Fact Sheet Public Health Insurance in California By Shalini Mustala, Paulette Cha Oct 11, 2023 More than half of Californians are covered by public health insurance—mainly Medi-Cal, which covers low-income residents, and Medicare, which covers most adults aged 65 and older. The state is preparing to expand Medi-Cal to all low-income Californians, regardless of age or immigration status.
blog post Californians’ Mental Health Varies across Key Groups By Deja Thomas Oct 4, 2023 Asked to rate their own mental health, most Californians say they are doing well. But there is wide variation across groups, and African Americans, young adults, and lower-income Californians are the most likely to describe their own mental health as poor.
blog post Low-income and Undocumented Californians Struggle with Mental Health By Patricia Malagon, Paulette Cha, Shalini Mustala Oct 2, 2023 Nearly one in five low-income adults in California report having serious psychological distress, and those who are undocumented can face barriers to care. California has taken steps to improve access to mental health care, such as expanding Medi-Cal to all low-income residents regardless of age or immigration status, effective January 2024.
Explainer What’s Behind California’s Recent Population Decline—and Why It Matters By Hans Johnson, Eric McGhee, Carolyn Subramaniam, Vicki Hsieh Oct 2, 2023 California’s unprecedented population loss during the pandemic raises questions about what a shrinking or slowly growing population means for the state’s future.
blog post Did Pandemic Aid Narrow the Digital Divide? By Darriya Starr, Joseph Hayes, Niu Gao Sep 18, 2023 As part of a multifaceted package of pandemic assistance, the federal government in 2021 allocated nearly $7 billion to help schools and libraries expand access to digital devices and internet connectivity. We examine what this has meant for digital equity among California students.
blog post Mapping Farms by Size in the San Joaquin Valley By Andrew Ayres, Zaira Joaquín Morales, Ellen Hanak Aug 30, 2023 The San Joaquin Valley will have to adapt to a future with less water for irrigation under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Some have raised concerns that this could put smaller farms at a disadvantage—but is this true? To gain insight on this issue, we decided to take a closer look, exploring where San Joaquin Valley farms of different sizes are located—and what they grow.
Fact Sheet California’s Likely Voters By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Rachel Lawler, Deja Thomas Aug 28, 2023 Likely voters lean Democratic and are ideologically mixed. They also tend to be whiter, older, more educated, and more affluent than adults overall.
blog post Fostering Fairness in Flood Risk Management By Sarah Bardeen Aug 15, 2023 The US Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for planning and building much of the nation’s flood management infrastructure. In the past, the Corps used an economic evaluation system that favored projects in wealthier areas, that now appears to be changing. We asked the Corps’ Dr. Tessa Beach to tell us more.
blog post After a Three-Year Hiatus, Californians Will Resume Student Loan Payments Soon By Jacob Jackson Aug 2, 2023 The US Supreme Court recently ruled against the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan, while a pandemic-era freeze on payments and interest accrual ends in the coming months. What does this mean for the nearly 4 million Californians with federal student loan debt?
blog post Federal Work Requirements Are Changing for Some CalFresh Participants By Tess Thorman, Caroline Danielson Jul 12, 2023 Recent changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—known as CalFresh in California—alter how employment affects eligibility for some participants. We examine what these changes might mean for CalFresh participants as well as for state and local policymakers.
