CA Civic Engagement Project 

Jonathan London, Chris Benner, and Nancy Erbstein to Present CRC Mapping Tools at the UC Center Sacramento

CRC Director Jonathan London, Chris Benner (Human Ecology/Community and Regional Development) and Nancy Erbstein (Human Ecology/Human Development) will be presenting two new data mapping tools, the Regional Opportunity Index  and  Putting Youth On the Map that help identify and direct investment to disadvantaged communities. This presentation will introduce these tools and describe ways that leaders in public policy, planning, business, and advocacy sectors can use the tools to inform and inspire their work. The presentation will take place October 23 from 12 to 1 pm at 1130 K Street (Room LL3) at the UC Center Sacramento. Registration  is required.

How Affordable Housing Affects Health

CRC Director Jonathan London was featured in an article for The Davis Enterprise. This article  focused on the importance of affordable housing for individuals who work low wage jobs, such as retail clerks, university employees, and receptionists. Community minded banks, foundations, and non-profits are beginning to use the Regional Opportunity Index to take a holistic approach to investment.

Mindy Romero at the Village Square Sacramento Dinner

Mindy Romero, Director of the CRC's California Civic Engagement Project(CCEP), will be a panelist at the Village Square Sacramento Dinner: I Didn't Vote: Surrendering Democracy One Vote at a Time. "Dinner at the Square" will bring 150 community members together to talk about why too many of us just aren't that into democracy and what we might do about it. The Village Square is based on a model built in Florida that has received national attention and a growing list of converts from around the country. For more information, click here.

Youth and Healthy Communities

On September 15 a group of talented young leaders represented the Building Healthy Communities Eastern Coachella Valley at the 2014 Annual Conference of the American Planning Association.  This selected group was featured during the session titled "Legitimate Voices: Youth Perspectives on the Meaning of Building Healthy Communities in the Eastern Coachella Valley."  More information on this conference can be found here.

California's Uncounted Vote-By-Mail Ballots: Identifying Variation in County Processing

Mindy Romero, Director of the CRC's California Civic Engagement Project (CCEP) released a new issue brief examining California's vote-by-mail ballots. Voting by mail surpassed 50 percent of votes cast in a general election in California for the first time in 2012. In the June 2014 primary, nearly 70% of all voters used vote-by-mail ballots. In every election, there are mail ballots that are cast but go uncounted. leaving voters disenfranchised. Understanding how and why many California ballots are invalidated (e.g., signature verification issues, postal issues) at the county level can critically inform efforts to reduce the percentage of the state's mail ballots that go uncounted in November 2014 and beyond.

Decline of Child Poverty in America

According to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, child poverty rates fell slightly across the country in 2013 for the first time since before the beginning of the Great Recession.  In this brief , the authors report that the drop in child poverty between 2012 and 2013 was largely driven by declines in urban America. There was no significant change in rural or suburban places. However, there were wide variations across states in poverty by place; some states saw significant growth in urban or rural poverty while others saw sharp declines.

California Homeless Students

This briefidentifies the size and characteristics of California's homeless youth population in the educational system. It also provides statewide data on the numbers of homeless youth by county and legislative district, obtained from the U.S. Department of Education's Education for Homeless Children and Youth Data Collection Summary for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years. Children and youth experiencing homelessness encounter many obstacles to their education, such as; lacking access to basic necessities such as showers, transportation, and food. These obstacles can all make it difficult to stay in school and thrive in an educational environment.

Request for Proposals: Social Venture Partners of Sacramento Fast Pitch

The Social Venture Partners of Sacramento Fast Pitch grant opportunity is a two-month training and mentoring program for innovative non-profits effecting change in education in the greater Sacramento area. For more information, click here. Deadline: October 3

Pre-Dissertation Fellowship Opportunities for Grad Students

The Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship Program is an interdisciplinary training program that helps early-stage doctoral students in the humanities and social sciences formulate doctoral dissertation research proposals. The program seeks students with an interest in learning how their proposals can be strengthened through exposure to the theories, literatures, methods, and intellectual traditions of disciplines outside their own. Deadline: October 15

Modeling the Politics of Transportation Seminar