Occasional Paper, Report CEQA Reform: Issues and Options By Michael B. Teitz, Elisa Barbour Apr 6, 2005 A background report for the CEQA Improvement Advisory Group, convened by the California Resources Agency on February 23, 2005.
Report Urban Development Futures in the San Joaquin Valley By Michael B. Teitz, Charles Dietzel, William Fulton Feb 10, 2005 Urban Development Futures in the San Joaquin Valley models urban growth in San Joaquin Valley over the next four decades. Its results, which include color maps to illustrate the spread of urbanization, will help policymakers and the public to assess the implications of that growth and to consider a range of policy responses. Taken together, the scenarios point to a tripling of the urbanized land stock by 2040, lower densities, and significant declines in farmland. They also indicate, however, that the Valley’s actual growth will partly depend on which public policy goals are emphasized. Many of these decisions will be made by the Valley’s local governments, which control most land use planning and permitting powers.
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.
Report Protecting the Nation’s Seaports: Balancing Security and Cost By Ernesto Vilchis, Jon D. Haveman, Howard J. Shatz, Stephen S. Cohen ... Jun 27, 2006 Protecting the Nation’s Seaports: Balancing Security and Cost examines in detail the full dimensions of the task of port security, including the effectiveness of measures undertaken so far, and the costs to the nation—both of implementing adequate port security, and of failing to do so. Jon D. Haveman and Howard J. Shatz, research fellows at PPIC, teamed with an array of experts on maritime security for this broad overview of port security issues that includes projections of the effects on the national economy of a successful port attack, the private sector implications of improving port security, a first-hand account of the considerable bureaucratic challenges that still must be overcome to strengthen individual ports, and guidelines for financing future port security efforts.
Report Local and Global Networks of Immigrant Professionals in Silicon Valley By AnnaLee Saxenian Apr 1, 2002 Foreign-born entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley are becoming agents of global economic change, and their increased mobility is fueling the emergence of entrepreneurial networks in distant locations. In this report, AnnaLee Saxenian investigates this development by drawing on the first large-scale survey of foreign-born professionals in Silicon Valley. Focusing on first-generation Indian and Chinese immigrants, the report compares their participation in local and global networks both to one another and to that of native-born professionals. The results indicate that local institutions and social networks within ethnic communities are more important than national or individual characteristics in explaining entrepreneurial behavior. The report also suggests that the so-called brain drain from India and China has been transformed into a more complex, two-way process of "brain circulation" linking Silicon Valley to urban centers in those countries.
Report Paying for Water in California By Ellen Hanak, Dean Misczynski, Jay Lund, Brian Gray ... Mar 12, 2014 California faces serious funding gaps in five key areas of water management—including safe drinking water in small, disadvantaged communities; flood protection; management of stormwater and other polluted runoff; aquatic ecosystem management; and integrated water management. These gaps amount to $2 billion to $3 billion a year. But bold efforts by state and local leaders can pave the way to sustainable solutions for California’s critical water resources. This research is supported with funding from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and the California Water Foundation, an initiative of the Resources Legacy Fund.
California Economic Policy, Report Are Businesses Fleeing the State? Interstate Business Relocation and Employment Change in California By David Neumark, Junfu Zhang, Brandon Wall Oct 26, 2005 A commonly heard theme in recent public debates about California's economic problems is that the state's economy is hostile to the needs of business. As evidence, it is asserted that businesses are leaving the state in droves, taking Californians' jobs. In reality, little is actually known about the trend of out-of-state business relocation. In this issue of California Economic Policy, the authors examine the phenomenon in a more complete context. They find that California does in fact lose businesses and jobs because of relocation, but the effect on employment is negligible.
Report Does Broadband Boost Local Economic Development? By Jed Kolko Jan 11, 2010 The federal government and the state of California, as well as other states throughout the nation, have made universal access to broadband service a public policy goal, assuming that multiple economic and social benefits will accrue from increasing broadband access. This study assesses whether policies designed to increase broadband availability—especially to unserved and underserved communities—will contribute to local economic development. It finds a positive relationship between broadband expansion and employment growth, but the benefits for local residents are ambiguous. This report was supported with funding from The David A. Coulter Family Foundation.
Report Who Pays for Development Fees and Exactions? By Steven M. Sheffrin, Marla Dresch Jun 1, 1997 Exactions are payments made by a developer to local governments for the right to proceed with a project. Exactions can include development fees, the dedication of public land, the construction or maintenance of public infrastructure, or the provision of public services. Developers complain that exactions have become excessive, stifling economic growth. Local government officials argue that these levies are essential to growth: Without them, local government could not provide the infrastructure necessary for new development. Although California leads the nation in imposing fees on new residential development, surprisingly little is known about the nature and effects of these fees—for example, the extent to which they are passed on to consumers in the form of higher home prices. This volume presents the results of an econometric analysis of development fees in Contra Costa County—a county in the San Francisco Bay area that has experienced rapid growth in recent decades.
Report California’s Future: Population By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Jan 2, 2020 In 2019, California became the first state with 40 million residents. The state has been preparing for the 2020 Census, which will affect political representation and federal funding.
