Policy Brief Policy Brief: Pandemic Changes to Medi-Cal and Implications for California’s Immigrant Farmworkers By Paulette Cha Mar 22, 2023 Pandemic changes to Medi-Cal made it easier for low-income Californians to stay enrolled and to access expanded services—improvements to care that may have helped immigrant farmworkers. The upcoming end of the public health emergency will reverse some of these changes, as advocates push to keep others permanent.
blog post Sites Reservoir’s Novel Approach to Storing Water for the Environment By Gokce Sencan Mar 20, 2023 The proposed Sites Reservoir would take a novel approach to storing water to benefit freshwater ecosystems when they need it most. We spoke with Jerry Brown, executive director of the Sites Project Authority, to learn more about plans for the reservoir and its ecosystem water budget.
blog post California’s Leading Role in Providing Criminal Defense to the Poor By Heather Harris Mar 16, 2023 This week is the 60th anniversary of a landmark US Supreme Court decision that established a constitutional right to legal representation for defendants in state criminal courts, regardless of their ability to pay. We look at California’s approach to indigent defense and how it has changed over time.
blog post Testimony: Assessing the Pandemic’s Effects on Student Learning, Absenteeism, and Graduation By Iwunze Ugo Mar 15, 2023 At an Assembly budget subcommittee hearing, PPIC’s Iwunze Ugo discusses how K–12 students are faring as California emerges from the pandemic. His testimony focuses in part on test scores from 2022, the first full administration of state standards tests in nearly three years.
blog post As a Pandemic Medi-Cal Policy Ends, Some Californians Will Fall through the Cracks By Paulette Cha Mar 1, 2023 On April 1, officials restarted regular Medi-Cal eligibility reviews that had been paused during the pandemic. While this change will reduce state General Fund spending on Medi-Cal, it will also result in some still-eligible individuals being disenrolled from the program.
blog post Homeless Populations Are Rising around California By Jennifer Paluch, Joseph Herrera Feb 21, 2023 Between 2020 and 2022, California’s homeless population increased by 6%. While this growth was largely concentrated in urban areas, the number of people experiencing homelessness declined in San Francisco and Orange County.
blog post What Student Debt Relief Means for Californians By Darriya Starr, Jacob Jackson, Dean Bonner Feb 9, 2023 A plan to forgive federal student loan debt—now being reviewed by the US Supreme Court—could provide relief to about 3.5 million Californians. Six in ten Californians favor a government policy to eliminate college debt, though support varies across different racial/ethnic groups and by educational attainment and income level.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: The Future of Agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley By Alvar Escriva-Bou, Ellen Hanak, Spencer Cole, Josué Medellín-Azuara Feb 8, 2023 Agriculture is a key driver of the regional economy in the San Joaquin Valley, but water for irrigation is an ongoing—and growing—concern. Our latest research offers the most accurate, nuanced, and localized look at where fallowing may need to occur—and details the policy and management actions that could lead to better outcomes.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Rachel Lawler, Deja Thomas Feb 1, 2023 Key findings include overwhelming majorities say housing affordability and homelessness are a big problem; many Californians worry younger generations will be unable to afford a home. Majorities expect bad times ahead for the state financially. Approval of Newsom and Biden has remained steady, while approval has fallen for the US Supreme Court and Congress.
blog post Investing in Schools to Address COVID-19’s Toll on Youth Mental Health By Shalini Mustala, Paulette Cha Dec 5, 2022 The pandemic had a devastating effect on the mental health of children and adolescents. Recent state investments to support schools’ efforts in early detection and intervention promise to play a critical role in countering this crisis.
