blog post Tackling “Forever Chemicals” in the Water Supply By Sarah Bardeen Jan 19, 2023 Much has been made of two drinking water pollutants recently: PFAS and microplastics. We spoke with Jason Dadakis of the Orange County Water District to learn more about these pollutants—and to find out how worried we should be.
blog post Californians Are Pessimistic about Economic Times Ahead By Dean Bonner, Sarah Bohn Jan 18, 2023 While the state’s economy looks strong on many measures, more than two-thirds of Californians expect bad economic times in the next year, according to PPIC’s November survey. Meanwhile, high prices and growing inequality are significant concerns, especially for low-income residents.
blog post New Beginnings By Tani Cantil-Sakauye Jan 4, 2023 Tani Cantil-Sakauye, PPIC’s new president and CEO, previews our upcoming research and highlights PPIC’s role in providing trusted, nonpartisan insights on the most pressing challenges facing our state.
blog post 2022 Year in Review By Mark Baldassare Dec 15, 2022 During the past year, California worked to rebound from the pandemic while confronting drought, inflation, an economic divide, and political polarization. President and CEO Mark Baldassare reflects on the role PPIC has played in helping identify equity-centered approaches to the challenges and opportunities facing our state.
blog post How Is Remote Work Affecting Worker Preferences and the Economy? By Dean Bonner, Sarah Bohn Dec 13, 2022 More than one-third of employed Californians say they work from home either all the time or sometimes. But the ability to work remotely varies across industries, occupations, and regions, with significant implications for job-seeking patterns and economic opportunity.
blog post A Regional Look at the Availability of Well-Paying Jobs after COVID By Rachel Lawler, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Sarah Bohn Dec 1, 2022 The nature of job loss and recovery during the pandemic varies across California’s regions. And these differences are reflected in residents’ views on employment opportunities in their part of the state.
blog post A Tight Labor Market: Challenges for Business, Opportunities for Workers? By Sarah Bohn, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Vicki Hsieh, Julien Lafortune Nov 21, 2022 Last week’s jobs report indicated strong job growth and continued low unemployment in California. Under the right conditions, this could spell greater economic returns to both workers and businesses.
blog post Shrinking Household Size Strains California’s Housing Market By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Hans Johnson, Julien Lafortune Nov 17, 2022 Changing demographic patterns during the pandemic—with Californians “spreading out” across more housing units—has boosted housing demand, while the pace of new construction has not kept up with the number of new households.
blog post Inflation Squeezes Californians’ Budgets, despite Wage Growth By Sarah Bohn, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Julien Lafortune Nov 3, 2022 Wages have risen steadily in California since the beginning of 2020 amid a historically tight labor market. But after adjusting for inflation, average wages are down slightly compared to January 2020.
Report Solar Energy and Groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley By Andrew Ayres, Annabelle Rosser, Ellen Hanak, Alvar Escriva-Bou ... Oct 25, 2022 Hundreds of thousands of acres of irrigated farmland may come out of production in the San Joaquin Valley in coming decades. At the same time, the state needs to ramp up renewable energy generation to meet climate goals. Could solar development on fallowed land help the valley’s residents? Our new report examines the challenges and opportunities.
