California Policy Lab August 2024 Newsletter

Bail changes in LA impacted jail population, but had little to no short-term impacts on arrests or crime reports

A new CPL report adds evidence to the debate on bail reforms and their impact on crime. The report focuses on 3 bail policy changes in Los Angeles, including removing monetary bail for non-violent, non-serious felonies and misdemeanors in LA County. Report

CPL research informing criminal justice reform efforts

The Committee on Revision of the Penal Code was created by the Legislature and Governor to study and then make recommendations to simplify and rationalize California’s criminal legal system.

As the Committee’s research partner, CPL has produced analysis showing the long-term impacts from sentencing laws like Three Strikes, as well as California’s Nickel Prior Enhancement, and incarceration changes during the pandemic. These reports informed a number of policy changes, including 16 new laws, which are described in the Committee’s 2023 annual report.

CPL affiliate Hilary Hoynes awarded prestigious Holland Medal for research on poverty

Professor Hilary Hoynes is the second UC Berkeley professor to receive the illustrious Daniel M. Holland award, and the third woman. Hoynes is a CPL faculty affiliate that advises on much of our safety-net portfolio. For example, Hoynes co-authored CPL’s report showing California families received more than $3.8 billion in credits under the expanded Child Tax Credit. Congratulations Hilary!

CPL’s research infrastructure supports dozens of research projects

CPL’s research infrastructure not only powers CPL’s research, but also facilitates “hosted” projects by external researchers. We’re able to streamline the process for researchers to start and execute research projects, making more policy-focused research possible on faster timelines. We recently added many of these hosted projects to our website. Stay tuned as we add additional details and results from these projects. All hosted projects. By topic: homelessness, criminal justice, safety-net, education, health, labor. And 100+ using data on consumer credit.

Welcome new CPL staff

Zoe Klingmann recently joined our UCLA team as a Data Analyst and she will be working on projects focused on homelessness and mental health.

CPL’s Undergraduate Summer Institute Concludes

Eleven U.C. students and recent graduates spent the summer learning data and policy analysis skills as they completed their own research projects using the University of California Consumer Credit Panel. Congratulations to Halle Strause, the recipient of the Maria X. Martinez Prize, awarded to the student with the top project each year. Halle’s project focused on the impact of the “Medical Debt Wipe.” This is the 4th summer CPL offered the Institute, however, our funding expires this year. Please reach out to Evan White if you’re interested in supporting the Institute.

Join CPL to generate research insights for government impact

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• Research Manager for Homelessness Research

L.A. County’s ‘zero bail’ policy hasn’t impacted crime rates: report

In this news segment, Dr. Johanna Lacoe, a co-author of CPL’s new report focused on bail policy changes in Los Angeles, is interviewed about the findings.

Housing relief? Mortgage rates drop to their lowest level in over a year

This article quotes Jesse Rothstein, Faculty Director of CPL’s UC Berkeley Site, who co-authored a working paper with Jack Liebersohn focused on “mortgage rate lock.” The paper uses data from the University of California Consumer Credit Panel, and shows that “mortgage rate lock” led to about 1 million fewer people with a mortgage moving since mid-2021.

Please support our work
Consider donating to support our work generating research insights for government impact. If you are interested in making a larger gift, please reach out to Evan White or Janey Rountree to discuss opportunities to support CPL.