blog post Mapping Farms by Size in the San Joaquin Valley By Andrew Ayres, Zaira Joaquín Morales, Ellen Hanak Aug 30, 2023 The San Joaquin Valley will have to adapt to a future with less water for irrigation under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Some have raised concerns that this could put smaller farms at a disadvantage—but is this true? To gain insight on this issue, we decided to take a closer look, exploring where San Joaquin Valley farms of different sizes are located—and what they grow.
Report Strengthening California’s Transfer Pathway By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Hans Johnson, Cesar Alesi Perez, Jacob Jackson Aug 29, 2023 Increasing the number of California community college students who transfer to four-year institutions is critical for creating a more diverse pool of college graduates. Despite recent progress, transfer rates remain low and racial disparities persist. Several reforms are already underway, and higher education institutions must continue to work together so more students can reach their academic goals.
blog post Access to Mental Health Providers Is Highly Uneven Across the State By Shannon McConville Aug 29, 2023 At a time of growing demand for mental health services, regional disparities in the availability of providers--such as psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, and marriage and family therapists—are a persistent challenge.
blog post Tropical Storm Hilary Wallops Southern California By Jeffrey Mount Aug 23, 2023 Tropical Storm Hilary hammered Southern California on Sunday, after making a destructive run over Baja California. The damage was real, but thankfully there was no loss of life. But there are a few things we do know—or can surmise—about why this rare event occurred, and the dangers such events will pose to California now and in the future.
blog post Multi-unit Housing Is Becoming More Common, but Has Low Homeownership Rates By Hans Johnson, Eric McGhee Aug 10, 2023 Since 2010, almost half of new housing units built in California have been in multi-unit buildings, a larger share than in previous years. Compared with single-family homes, residences in multi-unit housing are more likely to be rentals and tend not to draw families.
blog post Large Cities Lose Population even as They Add New Housing By Hans Johnson Aug 9, 2023 In a major shift, new housing in California now outpaces population growth. We look at what kinds of housing are being built where—and potential implications for affordability and future population patterns.
blog post Video: Californians and the Environment By Stephanie Barton Jul 20, 2023 PPIC’s Dean Bonner and Mark Baldassare discuss our latest Statewide Survey, which examines Californians’ views on climate change and its effects, environmental policies, and other topics.
blog post From Litigation to Collaboration on the San Joaquin River By Molly Peterson, Sarah Bardeen Jul 18, 2023 The San Joaquin Valley is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, and much of its success comes from the waters of the San Joaquin River. Today, the challenge is how to undo some of the damage done to the river’s ecosystems—and how to reconnect the river to its many communities.
Report District Spending of One-Time Funds for Educational Recovery By Julien Lafortune, Laura Hill, Niu Gao, Joseph Herrera ... Jun 28, 2023 To address COVID-19 disruptions to education, federal and state programs directed billions in stimulus aid to K–12 schools. These programs allocated greater funding to lower-income and high-need districts—and California districts applied their early funds to health, safety, and technology. More recently, spending has prioritized learning recovery.
blog post Commentary: The Importance of Californians’ Views on Immigration Policies By Mark Baldassare Jun 27, 2023 With its large immigrant population, California is highly impacted by global migration trends as well as by immigration policy and politics at the national level. While large majorities of Californians hold a positive view of immigrants and support immigration policy changes, a deep partisan divide remains.
