California Policy Research Articles

Describing Medical Aid-in-Dying and Nursing "Leave-the-Room" Policies in California: A Mixed Methods Study.

Transparent patient-centered communication is essential to providing quality hospice care for patients at the end of life. This study aimed to determine and describe the current state of aid-in-dying policies in California and their effect on hospice nursing in response to narratives about leave-the-room policies presenting professional and moral challenges. In total, 97 hospice program policies were analyzed with a focus on the role of nurses at the bedside and intent to discharge patients who pursue medical aid-in-dying. It is necessary to clarify the important role of hospice nurses who care for terminally ill patients pursuing their legal right to assisted dying. The results of this study underscore the need for improved policy transparency and organizational support to enhance hospice engagement, particularly by nurses, with their patients at the end of life.

Procedural Modeling in Urban Digital Twins as a Tool for Visualization, Analysis, and Public Engagement: Examining a Housing Policy in California

Procedural Modeling in Urban Digital Twins as a Tool for Visualization, Analysis, and Public Engagement: Examining a Housing Policy in California

Liberal policies does not mean equitable policies: Latinx families' experiences navigating social policies in Oregon and California.

The United States government has implemented various social policies (e.g., Medicare) to support children and families (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2023). An emerging body of research seems to indicate that many of these programs are being underutilized by Latinx families even though they are sorely needed. Latinx families are often framed as undeserving, taking advantage of social policies, and as a criminal threat to the United States (Baranauskas & Stowell, 2022). Drawing on cultural stress theory (Salas-Wright & Schwartz, 2019), the present study explores how the deficit framing of Latinx families influences how they navigate social policies. This study draws on data from four qualitative projects across Oregon and California that explored the experiences of Latinx families accessing services to support their families. Findings indicate that Latinx families experience multiple stressors when navigating social policies or programs (e.g., shame/fear and racism) for their families. These stressors discourage Latinx families from accessing social programs, which exacerbates disparities in the health, development, and learning of Latinx children and families. Findings from this study can further inform advocacy efforts to create meaningful systemic changes that reduce inequities and call out discrimination/racism within our policy system. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Universal School Meals During the Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Parent Perceptions From California and Maine

BackgroundIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Congress authorized the US Department of Agriculture to waive a variety of school meal regulations and funded school meals daily for all students at no charge regardless of family income. Because federal Universal Free School Meals (UFSM) ended with the 2021-2022 school year, several states, including California and Maine, adopted state-level UFSM policies. ObjectiveThis study aimed to understand parent perceptions of school meals and the federal and new state UFSM policies in California and Maine, including potential challenges and benefits to students and households. DesignA mixed methods study design was used. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was administered, and semi-structured interviews were conducted in English and Spanish during the 2021-2022 school year. Participants/settingThe quantitative survey was administered to parents of students in elementary, middle, and high schools in rural, suburban, and urban communities in California (n = 1110) and Maine (n = 80). Qualitative interviews were then conducted with a subset of these parents in California (n = 46) and Maine (n = 20) using Zoom (Zoom Video Communications). Most survey participants (708 of 1190 [59.5%]) and interviewees (40 of 66 [60.6%]) were parents of students who were eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Main outcome measuresParents’ perceptions of UFSM, school meal quality, and experiences applying for free or reduced-price meals were examined. Analyses performedTests of proportions were used to analyze survey data. Using grounded theory, interview transcripts were analyzed qualitatively by 2 trained research assistants, applying principles of content analysis to identify themes and domains. Inter-rater reliability was conducted. ResultsParents perceived that school meals and UFSM saved families money and time, as parents had fewer meals to purchase and prepare for their children. In addition, UFSM reduced parents’ stress and reduced stigma for children and for parents, who described feelings of embarrassment when they previously filled out paperwork for free or reduced-price meals. Although parent perceptions of school meal quality and healthfulness were mixed, most parents reported feeling grateful for school meals. ConclusionsParents had mixed opinions on the quality and healthfulness of school meals, but believed UFSM saved them money and time and reduced their stress. Parents also felt UFSM reduced stigma for families.

Microgrids and the politics of sustainability transitions: A sociotechnical, multi-coalition perspective

This study advances theory in the politics of sustainability transitions by 1) developing a type of sociotechnical perspective that follows politics into the details of regulatory conflict over system design, 2) analyzing transition politics as a multi-coalition policy field beyond an intra-industry challenger-incumbent relationship, and 3) showing how political conflict includes broader societal change issues. The study also advances empirical research by examining microgrid policy in California and identifying issues that will likely emerge in other parts of the world with growing microgrid deployment. Central issues identified are local and third-party control over front-of-the-meter systems, equity concerns about cost shifting and access by marginalized communities, the tension between broad decarbonization goals and the use of fossil fuels, and the increased importance of local governments and distribution actors in electricity systems. The analytical framework is used to deepen understanding of the causal conditions that affect the outcomes of the conflicts.

