on California residents who have over $1 billion in assets, and use that revenue to fund healthcare and education.

Gavin Newsom is against it, saying a wealth tax would stifle the innovation California is known for. Bernie Sanders is for it, saying it’s a matter of economic fairness. Meanwhile, Silicon Valley moguls like Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet’s Sergey Brin and Larry Page are eyeing the exits and buying mansions in Miami. And the healthcare workers’ union that’s sponsoring the Billionaire Tax Act has until April to collect the nearly 900,000 signatures to place the measure on the November ballot. If they succeed, we will be voting on this.

So, should we have a wealth tax in California, and across the U.S.? Will it make our currently “rich getting richer” economy more fair and socially stable? Or will it damage California’s economy and dry up government spending on healthcare and education?

To answer these questions — and to help me decide whether I’m on Team Bernie or Team Gavin — I invited two economic/public policy experts — one who helped draft this Billionaire Tax Act Initiative, and another who is somewhat skeptical of it — to come discuss wealth taxes, their pros and cons, how they work elsewhere, and their future in California and the U.S.

GUESTS:
• Darien Shanske, Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law at UC Davis
• Robert Wassmer, professor of public policy and administration at California State University, Sacramento

Please bring your questions — nothing is too dumb, too small or too big to ask.

Tickets are $10 and MPPA students $5. Drinks and snacks will be offered, but please feel free to BYO.

***
For more information about ENLIGHTENMENT and about California Groundbreakers, go to californiagroundbreakers.org

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/enlightenment-should-california-have-a-wealth-tax-tickets-1983728476273?aff=oddtdtcreator

ENLIGHTENMENT: Should California Have a Wealth Tax? Are you for or against California's Billionaire Tax? We talk with two public policy/tax experts on the pros and cons on having one here.

Congratulations to our Fall 2025 graduates! And a special shout out to Luiz Torres for being the recipient of this year's Christy Jensen Award!