KICK-OFF EVENT FOCUSED ON AFFORDABILITY
Sacramento, August 28th, 2025 – The California Policy Lab (CPL), a nonpartisan research institute at the University of California (UC), launched its new office in Sacramento this week by hosting an event focused on affordability in California. CPL’s new office is at the UC Student and Policy Center in Sacramento, just steps from the Capitol. CPL also has sites at the UC Berkeley and UCLA campuses and works with professors at all 10 UC campuses.
“The California Policy Lab is set to bring world-class research directly to the Capitol, turning data into actionable solutions that improve lives for Californians and their communities,” said UC Provost Katherine Newman. “With their new presence in Sacramento, the Policy Lab will ensure that state leaders and policymakers have the best evidence and data at hand as they deliberate over policies and programs designed to solve California’s most pressing challenges.”
“We were thrilled to receive support from the University of California to open this office, which significantly strengthens our ability to share our research with a much wider audience, including policymakers from across the state,” says Jesse Rothstein, Professor of Public Policy and Economics at UC Berkeley and the Faculty Director of the California Policy Lab’s UC Berkeley site.
“Through the California Policy Lab, UC researchers partner with local and state agencies to help answer some of the most pressing policy questions they’re facing,” explains Till von Wachter, a UCLA Economics Professor and the Faculty Director of the California Policy Lab’s UCLA site. “This new office will help us to share our research findings more directly with state policymakers, whether it’s measuring the impact wildfires have on workers in Los Angeles, or evaluating the effectiveness of the state’s job training programs.”
August 26th Kick-Off Event
During the event, CPL spotlighted research on one of the most urgent challenges facing Californians today: affordability. From housing to health care to rising everyday costs, California is becoming increasingly unaffordable — and policymakers need timely, credible data and research to respond effectively.
Event speakers included:
Senator Jesse Arreguín
Kim Johnson, Secretary of the California Health & Human Services Agency
Prof. Katherine Newman, Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, University of California
Nancy Farias, Director, California Employment Development Department
Catharine Baker, Director, UC Student and Policy Center
Dr. Walter Schwarm, Chief Demographer, California Department of Finance
Prof. Jesse Rothstein, CPL Faculty Director
Prof. Till von Wachter, CPL Faculty Director
Evan White, CPL Executive Director
More about the California Policy Lab
The California Policy Lab is a nonpartisan research institute based at the University of California that partners with public agencies to generate research insights for government impact. CPL’s research staff includes more than 40 people, and its affiliated experts are UC professors who work on economic inclusion, workforce development, homelessness, criminal justice reform, health, and education. Through hands-on partnerships with government agencies, CPL performs rigorous research across issue silos in order to improve programs and policies that millions of Californians rely on every day.
Since our founding in 2017, CPL has grown substantially, thanks to support from key operational funders, including Arnold Ventures, The James Irvine Foundation, the University of California Office of the President, the Conrad N Hilton Foundation, the Woven Foundation, and many other supporters. CPL has launched 230+ projects that have resulted in 125+ reports, all of which inform policy and practice.
Photos from the event (clicking on a thumbnail will launch a viewer with larger photos)
