Alan Berube

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 ...

Despite a rolling set of crises—funding freezes, threats to universities, grant cancellations and agency closures—the San Diego region managed to preserve much of its federal funding relationship last fiscal year. Read more in my @voiceofsandiego.org column: voiceofsandiego.org/2026/02/10/d...

Dr. Daniel Enemark delivering keynote address at 42nd annual San Diego County Economic Roundtable

At University of San Diego this morning for the Economic Roundtable for my @thinkpic.bsky.social colleague @denemark.bsky.social keynote on the San Diego economy and the key forces shaping it

Subscribing to the WaPo made me feel like a real Washingtonian when I arrived 30 years ago. Sad and angry today, holding out hope someone will see an opportunity to hire world-class writers/journalists and serve our hometown.

This will be a great event featuring my brilliant @thinkpic.bsky.social colleague @denemark.bsky.social! If you are near USD on Thursday morning, please come check us out: bit.ly/2026EconomicRoundtable

Thurs, 2/5 📅 The Economic Roundtable gathers leaders & experts throughout SD and is hosted by PIC, SD Workforce Partnership & University of San Diego’s School of Business. Keynote speaker @denemark.bsky.social will share his expertise in SD region’s economy. Register: bit.ly/2026EconomicRoundtable

The Means-Testing Industrial Complex The vendors getting rich from putting administrative burdens on the poor

This is such an important and overlooked consequence of increasingly byzantine eligibility rules for public programs - more taxpayer dollars lining the pockets of monopolistic data system providers. Short of repealing the rules altogether, there are better options open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...

Great to see @henrygrabar.bsky.social @theatlantic.com, digging into the question of what explains broadly declining crime rates. One answer: ARPA grants to local governments. Federal revenue sharing had lots of unexpected positive impacts. @lohplaces.bsky.social @patricksharkey.bsky.social

An Anonymous DC National Guardsman Tells All “This is not what I signed up to do.”

This fist person account of a Guardsman in the DC surge rings true. NG volunteers want to help the country + community. He’s frustrated by “counterproductive directives” and our @brookings.edu research confirms: the surge has hurt rather than helped the city.

washingtonian.com/2026/01/21/a...

This 1943 U.S. Army film warned about fascism in America

The Make America White Again agenda also happens to make America smaller and poorer.

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 […]

"Lemon, it's year one."

In my latest @voiceofsandiego.org "D.C. Explained" column, I take a snapshot of the policy, budget, administrative, and economic developments that upended the San Diego region's relationship with Washington, D.C. each month in 2025.

voiceofsandiego.org/2025/12/19/d...

Government by grievance is so exhausting.

Agree with Paul’s assessment, though for slightly different reason: private interests have extracted and devalued this community’s assets for decades. To lay blame at the feet of government—and programs that address basic needs, no less—is a bit rich (no pun intended).

OMG it makes my brain break

Seriously, WTF are we doing here, America

Like, this much worse? 🤪

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As a DC resident I feel like I should say:

This is a complete and utter lie.

My kid, under age 12, walked to school last year into an area close to downtown.
Telling the truth is an important thing.

Assessing DC's Violent Crime Trends Murder is plunging in DC but what about overall violent crime?

I love my D.C. home, but lack of congressional representation and being constantly subjected to GOP policy experiments is a bug, not a feature. As for today's fascist rhetoric, here's all you need to know. Don't get distracted. jasher.substack.com/p/assessing-...

Already lots of well-placed outrage at the dismissal of the BLS Commissioner late last week; just want to add how much I have appreciated and relied on BLS data for the past 25 years to tell the story of regional economies. Hope their vital, non-political work continues. cc: @markmuro1.bsky.social

Map showing public transit system for Lucerne area

And one for an even smaller metro (400k?)! (Lucerne)

“America First” immigration policy in action

This is one nonstop falsehood, start to finish.

Pulse on Policy: Understanding Greater San Diego’s Immigrants at a Challenging Moment | Policy & Innovation Center Pulse on Policy: Understanding Greater San Diego’s Immigrants at a Challenging Moment

Who are Greater San Diego's immigrants? What role do they play in the region's economy and society? And what do the Trump administration's policy and enforcement changes mean for them, their families, and the wider community? Learn more in my latest Pulse on Policy: thinkpic.org/pic-intel/pu...

ICE Arrests Mississippi Father at His Citizenship Hearing ICE arrested Kasper Eriksen, a Mississippi father, at his citizenship hearing, imprisoning him and threatening him with deportation.

This makes sense once you accept that the point of the regime is to rid the United States of immigrants. www.mississippifreepress.org/ice-arrests-...

Pulse on Policy: Assessing and Addressing Emerging Risks Facing Greater San Diego’s Nonprofits | Policy & Innovation Center Pulse on Policy: Assessing and Addressing Emerging Risks Facing Greater San Diego’s Nonprofits

A barrage of executive orders, agency shutterings, fundings freezes and recissions, and reimbursements cuts are buffeting nonprofit organizations around the country. In my latest "Pulse on Policy" column I break down what this might mean for San Diego-area nonprofits: thinkpic.org/pic-intel/pu...

Tracy, he merely STOOD STRATEGICALLY NEXT TO the bible. That way you get backsies on the whole Constitution thing.

Yes, but three cheers for bringing back “birdbrains.”

'You didn't touch anything, did you? No. Good. Because all of my filth is arranged in...' - Real Genius Chris Knight: You didn't touch anything, did you? Mitch: No. Chris Knight: Good. Because all of my filth is arranged in alphabetical order. This, for instance, is under 'H' for "toy." Mitch: What i...

By far the most memorable of the legendary Val Kilmer’s roles (for me at 13, at least) clip.cafe/real-genius-...

Haven't made a habit (yet) of posting on here, but figure it couldn't hurt to share what I'm working on from time to time.

Today, it's the potential impact of federal spending changes on Greater San Diego, which received $36.5B in grants and contracts in FY24:

thinkpic.org/pic-intel/wh...

The OMB impoundment memo's consequences aren't just about disrupting, in a profound way, *current* funds. It also makes it extremely hard to negotiate *future* spending deals if no one at the table can trust that the executive branch will actually stick to the deal at the execution phase.