blog post California’s High Housing Costs Have Created a Million “House Rich” Millionaires By Hans Johnson Jul 21, 2022 Rising home prices have led to unprecedented levels of wealth among homeowners, with an estimated 1.2 million households now home-equity millionaires. Who are these house-rich Californians?
Report Land Transitions and Dust in the San Joaquin Valley By Andrew Ayres, Jaymin Kwon, Joy Collins Jul 20, 2022 Agricultural operations and wind erosion are two of the largest sources of dust in the San Joaquin Valley, and the valley’s air quality may decline with increased farmland fallowing and a warmer, drier climate. This will impact low-income, rural communities first and foremost, but proactive management can help identify high-risk areas and direct funding to cost-effective interventions.
Report Exploring the Potential for Water-Limited Agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley By Caitlin Peterson, Cameron Pittelkow, Mark Lundy Jul 20, 2022 As irrigated farmland comes out of production in the San Joaquin Valley, valley residents will face increased pests, weeds, and dust—as well as a loss of employment and economic activity. Water-limited cropping is one alternative to fallowing that can improve soil health and air quality, create habitat, and keep land in production.
blog post Protecting Yourself from the Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke By Sarah Bardeen Jul 11, 2022 Wildfire smoke has become a fact of life in California. Wondering about wildfire smoke’s health impacts, and how we can best protect ourselves from harm? We interview an expert to learn more.
blog post Policy Expert Olga Rodriguez to Lead PPIC Higher Education Center By Vicki Hsieh Jul 5, 2022 New director Olga Rodriguez talks about her vision for the PPIC Higher Education Center and discusses the key issues for California’s colleges and universities today.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on Science Education By Niu Gao, Mary Severance Jun 21, 2022 As California schools recover from the pandemic, policymakers can take steps to promote equitable investments in science literacy across the state.
blog post Making Water Affordable for Low-Income Households By Sarah Bardeen Jun 21, 2022 Carlos Torres is a program specialist with the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), a new federal program that assists low-income households with water and wastewater bills. We spoke to him about what it’s like working with the first-ever federal water assistance program.
blog post Commentary: Klamath Basin Dam Removal Needs a Science-driven Oversight Plan By Jeffrey Mount, Peter Moyle May 31, 2022 The whole world is watching the Klamath Dam removal project. Jeffrey Mount and Peter Moyle argue that a robust science and monitoring program is essential to ensuring the project’s success—and will help guide future similar dam removals around the world.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Rachel Lawler, Deja Thomas May 25, 2022 Key finding include: Rising prices, the economy, and housing are the top issues for Californians. Most approve of the $18 billion package that Governor Newsom has proposed to address inflation. Majorities think the nation is headed in the wrong direction and anticipate bad economic times in the next year. For the November midterm elections, most likely voters favor the Democratic candidate in their House district and prefer a candidate who wants Roe v. Wade kept in place.
