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Articles by Alan Berube
What the Tijuana River Cleanup Reveals About San Diego’s Bigger Challenge
Amid 18 months of federal retreat and punctuated hostility to local priorities, one San Diego problem has managed to draw Washington in. Since his first visit in April 2025, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin has returned to the region repeatedly to press what he calls a “100% solution” to the Tijuana River sewage crisis. In July 2025, Zeldin signed a memorandum of understanding with Mexico’s environment secretary.
D.C. Explained: Changes at the NIH Pose Challenges for One of San Diego’s Economic Pillars
Earlier this month, UC San Diego celebrated the $5 million renewal of a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that helps the university recruit early-career life sciences researchers. Only a few weeks before, however, NBC7 San Diego chronicled how NIH had dramatically reduced cancer research funding to UCSD and the region’s other major life sciences research institutes, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.
DC Explained: The Biggest Federal Housing Bill in Decades Just Passed the Senate. Should San Diego Care?
Alan Berube is senior vice president at the Policy & Innovation Center (PIC), a think tank and social impact incubator headquartered in San Diego. In his column, DC Explained, Berube provides insights to help residents understand the fast-moving national economic and policy dynamics affecting San Diego County. The lack of affordable, available housing in the San Diego area is a widely acknowledged problem.
DC Explained: The Biggest Federal Housing Bill in Decades Just Passed the Senate. Should San Diego Care?
Alan Berube is senior vice president at the Policy & Innovation Center (PIC), a think tank and social impact incubator headquartered in San Diego. In his column, DC Explained, Berube provides insights to help residents understand the fast-moving national economic and policy dynamics affecting San Diego County. The lack of affordable, available housing in the San Diego area is a widely acknowledged problem.
DC Explained: Tracking San Diego’s Federal Funding Performance, by the Numbers
The events of the past year reminded San Diego-area leaders and citizens that, to paraphrase former President Barack Obama, elections have consequences. Among the myriad changes roiling the San Diego region starting last January were challenges to the federal funding landscape.
DC Explained: An Eventful Year for San Diego’s Relationship with Washington
Alan Berube is senior vice president at the Policy & Innovation Center (PIC), a think tank and social impact incubator headquartered in San Diego. In this new monthly column, DC Explained, Berube will provide insights to help residents understand the fast-moving national economic and policy dynamics affecting San Diego County. It was only last January that a shift in White House control upended politics and policy in America.
DC Explained: Medi-Cal Cuts Loom in San Diego as ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Begins to Hit Home
Since President Donald Trump and Congress enacted H.R. 1 — the bill formerly known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — back in July, many local leaders have sounded alarms about what the new law will do to Medi-Cal, California’s health insurance program for low-income individuals and families.
DC Explained: Can San Diego Tackle Homelessness with Less Help from Washington?
On July 24, President Donald Trump issued an executive order entitled, “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.” Although its name may indicate otherwise, the order focuses on how the United States tackles the growing challenges of homelessness. The order signals the Trump administration’s intent to direct federal support away from states and cities that seek to put unhoused individuals into housing first, and toward places that adopt more punitive measures.
DC Explained: San Diego’s (Many) Losers, Winners from Washington’s New Tax and Spending Bill
Alan Berube is senior vice president at the Policy & Innovation Center (PIC), a think tank and social impact incubator headquartered in San Diego. In this new monthly column, DC Explained, Berube will provide insights to help residents understand the fast-moving national economic and policy dynamics affecting San Diego County.
Urban America has a lot to lose if Trump’s immigration proposals prevail
As Election Day approaches, many city leaders across the United States are wondering what a second presidential term for Donald Trump might mean for their residents and communities.
How the pandemic changed-and didn't change-where Americans are moving
The COVID-19 pandemic’s sudden onset in 2020 and its persistent impacts in ensuing years posed new challenges for large U.S. cities and metropolitan areas. Some of the initial challenges were related to the specific nature of the coronavirus and public health responses.
Opinion: Three key strategies for localities to maximize a surge of federal investment
As we enter another presidential election year, policymakers, media and the public will increasingly focus on what the campaign and associated partisan jockeying in Washington indicate for the future of our economy and society. Importantly, Washington isn’t making most of the decisions about how exactly these dollars will be spent.
