blog post Commentary: Californians Need to Do More to Prepare for Wet Years By Letitia Grenier, Ellen Hanak Jan 16, 2024 Climate change is supercharging the extremes of drought and flood in California. But our infrastructure and institutions remain woefully underprepared for rising flood risk and increasingly erratic rainfall. It’s time to take this threat—and this opportunity—seriously and accelerate preparations.
blog post A Look Back at 2023’s Volatile Year in Water By Letitia Grenier Jan 9, 2024 Volatility was the name of the game in 2023, as drought-weary California suddenly found itself inundated by atmospheric rivers—and the changes kept coming. We look back on California’s weird (and sometimes wonderful) year in water.
blog post Addressing Groundwater Overdraft in the Sacramento Valley By Spencer Cole, Kyle Greenspan, Andrew Ayres Dec 11, 2023 As the Sacramento Valley seeks to bring its groundwater basins into balance under SGMA, the valley’s groundwater sustainability agencies recently submitted plans to manage overdraft. Do the numbers add up? Our researchers take a look.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Lauren Mora, Deja Thomas Dec 6, 2023 Two in three likely voters favor Proposition 1, a March ballot measure that would restructure funding for behavioral health services in California. Nearly half believe that the United States has a responsibility to do something about the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, while a majority think Congress should authorize additional funding for Ukraine to support its war with Russia.
blog post New Progress in California Water Rights Reform By Sarah Bardeen Dec 5, 2023 Many have argued that California’s water rights laws are sorely in need of modernization. Is recent legislation taking a step in that direction? We spoke with two legal experts to find out.
blog post Video: Stewarding California’s Wet Years By Sarah Bardeen Nov 20, 2023 Wet weather brought relief to our parched state last winter. And while full reservoirs are great, is there room to improve California’s wet year management? At our fall conference last week, three panels of experts gave a resounding yes—and then offered insights on how to improve. Read our recap!
event Stewarding California’s Wet Years Nov 14, 2023 California has made great strides in preparing for a drier, hotter future, but it remains a challenge to harness the bounty of wet years while also reducing flood risk. How did California’s water sector manage the unusually wet conditions of the 2023 water year—and what lessons can we glean for the future? We speak with three panels of experts to find out.
blog post Video: A Conversation with Chief Justice of California Patricia Guerrero By Mary Severance Nov 3, 2023 Patricia Guerrero became California's 29th Chief Justice in January 2023, succeeding current PPIC president and CEO Tani Cantil-Sakauye as head of the state's judiciary. At an event in Sacramento, they discussed Chief Justice Guerrero's priorities and goals for the state's judicial branch.
Report Priorities for California’s Water By Jeffrey Mount, Letitia Grenier, Ellen Hanak, Caitlin Peterson ... Nov 1, 2023 California has made great strides in preparing for a drier, hotter future, but it remains a challenge to harness the bounty of wet years while also reducing flood risk. How did California’s water sector manage the unusually wet 2023 water year—and what lessons can we glean for the 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.
