It is with deep sadness that we write to inform the School of Public Policy and Social Research of the deaths during the holidays of two members of our community. Jim Ortner, an alumnus (Ph.D., 1978) and lecturer in Urban Planning, died in a traffic collision on December 26. Paul Fishbein, a member of the Master of Public Policy class of 2003, died suddenly on December 23. Jim Ortner was Manager of Transit Technical Services for the Orange County Transportation Authority, where he developed an alternative-fuels bus program, implemented electronic fare-box systems, and prepared analysis and policy on transportation and air quality. A close colleague of professors Don Shoup and Brian Taylor, as well as former UCLA professor Marty Wachs, Jim recently taught Transportation and Environmental Issues in the Urban Planning Department, served as guest speaker in several courses, and was a longtime member of the UCLA Lake Arrowhead Symposium Steering Committee as well as a strong supporter of the Annual Fund and a mentor to many Urban Planning students. “Jim Ortner was the ideal of what we hope our alumni will become,” said Professor Shoup. “His work on transportation and the environment played a large role in improving public policies in Southern California, and he was a popular teacher in Urban Planning. I admire his many accomplishments and will greatly miss his warm friendship.” In mid-career, at the age of 51, Paul Fishbein entered the Public Policy program in 2000 to develop expertise in drug policy and criminal justice. A graduate of Cal State Fullerton and former student at UC Irvine, where he studied pharmacology and therapeutics, Paul worked in telecommunications before coming UCLA. He worked closely with Professor Mark Kleiman on public policy and substance abuse research. “Paul was an astonishingly talented and complicated man,” Professor Kleiman said. “He had an insatiable curiosity and an unending willingness to help other people. He left a hole that will be hard to fill.” Funeral services for both were held last week. Jim Ortner’s family has requested that those wishing to make a donation in his name do so to Temple Beth El Center, 1435 W. 7th St., San Pedro 90732. Those who wish to donate to student fellowship funds at the UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research in memory of James Ortner or Paul Fishbein can make checks payable to the UCLA Foundation, c/o Anita Mermel, 3250 Public Policy Building, School of Public Policy and Social Research, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, 90095. Our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with Jim’s and Paul’s friends, family, and colleagues. Barbara Nelson
Dean, UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris
Chair, Department of Urban Planning Mark A. Peterson
Chair, Department of Policy Studies