On March 20, professors and students of the Summer 2024 Political Science 14 (POLSC 14) class presented Delta’s first Public Policy Forum at the Tony Fitch Forum.
At the forum, presenters spoke about various local issues and made proposals for reforms that were modeled off their findings on European public policy during POLSC 14’s trip to Italy in the summer of 2024. Political science professors Cirian Villavicencio and Joel Blanl acted as anchors for the forum.
“We’re talking about improving the opportunities we have for next generation,” said Blank. “How we can improve Stockton county [sic] to make it a better place to live. How we can increase trust among each other and be supportive of each other, that we’re all proud to call ourselves Stocktonians.”
The forum delivers on the Political Science Program’s plan for the Academic Political Science Study Abroad Program, which let POLSC 14 students visit Italy for around two weeks during last summer. Referencing local governance issues from home, the students conducted research on the approach to public policy in sister city of Stockton, Parma, as well as other cities like Florence and Rome.
“The basis of this Study Abroad Program … we were going to look at some of the most salient issues that are affecting local government today, which we now know, what’s local is now global,” said Villavicencio.
UC Davis student and Delta alumnus Jourieal Quisin presented on the issue of homelessness and the state of homeless aid in San Joaquin County. Referencing the Italian pastoral organization Caritas Italiana as an example of a near-monopoly of homeless aid, Quisin proposed the establishment of centralized hubs for the homeless in California, coordinating resources and data to provide to the needs of the homeless. Quisin also recommended a push towards higher-density zoning of housing as well as for cities to actively pursue federal and state grants.
History major Arena Sotelo Padilla presented on rehabilitation and urban redevelopment, particularly in concern with homeless people. Drawing from the Co-City program of European initiative Urban Innovative Actions and other commons initiatives, Padilla recommended the creation of integrated spaces through the renovation of abandoned buildings to help integrate homeless people into the community. Padilla further recommended the training of civil servants who can collect data on the homeless and manage the development of spaces for the homeless.
Health Science major Sophia Torrice presented on the benefits of civic engagement to the community, using Florence community garden Giardone dell’Ardglione and Turin urban security initiative To-Nite as case studies. Torrice recommended the renovation of abandoned areas to create social hubs, as well as for local nonprofits and other community-based organizations to collaborate.
San Francisco State University graduate Noah Blank presented on poverty in San Joaquin County and the effectiveness of cash transfers as a solution, referencing the Brazilian program Bolsa Família and Citizens’ Income, a monthly €700 program from Italy which was cut by prime minister Giorgia Meloni and replaced with the Inclusion Allowance and Support for Training and Work programs. Blank proposed to “give people money,” specifying a monthly $500 cash transfer program for people below the poverty line that could be accomplished through a new revenue source like a 5 percent increase in excise taxes for liquor, cannabis and tobacco.
UC Santa Cruz junior student Andres Gonzalez pre-recorded a presentation of his and Delta alumnus Larissa Prather’s proposal for garbage disposal in Stockton. Gonzale recommended the implementation of large public trash cans to allow people in high traffic areas to access to a proper garbage receptacle.
Larissa Prather also proposed a solution to the “urban heat island” phenomenon in Stockton where urban areas of the city have significantly higher temperatures than rural areas, which Blank presented on Prather’s behalf. Prather’s proposals include implementation of sunlight reflective technologies in cool roofing and cool pavements, as well as greater incorporation of vegetation into architecture through methods like green roofing.
In the interest of urban security in Stockton, Villavicencio presented two proposals for the implementation of technology-based frameworks modeled after European projects: the Finnish initiative Smart Urban Security and Event Resilience, for the coordination of event stakeholders and surveillance of crowds at events and Greek initiative Be Secure Feel Secure, with a crime prevention model of governance, social, spatial and cyber layers.
At the end of the forum, Blank and Villavicencio awarded certificates of recognition issued by the University of Parma to students that presented.
Upcoming plans for the Study Abroad Program include a trip to Costa Rica for the Summer 2026 POLSC 14 class.
