GOVERNING Magazine June 2018
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THE STATES AND LOCALITIES June 2018 Rough Road Ahead Mississippi’s crumbling bridges and the fi ght to fi x America’s rural infrastructure GOV06_Cov.indd 18 5/11/18 2:30 PM __________Designer __________Creative Dir. 100 Blue Ravine Road Folsom, CA 95630 916-932-1300 __________Editorial __________Prepress www.erepublic.com CMY grey T1 T2 T3 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 Page # __________Other ____________OK to go BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN PROTECTING THE PUBLIC SECTOR FROM RANSOMWARE State and local government agencies are being held hostage by À´¿¼¶¼ÂÈÆ´·É¸Åƴż¸Æ´Á·ÆÂìʴŸ·¸Æ¼ºÁ¸·ÇÂÆǸ´¿·´Ç´ How prepared is your organization to deal with a ransomware attack? Take 3 minutes to learn more: att.com/govsecurity ACCESS GRANTED AT&T FIREWALLS Fully managed security services to help prevent unauthorized ACCESS DENIED access to your network AT&T THREAT MANAGER At-a-glance, situational threat awareness for multiple sites and “state of the org” view AT&T CYBERSECURITY VULNERABILITY CONSULTING ASSESSMENT Lifecycle approach to vulnerability, threat management and path to compliance AT&T SECURE EMAIL GATEWAY ¸ÆǼÁ¶¿´ÆƸÀ´¼¿è¿Ç¸Å¼Áº and threat detection All AT&T Cybersecurity solutions are powered by AT&T Threat Intellect. © 2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T and the AT&T logo are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property. __________Designer __________Creative Dir. 100 Blue Ravine Road Folsom, CA 95630 916-932-1300 __________Editorial __________Prepress www.erepublic.com CMY grey T1 T2 T3 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 Page # __________Other ____________OK to go BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN VOL. 31, NO. 9 06.2018 24 CAUGHT IN 46 THE EDUCATION THE MIDDLE OF SCOTT WIENER When a neighborhood isn’t California’s go-for-broke rich—but isn’t poor—govern- legislator failed this year in ment tends to forget about it. his bid to spark a revolution By Alan Greenblatt in housing policy. He’s ready to try again. 34 BRIDGE OUT By Liz Farmer How long can a state go without repairing its roads 52 FOR MONEY OR Philadelphia is and bridges? Mississippi is FOR GOOD? ahead of other about to fi nd out. Can eff ective homelessness major cities By Daniel C. Vock programs actually make when it comes money for investors—and to thinking about 42 CONFRONTING should they? what “middle THE COSTS By J.B. Wogan neighborhoods” In the wake of recent events, need. there’s been a grim rise in “active shooter” insurance for schools. By Natalie Delgadillo PHOTO BY DAVID KIDD; COVER PHOTO BY JAMES PATTERSON PHOTO BY DAVID June 2018 | GOVERNING 1 GOV06_01.indd 1 5/11/18 3:05 PM __________Designer __________Creative Dir. 100 Blue Ravine Road Folsom, CA 95630 916-932-1300 __________Editorial __________Prepress www.erepublic.com CMY grey T1 T2 T3 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 Page # __________Other ____________OK to go BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN DEPARTMENTS 4 Publisher’s Desk 6 Letters APIMAGES.COM OBSERVER 9 What’s the Age to Marry? Some states are considering higher age limits for marriage. 10 White Flight Returns It’s happening all over again. But this time, it’s from the suburbs. 14 12 Do State Takeovers Work? Some studies have found they do little to improve schools. PROBLEM SOLVER POLITICS + POLICY 58 Behind the Numbers New data show how pervasive evictions are across 14 Assessments the United States. Are there more scandals or are we trying harder to fi nd them? 60 Smart Management A growing number of governments are limiting access 16 Potomac Chronicle to public records. Popular yet ineff ective programs APIMAGES.COM are hard to get rid of. 61 Better Government Addressing racial equity bodes well for cities in terms 16 17 Politics Watch of long-term outcomes. The California GOP can’t agree on how to stop its “death spiral.” 62 Public Money The real money in public-private partnerships is not in 18 Health roads and bridges. It’s in people and services. Spurred by opioids, drug take- back programs are spreading. 64 Last Look Baseball is back at the Corner in Detroit. 20 Green Government As storms worsen, many coastal states aren’t prepared. 22 Economic Engines Physical retail is surviving, but what’s being sold is changing. 