Policy Brief Policy Brief: Tracking Where Water Goes in a Changing Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta By Greg Gartrell, Jeffrey Mount, Ellen Hanak May 16, 2022 The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta supplies water to roughly 30 million Californians, over 6 million acres of farmland, and countless ecosystems. But the watershed’s climate is changing: recent decades have seen record warmth, higher evaporation, and declining snowpack. We track where the water is going—and how to adapt.
blog post A Life Written in Water: Susan Tatayon Reflects on Her 40-year Career By Sarah Bardeen May 2, 2022 As the former chair of the Delta Stewardship Council, Susan Tatayon has a unique perspective on the state’s water woes. We asked her to reflect on all she has learned in her four-decade career in California water.
blog post Video: Farming in a State of Extremes By Sarah Bardeen Apr 26, 2022 Last week, we brought together a panel of experts to discuss how the drought is affecting California’s farming regions—and what steps could be taken to soften the economic blow and improve the state’s resilience.
blog post California’s Rivers Could Help Protect the State from Flood and Drought By Sarah Bardeen Apr 18, 2022 Ecosystem restoration expert Julie Rentner of the nonprofit River Partners spoke with us about the benefits of restoring rivers—particularly in a warming and more volatile climate.
blog post Testimony: Implementing SGMA at Ground Zero—Challenges and Opportunities for the San Joaquin Valley By Ellen Hanak, Alvar Escriva-Bou Feb 15, 2022 PPIC Water Policy Center director Ellen Hanak testified before an informational hearing on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in Sacramento today (February 15, 2022). Read her prepared remarks.
blog post A Freezer Full of Eyeballs (and Other Oddities) Animate the Quest to Save California’s Salmon By Sarah Bardeen Jan 18, 2022 Many are seeking to restore California’s crashing salmon populations—but is the battle to save this iconic fish working? One expert describes an innovative way to measure the success of floodplain restoration.
blog post The Current Drought: Time to Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst By Alvar Escriva-Bou, Ellen Hanak Nov 8, 2021 Last month’s atmospheric river brought California some much-needed rain. But our new analysis shows it would take an exceptionally wet year to lift the state out of drought conditions.
Report Racial Disparities in Law Enforcement Stops By Magnus Lofstrom, Joseph Hayes, Brandon Martin, Deepak Premkumar Oct 13, 2021 Recent debate over police reforms has centered on how law enforcement engages with people of color, prompted by continuing concerns over racial inequities in criminal justice. In our analysis of data for nearly 4 million stops, we examine how interactions—ranging from search to use of force—differ for Black and white people, while considering factors such as stop context and law enforcement agency.
Report Improving California’s Water Market By Andrew Ayres, Ellen Hanak, Brian Gray, Gokce Sencan ... Sep 14, 2021 Water trading and banking will prove important tools to help California bring its groundwater basins into balance under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). A broad range of policy changes could help improve and expand California’s water market while protecting communities from harm.
