blog post Video: Survey Looks at Taxes and Pensions By Linda Strean Oct 8, 2015 As interest groups work to turn their ideas into initiatives for next year’s statewide ballot, the September PPIC Statewide Survey examined Californians’ views in two areas that may be put before voters: taxes and public employee pension reform.
press release Likely Voters Divided on Temporary Extension of Proposition 30—Most Support Cigarette Tax Sep 30, 2015
blog post California–State of Change By Mark Baldassare Dec 8, 2014 As leaders from government, business, and philanthropy gathered last week to discuss California’s future, we were reminded once again that these are exciting times in our state.
Report Higher Education in California: Institutional Costs By Hans Johnson, Patrick Murphy, Margaret Weston, Kevin Cook Nov 12, 2014 Over the past 20 years, in-state tuition at both the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) has more than tripled. These tuition increases have led many to believe that spending in the state’s public higher education systems is out of control. However, a closer look reveals that institutional expenditures in the two systems—including faculty salaries and benefits, the largest budget category—have not increased significantly. Our evaluation of both revenues and expenditures shows that recent tuition increases have been driven by dramatic reductions in state subsidies to UC and CSU. In the past, General Fund contributions covered the majority of educational costs. Today, students (often with help from federal, state, institutional, and private grants) pay most of these costs through tuition and associated fees. Better budget data could help policymakers monitor costs and align higher education funding with state goals. But it is clear that tuition at California’s public universities has risen much more rapidly than the cost of providing higher education.
Report California’s Need for Skilled Workers By Sarah Bohn Sep 17, 2014 If recent trends continue, California is likely to face a shortage of workers with some college education but less than a bachelor’s degree by 2025. State and federal policymakers have increased their focus on boosting educational opportunities for this segment of the workforce. This report examines labor market outcomes among workers with some college training to shed light on the types of jobs that hold the most promise for future workers and the state economy.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek, Jui Shrestha Mar 23, 2011 Some findings of the current survey: Public support has dropped for holding a June special election on extending temporary tax and fee increases. Nearly half of Californians say the amount of money that state and local governments spend on public employee pension or retirement systems is a big problem. Sixty-two percent of Californians think Congress and the Obama administration are not doing enough to help create jobs. At least half of Californians have an unfavorable opinion of the federal (52%) and state (55%) governments, but a majority (54%) view their local government favorably. 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.