The impact of paid sick leave mandates on women's employment and economic security

ABSTRACTThe United States does not guarantee job‐protected paid leave to workers when they or a family member are ill or need to seek medical care. Prior research shows that women are less likely to have access to paid sick leave (PSL) through their employers. I examine the impacts of three recent state‐level paid sick leave policies in California, Massachusetts, and Oregon on women's employment and economic security using data from the American Community Survey. Using difference‐in‐differences and dynamic effects models, I find that PSL mandates increase women's employment by 1.2 percentage points (a 1.7% increase over the pre‐policy baseline mean) with an average increase in income from wages and salary of $2,347, accompanied by steady decreases in poverty in the years after policy implementation. Effects are strongest among mothers and women without college degrees. This study demonstrates that PSL improves women's employment and economic security and may play an essential role in the package of policies supporting women's employment and earnings.

Challenges Facing a Teacher of English as a Global Language: Analysis of Policy and Practice in California in the US

Challenges Facing a Teacher of English as a Global Language: Analysis of Policy and Practice in California in the US

Revisiting biodiesel hedging

AbstractPrevious research found that both soybean oil and heating oil futures should be used to hedge biodiesel price risk. This was sensible because blending mandates caused biodiesel prices to be driven by that of its primary input—soybean oil. Much has changed in recent years, with plummeting demand during the coronavirus disease (COVID) pandemic, biodiesel plants struggling to break‐even in 2020, and then incurring losses in 2021 as soybean oil prices skyrocketed with the rise of renewable diesel—a relatively new biomass‐based diesel fuel in high demand largely due to green policies in California. This study revisits the appropriate strategies for hedging biodiesel production risk and finds that soybean oil has become a less important hedging vehicle. [EconLit Citations: Q420, Q410, Q480, Q160, Q110, Q130].

The good, the bad, and the future: Systematic review identifies best use of biomass to meet air quality and climate policies in California

AbstractCalifornia has large and diverse biomass resources and provides a pertinent example of how biomass use is changing and needs to change, in the face of climate mitigation policies. As in other areas of the world, California needs to optimize its use of biomass and waste to meet environmental and socioeconomic objectives. We used a systematic review to assess biomass use pathways in California and the associated impacts on climate and air quality. Biomass uses included the production of renewable fuels, electricity, biochar, compost, and other marketable products. For those biomass use pathways recently developed, information is available on the effects—usually beneficial—on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and there is some, but less, published information on the effects on criteria pollutants. Our review identifies 34 biomass use pathways with beneficial impacts on either GHG or pollutant emissions, or both—the “good.” These included combustion of forest biomass for power and conversion of livestock‐associated biomass to biogas by anaerobic digestion. The review identified 13 biomass use pathways with adverse impacts on GHG emissions, criteria pollutant emissions, or both—the “bad.” Wildfires are an example of one out of eight pathways which were found to be bad for both climate and air quality, while only two biomass use pathways reduced GHG emissions relative to an identified counterfactual but had adverse air quality impacts. Issues of high interest for the “future” included land management to reduce fire risk, future policies for the dairy industries, and full life‐cycle analysis of biomass production and use.

Interrogating the Myths of Education: Dorothy Bryant'sElla Price's JournalandMiss Giardino

Interrogating the Myths of Education: Dorothy Bryant's<i>Ella Price's Journal</i>and<i>Miss Giardino</i>

Influence of State on Education, Innovation, and Industry Development: State of California Policy Impact Analysis

The research involved examination of the influence of government policies and regulations on the nexus between education, innovation, and industry development, with a specific focus on the State of California as a case study. The study employed Literature review of secondary data as the research methodology, analyzing extensive literature to determine the dynamic interplay between the education-innovation-industry nexus and drawing valuable insights and perspectives. The study reveals that government policies have a profound influence on the relationship between education, innovation, and industry development. The CA government policies have contributed to the strength of this relationship, leading to socioeconomic development in the state. In conclusion, this research underscores the significance of holistic policies that align education, innovation, and industry sectors. The study then offers policy recommendations such as fostering collaboration, setting up grants, and providing sustainability incentives to industry players. These can be implemented to achieve synergy for economic growth and societal advancement beyond California’s borders.

