Donate
PPIC Logo Independent, objective, nonpartisan research

Search Results

Filters Sort by:
Report

Building California’s Future: Current Conditions in Infrastructure Planning, Budgeting, and Financing

By Michael Neuman, Jan Whittington

California’s identified infrastructure needs now outstrip available funds. To address this problem, the governor has charged the Commission on Building for the 21st Century with investigating financial options for narrowing the gap between needs and resources.  This important and timely charge seems to neglect another important policy consideration: the way infrastructure decisions are made in the first place. In Building California’s Future: Current Conditions in Infrastructure Planning, Budgeting, and Financing, Michael Neuman and Jan Whittington examine California’s decision-making process at the state level.  Based on interviews with policymakers as well as a thorough review of laws, rules, and budgets, their study evaluates how state agencies, legislators, and the governor interact to plan, budget, finance, and prioritize infrastructure projects.

Report

Pathways for School Finance in California

By Jon Sonstelie, Heather Rose, Margaret Weston

This report demonstrates how California can steadily improve its school finance system as economic and demographic conditions permit. To illustrate the possibilities, this report models a variety of potential improvements. Relying on five straightforward principles for reform, the authors show how small investments over time can help the system become more equitable and transparent.

This report was supported with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Report

Financing Higher Education Capital Projects

By Patrick Murphy, Radhika Mehlotra, Kevin Cook

Aging infrastructure should be a major priority as California seeks to produce more college-educated workers. Modernizing and maintaining facilities at the state’s community colleges, CSU, and UC could cost billions of dollars, with each system facing its own unique challenges.

Report

Funding California Schools When Budgets Fall Short

By Julien Lafortune, Radhika Mehlotra, Jennifer Paluch

Even as districts prioritize safety amid COVID-19, they face hard choices as they try to maintain services and balance budgets. By examining district reserves and spending, this report aims to understand how the Great Recession affected K–12 funding and how prepared districts are now to manage future cuts.

Report

Higher Education in California: Investing in Public Higher Education

By Hans Johnson, Patrick Murphy, Kevin Cook

State funding for higher education has increased in recent years. Per student funding for the California Community Colleges (CCC) is at an historic high and the Cal Grant program is larger than ever. But the state’s investment in its public universities remains far lower than in the past.

Search results are limited to 100 items. Please use the Refine Results tool if you are not finding what you are looking for.