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 How Has California Narrowed Its K–12 Digital Divide? By Niu Gao, Joseph Hayes, Darriya Starr Apr 5, 2022 Since the onset of the pandemic, educators and policymakers have made substantial strides in addressing two key barriers to universal digital access—affordability and infrastructure.
blog post How Did the Pandemic Transform California’s Safety Net? By Caroline Danielson Mar 11, 2022 Government investments and service innovations reduced the economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. The impact of these approaches can inform safety net policy beyond the pandemic.
blog post Helping K–12 Students Recover from the Pandemic By Laura Hill, Niu Gao, Julien Lafortune Mar 10, 2022 Increased state and federal resources will play a key role as California helps students overcome learning disruptions of the past two years, though longer-term challenges remain.
blog post Medi-Cal Expansion Has Reduced Financial Barriers to Needed Health Care By Paulette Cha Feb 17, 2022 Since the expansion of Medi-Cal under the federal Affordable Care Act, California families have been less likely to delay necessary care due to cost.
blog post Testimony: Implementing SGMA at Ground Zero—Challenges and Opportunities for the San Joaquin Valley By Ellen Hanak, Alvar Escriva-Bou Feb 15, 2022 PPIC Water Policy Center director Ellen Hanak testified before an informational hearing on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in Sacramento today (February 15, 2022). Read her prepared remarks.
blog post Standing at the Cusp: The Klamath River Edges Closer to Dam Removals By Sarah Bardeen Feb 8, 2022 After decades of negotiations, the decommissioning of four dams on the Klamath River is finally in sight, but hurdles remain. We spoke with Mark Bransom, CEO of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, to learn how he’s working to get the dam removal across the finish line—and what it will mean for river communities.
blog post Could Solar Development Advance Groundwater Sustainability in the San Joaquin Valley? By Andrew Ayres, Curtis Seymour Feb 4, 2022 The San Joaquin Valley is facing a monumental shift in land use over the next two decades. Promoting solar expansion on fallowed farmland could support the state’s clean energy goals—while easing the economic pain of transitioning land away from agriculture under SGMA.
Report Community College Math in California’s New Era of Student Access By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Olga Rodriguez, Hans Johnson, Cesar Alesi Perez Dec 7, 2021 In fall 2019, California’s community colleges began implementing AB 705, making reforms to place thousands of students away from remedial courses and directly into the introductory courses necessary to transfer to a four-year college. In this report, we focus on math courses and the progress that colleges and students have made under the new system as of fall 2020.
Report Keeping College Affordable for California Students By Kevin Cook, Jacob Jackson Dec 1, 2021 California’s financial aid programs reduce tuition for most students. But the state and its higher education institutions can improve college access and success by providing additional aid to lower-income students, addressing growing non-tuition costs, and eliminating barriers that increase the time it takes to earn a degree.
