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With its headquarters campus in Santa Monica, RAND has an understandable interest in addressing issues relevant to its longtime base. In fact, RAND's research on California and its communities spans a wide analytical range, from health, education, and justice issues to military, security, and transportation.

Report

Proposed Refinery Regulations in California Could Provide Safety and Cost Benefits

Mar 16, 2016

New regulations could improve safety at oil and gas refineries in California and benefit nearby communities. Even if the proposed regulations make refineries only 7.3 percent safer than they are currently, they will be worth their implementation costs.
Report

California Mental Health Stigma-Reduction Campaign Creates Economic Benefits for the State

Apr 14, 2016

California's social marketing campaign to reduce stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness may have positive economic effects by increasing employment and worker productivity. For every $1 invested in the stigma-reduction effort, the state should receive an estimated $36 through higher tax collections.

Explore California

Journal Article

Journal Article

Independent Evaluation of California's Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Quality Rating and Improvement System: Cumulative Technical Report

This final comprehensive report highlights key findings from the half-term report and presents additional results related to the implementation of the system, quality improvement (QI) supports provided through the system, program quality and children's developmental outcomes, and perceptions of quality and the rating system.

Dec 5, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

Independent Evaluation of California's Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Quality Rating and Improvement System: Cumulative Technical Report Executive Summary

These findings can be used to make revisions to improve the QRIS as a measure of program quality and to identify promising ways to support QI efforts among early childhood programs.

Dec 5, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

Independent Evaluation of California's Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Quality Rating and Improvement System

Implementation of the RTT–ELC QRIS was in an early stage at the time the study began, but significant progress has been made over the course of the system's development, from 2012 to 2015.

Dec 5, 2016
Commentary

The Legal Marijuana Middle Ground

There are many ways to legalize marijuana supply besides the for-profit approach. But to learn what effects various models have, the federal government will have to make it easier for states to implement some middle-ground options.

Dec 1, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Preexposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of HIV Among Los Angeles County Men Who Have Sex with Men

Some strategies for treating high-risk individuals before HIV infection can be cost effective while helping to reduce incidence of the disease.

Nov 29, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in the Depression Care of African Americans and Hispanics in Los Angeles

Collaboration between faith-based organizations and health providers could help increase depression care service use among young adults and people in racial-ethnic minority groups.

Nov 29, 2016
Commentary

Counties Need to Help Parolees Access Health Care

Health needs can be big challenges for former prisoners seeking to reenter communities. But recent policies in California promise to reduce that barrier.

Nov 23, 2016
Solution

Measuring Wellbeing to Help Communities Thrive

The city of Santa Monica wanted to incorporate wellbeing into city planning, policies, and programs. RAND researchers, as part of a team of experts, helped create a framework for measuring wellbeing and applying the findings to city planning.

Nov 22, 2016
Research Brief

Research Brief

How Does Expanding Health Insurance Coverage Affect Workers' Compensation Costs?

The Affordable Care Act's expansion of coverage for people under age 26 led to a 1-percent reduction in uninsurance, equating to a 0.8-percent decrease in workers' compensation claim frequency, and a roughly 1-percent decrease in overall claim costs.

Nov 22, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Substance Use Diagnoses, Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders, and Treatment Initiation Among HIV-positive and HIV-negative Women in an Integrated Health Plan

HIV-positive women with substance use disorders are less likely than their HIV-negative counterparts to initiate treatment for substance abuse.

Nov 9, 2016
Commentary

How Police Body Cameras Can Improve Behavior, Ease Tension

Body cameras alone can't solve America's problems with policing. But used properly, they can help address mistrust between communities and police.

Nov 2, 2016
Report

Evaluation of the SB 1041 Reforms to California's CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work Program: Findings Regarding the Initial Policy Implementation and Outcomes

This report provides initial findings from the evaluation of the Senate Bill 1041 reforms to the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids program, with a focus on the implementation of the policy changes and participant outcomes.

Nov 2, 2016
Report

City of Los Angeles Neighborhood Parks: Research Findings and Policy Implications (2003–2015)

This report summarizes more than a decade of research on how well neighborhood parks in Los Angeles support physical activity. Between 2003 and 2015, researchers observed 83 parks and fielded nearly 28,000 surveys of park users and local residents.

Nov 1, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

HIV Tests and New Diagnoses Declined After California Budget Cuts, but Reallocating Funds Helped Reduce Impact

When California's 2009 budget crunch eliminated supplemental funding for HIV prevention, state and local programs redirected remaining funds from risk reduction education to testing, thus somewhat dampening reductions in testing.

Oct 13, 2016
Research Brief

California's 2012 Workers' Compensation Reforms Helped Replace Wages and Offset Earnings Losses After the Great Recession

Workers' compensation reforms (Senate Bill 863) have likely increased wage replacement rates for permanently disabled Californians by 21.4 percentage points since 2012. The bill is helping to offset the recession's lasting effects on earnings losses.

Sep 27, 2016
Report

Report

Benefits and Earnings Losses for Permanently Disabled Workers in California: Trends Through the Great Recession and Effects of Recent Reforms

Following California's major reforms to the state workers' compensation system, RAND researchers assess trends in earnings loss and permanent partial disability benefits before the reforms, as well as how the reforms might affect injury compensation.

Sep 27, 2016
Report

Improving Population Health Through an Innovative Collaborative: The Be There San Diego Data for Quality Group

The Be There San Diego Data for Quality (DFQ) Group created a safe venue for competing health care organizations in San Diego County to share performance data on quality-of-care measures, insights, lessons learned, and challenges they face.

Sep 26, 2016
Journal Article

Cultural Identity Among Urban American Indian/Alaska Native Youth: Implications for Alcohol and Drug Use

Better understanding how American Indian/Alaska Native youth negotiate cultural identity in urban settings can help with the design of culturally appropriate alcohol and other drug use interventions.

Sep 22, 2016
Commentary

What Your Kids Need to Know About Marijuana, Legalized or Not

If you are a parent, no matter how you feel about legalizing marijuana, you need to be prepared to talk about the drug with your kids.

Sep 21, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

Achieving Broad Participation in Congregational Health Surveys at African American and Latino Churches

Participation in church-wide surveys of sensitive health issues can be enhanced by holding survey sessions after religious services, collaborating with congregational leaders, and tailoring surveys to the cultural and organizational contexts.

Sep 15, 2016

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