Bob's Blog: Newsroom

Bob's Blog: Let’s Make 2012 the Year of School Discipline Reform

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 21:58:38 GMT

The movement supporting common-sense school discipline reform continues to build momentum. The Los Angeles City Council voted last month to limit “truancy tickets” that fined students for being a few minutes late to school, and several ...

Bob's Blog: On Bravery: Youth Empowerment, Youth Voice... and Lady Gaga

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 18:37:00 GMT

It's pretty clear that my generation of Americans has left an untidy mess for the younger generation. My grandfather’s generation weathered the storm of the Great Depression to transform America into a global economic giant. My ...

Bob's Blog: Health Happens with Bravery

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:32:00 GMT

“Sometimes being brave requires one to stand out. And although you may feel alone, know that you alone can make a difference.” The eloquent statement above was made by Dolly Vang, one of the 18 very deserving young adults from ...

Bob's Blog: Presidents Youth Council

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT

It is important to officially recognize the voice, creativity, and passion of young people who share a vision of a healthier and more opportunity-laden California. The California Endowment and The Statewide Youth Leadership Coordinating Team are ...

Bob's Blog: A Step Towards Common Sense School Discipline

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:19:00 GMT

On February 22, the City of Los Angeles took a major step toward common-sense school discipline reform. With their action, the City Council acknowledged that sky-high fines aren't the solution to attendance problems in L.A. schools. Truancy tickets ...

Bob's Blog: 'Behave or Begone': What Would Martin Luther King Jr., Say?

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:26:00 GMT

As a health advocate for children and youth, I am out of my zone of comfort and expertise when it comes to the issue of the various challenges facing our education system (although everyone seems to have an opinion about how to fix public education ...

Bob's Blog: Blessings and Hope in the New Year

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:25:00 GMT

As the year 2011 draws to a close (is 2012 upon us already?), allow me to voice thanks and appreciation for blessings of the past year, blessings that promote peace, justice, opportunity, and health for Americans and ...

Bob's Blog: Giving Thanks for Health Care Reform

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:12:00 GMT

This Thanksgiving is worth taking a moment to be grateful for something nearly 50 million Americans live without: health care. That staggering figure obscures the human face of our national dilemma: what do we do about the young mother with a ...

Bob's Blog: Community-Responsive Goverment

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:19:00 GMT

I am growing a bit weary of the incessant, often irrational, and generally unfounded venomous attacks on all manner of government these days, accompanied by the aphorism that “big government” is the source of all of our ...

Bob's Blog: The silver lining in the census: Outreach pays off

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:04:00 GMT

During the recent CNN/tea party presidential debate, moderator Wolf Blitzer asked what the candidates would say to a 30-year-old male without health insurance who suffers a catastrophic injury. “Let him die!” somebody shouted ...

Bob's Blog: My Word: Rest of the state should emulate Oakland school innovation

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:02:00 GMT

As the CEO of a health foundation, I'm quite familiar with the many ways that schools affect the health of children, or at least I thought I was. But in recent months, community activists have schooled me about a problem that wasn't on my radar: the ...

Bob's Blog: Pain, Tragedy and Learning From It

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 20:56:00 GMT

As I open my morning newspaper these days, I am reminded of what it was like to open the door to my son’s room when he was a teenager. You know full well it’s going to be messy; it’s just a matter of how messy it’s going to ...

Bob's Blog: Youth Speaks Out About Bullying

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 17:35:00 GMT

Those of you who follow the news headlines undoubtedly have heard about the tragic consequences of bullying in schools. The old adage ‘kids will be kids’ is no longer an excuse for a problem that has resulted in the suffering and, in ...

Bob's Blog: Heroes of the Month

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:06:16 GMT

During a time in our nation when we seemingly weather successive waves of just-plain-ugly, a bright moment occurred last week when Mayor Michael Bloomberg and philanthropist George Soros combined to announce a $120mil-plus venture to improve ...

Bob's Blog: Inspired by the Next Generation of Leaders

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 18:20:00 GMT

My generation has failed your generation.That was among the things I said to more than 100 youth leaders from across California who gathered recently in Sacramento to craft a shared vision for how disinvested communities could become ones ...

Bob's Blog: The Del Norte Experience: Brush Dancing--Community Healing Through Ceremony

Tue, 10 May 2011 00:43:54 GMT

On Health, Culture, Unity and Brush Dance There are weeks that take place where I am utterly convinced that I have the best job in the world, and this past week was one of them. Last week our Board of Directors traveled to visit our Building ...

