event Water and the Future of the San Joaquin Valley, Fresno Feb 22, 2019 The San Joaquin Valley—California’s largest agricultural region and an important contributor to the nation’s food supply—is in a time of great change and growing water stress. New cooperative approaches are needed to bring groundwater basins into balance, provide safe drinking water, and manage water and land to benefit people and nature. Authors of a new PPIC study and a diverse group of experts will discuss key issues and solutions to some of the valley’s looming challenges.
blog post A Weatherman Explains California’s Volatile Climate By Lori Pottinger Jun 10, 2016 What are the links between drought, La Niña, and climate change? An expert interview with the climate scientist who founded the California Weather Blog.
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.
blog post Video: Press Club Focuses on Water By Lori Pottinger May 5, 2015 The Sacramento Press Club hosted PPIC’s Water Policy Center director Ellen Hanak last week, who talked about the five things you need to know about water.
blog post Building a Better Water Safety Net By Lori Pottinger Oct 21, 2015 California’s poor rural communities have been hard hit by the drought. We interviewed Laurel Firestone about our water inequities, and ways to solve them.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Jennifer Paluch, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek May 30, 2007 Some findings of the current survey: Sixty-four percent of likely voters support Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to issue $43.3 billion in bonds to increase funding for education facilities, prisons, water storage, and other infrastructure projects. Fifty-two percent of voters admit that they know very little (43%) or nothing (9%) about how bonds are paid for in California. Six percent say they know a lot. The share of residents who describe the state budget as a big problem has fallen 29 points, from 73 percent to 44 percent, since May 2004. This is the 77th PPIC Statewide Survey and the 23rd in PPIC's Californians and Their Government series, conducted periodically to examine the social, economic, and political trends that influence public policy preferences and ballot choices in the state. It is supported by funding from The James Irvine Foundation.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Improving California’s Water Market By Andrew Ayres, Ellen Hanak, Brian Gray, Gokce Sencan ... Sep 14, 2021 This policy brief distills key takeaways from our report on water trading and banking in California, and how they will help the state bring its groundwater basins into balance under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). A broad range of policy changes could improve and expand California’s water market while protecting communities from harm.