October 3, 2006 :: No. 33

For the work he does as a political researcher, raising awareness of issues that affect policies in Los Angeles, Raphael J. Sonenshein, professor of political science at Cal State Fullerton, has been chosen for an inaugural award.

Sonenshein and Dowell Myers, a professor of politics, planning and development at USC, are the first recipients of the Haynes Award for Research Impact. The honor, bestowed by the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, will be presented Wednesday at the Huntington Library in San Marino.

Since its founding in 1926, the Los Angeles-based private foundation has provided funds to examine the underlying causes of social, economic and political problems of the city and to recommend ways to improve them. To that end, the foundation’s board of trustees recently established the Haynes Award for Research Impact as a means to recognize individuals whose research has been especially important in raising the public’s awareness of significant issues and in affecting policy outcomes, said Diane Cornwell, executive director of the foundation.

This new award, which includes a $25,000 cash prize, is being initiated in conjunction with the foundation’s 80th anniversary.

“I am very grateful to the Haynes Foundation for all they have done to support my research throughout my career,” Sonenshein said.

“When I started to study Los Angeles more than 20 years ago, almost nobody took the city’s politics seriously. The foundation, though, invested in my work from the start and has stayed with me as my work has evolved. It’s a great honor to receive this award from a foundation that has meant so much to so many scholars in the greater Los Angels area.”

Sonenshein has written extensively on the relationships among racial and ethic groups and about the governance of American cities, particularly Los Angeles. His earliest Haynes grant was for a study of the biracial coalition that elected Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and resulted in an award-winning book, “Politics in Black and White: Race and Power in Los Angeles” (Princeton, 1993).

Sonenshein’s current research explores urban coalitions in an age of immigration.  Frequently sought after for his knowledge of Los Angeles politics and governance, Sonenshein has acted as a consultant to citizen commissions in several municipalities in the region, as well as a commentator and writer for local and national media.

Between 1997 and 1999, he served as executive director of the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission, and his related book, “The City at Stake: Secession, Reform and the Battle for Los Angeles,” was published in 2004 by Princeton University Press. In 2001-02 he served as a Haynes Fellow, spearheading a major conference on Los Angeles governance. With a grant from the Haynes Foundation, he has recently undertaken the complete revision of “Structure of a City,” a book published by the League of Women Voters.

The award reception is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sonenshein and Myers each will deliver a lecture at the award ceremony and will take questions from the audience.

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