California Policy Lab March 5th 2024 Newsletter

The impact of consecutive sentencing in California

CPL continues its research to understand who goes to prison in California, why, and for how long. Our latest report finds that the application of consecutive sentences varies by county and that consecutive sentences were applied to less than a quarter of all prison admissions since 2015. This is the third report in a series looking at sentencing practices in California. The first two looked at the Three Strikes Law and Sentence Enhancements. Report

Regional differences in community college outcomes

Working with the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, CPL measured variation in student achievement across seven regions of California. We measured outcomes including successful completion with a certificate, degree, or transfer to a four-year institution. Students in the Central Coast region, encompassing San Louis Obispo and Santa Barbara, had high rates of success across most measures. Adjustments for differences in the student populations served made little difference to regional outcomes. Report

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1. Data Analyst for Homelessness Research
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Funding and data for policy-relevant research 

Every quarter, CPL accepts new applications for Seed Grants, Graduate Fellowships, and to use data from the Safety Net Dataset and the Life Course Dataset. March 31st is the next application deadline.

Report on Black Californians’ experiences of homelessness

A new report from UCSF’s Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) describes how people lost their housing, their experiences while homeless, and the barriers they face to regaining housing. Report

Report on capacity challenges faced by homelessness service providers

The report shares findings from surveys and interviews with staff at 100+ nonprofits across the state and 75+ people with lived experience of homelessness. About 70% of survey respondents reported serving more people in 2022 than in 2019. Authors: Terner Center for Housing Innovation, Abt Associates, and the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative. Report

State Library panel on government policy and practice (March 14th)

Hear from Governor’s Office staff, UC professors Kevin Esterling and Amy Lerman, and Dr. Kim Nalder from CALSPEAKS. (March 14th, 11 to12:30PM). Registration

Editorial: Here’s how Los Angeles can help prevent people from falling into homelessness

Janey Rountree is quoted in this editorial about preventing homelessness. She cites the Homelessness Prevention Unit pilot, whereby LA County proactively contacts people at the highest risk of losing their housing in order to connect them to tailored supports.

DOJ Calls on States To Eliminate Juvenile System Fines and Fees

This article is about a new Department of Justice report critiquing the practice of charging fines and fees to families whose children are involved with the justice system. It cites CPL-hosted research focused on Alameda County’s 2016 decision to stop charging fees to youth who were on probation. The policy change reduced the probability of any monetary sanctions (not just fees) being imposed by 76%. In addition, families were facing an estimated $2,256 in overall sanctions before the policy change, compared to $673 after it took effect.

CARE Court Has Been Live For Weeks in LA and OC. How’s It Going?

This article about the implementation of CARE Court in Los Angeles and Orange counties cites CPL research showing that about 10% of individuals who received Street Outreach services (between July 2019 and June 2020) had been diagnosed with a psychotic spectrum disorder (PSD) within five years prior to their enrollment in Street Outreach. A 2023 analysis by the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative and the California Policy Lab projected that 766 San Francisco residents could be eligible for referral to CARE Court when the program began.

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Please consider donating to support our work. Your support enables us to continue 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.