blog post Video: Water and Growth in the West By Ellen Hanak Feb 18, 2016 When water supplies are tight, the question of whether government should limit growth rises to the surface. Ellen Hanak discusses the issue at a conference on water sustainability in the West.
blog post Do You Know Where Your Water’s Been? By Lori Pottinger Oct 27, 2015 The twin challenges of water quality and quantity are leading to interesting solutions. We explore innovations in water re-use and treatment with David Sedlak.
Report What If California’s Drought Continues? By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, Jeffrey Mount, Peter Moyle ... Aug 19, 2015 California is in the fourth year of a severe, hot drought—the kind that is increasingly likely as the climate warms. Although no sector has been untouched, impacts so far have varied greatly, reflecting different levels of drought preparedness. Urban areas are in the best shape, thanks to sustained investments in diversified water portfolios and conservation. Farmers are more vulnerable, but they are also adapting. The greatest vulnerabilities are in some low-income rural communities where wells are running dry and in California’s wetlands, rivers, and forests, where the state’s iconic biodiversity is under extreme threat. Two to three more years of drought will increase challenges in all areas and require continued—and likely increasingly difficult—adaptations. Emergency programs will need to be significantly expanded to get drinking water to rural residents and to prevent major losses of waterbirds and extinctions of numerous native fish species, including most salmon runs. California also needs to start a longer-term effort to build drought resilience in the most vulnerable areas.
blog post The “Inexact Science” of Water Pricing By Henry McCann, Adam Soliman Jul 15, 2015 How can the price of water help us manage drought?
blog post The High Cost of Drought for Low-Income Californians By Ellen Hanak Jun 18, 2015 Poor rural communities are being hit hard by the drought. Solutions will be challenging.
blog post Video: Let’s Pull Together to Solve the Groundwater Crisis By Lori Pottinger Jun 11, 2015 The Central Valley is ground zero for groundwater issues. At a recent event, local leaders talked about solutions.
Report Policy Priorities for Managing Drought By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, Jeffrey Mount, Peter Moyle ... Mar 16, 2015 State, federal, and local water managers have worked diligently to reduce the economic, social, and environmental harm from the current drought. But as the drought continues, the challenges will grow more acute. California can learn from experiences to date—and from Australia’s response to its Millennium Drought—to better prepare both for the year ahead and for future droughts. State leaders should address weaknesses in four areas of drought preparation and response, by: 1) improving water use information, 2) setting clear goals and priorities for public health and the environment, 3) promoting water conservation and more resilient water supplies, and 4) strengthening environmental management.
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.
blog post Testimony: Funding to Promote Drought Resilience By Ellen Hanak Mar 27, 2014 PPIC senior fellow Ellen Hanak gave the Assembly Budget Subcommittee for Resources and Transportation an overview of state and federal emergency drought funding and suggested other fiscal measures that the legislature should consider to make California more drought resilient.
blog post Drought Watch: Roadblocks to Efficient Funding By Ellen Hanak, Caitrin Chappelle Mar 13, 2014 This is part of a continuing series on the impact of the drought.Looming legal challenges may limit the ability of local agencies to make continued investments in modern, integrated water management—investments that would better prepare us for population growth, climate change, and future droughts.
