California Policy Lab July 2026 Newsletter

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Photograph taken at night, from Oakland, facing towards San Francisco, with the Bay Bridge in the middle and sunset colors in the background

Homeownership increased after people leave the Bay

Five years after moving out of state, the homeownership rate for former Bay Area residents increased 33%. However, movers faced environmental, school quality, and income tradeoffs in their new communities. Report SF GATE

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Tracking AI and jobs

The California AI & Unemployment Tracker (CAIT) links unemployment insurance claims with AI occupational exposure to measure labor market impacts. CAIT is updated monthly and June data was added last week. Dashboard and Report

Photograph of a woman holding a small child next to a man. They are indoors, looking at an open door.

Rapid ReHousing reduces homelessness

Rapid Re-Housing reduced homelessness by 25% for families and 30% for single adults and youth over a four-year period, even after the subsidy ended. It also led to improved health, increased income from public assistance programs, and less criminal justice contact for families. Journal Article

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New criminal justice research

Gun enhancements before and after SB 620
The law gave judges discretion to strike firearm enhancements that were previously mandatory. CPL’s analysis shows how enhancement use changed after it went into effect in 2018. Policy Brief

Domestic violence pilot reduces recidivism
A 2018 pilot program for people convicted of domestic violence in 6 California counties led to a 15% overall reduction in reconvictions and a 20% reduction in DV offenses. AB 1549 (Krell) extended the pilot to 2030 and added Sacramento County. Report

Tracking domestic violence trends
CPL’s data point shows statewide trends in domestic violence during the past decade. Data Point

A woman wearing a mask is shopping in a grocery store with her son, who is also masked.

New safety-net research

CalFresh helps students succeed in college
Community college students who received CalFresh during their first year of college were more likely to stay on track academically and return for a second year. Working paper

Impacts of ending emergency allotments
CalFresh participants lost an average of 38% of their monthly benefits when allotments ended in March 2023. While employment and earnings rose slightly after the benefits ended, the majority of participants remained non-employed due to barriers like disabilities, and most saw a net drop in total household income. Report

“Nudges” increase tax credit take-up
Light-touch outreach was an efficient, cost-effective way of connecting families with low-incomes to valuable tax credits (joint research with The People Lab @ Harvard). Policy Brief

Maternal and infant health and CalFresh
Average CalFresh allotments for mothers and children increased dramatically during the pandemic, rising to $700 per quarter by the end of 2022. However, when they ended, average benefits decreased by about $200. Policy Brief

CPL Hosted Research

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Hosted research on medical debt and utility costs

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

About 1 in 20 US households are behind on their utility bills. Hanks, Bañez, & Nilaj

Black Americans face the highest rates of medical debt and collection agency referrals. Adia, Guadamuz, Hsuan, & Rodriguez

CPL in the news

‘A beautiful spirit’: Remembering student-parent Paloma Foster

Paloma Foster, a member of CPL’s Criminal Justice Research Advisory Board, passed away in June, 2026. Alissa Skog shared her experiences of working with Paloma.

Is artificial intelligence coming for California jobs? It depends (Opinion)

Till von Wachter explains how the new California AI Unemployment Tracker (CAIT) will help inform efforts to track AI’s impact on workers in California.

Those leaving the Bay Area find affordability, but face significant trade-offs

Evan White was interviewed about CPL’s “Priced Out of the Bay” report, highlighting that for many, homeownership feels out of reach unless they move out of the Bay Area.

Support our work
Your support helps CPL create actionable insights to inform policy. If you are interested in making a larger gift, please reach out to Abby Snider.

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