blog post Why Have US and California Jobs Numbers Diverged? By Sarah Bohn, Jenny Duan, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Mar 28, 2024 Though unemployment statewide remains low by historical standards, California's recent job growth has been notably slower than growth in the nation as whole. A look at the state's major employment sectors helps explain why.
blog post How Has Party Voting Changed in California? By Eric McGhee Mar 26, 2024 As part of an ongoing series celebrating PPIC's 30th anniversary, policy director and senior fellow Eric McGhee looks at shifts in Californians’ voting patterns over the past three decades.
blog post An Update on Homelessness in California By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Cesar Alesi Perez Mar 21, 2024 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.
blog post Discontent with Major Political Parties Continues to Simmer By Lauren Mora Mar 19, 2024 More than one-third of Californians have unfavorable views of both the Democratic and Republican parties—a larger share than four years ago—and an overwhelming majority believe the country needs a third major party.
blog post Student Homelessness Reaches 10% or Higher in Some Counties By Brett Guinan, Julien Lafortune Mar 5, 2024 Student homelessness is most concentrated on the central and north coasts and in the Sierra region, while living arrangements for homeless students differ widely across counties. This is the second in a series on homelessness among California K–12 students.
blog post California’s Renters By Eric McGhee, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Hans Johnson Feb 27, 2024 California's housing shortage puts particular financial pressure on renters, who account for more than four in ten of the state's households. What do we know about California's renters and how they are faring in the current housing market?
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.
blog post Chronic Absenteeism in K–12 Schools Remains Troublingly High By Emmanuel Prunty, Laura Hill Feb 20, 2024 The rate of chronic absenteeism in California schools declined slightly during the 2022-23 school year but is still double what it was prior to the pandemic. Districts that have conducted student outreach in partnership with community organizations have had promising results in bringing down absenteeism.
blog post Falling Jail Populations Have Eased Overcrowding in Most County Jails By Brandon Martin, Magnus Lofstrom Feb 15, 2024 California jails have historically faced capacity issues that required counties to release people early. However, a close look at jail populations in the wake of the pandemic shows that overcrowding is now an issue in just a handful of counties.
blog post Learning Recovery Is Uneven for Urban and Rural School Districts By Saayili Budhiraja, Thomas Pearson, Emmanuel Prunty, Niu Gao Feb 14, 2024 Half of California's K–12 students are enrolled in urban or rural districts. Compared to the rest of the state, these districts have seen a slower pace of recovery from pandemic learning loss.