Fact Sheet Financing California’s Public Schools By Julien Lafortune Nov 29, 2023 K–12 funding has been at record-high levels in recent years, and California’s per student spending is now slightly above the national average. Spending is higher for low-income students, English Learners, and foster youth. However, enrollment declines, rising costs, and the expiration of pandemic funding pose fiscal challenges for school districts.
blog post Soft Landing? What the Latest Data Says about California’s Economy By Jenny Duan, Sarah Bohn Oct 30, 2023 New jobs data suggests that taming inflation has not hurt the state's labor market much. While unemployment in California has increased slowly since a low in August 2022, the state's labor market still shows many markers of strength.
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.
event Managing Water and Farmland Transitions in the San Joaquin Valley Sep 20, 2023 Achieving groundwater sustainability is vital to the health of the San Joaquin Valley’s communities, agriculture, environment, and economy—but the transition will be challenging. How can the region ensure the best outcomes? Authors of a new PPIC study and a diverse group of local and state experts will discuss key issues and solutions to some of the valley’s looming challenges.
blog post Wage Growth Is Struggling to Keep Up with Inflation By Jenny Duan, Daniel Payares-Montoya Sep 19, 2023 Average hourly wages for private-sector workers have increased 15% since just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. But in many parts of the economy, wages are not rising fast enough to keep up with inflation.
Report Managing Water and Farmland Transitions in the San Joaquin Valley By Ellen Hanak, Andrew Ayres, Caitlin Peterson, Alvar Escriva-Bou ... Sep 18, 2023 How can the San Joaquin Valley adapt to a future with less water? We’ve been researching this issue for the past seven years, and our new report presents highlights from we’ve learned, including a robust list of policy suggestions to help the valley weather—and make the most of—the coming changes.
blog post Regional Trends in Unemployment By Sarah Bohn, Jenny Duan Sep 6, 2023 While California’s unemployment rate has ticked up over the past year, in some regions unemployment is lower than it was before the pandemic.
blog post Who Is Unemployed in California? By Sarah Bohn Aug 24, 2023 While still historically low, unemployment in California has ticked up over the past year. Unemployment among men has increased more than for most other demographic groups and much more than for women.
blog post A Regional Look at California’s Latest Employment Trends By Sarah Bohn, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Jenny Duan, Julien Lafortune Mar 30, 2023 While employment is higher than it was before the pandemic, California’s economy could face headwinds in the coming months. We look at how seven major regions are faring and discuss the factors driving job growth in different parts of the state.
event Women in California’s Legislature Mar 8, 2023 This year’s legislative class includes the largest number of women in state history. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we invite you to join PPIC’s president and CEO Tani Cantil-Sakauye and a panel of women leaders from California’s legislature as they share their experiences and discuss the dynamics of diversity in setting better policy for the state.