Bob's Blog: Happy Birthday ACA!

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 21:32:48 GMT

Happy Birthday, ACA! At The California Endowment, we pause to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But we don’t have the luxury of pausing too long, because this one-year legislative ...

Bob's Blog: Top 15 Things the Governor Can Do

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:30 GMT

The California Endowment today issued a press release applauding Governor Schwarzenegger for rejecting the role of a lame duck, and called on him to take a few ‘Last Action’ items to help solidify his legacy as a national health and ...

Bob's Video Blog: Celebrating Coachella

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 23:30:30 GMT

Coachella Valley, one of the 14 Building Healthy Communities (BHC), recently completed their 3-year implementation plan for improving local health—a definite cause for celebration! However, on a recent trip there I had an ...

Bob's Blog: Putting Our Health First

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 23:27:06 GMT

So, why is The California Endowment doing a public education and outreach effort around the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)? The answer is simple: our mission is to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved ...

Bob’s Blog: Too Long a List

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 17:23:29 GMT

At the church I attend on Sunday – and I suspect such a ritual exists at most houses of worship – we traditionally reserve a portion of the service to offer prayer for those in need. What is fascinating is that our church offers prayer ...

Worth Every Effort: Saving Charles Drew University

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 18:38:30 GMT

Last week, the leaders of an unprecedented coalition of health, university and civic institutions announced a commitment to rally around the financially distressed Charles Drew University in South Los Angeles, and brighten its prospects for a more ...

Obligation to Inform

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:38:16 GMT

Our foundation was joined this week by Latino civic and community leaders, Spanish-language media professionals, and California Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado to kick off a statewide education campaign targeting the Latino community about the ...

Overturning Prop 8 Would Make California Healthier

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:49:03 GMT

Judge Vaughn Walker's recent decision to overturn Proposition 8 and the institutionalized discrimination it represented has the potential to revolutionize our country's cultural landscape profoundly and permanently. Cases like this one, which ...

Arizona’s Immigration Law is Un-American

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:08:27 GMT

Here at The California Endowment, we invest in our communities, in the people across the state who are working hard every day to improve the health of all Californians. We usually don’t talk very much about our actual investments, how we act as ...

CEO Message to Grant Seekers: The Good and Some Ugly

Mon, 03 May 2010 17:23:56 GMT

Starting this week, The California Endowment will post new guidance for submitting proposals from grant seekers. This special blog post will provide you with some background and context as to how we arrived at this new framework, for which ...

The Health Reform You Haven't Heard About

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:20:01 GMT

There’s a lot that’s gotten lost along the way in the coverage of the historic passage of the health care reform bill. The divisive partisan fight – and the media obsession with that fight – has diverted attention from ...

The California Endowment’s Continuing Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:11:02 GMT

At The California Endowment, the issues of diversity and equity are always top of mind. Our foundation was created to address the needs of underserved California communities, and the reality of our state is that the majority of those who live in ...

Live Blog: 2010 Summit on Health, Nutrition and Obesity - Action for Healthy Living

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:00:00 GMT

The staff of The California Endowment provided a play-by-play account of the 2010 Summit on Health, Nutrition and Obesity - Action for Healthy Living on Feb. 24.Thanks for visiting our live blog and feel free to add to the discussion ...

Heroes of the Month

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:38:42 GMT

The incessant tidbits of gloomy news seemingly come in waves these days -- stubbornly high unemployment numbers, persistently ugly state budget deficits, national health reform on the brink, and massive Toyota recalls and safety issues ...

The Haiti Within Us

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:37:52 GMT

Words fail us when it comes to fully expressing the suffering and pain felt today by the Haitian people. The unimaginable tragedy in Haiti is best captured by the photographs and videos that continue to spill across our newspapers, computer screens ...

What's Going On, Part 2

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:25:38 GMT

It’s been almost a year since I blogged about the two big themes shaping our work at The California Endowment: our new Building Healthy Communities strategy, and how we and others in the nonprofit community were weathering the economic crisis. ...

Bob's Thanksgiving Blog

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:45:46 GMT

Things That I Am Thankful For… Being alive and healthy, and blessed with family and friends Being employed with a job that I love Residing in a nation that is at peace within its borders That health care reform is the ...

Hope and a Health Care Solution for South Los Angeles

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:13:23 GMT

The economic downturn heaped on top of an already-broken health system has many families and communities across the nation feeling much pain these days. But health pain in the community of South Los Angeles is a story that is decades old. The pain ...

