California Research Bureau Reports

Which California households and communities are most financially vulnerable to the economic shutdown induced by the coronavirus? Is it possible to estimate COVID-19 unemployment prevalence by state legislative district? What health and financial impact is COVID-19 having in urban and rural California counties? These are some of the public policy questions 18 Cal-in-Sacramento summer interns researched under the virtual direction of the California Research Bureau in a unique partnership during the summer of 2020 with the Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service at the University of California, Berkeley.

Updated to reflect Special Elections through May, 2020: California's legislature now has 38 female members, setting an all-time high.

2019 Update: The federal government invests at least $49 billion dollars and directly employs approximately 330,000 residents in the state. This results in $167 billion in economic impact and supports more than 795,000 full time equivalent jobs in California. Economic activity occurs in every region of the state, from major coastal areas like San Diego and Los Angeles to small, inland communities, like Bridgeport, El Centro and Ridgecrest.

Lead is a popular choice for fishing sinkers and other tackle. But concerns persist about the impact of lead tackle that falls into rivers and streams, where it may harm fish, birds and other wildlife. At the request of the Office of State Assemblymember Bill Quirk, this paper provides a review of the literature concerning the impact of lead fishing tackle on fish and other wildlife, including a survey of lead tackle toxicity cases in wildlife rehabilitation centers along the West Coast.

The California Board of Registered Nursing is tasked with protecting the health and safety of Californians by licensing and regulating the practice of nursing in the state. One way it does this is by using voluntarily provided reports of alleged violations of the Nursing Practice Act. This report, as required by Senate Bill 799 (Hill, 2017), reviews the different forms of reporting systems used in California and other states, the barriers to reporting alleged violations that can occur, and provides policy options for the state to consider. In addition to voluntary reports, 32 other states require mandatory reporting in certain situations, such as when an employer fires or suspends a registered nurse. Information from other states and literature on the topic are mixed, however, and demonstrate challenges with both the voluntary and mandatory reporting systems.

Nearly 130,000 active duty military personnel and an additional 56,000 reservists and National Guard are stationed across California’s 30 military installations, the largest concentration of American military in any state or country in the world. An additional 115,000 civilian national security personnel are employed in California and $47 billion are spent in the state on national security-related procurement, grants and Veteran Affairs benefits. This report estimated the impact of national security spending in California, totaling $156.3 billion in economic activity and 767,000 full-time equivalent employment in 2016.

Six new state legislators have been voted into office during the 2017-18 term. Six men left office, with voters choosing to replace five with women. Pending state Senator-elect Vanessa Delgado assuming office, the number of women in the Legislature would increase to 31, recovering losses in the 2016 election. The Assembly remains majority-minority (54 percent) and the Senate would increase to 25 percent (currently at 23 percent).

Since 1998, the California Unlawful Detainer Pilot Program has authorized city attorneys in select jurisdictions to initiate nuisance eviction cases against tenants arrested for controlled substances and illegal firearms. This 2018 update is the eighth public report to evaluate the merits of the program. Program use has been steady during the past three years, but still well below peak use a decade ago. The majority of arrested tenants voluntary vacate their residences when informed of pending evictions, and most tenants are Latino or African-American.

Assembly Bill 60 (2013) allowed undocumented residents of California to apply for and receive driver's licenses since January 1, 2015. Because federal law required the AB 60 driving-only license to be distinguishable from standard driver's licenses, possession of an AB 60 license implies the undocumented status of the license holder. AB 60 thus contained provisions prohibiting discrimination against AB 60 licensees and mandated this report to review any such incidents.

This publication is an update of a 2004 report that identified California government activities related to issues of common interest and concern to California and Mexico. The survey describes over 100 programs operated by dozens of California state departments, agencies, boards and commissions.