Updates from California Policy Lab: awards, reports, and expansion.

The California Policy Lab (CPL) is a nonpartisan research institute based at the University of California that partners with public agencies to generate research insights for government impact. 

• CPL is the recipient of the 2025 Public Impact Research Award, which recognizes faculty whose research produces meaningful public impact, especially when paired with sustained efforts to share new insights with the broader public.
• CPL was awarded a grant from Conrad N Hilton Foundation for work on a homeless prevention program in LA County. Read the interview with Janey Rountree, Executive Director at CPL at UCLA.
• CPL’s recent report on Unemployment Insurance Claims After the LA Wildfires documents the impact of the 2025 Palisades and Eaton wildfires on workers and local economies. In particular, Lapinski et al. (2025)  found a 12-17% increase in the number of regular unemployment insurance claims filed in the weeks following the fire.
• CPL has expanded its presence and opened a new office in Sacramento.