CRB Nexus Research in Brief

The best solutions emerge when information and data are systematically collected and analyzed using innovative and established research methods to answer practical questions and test theories.

CRB Nexus is responding to demand for research-to-policy in brief. Our clients ask for research overviews, the California Research Bureau has published Short Subjects, and CRB Nexus virtual event attendees want to know more about the research California’s researchers do. We invite CRB Nexus researchers to write research-to-policy briefs highlighting a policy topic connecting to their research. Briefs include reference to full report resources for readers who are looking for deeper dives into topics. If you are a legislative or gubernatorial staff and need access to paywalled articles, research overviews etc. please contact crb@library.ca.gov. If you are a member of the public who wants to access paywalled articles, please contact your local library.

Housing, Recessions, Inequality and Policy Responses

Economy; Housing, Transportation, & Infrastructure | Devika Hazra, Ellen Shiau | CRB Nexus Guest Authors | December 2024

Comparing federal and state policy responses to the 2008 and 2020 recessions provides useful insights and lessons that can be built upon as governments continue to consider their role in economic recoveries, how to respond to future economic shocks, and how to continue to address housing access and affordability. Policy interventions between the 2008 and 2020 recessions shared some similarities but also differed in significant ways. Federal responses in both recessions included expansions of the safety net — such as unemployment insurance, tax credits and cash payments to households — which softened the effect of recessions.

Is Car Parking Destroying Cities?

Housing, Transportation, & Infrastructure | Vanshika Fotedar | CRB Nexus Guest Author | December 2024

Rethinking parking policies is not just a matter of convenience, but a critical step towards building more efficient, sustainable, and affordable cities. The researchers studying parking underscore how seemingly mundane parking regulations have profound and far-reaching consequences for urban life. The current model of abundant and free parking, fueled by flawed zoning regulations, creates a hidden subsidy for drivers that distorts transportation choices toward more cars and less public transit and exacerbates urban challenges.

The Health Effects of Home Design

Housing, Transportation, & Infrastructure, Human Services | Stacey Livingstone | CRB Nexus Guest Author | October 2024

A recent evaluation of Humble Design San Diego has shed some light on the holistic health impacts of home design. Humble SD is a nonprofit organization that provides care-driven home design services to individuals and families emerging from homelessness. The evaluation revealed that Humble SD’s home design services boost client physical, mental, social, and financial health. While 25% of San Diegans who had exited homelessness in recent years returned to homelessness, only 2.3% of Humble SD clients returned to homelessness.

Prytaneum: A Web-Based Town Hall Platform Designed for Public Meetings

General Government, Science & Technology | Kevin Esterling | CRB Nexus Guest Authors | August 2024

Developed by TeCD-Lab at UC Riverside, Prytaneum is a new, highly-interactive online town hall virtual platform specifically designed for hosting public meetings. The web-based platform combines a research-tested user interface with the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to enable and routinize direct, constructive democratic engagement at scale. Its democracy-reinforcing engagement is supported by curation algorithms that ensure diverse voices in the community are heard and encourage on-topic and informed participation. A recent pilot listening session in June 2024 was hosted by the California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission centered on K-12 school-based mental health services.

California’s Non-College Goers: Latinos Surpass Other Ethnoracial Groups in a Hispanic-Serving State

Higher Education | Gina Ann Garcia, Nicholas Vargas | CRB Nexus Guest Authors | May 2024

The state of California graduates nearly half a million high school students each year. These graduates can attend approximately 150 state colleges including the California Community Colleges (CCC), California State University (CSU), and University of California (UC) systems. There are also roughly 150 private nonprofit institutions and 160 private for-profit institutions in California. These options provide the state’s high school graduates with numerous possibilities for pursuing postsecondary education. Yet, many California high school graduates are not enrolling in college.

CRB Nexus is a nonpartisan initiative of the California Research Bureau. The mission of the California Research Bureau is to provide nonpartisan and confidential public policy research for the Governor’s Office and the State Legislature and to advance equitable access via statewide initiatives, including CRB Nexus and the California Homeless Youth Project. Any views and opinions expressed by CRB Nexus guest authors of documents published on the California State Library’s website do not necessarily state or reflect the opinion of the California State Library.