Influence of State on Education, Innovation, and Industry Development: State of California Policy Impact Analysis

Influence of State on Education, Innovation, and Industry Development: State of California Policy Impact Analysis

Addressing Social Context in Adverse Childhood Experience Screening Policy: Implications for Children With Special Health Care Needs

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) disproportionately affect children with special health care needs, especially racial and ethnic minority children whose ACEs may be less likely to be identified. As awareness and understanding of the health impacts of ACEs have increased, heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, several areas of the United States have initiated policy efforts to screen for and address ACEs. However, these policies do not always include mechanisms to account for context-specific adversity or contemporary stressors in the lives of children. Stressors most significant in a child's life may include adversities beyond those included in common ACE screening instruments. ACE policy in California will be discussed relative to addressing the social context in ACEs screening. By taking a holistic view of ACEs and thinking beyond deriving ACE scores alone, clinicians can ensure that ACE-related policies are implemented with maximum benefit to diverse children with special health care needs.

Equity in Coverage of Local Cannabis Control Policies in California, 2020‒2021.

Objectives. To assess whether cannabis control policies that may protect public health were adopted evenly across California localities with differing sociodemographic compositions. Methods. From November 2020 to January 2021, we measured cannabis control policies for 241 localities across California and linked them to data on the characteristics of the communities affected by these policies. We evaluated whether disadvantaged communities were more likely to allow cannabis businesses and less likely to be covered by policies designed to protect public health. Results. Localities with all-out bans on cannabis businesses (65% of localities) were disproportionately high-education (55.8% vs 50.5% with any college) and low-poverty (24.3% vs 34.2%), with fewer Black (4.4% vs 6.9%) and Latinx (45.6% vs 50.3%) residents. Among localities that allowed retail cannabis businesses (28%), there were more cannabis control policies in localities with more high-income and Black residents, although the specific policies varied. Conclusions. Cannabis control policies are unequally distributed across California localities. If these policies protect health, inequities may be exacerbated. Public Health Implications. Uniform adoption of recommended cannabis control policies may help limit any inequitable health impacts of cannabis legalization. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(11):1640-1650. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307041).

Differentiated Egalitarianism: The Impact of Paid Family Leave Policy on Women’s and Men’s Paid and Unpaid Work

AbstractThe birth of a new child continues to exacerbate gender specialization among different-sex couples. This study considers the potential of paid leave policies to intervene in this key life-course juncture and promote greater gender equality in paid and unpaid work. While previous research has examined the impact of paid leave policies on paid or unpaid work among mothers or fathers separately, this study provides an integrated framework and examines comprehensively how these benefits shape both mothers' and fathers' paid and unpaid work outcomes. I use data from the Current Population Survey 1990–2020 and the American Time Use Survey 2003–2019 and quasi-experimental differences-in-differences models to examine the impact of the introduction of paid leave policies in California and New Jersey. The results show that the policy increased mothers’ and fathers’ short-term time off from paid work after new births, increased mothers’ care work more than fathers’, and increased fathers’ housework more than mothers’. I call this pattern differentiated egalitarianism, denoting changes increasing men’s involvement in housework while simultaneously reproducing mothers’ primary caregiver role.

A Spatiotemporal Analysis of the Association of California City and County Cannabis Policies with Cannabis Outlet Densities.

Background:Cannabis outlets may affect health and health disparities. Local governments can regulate outlets, but little is known about the effectiveness of local policies in limiting outlet densities and discouraging disproportionate placement of outlets in vulnerable neighborhoods.Methods:For 241 localities in California, we measured seven policies pertaining to density or location of recreational cannabis outlets. We geocoded outlets using web-scraped data from the online finder Weedmaps between 2018 and 2020. We applied Bayesian spatiotemporal models to evaluate associations of local cannabis policies with Census block group-level outlet counts, accounting for confounders and spatial autocorrelation. We assessed whether associations differed by block group median income or racial–ethnic composition.Results:Seventy-six percent of localities banned recreational cannabis outlets. Bans were associated with fewer outlets, particularly in block groups with higher median income, fewer Hispanic residents, and more White and Asian residents. Outlets were disproportionately located in block groups with lower median income [posterior RR (95% credible interval): 0.76 (0.70, 0.82) per $10,000], more Hispanic residents [1.05 (1.02, 1.09) per 5%], and fewer Black residents [0.91 (0.83, 0.98) per 5%]. For the six policies in jurisdictions permitting outlets, two policies were associated with fewer outlets and two with more; two policy associations were uninformative. For these policies, we observed no consistent heterogeneity in associations by median income or racial–ethnic composition.Conclusions:Some local cannabis policies in California are associated with lower cannabis outlet densities, but are unlikely to deter disproportionate placement of outlets in racial–ethnic minority and low-income neighborhoods.

