Report Accounting for California’s Water By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, Brian Gray, Henry McCann Jul 20, 2016 Understanding California’s balance sheet for water—how much there is, who has claims to it, and what is actually being "spent”—is key to effectively managing the state’s limited water supply in support of a healthy economy and environment. This report compares California’s water accounting systems to those of 11 other western states, Australia, and Spain. It identifies gaps in California’s water information systems, and proposes a dozen ways to bridge them. Read a summary of the report’s policy recommendations. This research was supported with funding from The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Water Foundation, an initiative of the Resources Legacy Fund.
blog post Flood Insurance: Why Don’t People Buy It? By Carolyn Kousky Apr 6, 2016 Flood insurance sales have been falling in the US in recent years, but California bucked the trend this year.
Report What If California’s Drought Continues? By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund, Jeffrey Mount, Peter Moyle ... Aug 19, 2015 California is in the fourth year of a severe, hot drought—the kind that is increasingly likely as the climate warms. Although no sector has been untouched, impacts so far have varied greatly, reflecting different levels of drought preparedness. Urban areas are in the best shape, thanks to sustained investments in diversified water portfolios and conservation. Farmers are more vulnerable, but they are also adapting. The greatest vulnerabilities are in some low-income rural communities where wells are running dry and in California’s wetlands, rivers, and forests, where the state’s iconic biodiversity is under extreme threat. Two to three more years of drought will increase challenges in all areas and require continued—and likely increasingly difficult—adaptations. Emergency programs will need to be significantly expanded to get drinking water to rural residents and to prevent major losses of waterbirds and extinctions of numerous native fish species, including most salmon runs. California also needs to start a longer-term effort to build drought resilience in the most vulnerable areas.
blog post Drought Watch: Is This the End of Our Dry Spell? By Jeffrey Mount Dec 12, 2014 Beneath every headline about the intensity of the storm this week will be the question: Is the drought over?
blog post The Decline of the Homeowner By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Aug 19, 2014 Never before has the state seen such dramatic declines in the number of owner-occupied houses.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and the Environment By Mark Baldassare, Jennifer Paluch, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek Jul 29, 2009 Some findings of the current survey: Solid majorities of Californians favor government regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and policies to curb global warming. More Californians support than oppose expanding coastal oil drilling; even more favor improving fuel efficiency. Three in four Californians say the state should expand public transit and use existing transportation networks more efficiently—only 18 percent say the state should build more freeways. Job Approval Ratings: President Obama Governor Schwarzenegger California State Legislature Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings: President Obama Governor Schwarzenegger California State Legislature Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in California Economic Outlook for California Time Trends for the Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in California Economic Outlook for California This survey is supported with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
