blog post Diversity in the California Statehouse By Jennifer Paluch Dec 17, 2020 White lawmakers account for a disproportionately large share of the legislature, while Latinos are underrepresented. But the legislature has gotten more diverse in recent years.
blog post Election Takeaways: California Voters Send Conflicting Signals By Mark Baldassare Dec 14, 2020 Nearly 18 million Californians voted in the November 2020 election—an all-time high. PPIC’s Mark Baldassare discusses the final election results and what they say about Californians’ mindset and policy preferences in a year of unprecedented challenges.
blog post Where California Stands with Women in the Legislature By Jennifer Paluch Nov 19, 2020 Following the 2020 election, women will account for about one-third of California’s state legislators—as they did before the election. This is a smaller share than in neighboring states.
blog post New Laws Address Water Affordability and Wildfire Risks By Henry McCann, Gokce Sencan Nov 16, 2020 The pandemic and recession forced tough decisions in Sacramento this year. Despite challenging circumstances, several high-priority bills covering safe drinking water and wildfire risk reduction were enacted.
press release Slim Majority Support “Split Roll” Property Tax; One-Third Support Reinstating Affirmative Action, with Many Undecided Sep 16, 2020
blog post How Different Would California’s Elections Be If 17-Year-Olds Could Vote? By Eric McGhee Sep 10, 2020 A November ballot measure that would lower the state’s voting age for primary and special elections could result in modest—though in some cases still consequential—shifts in the electorate’s demographics.
blog post Affirmative Action and Higher Education in California By Radhika Mehlotra, Bonnie Brooks Sep 3, 2020 A November ballot measure asks Californians whether or not to repeal the state’s ban on affirmative action in the public sector, including in public higher education.
blog post School Funding, COVID-19, and the 2020 Election Year By Mark Baldassare Apr 28, 2020 Although many Californians prioritize K-12 schools for state spending, a looming recession could dampen support for ballot measures for school funding.
blog post The Coronavirus Pandemic Will Test the State’s Budget Reserves By Radhika Mehlotra, Jennifer Paluch Apr 20, 2020 State reserve policies enacted since the Great Recession have boosted the capacity of California’s budget to weather a downturn, but a major recession due to COVID-19 would pose significant fiscal challenges.
blog post A Changing Water Landscape By Ellen Hanak Jan 13, 2020 A look back at the PPIC Water Policy Center’s work in 2019.
