blog post New Term Limits Add Stability to the State Legislature By Eric McGhee Nov 12, 2018 Proposition 28, passed by California voters in 2012, relaxed term limits and has provided some stability to both chambers of the state legislature.
blog post Diversity in the California Statehouse By Jennifer Paluch Dec 17, 2020 White lawmakers account for a disproportionately large share of the legislature, while Latinos are underrepresented. But the legislature has gotten more diverse in recent years.
blog post Where California Stands with Women in the Legislature By Jennifer Paluch Nov 19, 2020 Following the 2020 election, women will account for about one-third of California’s state legislators—as they did before the election. This is a smaller share than in neighboring states.
blog post Redistricting and the Changing Demographics of the California Legislature By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch Feb 1, 2023 The November 2022 election has transformed the demographics of California’s state legislature and congressional delegation, adding greater numbers of Latinos and women in particular. Newly redrawn political districts are one of the factors driving this change.
Report Political Reform and Moderation in California’s Legislature: Did Electoral Reforms Make State Representatives More Moderate? By Eric McGhee May 8, 2018 California implemented several important election reforms at the start of this decade. Each was intended in part to promote more flexible, moderate decision-making among California’s elected officials in an era of increasingly acrimonious partisan conflict. This report looks at the moderating effect of three reforms: the shift of authority to draw legislative and congressional districts from the state legislature to an independent redistricting commission; the loosening of term limits for state legislators; and a highly open “top two” primary system.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek, Jui Shrestha Sep 25, 2013 Some findings of the current survey: Four in ten Californians say they will not be affected much by health care reform. About a quarter think they will be better off and a similar share think they will be worse off. Half of Californians support the state government’s plan to ease prison overcrowding; most are concerned about the possible early release of prisoners. There is overwhelming support for regulations requiring oil companies to obtain permits and disclose information on chemicals used in fracking and other oil extraction methods. For the first time, a majority of Californians say marijuana use should be legal. Job Approval Ratings: President Obama [PDF] Governor Brown [PDF] California State Legislature [PDF] U.S. Congress [PDF] Senator Boxer [PDF] Senator Feinstein [PDF] Their Own State Legislators in the Assembly and Senate [PDF] Their Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives [PDF] Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings: President Obama [XLS] Governor Brown [XLS] California State Legislature [XLS] U.S. Congress [XLS] Senator Boxer [XLS] Senator Feinstein [XLS] Their Own State Legislators in the Assembly and Senate [XLS] Their Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives [XLS] Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in California [PDF] Economic Outlook for California [PDF] Time Trends for the Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in California [XLS] Economic Outlook for California [XLS] This survey was supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.
Explainer Race and Diversity in the Golden State By Hans Johnson, Eric McGhee, Carolyn Subramaniam, Vicki Hsieh Oct 2, 2023 California is one of the most diverse states in the nation, but disparate outcomes persist across and within racial groups.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek, Nicole Willcoxon Mar 25, 2010 Some findings of the current survey: Meg Whitman leads Jerry Brown 44% to 39% among likely voters in the race for governor and Brown is favored over Poizner, 46% to 31%. Incumbent Barbara Boxer is in a close race with Carly Fiorina and Tom Campbell for her senate seat. Approval for the state legislature’s job performance drops to 9%. More Californians favor (50%) than oppose (45%) same-sex marriage. Job Approval Ratings: President Obama [PDF]Governor Schwarzenegger [PDF]California State Legislature [PDF]U.S. Congress [PDF]Job Approval Ratings for Their Own State Legislators in the Assembly and Senate [PDF]Job Approval Ratings for Their Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives [PDF] Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings: President Obama [XLS]Governor Schwarzenegger [XLS]California State Legislature [XLS]U.S. Congress [XLS]Job Approval Ratings for Their Own State Legislators in the Assembly and Senate [XLS]Job Approval Ratings for Their Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives [XLS] Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in California [PDF]Economic Outlook for California [PDF] Time Trends for the Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in California [XLS]Economic Outlook for California [XLS] This survey was supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Jennifer Paluch, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek Dec 17, 2009 Some findings of the current survey: Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman leads the field among likely voters in the GOP gubernatorial primary, but Democrat Jerry Brown beats all three potential Republican candidates in hypothetical 2010 general election matchups. More than half of likely voters say the issues of lowering the legislative vote threshold to pass a state budget and allowing same-sex marriage are very important. Half of Californians support proposed changes to the health care system, given what they know about the legislation. They take a pessimistic view of military efforts in Afghanistan, and are divided on President Obama’s proposal for more troops there. Job Approval Ratings: President ObamaGovernor SchwarzeneggerCalifornia State LegislatureU.S. CongressTheir Own State Legislator in the Assembly and SenateTheir Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings: President ObamaGovernor SchwarzeneggerCalifornia State LegislatureU.S. Congress Their Own State Legislators in the Assembly and SenateTheir Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in CaliforniaGeneral Direction of Things in the United StatesEconomic Outlook for CaliforniaEconomic Outlook for the United States Time Trends for the Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in CaliforniaGeneral Direction of Things in the United StatesEconomic Outlook for CaliforniaEconomic Outlook for the United States This survey is supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Lauren Mora, Deja Thomas Sep 26, 2023 PPIC's latest survey finds that almost nine in ten Californians believe there is a mental health crisis in the US. Also, most Californians are now less comfortable making a major purchase like a home or a car compared to six months ago.
