A Brief on Biosolids: Options for Biosolids Management

Biosolids are municipal sewage treated to meet federal and state standards required for land application. This paper describes the production and management of biosolids in California; the regulatory framework that controls the use and disposal of biosolids; and, the controversy surrounding their use as a soil amendment and alternatives to the current management practices for biosolids with emphasis on their potential use as a source of energy

The Careers Project: A Summary with Policy Opinions

The Careers Project is a study of the preparation all students in public middle and high schools receive to explore career options and the relationship between that preparation and California\u27s state and regional economies. The California Research Bureau (CRB) undertook this research at the request of a bipartisan group of members of the California Legislature, with funding support from the James Irvine Foundation

Federal Tax Incentives for Health Insurance

The treatment of health insurance and health care expenses in the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) is the primary means by which the federal government encourages health insurance coverage. For most working Americans and their families, tax treatment of health expenses depends largely on whether their health plan is paid for by an employer, whether they are self-employed, and whether they itemize deductions and have medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of their adjusted gross income (AGI)1 This brief describes federal tax incentives for health insurance, and their combined implications for costs and coverage

Campaign Finance Reform

This Issue Summary examines the financing of political campaigns in California over the past twenty years. The materials focus primarily upon state legislative elections which provide a large sample size and allow for generalizations across election cycles. Data from initiative campaigns and statewide elections are used to illustrate key points

Better Serving Those Who Serve: California’s LGBT Veterans Speak Out California Department of Veterans Affairs LGBT Veterans Leadership Forum September 26-27, 2014

To better understand California’s LGBT veterans’ needs, California’s Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) worked closely with the California LGBT Veterans Leadership Forum Planning Committee to convene the first state LGBT Veteran Leadership Forum. The forum was held September 26-27, 2014, at California State University, Sacramento. CalVet requested that the California Research Bureau (CRB) provide research consultation for pre- and post-event surveys, train facilitators, develop a specialized forum methodology and publish the results. This white paper summarizes the results from the qualitative and quantitative data collected before, during and after the forum

Who Pays For Penalty Assessment Programs in California?

In California, criminal offenders may have fines included in their penalties, and these may be enhanced by either special assessments or penalty assessments. These penalty assessments are based on the concept of an abusers fee, in which those who break certain laws help finance programs related to decreasing those violations. For example, drug and alcohol offenses and domestic violence offenses are enhanced by special assessments on fines that directly fund county programs designed to prevent the violations. All other criminal offenses and traffic violations are subject to penalty assessments that are used to fund specific state programs. The State Judicial Council is currently working with county courts to improve their offender debt collection procedures. According to survey comments received from county court clerks and county collection agencies, simplifying the distribution process by eliminating dedicated funds would also improve the collection process, because there would be fewer accounts to maintain and distribute

Child Care Funding Sources for California School Districts

School districts represent a large portion of the child care delivery system. They operate a mix of child care centers and programs, serve a range of children of different ages, and fund their programs from a variety of federal, state, and local sources. It is not uncommon that, at different times of the day, and in different classrooms, different regulatory standards apply. State policymakers recognize that school districts, and other providers, face challenges in navigating and weaving together the myriad of federal and state funding streams adding local and private funding sources to the mix - to serve families in need of child care. Assemblymember Mark Leno, Chairperson of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, requested that the California Research Bureau (CRB) identify and describe the federal and state funding sources for child care, and their respective requirements, that are available to California\u27s kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) public school districts

The Careers Project: An Economic Analysis of Ten Industry Clusters in California

The Careers Project is a study of the preparation all students in public middle and high schools receive to explore career options and the relationship between that preparation and California\u27s state and regional economies. The California Research Bureau (CRB) undertook this research at the request of a bipartisan group of members of the California Legislature, with funding support from the James Irvine Foundation

Better Serving Those Who Serve: California’s LGBT Veterans Speak Out California Department of Veterans Affairs LGBT Veterans Leadership Forum September 26-27, 2014

To better understand California’s LGBT veterans’ needs, California’s Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) worked closely with the California LGBT Veterans Leadership Forum Planning Committee to convene the first state LGBT Veteran Leadership Forum. The forum was held September 26-27, 2014, at California State University, Sacramento. CalVet requested that the California Research Bureau (CRB) provide research consultation for pre- and post-event surveys, train facilitators, develop a specialized forum methodology and publish the results. This white paper summarizes the results from the qualitative and quantitative data collected before, during and after the forum