blog post School Vaccination Rates Vary across California By Shalini Mustala, Shannon McConville Oct 10, 2023 Maintaining adequate school vaccination rates is essential for public health and community well-being, but many schools across the state could be vulnerable to disease outbreaks due to lower vaccination rates.
Explainer What’s Behind California’s Recent Population Decline—and Why It Matters By Hans Johnson, Eric McGhee, Carolyn Subramaniam, Vicki Hsieh Oct 2, 2023 California’s unprecedented population loss during the pandemic raises questions about what a shrinking or slowly growing population means for the state’s future.
blog post Commentary: Water-use Challenges Affecting Farmers Means Reinventing the San Joaquin Valley By Ellen Hanak, Caitlin Peterson Sep 26, 2023 To ensure the San Joaquin Valley’s future, groundwater overpumping has to end—and some 500,000 acres of farmland will likely need to come out of intensively irrigated production. But unplanned, haphazard fallowing would harm the valley. In our Fresno Bee commentary, we share insights on how to protect the valley’s residents, agriculture, and environment, drawing on over seven years of research.
blog post Gun Incidents Drive a Climb in Violent Crime Rates By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin Sep 25, 2023 Violent crime in California has been ticking up since 2019. And while the overall share of violent crimes involving guns dipped in 2022, it remains above pre-pandemic levels.
Report Managing Water and Farmland Transitions in the San Joaquin Valley By Ellen Hanak, Andrew Ayres, Caitlin Peterson, Alvar Escriva-Bou ... Sep 18, 2023 How can the San Joaquin Valley adapt to a future with less water? We’ve been researching this issue for the past seven years, and our new report presents highlights from we’ve learned, including a robust list of policy suggestions to help the valley weather—and make the most of—the coming changes.
event Examining the Reach of Targeted School Funding Sep 14, 2023 Under California’s ten-year-old funding formula, districts with higher shares of high-need students receive added dollars on top of base funding. Join PPIC research fellow Julien Lafortune for a presentation on a new report that looks at how these added dollars impact student outcomes, how districts spend these funds, and whether dollars are fully directed to the students and schools that generate them.
blog post Retail Theft and Robbery Rates Have Risen across California By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin Sep 7, 2023 California has seen an overall increase in retail theft and robbery rates in recent years. Our analysis finds especially notable increases in the Bay Area and the Central Valley, with certain commercial crimes also increasing substantially in parts of southern California.
Report Strengthening California’s Transfer Pathway By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Hans Johnson, Cesar Alesi Perez, Jacob Jackson Aug 29, 2023 Increasing the number of California community college students who transfer to four-year institutions is critical for creating a more diverse pool of college graduates. Despite recent progress, transfer rates remain low and racial disparities persist. Several reforms are already underway, and higher education institutions must continue to work together so more students can reach their academic goals.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Strengthening California’s Transfer Pathway By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Hans Johnson, Cesar Alesi Perez, Jacob Jackson Aug 29, 2023 By increasing the number of students who transfer to four-year institutions, California can preserve higher education’s critical role as a ladder of economic mobility and ensure that college graduates fully reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the state’s youth.
blog post Who Is Unemployed in California? By Sarah Bohn Aug 24, 2023 While still historically low, unemployment in California has ticked up over the past year. Unemployment among men has increased more than for most other demographic groups and much more than for women.
