blog post Testimony: Adapting California’s Water Rights System to the 21st-Century Climate By Ellen Hanak, Brian Gray, Jeffrey Mount Feb 28, 2023 PPIC Water Policy Center director Ellen Hanak and senior fellows Brian Gray and Jeffrey Mount testified before the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee Informational Hearing, “How Should California’s Water Right System Adapt to a 21st Century Climate?” today. Read their prepared remarks.
blog post Can Nine Atmospheric Rivers Recharge California’s Groundwater? By Sarah Bardeen Feb 6, 2023 Last month’s storms dropped immense amounts of water on California. Now, many people are wondering if we’ve been able to sock away any of that bounty—so we asked groundwater hydrologist Helen Dahlke to give us the skinny.
blog post Video: A Conversation with California’s Legislative Leadership By Mary Severance Feb 3, 2023 At our first in-person Speaker Series event in three years, State Senate leaders—Toni G. Atkins, President pro Tempore, and Brian Jones, Minority Leader—talked with PPIC president and CEO Tani Cantil-Sakauye about their legislative priorities for 2023.
blog post Adapting to a Water-Scarce California By Ellen Hanak Jan 9, 2023 With the arrival of a series of atmospheric rivers, drought-weary Californians are now confronting the weather whiplash that’s a hallmark of our state’s climate. But the current deluge won’t erase California’s water challenges. PPIC Water Policy Center director Ellen Hanak reflects on what happened with California’s water in 2022—and explores how to manage the resource in our increasingly volatile climate.
blog post New Beginnings By Tani Cantil-Sakauye Jan 4, 2023 Tani Cantil-Sakauye, PPIC’s new president and CEO, previews our upcoming research and highlights PPIC’s role in providing trusted, nonpartisan insights on the most pressing challenges facing our state.
blog post 2022 Year in Review By Mark Baldassare Dec 15, 2022 During the past year, California worked to rebound from the pandemic while confronting drought, inflation, an economic divide, and political polarization. President and CEO Mark Baldassare reflects on the role PPIC has played in helping identify equity-centered approaches to the challenges and opportunities facing our state.
blog post California’s 2022 Fire Season: “A Remarkably Different Year” By Sarah Bardeen Dec 12, 2022 This year’s fire season was relatively quiet—a welcome change of pace for fire-weary Californians. But what does it mean in the larger scheme of things? We asked UC Berkeley professor Scott Stephens for insights.
blog post California’s Water and Energy Systems Are Inextricably Linked By Alvar Escriva-Bou, Gokce Sencan, Andrew Ayres Dec 6, 2022 Water and energy are intimately connected in California: the water system is a major energy user, and our energy sector relies heavily on water for power generation. Population growth and climate change will likely increase pressure on both systems, but a few key actions could make them more resilient.
blog post Video: Surplus and Shortage—California’s Water Balancing Act By Sarah Bardeen Nov 28, 2022 After three years of virtual events, our annual fall conference returned to an in-person format in Sacramento on Friday, November 18. The upshot? Good people, good food, and three vital panel discussions about managing water in California’s changing climate. Read our recap!
blog post How Are California’s Cities Managing the Drought? By Alvar Escriva-Bou, Annabelle Rosser, Ellen Hanak Oct 31, 2022 Though urban water agencies have failed to meet Governor Newsom’s call for a 15% voluntary reduction in water use, they’ve avoided major supply disruptions so far. Are cities failing to manage the current drought—or are we focusing on the wrong metrics?