Three key strategies for localities to maximize a surge of federal investment
As we enter another presidential election year, policymakers, media and the public will increasingly focus on what the campaign and associated partisan jockeying in Washington indicate for the future of our economy and society. But the most consequential decisions affecting American lives and livelihoods this year will be made in America’s cities, counties, regions and states.
Post-pandemic poverty is rising in America’s suburbs
This is the time of year when the U.S. Census Bureau publishes its latest data on poverty in the United States, and headlines are presenting a mixed picture. One set of survey results found that the overall number of people living in poverty in 2022 was relatively unchanged from the last two years. In contrast, another survey found that America’s child poverty rate doubled between 2021 and 2022, largely due to the post-pandemic expiration of an expanded child tax credit.
Brookings Metro | Brookings
Helping communities make the most of historic public investment Brookings Metro has launched a major initiative to act as a bridge between local leaders and federal decisionmakers, so that generational national investments in infrastructure, economic vitality, and climate action yield transformative and equitable impact in communities—and powerful learning at the federal level. Learn more »
Interview with Charvi Shetty, Co-Founder and CEO at Aluna
The COVID-19 pandemic has put lung health firmly in our minds. For those with chronic lung diseases, such as asthma and COPD, an important way to keep track of lung health is to use a spirometer to measure how well air can move in and out of the lungs during forced breathing. However, patients would typically attend with a lung specialist to perform this test. This is inconvenient and precludes regular monitoring to keep a close eye on lung health and spot any upcoming disease exacerbation.
How cities and counties expanded their American Rescue Plan commitments in early 2022
With the big banks Q3 earnings reports coming to a gradual end after Friday's barrage, which saw solid results by JPM, medicore earnings by Citi and Wells, and an unexpected miss by Morgan Stanley, this morning we got the latest numbers from Bank of America which were solid, not only beating on the top and bottom line - with both FICC and equity revenue coming above expectations - but also reporting zero trading day losses in 2022. Only Goldman is now left tomorrow.
How cities and counties expanded their American Rescue Plan commitments in early 2022
March 2022 marked the first anniversary of the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). It also marked nearly one year since states, counties, cities, and tribal governments began receiving their shares of the $350 billion ARPA provided toward public sector fiscal recovery. Now, we have data on how cities and counties allocated these funds across that first year.
Two tools for tracking the American Rescue Plan’s local and national impacts
The 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), particularly the flexible dollars it made available to state and local governments through State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF), marked a generational experiment in fiscal federalism. Not since the late 1980s has Washington engaged in general revenue sharing with state and local governments. And this time, the scale of investment—$350 billion distributed over two years—was far greater. The context for ARPA was also far different.
How local governments are combating economic disadvantage with American Rescue Plan funds
As data continues to accumulate on how local governments are using their flexible funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a picture is forming around the priorities these places sought to address through the first year of the program.
How cities and counties are putting American Rescue Plan dollars to work
As the COVID-19 economic and public health emergencies slowly abate, local leaders nationwide are adjusting to a reality in which—at least in the short term—they have significant resources to address both acute and long-standing challenges. Many of those resources are flowing to cities and counties via the American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) flexible State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF).
Worcester well positioned for next economic revolution
Editor’s note: This column was first published as part of the materials for Worcester Homecoming, a new event planned by community leaders, including WBJ Publisher Peter Stanton, where prominent people with ties to the region were invited back to be shown Worcester’s progress and engage with its future.
NEVADA SUNRISE AMENDS TERMS OF NON-BROKERED PRIVATE PLACEMENT
Canada NewsWire /NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES/ VANCOUVER, BC , June 16, 2022 /CNW/ - Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation ("Nevada Sunrise" or the "Company") (TSXV: NEV) (OTC: NVSGF) announced today that it has amended the terms of its non-brokered private placement initially disclosed in news releases dated June 8, 2022 and June 10, 2022 (the "Offering").
Throwing Sand in the Gears
Slowing down to avoid mistakes Declining prices can be very frightening, especially for investors who have not experienced a bear market. This was certainly the case during the dot-com crash, the financial crisis, and the early days of the pandemic. In mid-June of 2022, we are now well into another bear market driven by high inflation and rising interest rates. The worst mistake most investors make is that they take market quotations too seriously.
Which metro areas have fared better in the COVID-19 rebound?
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in March 2020, the U.S. economy was riding the crest of a decade-long expansion. The Brookings Metro Monitor found that from 2009 to 2019, 179 of the nation’s 191 largest metro areas had posted growth in jobs, adult employment rates, and median earnings.