Heroes of the Week: Healthy Families Program Saviors

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:33:22 GMT

In a national and state political environment seemingly dominated by warring ideologies, health reform tension, state budget cuts, and unemployment woes, a dose of fresh air and sanity broke through this past week. I am referring to the ...

Investing in Prevention

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:26:59 GMT

As the health care debate proceeds, we must all work to ensure prevention isn't once again pushed aside. This article of mine delves into the financial and other issues related to health care reform and ran in the Huffington Post (July 16, ...

Live Blog: Mission Investing Forum - Building Healthy Communities

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:38:35 GMT

The California Endowment is hosting a one-day forum with national and local experts to learn how foundations can enhance their place-based and healthy community missions with mission investments. You'll be able follow the forum ...

Live Blog: Green Jobs, Healthy Communities

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:47:08 GMT

Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO of Green for All, stops by the Center for Healthy Communities tonight (June 9) at 6 p.m. to share how her organization is working to create healthier and more prosperous communities through green ...

Insanity, Meet Chaos: Two Failed Systems

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:14:30 GMT

Fixing Our Problems Through Truth and ResolveInsanity was formally introduced to chaos a few weeks ago with the failure of several ballot measures sponsored by the governor and legislative leaders to rescue our dilapidated budget. As ...

Live Blog from the CHC: Who Glues Your Community Together through Food?

Tue, 12 May 2009 21:15:46 GMT

Tonight's Center Scene public program Who Glues Your Community Together through Food? will mix food, community and storytelling by NPR's The Kitchen Sisters. Because of the overwhelming response to this event, Endowment staffers ...

HEAC Communities Making Outstanding Progress

Wed, 06 May 2009 18:34:22 GMT

I just finished reading the four-year evaluation report on our Healthy Eating, Active Communities (HEAC) program, and I’m feeling inspired. One of The Endowment’s signature programs, HEAC brings together local leaders in different sectors, ...

The Next 100 Days

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:20:54 GMT

Earlier this week, The Endowment was honored to host the final White House Regional Forum on Health Reform. It was quite energizing to feel the excitement in the standing-room only crowd of ordinary citizens, business people and health leaders -- ...

Live Blog: White House Forum on Health Reform in Los Angeles on April 6

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:59:37 GMT

The staff of The California Endowment provides a play-by-play of the Fifth White House Regional Forum on Health Reform today (April 6) beginning at 10:30 a.m. P.S.T. Watch the event live on healthreform.gov or Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Web ...

A Town Hall on Hope and Health Care

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:27:21 GMT

On Monday, The California Endowment has the distinct honor of hosting the final White House Regional Forum on Health Reform in Los Angeles. The invitation-only event is being held in collaboration with the White House and Gov. Arnold ...

A Reopened MLK? Well, Bust My Buttons!

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:39:20 GMT

About a week ago, Los Angeles County officials announced a creative strategy to reopen the shuttered Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center. As the green-clad guard at the gate announced to Dorothy and crew in The Wizard of Oz, my reaction was ...

Hey, What’s Going On?

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:43:35 GMT

You can guesstimate my approximate age because I’m an old Motown kind of guy. Among my favorite artists is the dearly departed Marvin Gaye – especially his timeless classic “What’s Going On?” In this tune, Marvin imagines a series ...

A Time for Change…

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:05:22 GMT

At The California Endowment, a fair amount of change is underway as we position ourselves for a new strategy, and a new set of realities. In the coming weeks we will begin saying “goodbye” to a number of our wonderful California Endowment ...

We May Have Sailed in Different Ships, But We Are in the Same Boat Now

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:03:24 GMT

This week's blog was inspired by a speech President and CEO Robert K. Ross, M.D., presented at the annual breakfast of the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In few days, we will ...

MLK Day: More than Just a Holiday

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:30:23 GMT

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?" — Martin Luther King Jr. There’s been a movement afoot to turn January’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday into more than a day off – and into a national day of ...

2008 Buzzwords

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:33:40 GMT

I don’t need to tell you that this has been a difficult year for many nonprofits and their families. Even The Endowment’s corpus was not immune from stock market fluctuations, and right now we’re looking and both short- and long-term options ...

Thoughts on a New Era - With a Caveat

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:59:28 GMT

It is with a giddy sense of exhilaration that I welcome the results of the election on that historical Tuesday night, and not for reasons that have anything to do with partisan politics or affiliation, but because it represents a huge step forward ...