blog post California’s Unemployment Gaps Have Narrowed during the Pandemic By Sarah Bohn May 19, 2022 Racial and regional disparities in unemployment have narrowed over the course of the pandemic—a sign that the state might be on the path toward an equitable recovery.
blog post Maximizing Benefits of Solar Development in the San Joaquin Valley By Annabelle Rosser, Mitchelle De Leon May 9, 2022 Solar development offers one promising way to soften the economic blow as more irrigated farmland comes out of production in the San Joaquin Valley. We met with a diverse range of stakeholders to discuss how to maximize benefits—and mitigate potential harm.
blog post A Life Written in Water: Susan Tatayon Reflects on Her 40-year Career By Sarah Bardeen May 2, 2022 As the former chair of the Delta Stewardship Council, Susan Tatayon has a unique perspective on the state’s water woes. We asked her to reflect on all she has learned in her four-decade career in California water.
blog post Video: Farming in a State of Extremes By Sarah Bardeen Apr 26, 2022 Last week, we brought together a panel of experts to discuss how the drought is affecting California’s farming regions—and what steps could be taken to soften the economic blow and improve the state’s resilience.
blog post California’s Rivers Could Help Protect the State from Flood and Drought By Sarah Bardeen Apr 18, 2022 Ecosystem restoration expert Julie Rentner of the nonprofit River Partners spoke with us about the benefits of restoring rivers—particularly in a warming and more volatile climate.
blog post Water Trading Can Help California’s Struggling Freshwater Ecosystems By Ellen Hanak, Gokce Sencan Apr 4, 2022 California’s freshwater ecosystems are struggling—but water trading has helped in the past, and that could continue. We provide fresh data on the current state of environmental water transfers and highlight ways to improve them.
blog post Could Rangeland Return to the Central Valley? By Caitlin Peterson Mar 28, 2022 As Central Valley farmers confront the need to fallow some farmland to comply with SGMA, we interview two experts about a possible alternative to fallowing: converting formerly irrigated farmland into rangeland. It would keep the land economically productive—and might bring other benefits.
blog post What Every Californian Should Know About Groundwater By Sarah Bardeen Mar 22, 2022 In honor of World Water Day and its theme—“Groundwater—making the invisible visible”—we asked a handful of PPIC Water Policy Center staff to discuss groundwater and drought in California.
blog post How Did California’s Economy Recover from COVID—and What Comes Next? By Sarah Bohn Mar 9, 2022 As part of PPIC’s blog series reflecting on two years of COVID-19 in California, we examine how the state’s labor market has bounced back from the economic downturn and explore key racial/ethnic and regional disparities.
blog post Health in California Two Years into the Pandemic By Shannon McConville, Paulette Cha Mar 8, 2022 The COVID-19 pandemic not only highlighted longstanding health disparities in our state but also underscored the importance of health coverage and access to care.