blog post Student Homelessness Rises to Pre-Pandemic Levels By Brett Guinan, Julien Lafortune Feb 26, 2024 Nearly a quarter million K–12 students in California experienced homelessness at some point during the 2022–23 school year. After three years of declines, the state's homeless student population has returned to pre-COVID levels.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Lauren Mora, Deja Thomas Feb 22, 2024 Schiff, Porter, and Garvey lead in the top-two primary for the US Senate, while Trump is poised to capture all of California's delegates in the Republican presidential primary. Majorities see the situation at the US-Mexico border as a major problem.
blog post Testimony: California’s K–12 Digital Divide Has Narrowed, but Access Gaps Persist By Niu Gao Feb 21, 2024 At an Assembly Education Committee hearing on addressing students’ post-pandemic needs, PPIC senior fellow Niu Gao discussed the role that federal, state, and local efforts have played in increasing digital connectivity and outlined key challenges that remain.
blog post Learning Recovery Is Uneven for Urban and Rural School Districts By Saayili Budhiraja, Thomas Pearson, Emmanuel Prunty, Niu Gao Feb 14, 2024 Half of California's K–12 students are enrolled in urban or rural districts. Compared to the rest of the state, these districts have seen a slower pace of recovery from pandemic learning loss.
blog post Counties Are Key Partners in the Medi-Cal Program By Shannon McConville Feb 8, 2024 County governments play an important role in administering Medi-Cal and organizing and delivering health services. We look at how counties' Medi-Cal responsibilities—as well as the resources available to carry them out—have shifted over the past decade, a period that has seen the state significantly expand program eligibility.
Fact Sheet Self-Employment in California By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Jenny Duan, Sarah Bohn Jan 26, 2024 Self-employment is an important contributor to California’s economy; the self-employed make up 11% of workers statewide and the jobs they create account for 23% of total employment. Rates of self-employment vary across regions and demographic groups.
blog post Medi-Cal Has Expanded Health Coverage in California By Shannon McConville, Shalini Mustala Jan 17, 2024 Over the past ten years, the expansion of Medi-Cal has been a key driver of health coverage gains under the federal Affordable Care Act. Federal policy responses during the COVID-19 public health emergency also boosted Medi-Cal enrollment, though it has declined with the resumption last year of regular eligibility checks.
Explainer Making Sense of California’s Economy By Sarah Bohn, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Julien Lafortune, Vicki Hsieh Jan 16, 2024 We take a look at where California's economy has been, where it might be headed, and how we can better insulate Californians against future upheavals.
Fact Sheet California’s Higher Education System By Kevin Cook Jan 10, 2024 The nation’s largest public system of higher learning is in California. Nearly 80% of state students attend a public institution, with over half enrolling in community college—making transfer into a four-year college a key path to a bachelor’s degree. Funds to support higher education and financial aid account for about 7% of the state’s budget.
Fact Sheet Law Enforcement Staffing in California By Brandon Martin, Magnus Lofstrom, Andrew Skelton Jan 8, 2024 Law enforcement is funded largely at the local level, and almost half of California’s law enforcement officers work for municipal police departments. Staffing levels continued to drop in 2022, though losses vary across agencies.