Confronting Suburban Poverty in America (SSIR)
Confronting Suburban Poverty in America Elizabeth Kneebone & Alan Berube 169 pages, Brookings Institution Press, 2013 Buy the book » In Confronting Suburban Poverty in America, Elizabeth Kneebone and Alan Berube of the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program take on the new reality of metropolitan poverty and opportunity in America.
Viewpoint: Worcester well positioned for next economic revolution
There’s so much about Worcester that’s unique among midsized cities: its eight colleges and universities; its strength in cutting-edge medicine and life sciences; the dozens of diverse cultural communities who call the city home; and its position at the heart of a vibrant, verdant region and Commonwealth, represented in the Worcester seal itself.
Greater Washington’s commuters continue to choose gridlock
Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted real estate markets and urban spaces in new and profound ways. Increased work-from-home has boosted demand for larger homes in suburban markets, in downtown offices and retail have spiked, and fewer daily commuters and more flexible work schedules have changed transportation patterns.
Book Bits: 12 March 2022
Authored by Pepe Escobar, The non-government in Kiev is simply not allowed by the Empire to negotiate anything. By now what we may call a Triple Threat has been established as the catalyst anticipating the launch of Operation Z. Ukraine developing nuclear weapons. Zelensky himself hinted at it in the Munich Security Conference. U.S. bioweapons labs in Ukraine.
Goldman Sees Sizable Chance of U.S. Recession
5 Top Leisure Stocks To Watch In The Stock Market Today Leisure stocks, especially those involving outdoor activities and travel, have had a challenging run during the pandemic. And because of that, many are curious if leisure stocks are worth the shot as the economy reopens. Of course, sentiments in the stock market are still affected by the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Local leaders deserve time and trust with American Rescue Plan funding
Aled Edwards is of two minds about medicine's response to COVID-19. On one hand, he notes, we had life-saving vaccines and therapies less than a year after the discovery of SARS-CoV-2. On the other, more than six million, and possibly as many as 18 million people have died, and global access to advances that can prevent and treat severe disease remains highly inequitable.
Local leaders deserve time and trust with American Rescue Plan funding
Capitol Hill turned some heads this week when congressional leaders released the text of their $1.5 trillion “omnibus” bill to fund government operations. In order to finance new federal investments in COVID-19 protection and mitigation (such as vaccines, antiviral medications, and tests), the bill proposed to recoup as-yet unspent pandemic relief money from states.
Policymakers should use remaining ARPA funds in 2022 to make transformative investments that will build a more equitable economy
March 11 marks the one-year anniversary of the signing of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). This $1.9 trillion dollar relief package was both an emergency measure to help the nation through the worst pandemic in a century and an ambitious catalyst to jumpstart efforts to redress the staggering economic inequalities in our economy. In its first year, ARPA helped the economy recover at a tremendous pace, and aided working families through difficult times.
four experts examine the big successes and failures of the COVID response so far
The World Health Organization declared COVID a pandemic on March 11 2020. In the two years since, countries have diverged on their containment strategies, introducing many different ways of mitigating the virus, to varying effect. Here, four health experts look at what has worked well, what mistakes scientists and policymakers made, and what needs to be done to protect human health from here on.
Jane Huang sets up her next move
→ Centessa looked to Daiichi Sankyo to fill the CMO post with Antoine Yver back in May 2021, and now that Yver has garnered a new title, why mess with a good thing? Yver has been installed as chairman of development, and Centessa is going back to the Enhertu well again by appointing Javad Shahidi as CMO. While Yver was head of oncology R&D at Daiichi Sankyo, Shahidi was the global team leader for Enhertu at the AstraZeneca partner.
New Las Vegas Strip Casino Has a Plan to Take Down Caesars, MGM
A long-delayed project gets closer to reality, and its owners have their sights set on a huge piece of business. The pandemic robbed Las Vegas of an important part of its business model. Even after casinos got permission to open (at first with a lot of restrictions) big events stayed away. Conventions, entailing large gatherings of people, made no sense in an era of social distancing, and cancellations piled up, leaving Las Vegas without a key draw.
Local Government ARPA Investment Tracker Original
In the 10 months since the passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), cities and counties have been working to prioritize and execute investing of their portion of the act’s $350 billion in flexible State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) dollars.
