California
California College Data and Policy Project Awarded $200,000 Grant from College Futures Foundation to Study CalFresh Use by Students – California Policy Lab
January 28, 2025, Berkeley, California — A new grant from College Futures Foundation will support research to improve the take-up of CalFresh benefits by students in the state’s three main systems of higher education, including the University of California, the California Community College System, and the California State University.
This is the first external support for the research of the new California College Data and Policy Project. The Project is a joint initiative of the California Policy Lab and the Center for Studies in Higher Education, and is led by Professor Jesse Rothstein, the Carmel Friesen Chair in Public Policy and David Gardner Chair in Higher Education and a Professor of Public Policy and Economics at UC Berkeley.
“We’re thrilled to receive this grant, which will support our work with our partners to use enrollment, financial aid, and safety-net data to identify students who are eligible for these supports, and then target outreach with a goal of increasing the number of students who enroll,” explains Professor Rothstein. “We’re grateful to College Futures Foundation because this grant will also support our longer-term work to better measure if receiving CalFresh has an impact on student success outcomes like staying enrolled and graduating.”
CalFresh is California’s version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and it provides a monthly benefit amount that can be used to purchase food. Research by the California Policy Lab has shown that among students who are likely eligible for CalFresh, only about 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 students enroll in the program.
Additional background
Student Supports Initiative
Across the country, many college students struggle to meet their basic needs while attending school. Public higher education institutions are well-situated to connect students to safety-net benefits, but data limitations have hampered previous efforts to quantify eligibility and take-up.
To address this, the California Policy Lab has partnered with the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO), the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), the University of California Office of the President (UCOP), the California State University Office of the Chancellor (CSUOC), and the California Department of Education (CDE) to link anonymized data across these six agencies in order to help get more students the support they need to thrive at college.
This initiative has made it possible to link together data that had not previously been linked, which in turn allows the research team to unlock new insights about CalFresh and college students. This includes analysis showing how many students are eligible and enrolled in the UC and California Community College systems, testing outreach methods with partners, and more recently, showing the impact that temporary, COVID-era policy changes had on making more students eligible for CalFresh, and making benefits more generous. All of the research is available on the CCDPP web page.
The California College Data and Policy Project
The CCDPP is a new research initiative that brings together University of California researchers and government partners to advance equity and improve California’s world class higher education system.
CCDPP will generate new insights and research on what works to better support California students and their families as they transition through the education system. Initial CCDPP research will focus on student supports, college admissions, and transfer students.
California
Syracuse 75, California 66
Davis 2-5 2-2 6, Lampkin 3-8 0-0 6, Moore 2-5 0-0 6, Starling 6-18 5-7 18, Taylor 5-8 6-6 19, Carlos 2-4 3-3 8, Majstorovic 1-2 1-2 3, Bell 2-2 0-0 5, Cuffe 1-1 0-0 2, McLeod 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 25-54 17-20 75.
Petraitis 2-5 9-10 13, Sissoko 0-1 0-0 0, Blacksher 6-14 4-4 20, Campbell 1-6 0-0 2, Wilkinson 6-21 6-8 20, Ola-Joseph 2-10 3-6 7, Tucker 1-5 2-2 4, Dort 0-0 0-0 0, Mahoney 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-63 24-30 66.
Halftime_Syracuse 40-23. 3-Point Goals_Syracuse 8-16 (Taylor 3-5, Moore 2-4, Bell 1-1, Carlos 1-3, Starling 1-3), California 6-35 (Blacksher 4-12, Wilkinson 2-13, Mahoney 0-1, Tucker 0-1, Campbell 0-2, Petraitis 0-2, Ola-Joseph 0-4). Rebounds_Syracuse 39 (Lampkin 10), California 32 (Petraitis 8). Assists_Syracuse 11 (Starling 4), California 4 (Petraitis 2). Total Fouls_Syracuse 21, California 15. A_5,203 (11,877).
California
Personal Care Industry Comments On California DTSC’s Proposal Targeting Parabens
The Personal Care Products Council and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association submit comments to California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control on its consideration to add propyl- and butylparaben used in leave-on skin products to its list of Priority Products under the state’s Safer Consumer Products regulation.
California
Latest snowpack survey reveals California could be in for extremely dry year
California’s snowpack has fallen well below average following an extremely dry January, according to the Department of Water Resources’ second snow survey of the season.
The survey was conducted Friday at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada near Sacramento.
The survey recorded 22.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 8 inches—just 46% of the historical average at that location. Statewide, the snowpack sits at 65% of normal for this time of year.
The alarmingly low figures come after California’s snowpack was more than 108% of average at the start of the year thanks to winter storms in November and December in the Northern Sierra.
But persistent dry conditions in January have pushed levels downward and wiped out much of that healthy head start.
“California missed out on critical snow-building storms in January which has pushed the state down below average for this time of year,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “For each day it’s not snowing or raining, we are not keeping up with what we need.”
Currently, the Central Sierra snowpack sits at 58% of average while the Southern Sierra has dipped below 50%.
While some storms are forecast for February, Nemeth says the state has experienced previous years where early-season gains were erased by prolonged dry spells.
“Despite a good start to the snowpack in the Northern Sierra in November and December, we can look back as recently as 2013 and 2021 to show how quickly conditions can change for the drier,” Nemeth said.
But there’s probably no reason to despair quite yet. The state’s snowpack has also gotten off to a slow start and roared back as recently as last year.
During the 2024 January Phillips Station survey, the state’s snowpack level was only around 25% of historical averages. By April’s survey, which DWR says is the most telling, the state had bounced back to more than 113% of average.
And despite lower snowpack levels, officials say California’s reservoirs remain in strong shape due to effective water management.
Lake Oroville, the largest reservoir in the State Water Project, is at 126% of average for this time of year, while San Luis Reservoir is at 101% of average. Southern California’s reservoirs are also near or above normal levels.
Snowpack levels are a crucial component of the state’s annual water supply forecast, which helps determine water allocation across the state throughout the year. The state’s snowpack accounts for about 30% of the state’s water availability, according to DWR.
The California Department of Water Resources conducts four to five snowpack surveys at Phillips Station throughout the year, beginning in early January and continuing each month through April and May, if necessary. The next snow survey will take place Feb. 28.
To read more about California’s current water conditions, click here.
-
News1 week ago
Hamas releases four female Israeli soldiers as 200 Palestinians set free
-
Business1 week ago
Instagram and Facebook Blocked and Hid Abortion Pill Providers’ Posts
-
Politics1 week ago
Oklahoma Sen Mullin confident Hegseth will be confirmed, predicts who Democrats will try to sink next
-
Culture6 days ago
How Unrivaled became the WNBA free agency hub of all chatter, gossip and deal-making
-
Nebraska1 week ago
3 years of the Nebraska Examiner: Looking back for inspiration and ahead to growth, with your help • Nebraska Examiner
-
World1 week ago
Israel Frees 200 Palestinian Prisoners in Second Cease-Fire Exchange
-
Technology4 days ago
Mark Zuckerberg says Meta isn’t worried about DeepSeek
-
Business3 days ago
Tulsi Gabbard Defended Russia and Syria. Now She Must Defend Those Views.