Fact Sheet California’s Digital Divide By Joseph Hayes, Eric Assan, Niu Gao Apr 1, 2024 Digital access is at an all-time high in California—and major investments by state and federal governments have helped narrow the digital divide. But racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities persist.
Fact Sheet Rural California By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Mar 19, 2024 Rural California is home to 2.3 million residents—5.8% of the state’s population. And every county in the state—except San Francisco—has rural residents. This fact sheet provides essential information about key demographic, economic, and societal issues in California’s rural areas.
blog post Will Students without Home Internet Fall Behind During Coronavirus Shutdowns? By Niu Gao Mar 12, 2020 While most K-12 schools in California have the ability to deliver classes online, disparities in home internet access could put some students at a disadvantage.
blog post Making Water Affordable for Low-Income Households By Sarah Bardeen Jun 21, 2022 Carlos Torres is a program specialist with the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), a new federal program that assists low-income households with water and wastewater bills. We spoke to him about what it’s like working with the first-ever federal water assistance program.
blog post Testimony: California’s K–12 Digital Divide Has Narrowed, but Access Gaps Persist By Niu Gao Feb 21, 2024 At an Assembly Education Committee hearing on addressing students’ post-pandemic needs, PPIC senior fellow Niu Gao discussed the role that federal, state, and local efforts have played in increasing digital connectivity and outlined key challenges that remain.
Report Transportation Spending by Low-Income California Households: Lessons for the San Francisco Bay Area By Lorien A. Rice Jul 26, 2004 In Transportation Spending by Low-Income California Households: Lessons for the San Francisco Bay Area, Lorien Rice explores the roles that transportation expenditures play in household budgets, both in California’s metropolitan areas and in the Bay Area more specifically. In particular, Rice analyzes vehicle and transit expenditure data, estimates costs for various commutes in the Bay Area, and explores mode choices and other travel factors that influence monetary costs. Her findings indicate that transportation was the third-largest budget item for California’s low-income households—despite the fact that these residents are more likely to use public transit, carpool, or walk to work. Rice also reviews policy options to address transportation affordability and proposes ideas for further research.
Report Achieving Digital Equity for California’s Students By Joseph Hayes, Niu Gao Oct 25, 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of digital connectivity for learning—while highlighting serious inequities in access to broadband and computing devices. Learn about the progress California made last year and the steps the state can take to achieve the goal of affordable broadband and devices for all California students.
blog post Overcrowded Housing and COVID-19 Risk among Essential Workers By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Paulette Cha May 12, 2020 Essential workers are more likely than other workers to live in crowded homes, increasing the risk of transmitting the coronavirus.
blog post Homeownership Trends in California By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Julien Lafortune, Cesar Alesi Perez Jun 14, 2022 California’s homeownership rate is among the lowest in the nation, but varies widely across the state. The share of families owning the home they live in has changed little in the past 60 years.
blog post California’s Housing Divide By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Hans Johnson, Julien Lafortune May 13, 2022 African Americans and Latinos have been especially affected by the state’s housing affordability crisis, and the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on households of color threatens to widen disparities in homeownership.
