blog post The EPA’s Martha Guzman Discusses New Environmental Justice Initiatives By Sarah Bardeen May 15, 2023 Martha Guzman is leading the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to protect public health and the environment for Region 9, which includes California. We spoke with Ms. Guzman to learn more about the EPA’s latest environmental justice initiatives—and found her to be a fountain of both information and enthusiasm about the new opportunities.
blog post Pandemic-Era CalFresh Expansions Lifted Many Families Out of Poverty By Patricia Malagon, Tess Thorman May 2, 2023 Policy changes made during COVID broadened access to food assistance and increased benefit levels. We examine the impact on California families’ financial well-being.
blog post Video: Pandemic Policymaking and Changed Outcomes in Criminal Courts By Stephanie Barton Apr 28, 2023 PPIC researcher Heather Harris discusses a new report on the effects of policies put in place by California courts to address pandemic conditions, with a focus on remote hearings.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Pandemic Policymaking and Changed Outcomes in Criminal Courts By Heather Harris, Stephanie Barton Apr 12, 2023 Remote hearings are the major policy to endure from pandemic interventions introduced by California criminal courts. When remote hearings were in place, misdemeanor convictions fell—and courts tended to hand out probation or fines for these crimes, especially among white, Latino, and Black defendants.
blog post As Medi-Cal Enters a Post-Pandemic Phase, Keeping Eligible Californians Enrolled Is a Key Concern By Caroline Danielson, Shannon McConville Apr 11, 2023 Following a three-year pause during COVID, California counties are restarting annual eligibility reviews for the Medi-Cal program. Some who lose Medi-Cal will become uninsured, likely leading to a small but notable increase in poverty in the state.
blog post Video: The Impact of Health Insurance on Poverty in California By Mary Severance Apr 6, 2023 PPIC researchers Patricia Malagon and Caroline Danielson discuss a new report that examines how access to health coverage affects economic well-being across the state.
blog post Video: Pandemic Changes to Medi-Cal and Implications for Immigrant Farmworkers By Stephanie Barton Apr 5, 2023 PPIC researcher Paulette Cha discusses the impact on immigrant farmworkers of Medi-Cal changes made during the COVID-19 public health emergency as well as upcoming Medi-Cal expansions.
event The Impact of Health Insurance on Poverty in California Mar 30, 2023 Over the past decade, massive public investments in health coverage have given millions of Californians better access to physical and financial well-being. PPIC researchers will outline their analysis of the impact of health coverage on poverty rates across California’s geographic regions and demographic groups.
blog post Exploring the Spike in Chronic Absenteeism among K–12 Students By Laura Hill, Emmanuel Prunty Mar 29, 2023 Nearly one in three California public school students were chronically absent in 2021–22, a share that is almost triple that in 2018–19. Rates of chronic absenteeism were highest among Black, Native American, and Pacific Islander students.
event Pandemic Changes to Medi-Cal and Implications for Immigrant Farmworkers Mar 28, 2023 Pandemic changes to Medi-Cal made it easier for Californians to stay enrolled and to access newly expanded services. But the upcoming end of pandemic-era policies will reverse some of these changes. On March 28, PPIC researcher Paulette Cha will present a briefing on how this policy shift may have improved care for low-income residents such as immigrant farmworkers, and discuss what will change when the policy ends.
