Report Adapting California’s Water Management to Climate Change By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund Nov 17, 2008 Among the potential impacts of climate change, accelerated sea level rise and a reduced Sierra snowpack are the most certain. Both will pose significant challenges for water supply and flood management. Water utilities have already begun to plan for these changes, but flood control agencies are lagging behind and face greater regulatory constraints. State leadership is needed to resolve some threats, including the risk of catastrophic failure in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This report was prepared as part of the Preparing California for a Changing Climate project.
Report Climate Change and California’s Public Health Institutions By Louise Bedsworth Nov 17, 2008 Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on public health in California. The direct effect will likely be an increase in heat-related morbidity and mortality. In addition, climate change could worsen air quality, alter the incidence and transmission of vector-borne illness, and increase the risk of large wildfires. Public health officials recognize the risks associated with climate change, but feel that they lack the information and resources to adapt to the new challenges. This report was prepared as part of the Preparing California for a Changing Climate project.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Higher Education By Mark Baldassare, Jennifer Paluch, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek Nov 12, 2008 Some findings of the current survey: Californians say the most important issue facing higher education is its cost. Solid majorities across all regional, demographic, and political groups rate the performance of the three state higher education systems as excellent or good. Sixty-four percent of Latino parents are “very worried” about affording a college education, while only 29 percent of white parents say the same. This is the 92nd PPIC Statewide Survey and the second Californians and Higher Education survey, which seeks to inform state policymakers, encourage discussion, and raise public awareness about issues affecting higher education. It is supported with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Report Immigrant Legalization: Assessing the Labor Market Effects By Joseph Hayes, Laura Hill, Magnus Lofstrom Apr 6, 2010 This report finds that a legalization program for unauthorized immigrants is unlikely to lead to dramatic changes in the labor market, for immigrant or native workers. It also finds little evidence to support expectations of significant effects on the broader economy, particularly in terms of tax revenues or public assistance programs. To assess labor market outcomes, the authors examined the work and migration histories of both unauthorized and continuously legal immigrants, comparing their experiences both before and after they became legal permanent residents.
Report California’s Historic Corrections Reforms By Magnus Lofstrom, Mia Bird, Brandon Martin Sep 27, 2016 California has dramatically lowered incarceration—by about 55,000 inmates since 2006—with no broad increase in crime. But recidivism rates remain high and corrections spending continues to rise.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek, Jui Shrestha Mar 26, 2014 Some findings of the current survey: The share of Californians naming water and drought as the state’s most important issue has risen 13 points since last March. A strong majority of Californians say the income gap in the U.S. is widening; six in 10 adults say the government should do more to reduce income inequality. A record-high 65 percent of adults say immigrants are a benefit to the state; there is bipartisan support for immigration reform. Job Approval Ratings: President Obama [PDF] Governor Brown [PDF] California State Legislature [PDF] U.S. Congress [PDF] Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings: President Obama [XLS] Governor Brown [XLS] California State Legislature [XLS] U.S. Congress [XLS] Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in California [PDF] Economic Outlook for California [PDF] General Direction of Things in the United States [PDF] Economic Outlook for the United States [PDF] Time Trends for the Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in California [XLS] Economic Outlook for California [XLS] General Direction of Things in the United States [XLS] Economic Outlook for the United States [XLS] This survey was supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.
Report Preparing Students for Success in California’s Community Colleges By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Olga Rodriguez Nov 9, 2016 Community colleges identify 80 percent of incoming students as underprepared for college-level work. Fewer than half of these students advance to and succeed in a college course (44% in English and 27% in math). Concerns about poor outcomes have led to institutional reforms. This research was supported with funding from The Sutton Family Fund.
Report Where the Wild Things Aren’t: Making the Delta a Better Place for Native Species By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, William Fleenor, Jeffrey Mount ... Jun 14, 2012 How can California address the Delta’s many problems—and manage its ecosystem more effectively in the future? The authors propose a strategy for realistically achieving co-equal goals of water supply reliability and ecosystem protection in this troubled region. This research was supported with funding from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation. Several companion reports contain related findings: Aquatic Ecosystem Stressors in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (Mount et al. 2012) summarizes the science of Delta ecosystem stressors for a policymaking audience. Costs of Ecosystem Management Actions for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (Medellín-Azuara et al. 2013) assesses costs of water management actions. Integrated Management of Delta Stressors: Institutional and Legal Options (Gray et al. 2013) lays out proposals for institutional reform of science, management, and regulation. Scientist and Stakeholder Views on the Delta Ecosystem (Hanak et al. 2013) presents detailed results of the two surveys conducted by the report’s authors. Stress Relief: Prescriptions for a Healthier Delta Ecosystem (Hanak et al. 2013) summarizes the overall research project and the recommendations it generated.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on the California State Budget By Mark Baldassare May 26, 2005 Some findings of the current survey A vast majority of Californians (71%) view the state’s multibillion dollar fiscal gap between revenues and spending as a big problem. Only 7% of the state’s residents think the governor and legislature have made a lot of progress in solving the state’s budget problems. Most Californians (72%) express concern about the effects of budget cuts in the governor’s fiscal plans. 72 percent of Californians believe voters should make decisions about the budget and governmental reforms rather than abdicate that responsibility to the governor and legislature. Californians continue to express profound distrust of their state government: Only 29 % say they trust the government to do what is right just about always or most of the time. Most Californians say that state government is run by a few big interests—a view held by majorities of Democrats (72), Republicans (67%), and independents (64%). More residents say the state is headed in the wrong direction than the right direction (57% to 35%) and say they expect bad economic times rather than good times in the next 12 months (49% to 39%). This survey is the fifth in a series of special PPIC Statewide Surveys on the California State Budget and Fiscal System, begun in June 2003 and conducted in collaboration with The James Irvine Foundation. The intent of this series is to raise public awareness, inform decisionmakers, and stimulate public discussion about the current state budget and the underlying state and local finance system.
Report California’s Housing Element Law: The Issue of Local Noncompliance By Paul Lewis Feb 10, 2003 This report examines which types of California cities tend to be out of compliance with the state's housing element law. It also tests whether that noncompliance can be linked to lower levels of new housing production. Although the results indicate that noncompliant cities tend to match a particular profile, the report finds no strong connection between noncompliance and the underproduction of new housing-even of multifamily housing, which tends to be more affordable than single-family homes. After reviewing the experiences of other states with similar approaches, the author concludes that the time is ripe for policymakers and affected interest groups to seek a more workable, transparent, and straightforward housing policy.
