California Policy Lab January 2026 Newsletter

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Report: racial disparities in police searches

While Black people make up 5% of California’s population, they made up 12% of all stops in 2023. Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern/South Asian, and Hispanic people were also stopped at higher rates than their population. In contrast, White, Asian, Native American, and Multiracial people were stopped less often than their population shares. Report

Housing Choice Vouchers in Sonoma County

A new Housing Policy Debate article features CPL’s study tracking outcomes for randomly selected housing voucher recipients. People who leased up with the voucher had a decreased likelihood of criminal justice involvement. However, voucher selection did not lead to statistically significant changes in safety-net enrollment or for mental or behavioral health services. Journal article

Prop 36 prison admissions: December update

Voters passed Prop 36 in 2024, creating two new drug and theft crimes. CPL’s monthly analysis shows how many people are admitted to prison each month for these offenses. CPL’s monthly analysis shows how many people are admitted to prison each month for these offenses. December update

Financial distress for student loan borrowers

Two out of three student loans are not being actively repaid, and ~7 million are behind on payments. A proposed settlement would require 8 million SAVE plan borrowers to restart their payments, likely resulting in more delinquencies. Fact sheet

Student exemption to qualify for CalFresh 

A new working paper focuses on the Local Programs to Increase Employability (LPIE) and its impact on UC student participation in CalFresh. Approximately 38% of UC undergraduates are in LPIE-approved programs, as compared to 65% for graduate students. Forthcoming research includes the CSU and California community college systems. Working paper

CPL’s new Policy Director: Justin Rausa

Welcome to Justin Rausa, CPL’s inaugural Policy Director who started earlier this month. He previously served as Deputy Legislative Director for Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office, and before that held positions in the Assembly and with various advocacy organizations. At CPL, Justin leads our Sacramento office and will strengthen our engagement with state legislators.

CPL selected as AI at Work Awardee from Schmidt Sciences

CPL’s research, led by Dr. Ben Hyman, will investigate whether existing job training programs in California can help workers pursue AI-specific training to help them adjust to changes in the job market that are driven by AI. Announcement

Dr. Johanna Lacoe elected Vice President of APPAM Policy Council

Congratulations to Dr. Johanna Lacoe, the research director at our UC Berkeley site for her election to the nation’s main policy research association. At CPL she leads research at the intersection of the criminal justice, education, and housing and homelessness systems, and presents on that research frequently, including at APPAM conferences.

Welcome to our new CPL colleagues

Diana Herrera is a data analyst, focused on economic inclusion and workforce development programs.

Eric Wilson is a senior data analyst, focused on labor and unemployment.

Hosted research: IDR impacts on borrower finances and effects of college costs on family finances

Beyond our own research, CPL also facilitates access to our data infrastructure for other researchers.

1. Enrollment in income driven repayment plans increases the likelihood that student borrowers will take on additional credit. Boisten, Schweinert, Jimenez

2. Homeowning parents use both HELOCs and student loans to pay for their kids’ college and receipt of the Cal Grant (state financial aid) reduces parents’ use of those credit products and delinquency. Bhargava, Black, Denning, Fairlie, Gurantz

They’re in their 60s and still paying off student loans. College debt in America now lasts a lifetime.

Tala Henry-Halabi graduated with $10k in student loans in 1985, but after 40 years of repayments, still owes $12k. This article cites CPL’s recent research on borrowers like Henry-Halabi, showing that 5% of borrowers have had their loans for at least 2 decades — up from 1% in 2015.

CBS cites CPL’s Prop 36 analysis

This segment focuses on the prosecution of 15 people involved in a smash and grab robbery in San Jose, and cites CPL’s new monthly analysis, showing Prop 36 incarceration trends and that about 750 people were incarcerated in prison in 2025 under Prop 36.

GOP forcing eight million student loan borrowers into repayment

This article focuses on the expected outcomes for borrowers if a judge approves a settlement to eliminate the SAVE repayment plan. It cites CPL’s research, which projects that if these SAVE borrowers are delinquent at the same rate as borrowers who are currently supposed to be paying, then nearly 2 million additional borrowers will be late on their payments.

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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.