Pomona College Economics Professor Fernando Lozano will be co-chair of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new Council of Economic Advisors.
Launched today, the council of experts will provide Newsom and the California Department of Finance with advice on economic issues facing a U.S. state with an economy that is, by some measures, larger than that of the United Kingdom.
A labor economist, Lozano pursues research on immigration and labor supply. Among his academic interests are American workers’ schedule flexibility, border control enforcement and immigrants’ labor market and the relationship between government policies and internationally adopted children in the U.S.
“California has been home to my family for more than 30 years,” says Lozano. “I’m grateful to Governor Newsom for the opportunity to promote a more inclusive and progressive economy. I am honored to do it with such distinguished group of economists.”
The council will work to deepen relationships between the state officials and academic researchers to “keep California moving toward an economy that is inclusive, resilient and sustainable,” according the announcement, and Newsom added that group “will keep its pulse on what’s happening in our economy while making policy recommendations to prepare us for what’s to come.”
Lozano says that the council will advise Newsom on economic policy priorities “using evidence-based economic research.”
Lozano believes his classroom teaching will benefit from the knowledge of the California economy he gains on the council. “This experience will complement my courses at Pomona College and give my students a better learning experience,” he says.
Lozano will co-chair the council with Laura Tyson, professor at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Members of the council also include Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and the governor’s Chief Economic and Business Advisor Lenny Mendonca, as well as other top academics.