How communities are investing American Rescue Plan funds with the Local Government ARPA Investment Tracker
In the 10 months since the passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, cities and counties have been working to prioritize and execute investing of their portion of the act’s $350 billion in flexible State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund The Local Government ARPA Investment Tracker, powered by NACo, Brookings Metro and National League of Cities provides a detailed local investment picture of American Rescue Plan Act funding In the 10 months since the passage of the $1.9 trillion...
Treasury’s final American Rescue Plan guidance means it’s time for local leaders to invest in an inclusive future
Ten months after the passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARP), local officials across the United States continue to possess significant opportunities to deploy the act’s $350 billion in flexible Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) to address critical priorities. And last week, these leaders received final guidance on how to use this massive investment to build an inclusive future for their communities.
Treasury's final American Rescue Plan guidance means it's time for local leaders to invest in an inclusive future
By Alan Berube, Eli Byerly-Duke Ten months after the passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARP), local officials across the United States continue to possess significant opportunities to deploy the act's $350 billion in flexible Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) to address critical priorities. And last week, these leaders received final guidance on how to use this massive investment to build an inclusive future for their communities.
Pento Warns The Fiscal & Monetary Cliffs Have Arrived Original
The tides of the mortgage industry are changing as we head into 2022, and just like the sand under the waves, we can expect the appraisal landscape to shift along with it. Appraisers, like many other service providers, must adapt to market changes to accommodate their clients' needs. Whether it is providing appraisal services, underwriting services or title services, a mortgage application cannot proceed without their input.
Brookings Metro at 25: Building a more prosperous, just, and resilient future
Last month, Brookings Metro, formerly the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, turned 25. Since Brookings Metro’s conception in 1996, America’s cities and urban communities have changed dramatically.
Big cities aren’t dividing America. They hold the key to our collective future
Over the past several years, it’s become increasingly convenient to label cities and metro areas as “blue” and prosperous and rural areas as “red” and distressed. This dichotomy pits urban and rural communities on opposite sides of America’s economic, political, and cultural divides. The fault lines are real, at least in the aggregate.
A roadmap to developing inclusive regional economic indicators
In 2020, Brookings Metro ran an Inclusive Economic Indicators Lab to help three regions—Indianapolis, Memphis, and Orlando—develop compelling and influential indicators projects that use metrics to drive more inclusive local economic outcomes.
Local and national leaders must organize themselves better to build back better
Congressional negotiations continue over the size and contents of the reconciliation spending package and its relationship to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (better known as the bipartisan infrastructure bill). Regardless of when these bills eventually become law and how large they turn out to be, officials in cities, regions, and states look poised to receive a historic level of new federal resources.
Cities are taking it slow with American Rescue Plan funds
When President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) into law last March, it was a momentous occasion for local governments around the country. In contrast to past federal fiscal relief efforts—including the CARES Act of 2020—ARP provided a large number of cities and counties with direct, flexible support from the federal government.
Four takeaways on new guidance for state and local fiscal relief under the American Rescue Plan
On May 10, the U.S. Treasury Department released its interim final rule on the use of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act’s State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. While the publication of most federal regulations doesn’t usually turn a lot of heads, this one is different: It will govern the allocation of $350 billion that ARP provided to states, counties, cities, and tribal and territorial governments without a great deal of statutory guidance.
New approaches to measuring financial health
Twitter Join the conversation on Twitter using #MeasureFinHealth For almost a century, a set of economic statistics have dominated policy goals in America. Gross domestic product, employment, inflation, and other well-known statistics are certainly important measurements. How they are measured, however, is still based on conventions developed for a society and an economy that have radically changed.
Promising job numbers are hiding a slow recovery for many metro areas
Employers across America’s largest metro areas added nearly 453,000 workers to their payrolls in March. This marked the largest monthly addition to job totals in the nation’s 191 largest metro areas since October, and is a sign that a steady recovery from the pandemic recession is underway as vaccination rates increase, stimulus checks flow to households, and businesses reopen.
How Louisville can become a stronger and more equitable hub for AI and data economy jobs
Like many other cities and regions around the country, Louisville, Ky. faces a series of stark economic and social challenges coinciding with the COVID-19 crisis. As local leaders attempt to chart a course for an economically and racially inclusive recovery, opportunities to create and preserve good-paying jobs in growing sectors—and ensure equitable access to those jobs—are emerging as key priorities.
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