blog post Video: Managing California’s Elections through COVID and Beyond By Eric McGhee Mar 23, 2022 California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber talks with PPIC’s Eric McGhee about key actions the state has taken during the pandemic to promote voter participation, ensure people’s safety, and increase transparency.
blog post Historic Law Aims to Improve Police Accountability and Transparency By Deepak Premkumar, Shannon McConville Feb 25, 2022 A new California law bars police officers who commit serious misconduct from serving in any of the state’s law enforcement agencies and also aims to make data on misconduct more accessible.
blog post SGMA Could Bolster Habitat Restoration in the San Joaquin Valley By Ellen Hanak, Caitlin Peterson, Abigail Hart Feb 22, 2022 As growers prepare to bring land out of production in the San Joaquin Valley, we’re exploring a variety of ways to manage that newly-fallowed farmland. This week, we look at a promising potential use: transforming formerly irrigated land into habitat.
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 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.
blog post New Law Raises Standards for Police Officers By Shannon McConville, Deepak Premkumar Jan 26, 2022 A new state law raises the minimum age for law enforcement—from 18 to 21—and requires California’s community college system to create a new policing degree program. How might these changes affect the law enforcement workforce?
blog post Understanding the Geography of California’s Final Redistricting Maps By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch Jan 19, 2022 California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission recently approved final political districts for the state. How well do these new districts align with the commission’s key geographic goals, such as keeping existing jurisdictions intact?
blog post Racial Representation and Partisan Leanings in California’s Final Redistricting Maps By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch Jan 12, 2022 With the final maps from the Citizens Redistricting Commission, the number of majority Latino districts increased significantly--with less change for Asian Americans and African Americans—while the new districts could improve Democrats’ prospects in Congress and the state assembly.
blog post Dangers Lurk in the San Joaquin Valley’s Dust By Sarah Bardeen Jan 10, 2022 In the San Joaquin Valley, concerns about airborne dust—and its health impacts—are growing. We speak with two experts who say people are right to be concerned.
