blog post Does Transfer Reduce Regional Enrollment Gaps at CSU and UC? By Cesar Alesi Perez May 14, 2024 California students from regions with larger Latino and Black populations and regions with lower incomes are underrepresented among first-time freshmen at the state's public universities. Transfers from community colleges appear to help offset this disparity at CSU but not at UC.
blog post Each California Region Tells a Different Job Story By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Sarah Bohn Apr 25, 2024 While California's job market held steady in March, the state's job picture is weaker than that of the nation as a whole. Annual job growth varies across different parts of the state, with major metro areas inland generally outpacing those on the coast.
blog post Video: Spotlight on Rural California By Mary Severance Mar 29, 2024 PPIC president and CEO Tani Cantil-Sakauye speaks with assembly Republican leader James Gallagher and then with a panel of local and regional leaders about key rural issues for state policymakers to address.
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 How Business and Government Might Solve the Freshwater Crisis—Together By Sarah Bardeen Mar 25, 2024 Does the public sector need the private sector’s help to address the freshwater crisis? That’s the thesis of Stanford law and environmental social sciences professor Barton “Buzz” Thompson’s provocative new book. We sat down with him to hear more.
blog post Video: Eel River—Reconnecting Salmon and People By Sarah Bardeen, Cameron Nielsen Feb 12, 2024 The Eel River once hosted one of California’s great salmon runs, but a combination of factors decimated those populations. Now, planned dam removals might help restore salmon—but how will these changes affect river communities? Filmmaker Cameron Nielsen spoke to people on all sides of the issue in this visually arresting short documentary
blog post Counties Are Key Partners in the Medi-Cal Program By Shannon McConville Feb 8, 2024 County governments play an important role in administering Medi-Cal and organizing and delivering health services. We look at how counties' Medi-Cal responsibilities—as well as the resources available to carry them out—have shifted over the past decade, a period that has seen the state significantly expand program eligibility.
blog post Making Sense of the Floods in San Diego By Sarah Bardeen Jan 30, 2024 The sudden deluge in San Diego last week has left some of that city’s communities reeling. But what actually caused the epic flooding—and could it have been avoided? We ask the experts.
blog post What to Watch for in Higher Education in 2024 By Olga Rodriguez, Kevin Cook Jan 29, 2024 With policymakers facing a sizeable state budget deficit, we highlight higher education issues to watch this year, including key opportunities and areas of concern.
blog post A Look Back at 2023’s Volatile Year in Water By Letitia Grenier Jan 9, 2024 Volatility was the name of the game in 2023, as drought-weary California suddenly found itself inundated by atmospheric rivers—and the changes kept coming. We look back on California’s weird (and sometimes wonderful) year in water.