23 Urban Notebook Preempting local laws is no longer just a red state trend. SHUTTERSTOCK.COM 60 2 GOVERNING | June 2018 GOV06_01.indd 2 5/11/18 3:07 PM __________Designer __________Creative Dir. 100 Blue Ravine Road Folsom, CA 95630 916-932-1300 __________Editorial __________Prepress www.erepublic.com CMY grey T1 T2 T3 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 Page # __________Other ____________OK to go BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN PUBLISHER’S DESK Publisher Mark Funkhouser Executive Editor Zach Patton Managing Editor Elizabeth Daigneau Senior Editors Alan Ehrenhalt, John Martin The Real Housing Issue Chief Copy Editor Miriam Jones Copy Editors Kate Albrecht, Lauren Harrison espite what you might think given recent media coverage, Staff Writers J. Brian Charles, Liz Farmer, Alan Greenblatt, the U.S. city with the worst aff ordable housing problem Mattie Quinn, Daniel C. Vock, J.B. Wogan is not San Francisco. Far from it. When you rank cities by Correspondent John Buntin median gross rent as a percentage of household income, Contributing Editor Penelope Lemov D Columnists Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene, Scott Beyer, San Francisco actually does very well, coming in at No. 582 on a list of 600 cities, according to Census data. Aside from a few college William Fulton, Mark Funkhouser, Peter A. Harkness, Donald F. Kettl, Justin Marlowe, Alex Marshall, Aaron M. Renn, towns, most of the cities experiencing an aff ordable housing crisis Frank Shafroth are those that are struggling in today’s economy. Flint, Mich., for example, is No. 9. Its households pay a median of 42.2 percent of Senior Editor, Governing.com Caroline Cournoyer their income for rental housing. Web Producer, Governing.com Natalie Delgadillo There are two primary culprits in the housing aff ordability Data Editor, Governing.com Mike Maciag crisis: the cost of housing and the amount people earn. The latter is the bigger driver, as data cited by Jenny Schuetz of the Brookings Chief Content Offi cer Paul W. Taylor Institution illustrates. Applying the standard that housing should Director, Governing Institute Julia Burrows consume no more than 30 percent Chief Design Offi cer Kelly Martinelli of household income “implies Photo Editor David Kidd that renters in the lowest income Graphic Designer Kale Mendonca quintile can only aff ord to spend Production Director Stephan Widmaier $310 per month on rent,” Schuetz writes, adding that “the decline in Founder & Publisher Emeritus Peter A. Harkness cash income for the bottom quintile over the past 15 years exacerbates Advertising 202-862-8802 this challenge.” Associate Publishers Shelley Ballard, Kim Frame, Stacy Ward-Probst Policies that aim to give workers Strategic Account Directors Paige Helling, Noel Hollis more of a share of increases in busi- Chief Customer Success Offi cer Arlene Boeger ness productivity and gross domes- Offi ce Manager Alina Grant tic product would have to be largely Marketing/Classifi ed [email protected] Mark Funkhouser, Publisher national in scope—despite many e.Republic Inc. laudable local attempts, such as CEO Dennis McKenna minimum-wage increases and living-wage ordinances. But there’s President Cathilea Robinett no evidence such policies are coming anytime soon. Therefore, Executive VP Alan Cox state and local leaders concerned about housing aff ordability need CFO Paul Harney to use other tools at their disposal, such as land use policies. CAO Lisa Harney What’s more, Schuetz and Cecile Murray argue in another Reprint Information recent Brookings report that we must acknowledge that “we can’t Reprints of all articles in this issue and past issues are available indefi nitely rely on new construction of low-density, single-family (500 minimum). Please direct inquiries for reprints and licensing to housing.” As Governing’s Liz Farmer reports in this issue, California Wright’s Media: 877-652-5295, [email protected] state Sen. Scott Wiener is trying to turn that attitude around. Not Subscription/Circulation Service surprisingly, his legislation to override local zoning limits to allow Eenie Yang [email protected] high-rise housing near transit stations has stalled in the face of www.governing.com/subscribe powerful opposition. We may be several decades into the 21st century by the time Governing (ISSN 0894-3842) is published monthly by e.Republic Inc., with offi ces at 1100 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Suite 1300, Washington, D.C. 20036 and at 100 Blue we have housing policies that fi t today’s circumstances, but it will Ravine Road, Folsom, CA 95630. Telephone: 202-862-8802. Fax: 202-862-0032. happen. The rising generation of voters will see to that. A recent Email: [email protected]. Periodical postage paid in Washington, D.C., and Politico article on the Seattle housing market laid out the plans at additional mailing offi ces. Copyright 2018 e.Republic Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is of young activists to change the rules by changing the rulemak- prohibited. Governing, Governing.com and City & State are registered trademarks ers in this fall’s municipal elections.