Equitable Adaptation to Extreme Heat Impacts of Climate Change

Climate change has, and will continue to have, a disproportionate impact on communities of color. Already, it is clear that systemic racism has led to increased temperatures in predominantly Black neighborhoods as compared to white neighborhoods in the same cities. A legacy of discriminatory housing policies in California is correlated with worse air quality and health disparities, both of which could be further exacerbated as temperatures rise. As cities and states begin developing climate change adaptation plans, it is imperative that they develop equity-based solutions that take into account how discriminatory practices are leading to disproportionate climate impacts. If such impacts are not accounted for, they will be exacerbated in the future. This paper analyzes equity-based climate adaptation strategies for heat, which is already the deadliest weather-related disaster in the U.S., and how they could be applied to Los Angeles.

Campus administrator perceptions of the effectiveness of tobacco-free policies in California universities

Background: In response to high levels of tobacco use among university students, the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems adopted tobacco-free policies in recent years. While few existing studies capture student response to these policies, there is no research that captures campus administrator perceptions on the effectiveness of these policies. This study was conducted to understand campus administrator perceptions of student compliance to tobacco-free policies in California universities.Methods: This was a qualitative study to understand campus administrator perceptions of student compliance to the tobacco-free policies on select California universities. Data collection took place between March-May 2018 and included key informant (KI) interviews and a focus group (FG) with campus administrators from selected universities. Content analysis using Atlas.ti software was conducted to interpret results.Results: Nine campus administrators participated in KI interviews and four further participated in a FG. Overall analysis of the results indicated that all administrators believe tobacco-free policies on their respective campuses are effective in reducing student tobacco use. Additionally, some administrators believed punitive methods were needed, while others felt creation of a cultural norm would be most effective, and all administrators believed smoking cessation programs were helpful resources to ensure policy compliance. Participants further agreed stronger implementation strategies relating to communicating policy provisions are needed to ensure student understanding of policy.Conclusions: Administrators perceive that tobacco-free policies are effective in reducing tobacco use among university students. It is recommended that additional strategies are utilized to increase student awareness of the policy.

Characterizing the Landscape of Safety Net Programs and Policies in California during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted rapid and innovative policymaking around the world at the national, regional, and local levels. There has been limited work to systematically document and characterize new and expanded local U.S. pandemic-era policies, which is imperative to better understand the policy variation and resulting health impacts during this unprecedented time. California, the most populous U.S. state, provides a case example of a particularly active policy response. The aim of this Brief Report is to summarize the creation and potential areas of application of a newly created publicly available California- and US-based COVID-19 policy database. We generated an extensive list of California and US policies that were modified or created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. From July–November 2021, we searched current and historical California and federal government websites, press releases, social media, and news sources and recorded detailed information on these policies, including coverage dates, eligibility criteria, and benefit amounts. This comprehensive dataset includes 39 public health, economic, housing, and safety net programs and policies implemented at both federal and state levels and provides details of the complex and multifaceted policy landscape in California from March 2020 to November 2021. Our database is publicly available. Future investigators can leverage the information systematically recorded in this database to rigorously assess the short- and long-term effects of these policies, which will in turn inform future preparedness response plans in California and beyond.

A Machine Learning Approach to Predict Groundwater Levels in California Reveals Ecosystems at Risk

Groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are increasingly threatened worldwide, but the shallow groundwater resources that they are reliant upon are seldom monitored. In this study, we used satellite-based remote sensing to predict groundwater levels under groundwater dependent ecosystems across California, USA. Depth to groundwater was modelled for a 35-years period (1985–2019) within all groundwater dependent ecosystems across the state (n = 95,135). Our model was developed within Google Earth Engine using Landsat satellite imagery, climate data, and field-based groundwater data [n = 627 shallow (&amp;lt; 30 m) monitoring wells] as predictors in a Random Forest model. Our findings show that 1) 44% of groundwater dependent ecosystems have experienced a significant long-term (1985–2019) decline in groundwater levels compared to 28% with a significant increase; 2) groundwater level declines have intensified during the most recent two decades, with 39% of groundwater dependent ecosystems experiencing declines in the 2003–2019 period compared to 27% in the 1985–2002 period; and 3) groundwater declines are most prevalent within GDEs existing in areas of the state where sustainable groundwater management is absent. Our results indicate that declining shallow groundwater levels may be adversely impacting California’s groundwater dependent ecosystems. Particularly where groundwater levels have fallen beneath plant roots or streams thereby affecting key life processes, such as forest recruitment/succession, or hydrological processes, such as streamflow that affects aquatic habitat. In the absence of groundwater monitoring well data, our model and findings can be used to help state and local water agencies fill in data gaps of shallow groundwater conditions, evaluate potential effects on GDEs, and improve sustainable groundwater management policy in California.