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Ukrainian Immigrants in California

By Hans Johnson

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has special relevance for California’s Ukrainian community, one of the largest in the country. About one in six Ukrainian immigrants in the US lives in California.

Fact Sheet

Groundwater in California

By Kyle Greenspan, Spencer Cole, Caitlin Peterson

Groundwater is a vital, but threatened, component of California’s water supply. Learn more about this important resource!

Fact Sheet

Crime Trends in California

By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin

Violent crime in California has ticked up in recent years, with a pronounced increase in incidents involving guns since 2019. Property crime has also risen steadily statewide, and rates now stand slightly above pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

Fact Sheet

California’s Higher Education System

By Kevin Cook

The nation’s largest public system of higher learning is in California. Nearly 80% of state students attend a public institution, with over half enrolling in community college—making transfer into a four-year college a key path to a bachelor’s degree. Funds to support higher education and financial aid account for about 7% of the state’s budget.

Report

What If California’s Drought Continues?

By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, Jeffrey Mount, Peter Moyle ...

California is in the fourth year of a severe, hot drought—the kind that is increasingly likely as the climate warms. Although no sector has been untouched, impacts so far have varied greatly, reflecting different levels of drought preparedness. Urban areas are in the best shape, thanks to sustained investments in diversified water portfolios and conservation. Farmers are more vulnerable, but they are also adapting. The greatest vulnerabilities are in some low-income rural communities where wells are running dry and in California’s wetlands, rivers, and forests, where the state’s iconic biodiversity is under extreme threat. Two to three more years of drought will increase challenges in all areas and require continued—and likely increasingly difficult—adaptations. Emergency programs will need to be significantly expanded to get drinking water to rural residents and to prevent major losses of waterbirds and extinctions of numerous native fish species, including most salmon runs. California also needs to start a longer-term effort to build drought resilience in the most vulnerable areas.

blog post

An Update on Homelessness in California

By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Cesar Alesi Perez

California's homeless population may have increased as much as 7.5% between 2022 and 2023. We look at what the latest data say about people experiencing homelessness in our state, including the wide variation across regions.

Fact Sheet

California’s Water Grid

By Alvar Escriva-Bou, Ellen Hanak, Jeffrey Mount

The statewide network of storage and conveyance facilities provides multiple services, which are sometimes in conflict. Climate change brings new challenges.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and the Environment

By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Rachel Lawler, Deja Thomas

Key findings of the survey include: Most Californians think it is very important that the state take steps now to respond to climate change, though views vary across party lines. An overwhelming majority say that extreme weather events are a problem in their part of the state. A majority believe the use of electric vehicles helps address climate change; half have seriously considered getting one, and nearly one in ten have already done so.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and the Environment

By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Rachel Lawler, Deja Thomas

Key findings include: Three in ten Californians name water supply and drought as the state’s top environmental issue; nearly seven in ten say the water supply is a big problem in their part of the state. More than half of Californians say higher gas prices have caused financial hardship, and more than four in ten are upset about the current rate of inflation. Most Californians oppose offshore drilling, and an overwhelming majority want to prioritize alternative energy over oil, coal, and natural gas. But views are divided along party lines. Democrats are much more likely than independents and Republicans to support key state climate change policies.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Lauren Mora, Deja Thomas

PPIC's latest survey finds that almost nine in ten Californians believe there is a mental health crisis in the US. Also, most Californians are now less comfortable making a major purchase like a home or a car compared to six months ago.

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