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Report

California’s Water: The Colorado River

By Ellen Hanak, Jeffrey Mount, Brian Gray, Kurt Schwabe ...

The Colorado River—a major water source for Southern California’s cities and farms—is shared among seven states and Mexico. Water use now outstrips supply. The environmental impacts of water use in this basin pose special challenges. This brief describes adaptation strategies so that the river can continue to provide essential benefits to the region.

Report

California’s Water: Paying for Water

By Ellen Hanak, Dean Misczynski, Jay Lund, Brian Gray ...

Sustainable solutions by state and local leaders are needed to close serious funding gaps in a number of critical areas of water management—including floods, water quality, and aquatic ecosystems. This brief describes the state’s major water funding gaps and proposes ways to fill them.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Rachel Lawler, Deja Thomas

Key findings include: A majority of likely voters say they will vote no on removing Governor Newsom; about half do not favor any replacement candidate or won’t vote [for one]. Californians name COVID as the top issue facing the state. Six in ten favor requiring proof of vaccination to enter large outdoor gatherings or some indoor spaces. Californians are divided on whether the US will see good financial times ahead.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and the Environment

By Mark Baldassare, Jennifer Paluch, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Solid majorities of Californians favor government regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and policies to curb global warming.
  • More Californians support than oppose expanding coastal oil drilling; even more favor improving fuel efficiency.
  • Three in four Californians say the state should expand public transit and use existing transportation networks more efficiently—only 18 percent say the state should build more freeways.

Job Approval Ratings:
   President Obama
   Governor Schwarzenegger
   California State Legislature

Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings:
   President Obama
   Governor Schwarzenegger
   California State Legislature

Mood of Californians:
   General Direction of Things in California
   Economic Outlook for California
 
Time Trends for the Mood of Californians:
   General Direction of Things in California
   Economic Outlook for California
 
This survey is supported with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

By Mark Baldassare, Renatta DeFever, Lunna Lopes, Dean Bonner

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Californians are starting 2015 on an optimistic note: majorities see the state headed in the right direction and are hopeful that elected leaders will work together.
  • Partisans are divided over whether the state should use its budget surplus to pay down debt and build up the reserve or to restore social services.
  • Californians support increased funding for higher education but also want existing funds to be spent more wisely.
  • Most Californians see crime as a problem in their communities, and a majority think that minorities are not treated equally by the criminal justice system—blacks are especially likely to hold this view.

Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama [PDF]
Governor Brown [PDF]
California State Legislature [PDF]
U.S. Congress [PDF]
Senator Boxer [PDF]
Senator Feinstein [PDF]
Their Own State Legislators in the Assembly and Senate [PDF]
Their Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives [PDF]

Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama [XLS]
Governor Brown [XLS]
California State Legislature [XLS]
U.S. Congress [XLS]
Senator Boxer [XLS]
Senator Feinstein [XLS]
Their Own State Legislators in the Assembly and Senate [XLS]
Their Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives [XLS]

Mood of Californians:
General Direction of Things in California [PDF]
Economic Outlook for California [PDF]

Time Trends for the Mood of Californians:
General Direction of Things in California [XLS]
Economic Outlook for California [XLS]

This survey was supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.

Fact Sheet

The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta

By Jeffrey Mount, Ellen Hanak, Greg Gartrell

The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta is California’s largest estuary and a vital hub in the state’s water supply system. Three interlinked issues currently face the Delta: an increasingly unreliable water supply, a decline in ecosystem health, and a fragile system of levees. Learn more about this key watershed in our new fact sheet.

Report

Water for Growth: California’s New Frontier

By Ellen Hanak

California’s population is expected to add another 14 million people by 2030, reaching a total of 48 million. One of the most serious concerns of policymakers is whether the state will be able to supply the water needed to sustain such a population.

Although many large water projects in the past were undertaken with state and federal leadership, most current options are local or regional in scope. The frontline agencies responsible for water supply are the hundreds of municipal utilities serving the state’s residential and commercial customers.

In this report, the author examines how well California is faring in meeting the water supply challenges of growth throughout the state and the extent to which local governments are integrating water supply concerns into their land-use planning. The report also evaluates progress in implementing the new “show me the water” laws, SB 610 and SB 221, which require up-front screening of water availability for large development projects.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

By Mark Baldassare, Renatta DeFever, Lunna Lopes, Dean Bonner

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Governor Brown leads Neel Kashkari by 16 points in the gubernatorial election; attention to election news and enthusiasm about voting is lower than in past elections.
  • Majorities support the water bond (56% to 32%) as record-high shares say that their regional water supply is a big problem.
  • Proposition 45, which would regulate health insurance rate changes, is down 9 points since last month, but the share considering the outcome as very important is up 11 points.
  • The share of Californians with unfavorable opinions of both major parties has increased since the last presidential election.

Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama [PDF]
Governor Brown [PDF]
California State Legislature [PDF]
U.S. Congress [PDF]
Their Own State Legislators in the Assembly and Senate [PDF]
Their Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives [PDF]

Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama [XLS]
Governor Brown [XLS]
California State Legislature [XLS]
U.S. Congress [XLS]
Their Own State Legislators in the Assembly and Senate [XLS]
Their Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives [XLS]

Mood of Californians:
General Direction of Things in California [PDF]
Economic Outlook for California [PDF]

Time Trends for the Mood of Californians:
General Direction of Things in California [XLS]
Economic Outlook for California [XLS]

This survey was supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.

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