California Policy Lab March 2026 Newsletter

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Reducing segregation: school choice in Oakland

A new working paper shows the impact of using alternative school assignment rules to reduce segregation within the Oakland Unified School District. The simulated rule changes could dramatically reduce income segregation in the district without reducing the overall share of students who are offered their preferred schools. Working paper.

Inventors and unemployment insurance

Innovation drives economic growth, but it also exposes workers to risks, including job loss. New CPL research focuses on 50k inventors who claimed unemployment benefits between 2002 and 2021, demonstrating that unemployment insurance has been a key safety net for innovators. Report

Tracking Prop 36: February 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. February update

Diverging financial trends among Californians

The California Credit Dashboard is updated with data through December 2025. The new data show mortgage lending rebounded — driven by large home loans in the Bay Area — but that many other borrowers are falling behind on student loans and mortgages. CA Credit Dashboard

April 9th event in Sacramento: Priced Out

We’ll share new data on who’s leaving California, where they go, and whether it pays off, along with a moderated discussion on policy implications. Lunchtime panel at the UC Student and Policy Center. Registration

Hosted research on credit card debt

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

About 111 million Americans — half of all credit card cardholders — cannot afford to pay off their balance each month. Zhang, Nilaj, Pierce, Morgan.

A new homelessness strategy is sweeping California

Janey Rountree is quoted in this article focused on 10 new homelessness prevention pilots that are expected to launch this fall in cities across the country. Rountree also provided technical expertise that informed AB 1924 (Gabriel), which is cited in this article.

Interview about diverging financials trends for Californians

Evan White was interviewed about the California Credit Dashboard’s recent update, which shows that in Q4 2025, mortgage lending in the Bay Area increased 47% from a year earlier. The average new mortgage in the Bay Area was for $894,000, compared to the statewide average of $699,000.

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.