Report Equitable State Funding for School Facilities By Julien Lafortune, Niu Gao Mar 14, 2022 Most funding for California’s K–12 facilities comes from local tax revenues, which depend on property wealth. State funding could potentially address wealth disparities, but it has disproportionately benefited more-affluent districts. Policymakers should prioritize equity in facility funding so that all students have access to safe and effective learning environments.
blog post Trouble Ahead for Local School Ballot Measures? By Mark Baldassare May 1, 2014 There are undercurrents in our new survey that spell trouble ahead for local school ballot measures. In short, the public’s sense that schools are in crisis has diminished.
press release Same-Sex Marriage Ban Losing – Measures to Restrict Abortion for Minors, Reform Redistricting Fail to Reach 50 Percent Oct 22, 2008
blog post Crime Rates Stable Overall, But Some Counties See Big Changes By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin Sep 25, 2017 Corrections reforms in California have not resulted in a broad surge in crime. But the statewide numbers mask substantial differences across counties.
Report Realignment, Incarceration, and Crime Trends in California By Steven Raphael, Magnus Lofstrom May 19, 2015 When California’s historic public safety realignment was implemented in October 2011, many were concerned about the impact it would have on crime rates. In a 2013 report, we found that realignment did not increase violent crime in its first year, but that it did lead to an increase in auto thefts. In this report, we assess whether these trends continued beyond realignment’s first year. We find that both the prison and jail populations increased slightly since 2012, which means that the number of offenders on the street did not rise from the 18,000 during realignment’s first year. This is likely to change with the implementation of Proposition 47, which further reduces California’s reliance on incarceration. Our analysis of updated state-level crime data from the FBI confirms our previous findings. Violent crime rates remain unaffected by realignment, and although California’s property crime rate decreased in 2013, it did not drop more than in comparable states—so the auto theft gap that opened up in 2012 has not closed. Research indicates that further reductions in incarceration may have a greater effect on crime trends; the state needs to implement effective crime prevention strategies—and it can learn about alternatives to incarceration successfully implemented by the counties as well as other states.
blog post Commentary: On California Funding Formula’s 10th Anniversary, Celebrate Progress but Double Down on Fairness By Julien Lafortune, Bruce Fuller Dec 1, 2023 Enacted in 2013, the Local Control Funding Formula shifted state K–12 dollars to increase support for districts serving greater shares of low-income students and English Learners. We look at advances in student performance under this funding approach—and where further work is needed.
blog post California’s Taxing Dilemma By Mark Baldassare Apr 2, 2014 As the April 15 deadline for filing taxes looms, we asked Californians in the latest PPIC Statewide Survey how they view their state and local tax burden. Their responses present a dilemma for policymakers.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Alyssa Dykman, Rachel Lawler Oct 21, 2020 Key findings from the current survey include: In the presidential race, Biden maintains a wide lead over Trump, and Californians are more enthusiastic about voting than usual. Views fall along party lines for confirming Judge Barrett to the Supreme Court, while majorities across parties oppose overturning Roe v. Wade. On ballot measures, likely voters are divided on Proposition 15, the “split roll” property tax, and support is low for Proposition 16, which would reinstate affirmative action. At least half of Californians would get a COVID-19 vaccine, but two in three are concerned about a vaccine being rushed.
press release Slim Majority Support “Split Roll” Property Tax; One-Third Support Reinstating Affirmative Action, with Many Undecided Sep 16, 2020
