Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Rachel Lawler, Deja Thomas Jun 5, 2023 Californians name economic conditions, homelessness, and housing as the most important issues facing the state today. A majority of Californians favor changing state environmental regulations as a way to increase housing affordability.
blog post Californians’ Racial Attitudes and the Reparations Task Force By Mark Baldassare Jun 5, 2023 The state's Reparations Task Force recently issued recommendations for how California might compensate and apologize for slavery and its lasting effects on African Americans. What do Californians think about racism, race relations, and this task force?
blog post The EPA’s Martha Guzman Discusses New Environmental Justice Initiatives By Sarah Bardeen May 15, 2023 Martha Guzman is leading the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to protect public health and the environment for Region 9, which includes California. We spoke with Ms. Guzman to learn more about the EPA’s latest environmental justice initiatives—and found her to be a fountain of both information and enthusiasm about the new opportunities.
blog post A Large Proportion of Crime Goes Unsolved in California By Magnus Lofstrom May 11, 2023 California’s clearance rates—the shares of reported crimes for which police make an arrest and refer the arrestee to prosecution—are better than those nationwide. Still, statewide less than half of violent crimes and only one in ten property crimes are cleared.
blog post Public School Enrollment across California’s Regions, Past and Future By Julien Lafortune, Emmanuel Prunty May 10, 2023 While California public school enrollment has fallen for the sixth straight year, the trend varies across regions. Coastal areas have seen some of the largest drops in enrollment and are likely to experience continued declines.
Fact Sheet Water Use in California By Jeffrey Mount, Ellen Hanak, Caitlin Peterson Apr 19, 2023 To understand California’s water, start here. Water use in California varies dramatically between wet and dry years: learn who’s using California’s water, where, and how much.
blog post Californians See a Rise in Homelessness in Their Communities By Deja Thomas Apr 14, 2023 A record-high seven in ten Californians—including strong majorities across regions and racial/ethnic groups—say the presence of homeless people in their community has increased over the past 12 months.
blog post Commentary: Catastrophic Floods and Breached Levees Reveal a Problem California Too Often Neglects By Jeffrey Mount, Brett Sanders Apr 10, 2023 For much of the past decade, Californians have been fixated on drought, and rightly so. But the storms of the past winter, and the snowmelt-fueled deluges we can expect this spring, are a reminder that we should be equally preoccupied with floods.
blog post Despite State Action, Grim Views on Housing Persist By Dean Bonner Mar 22, 2023 While policymakers have taken steps in recent years to address the state’s housing challenges, seven in ten Californians say that housing affordability is a big problem—the highest share since 2017. In addition, a solid majority of residents are very concerned that the cost of housing will prevent their family’s younger generation from buying a home in their part of California.
Explainer Is College Worth It? By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Cesar Alesi Perez, Vicki Hsieh, Hans Johnson Mar 8, 2023 Rising college costs and a reluctance to take on debt lead many students and families to wonder if college will actually yield a brighter future with higher earnings and better jobs. In this explainer, we explore whether the benefits of a college degree outweigh the costs.
