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Fact Sheet

Income Inequality in California

By Tess Thorman, Daniel Payares-Montoya

California’s income gap narrowed in 2022, but the disparity between high and low incomes is wider in California than in most other states. Over the longer term, income inequality has been driven by earnings growth among college-educated workers.

Report

Managing California’s Water: From Conflict to Reconciliation

By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, Jeffrey Mount, Richard Howitt ...

California has struggled to manage its water effectively for more than 30 years. Today, the state needs to consider a set of wide-ranging reforms—for the benefit of the economy and the environment.

Executive Summary

Full Report [PDF, 9.06 MB]

To view individual chapters, click on the links below.

Introduction

Floods, Droughts, and Lawsuits: A Brief History of California Water Policy

California Water Today

Drivers of Change

Urgent and Fundamental Challenges

Reconciling Ecosystems: Reversing Declines in Native Species

Orchestrating the Management of Water Scarcity, Quality, and Flooding

Managing Water as a Public Commodity

Effective and Adaptive Governance

Pathways to Reform

A Way Forward

Technical Appendix: Managing California’s Water: Insights from Interviews with Water Policy Experts


This research was supported with funding from S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Pisces Foundation, Resources Legacy Fund, and Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority.

Fact Sheet

Water Use in California

By Jeffrey Mount, Ellen Hanak, Caitlin Peterson

To understand California’s water, start here. Water use in California varies dramatically between wet and dry years: learn who’s using California’s water, where, and how much.

Report

Will California Run Out of College Graduates?

By Hans Johnson, Sarah Bohn, Marisol Cuellar Mejia

California’s higher education system is a critical driver of the state’s economic progress. As the state’s economy continues to change, will its workforce be ready for the jobs of tomorrow?

This report updates and extends projections of California’s workforce skills through 2030, focusing on the supply and demand for workers with a bachelor’s degree. We find that the state will fall about 1.1 million college graduates short of economic demand if current trends persist—a problem we call the workforce skills gap. Even the arrival of highly educated workers from elsewhere is unlikely to be large enough to fill this gap.

Today’s college graduates have better economic outcomes than those who do not hold a bachelor’s degree. Over time, college graduates have seen lower rates of unemployment and higher wages than other workers—even through the Great Recession—suggesting that college degrees have become increasingly valuable in California’s labor market.

The future workforce skills gap looms large. But California and its higher education institutions can take several practical steps to close it. The core of a new plan for higher education should include increasing access to the state’s four-year institutions, improving college completion rates, expanding transfer pathways from community colleges, and being smart about aid programs.

Fact Sheet

California’s Businesses

By Shannon McConville, Jane Sawerengera, Sarah Bohn

Most California businesses are small, and most Californians are employed by small businesses. About 28% of the state’s businesses are family owned. Business ownership does not mirror California’s demographic makeup.

page

PPIC Statewide Survey

The PPIC Statewide Survey provides a voice for the public and likely voters—informing policymakers, encouraging discussion and raising awareness on critical issues.

Policy Brief

Policy Brief: Drought and California’s Agriculture

By Alvar Escriva-Bou, Josué Medellín-Azuara, Ellen Hanak, John Abatzoglou

California’s agricultural sector is the nation’s largest: it generates more than $50 billion dollars in annual revenue and employs more than 420,000 people. The ongoing drought is taking a toll on agriculture, related sectors, and rural communities, but there are ways to increase resilience in a warming world.

blog post

Retail Theft and Robbery Rates Have Risen across California

By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin

California has seen an overall increase in retail theft and robbery rates in recent years. Our analysis finds especially notable increases in the Bay Area and the Central Valley, with certain commercial crimes also increasing substantially in parts of southern California.

Fact Sheet

Race and Voting in California

By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Alyssa Dykman, Rachel Lawler

Latinos, Asian Americans, and African Americans are less likely to vote than whites.

blog post

California’s Hispanic Community

By Eric McGhee

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we look at our state’s large and dynamic Hispanic population, which accounts for nearly four in ten Californians—more than any other racial or ethnic group.

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