event Managing Water and Farmland Transitions in the San Joaquin Valley Sep 20, 2023 Achieving groundwater sustainability is vital to the health of the San Joaquin Valley’s communities, agriculture, environment, and economy—but the transition will be challenging. How can the region ensure the best outcomes? Authors of a new PPIC study and a diverse group of local and state experts will discuss key issues and solutions to some of the valley’s looming challenges.
blog post Wage Growth Is Struggling to Keep Up with Inflation By Jenny Duan, Daniel Payares-Montoya Sep 19, 2023 Average hourly wages for private-sector workers have increased 15% since just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. But in many parts of the economy, wages are not rising fast enough to keep up with inflation.
blog post Young Californians May Be Choosing Work over School By Julien Lafortune, Sarah Bohn Sep 14, 2023 How have young adults across the state reacted to the COVID-induced economic downturn? Our analysis finds that, in stark contrast to the Great Recession, the share of young Californians opting for work over school has increased.
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 Californians Are Worried about Wildfires By Lynette Ubois, Mark Baldassare Aug 16, 2023 An overwhelming majority of Californians say the threat of wildfires is a problem in their part of the state. Around one in three residents have a great deal of confidence in government readiness to respond to wildfires.
blog post The Ocean Is More than a Pretty Place to Californians By Deja Thomas Jul 31, 2023 Two in three Californians—including solid majorities among both inland and coastal residents--believe the condition of oceans and beaches are very important to the state's economy and quality of life. Majorities say that plastics, marine debris, and declining marine life in the Pacific are major problems.
blog post Video: Bridging California’s Digital Divide By Vicki Hsieh Jul 27, 2023 How can unprecedented public investments in broadband be leveraged to close the digital divide? PPIC convened a series of three expert panels to explore how California can ensure equity in internet access as well as in the use of digital connectivity.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Rachel Lawler, Deja Thomas Jun 5, 2023 Californians name economic conditions, homelessness, and housing as the most important issues facing the state today. A majority of Californians favor changing state environmental regulations as a way to increase housing affordability.
Fact Sheet California’s Health Care Safety Net By Shannon McConville, Shalini Mustala May 26, 2023 Millions of low-income Californians rely on the health care safety net. More than 15 million are enrolled in Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program; about 3 million are uninsured. Core providers—including county hospitals, health clinics, and emergency departments—treat patients regardless of their ability to pay or their immigration status.
blog post The EPA’s Martha Guzman Discusses New Environmental Justice Initiatives By Sarah Bardeen May 15, 2023 Martha Guzman is leading the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to protect public health and the environment for Region 9, which includes California. We spoke with Ms. Guzman to learn more about the EPA’s latest environmental justice initiatives—and found her to be a fountain of both information and enthusiasm about the new opportunities.
