Highlighting the Institute of Governmental Studies' contributions in the field of research on public policy in the media.
KRON4 Capitol Correspondent Eytan Wallace reported on the qualification of Assemblymember Carl DeMaio's Voter ID ballot measure for the November 2026 ballot, featuring reaction from both supporters and opponents of the initiative. The segment includes remarks from California Secretary of State Dr.
KSWB Fox 5 Morning News aired a report by Capitol Correspondent Eytan Wallace on the qualification of Assemblymember Carl DeMaio's Voter ID ballot measure for the November 2026 ballot, featuring reaction from both supporters and opponents of the initiative. The segment includes remarks from California Secretary of State Dr.
The Sacramento Bee covered findings from a new Berkeley IGS Poll of 5,962 registered California voters on a prospective Voter ID ballot initiative sponsored by Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-Valley Center). While 56% of respondents initially expressed support for the measure, that figure dropped to 39% after learning more about its sponsor and political context, a pattern IGS-affiliated pollster Matt Barreto and political scientist Eric Schickler compared to early polling dynamics seen in last year's Proposition 50 fight.
KGET Capitol Correspondent Eytan Wallace reported on the qualification of Assemblymember Carl DeMaio's Voter ID ballot measure for the November 2026 ballot, featuring reaction from both supporters and opponents of the initiative. The segment includes remarks from California Secretary of State Dr.
Politico's California Playbook PM reported on comments made by California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra at a UC Student and Policy Center event on democracy and voting rights in Sacramento, co-sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Studies. The event featured a presentation by IGS Co-Director Eric Schickler on findings from the April Berkeley IGS Poll on Californians' opinions on the state of democracy in California.
Courthouse News Service covered findings from the April Berkeley IGS Poll of 5,962 registered California voters on the state of American democracy, presented by IGS Co-Director Eric Schickler at the April 27 event in Sacramento co-sponsored by IGS and the UC Student and Policy Center. The poll found that 68% of Californians believe democracy faces attacks, and 21% think it is being tested, with concern cutting across partisan lines, as 46% of Republicans shared the view that democracy is under attack.
In the lead up to the open all-party primary held on June 2, the New York Times featured polling results from several pollsters on the upcoming California governor's race. The IGS poll is lauded as one of the New York Times' three "select pollsters", which the Times recognizes as nonpartisan sponsored polls that have a track record of accuracy in recent elections, are members of professional polling organizations, and conduct probablity-based sampling.
In answer to the question “Why does Trump get away with it?” NYT Opinion columnist Thomas Edsall quotes IGS Co-Director Eric Schickler’s recent Political Science Quarterly article, “What Donald Trump has Taught us about American Political Institutions,” stating: "it would be difficult to match or improve upon” Schickler’s “overarching analysis of the contemporary dilemma over American democracy.” Read Prof. Schickler's article here.
Chicago Magazine's January 2026 issue featured IGS Resident Scholar and law professor Kathleen Morris in a deep-dive on how cities are increasingly using affirmative litigation as a tool to hold corporations and the federal government accountable. The article traces the origins of the movement to 2006, when San Francisco became the first city in the nation to form a dedicated affirmative litigation unit, with Morris at its helm.
A new study found that Republicans in California are more divided on Trump’s immigration policies.
In the final days before Californian's will vote on Proposition 50, a temporary redistricting initiative championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in response to the Texas state legislature's own redistricting plans, ABC7's Monica Madden interviewed UC Berkeley political scientist and IGS Co-Director, Eric Schickler, to discuss the history of "gerrymandering", the factors at play ahead of this special election, and some of the impacts the outcome may have on California's legacy of independent, citizen-led redistricting efforts.
The White House is withholding billions of dollars in federal funds for infrastructure and energy projects in blue states, a move legal experts say is likely unlawful. IGS Co-Director Eric Schickler was featured among several legal and political science scholars to provide facts and evidence about what the Constitution actually says about the executive branch's power over spending, and the implications moving forward.
A panel of historians and political scientists, including IGS Co-Director Eric Schickler, answer the question: "Historically speaking, since the end of the Civil War, has the country ever been more polarized than it is right now, and are you more optimistic or pessimistic about conditions improving?" Click here to read the full article.
Republican and Democratic voters share common ground when it comes to the University of California: Both sides express widespread support for UC, its research, medical centers and ability to elevate the lives of students, a statewide poll shows.
Strong majorities of registered voters across demographic groups — urban and rural, racial, education levels — said UC research was good for their communities, including 62% of Californians with only high school degrees. Voters in their 20s have the most favorable view of research.
The Sacramento Bee also covered the LA Times story showing rare bipartisan support for the University of California education system amid the Trump Administration's concerted hostility towards higher education institutions that he sees as a threat to his agenda. To read the full article, click here.
For more than a half-century, the Cal-in-Sacramento fellowships have given UC Berkeley students firsthand experience in shaping California policy across a range of issues. Many have risen to positions of influence — and new fellows have high ambitions for future impact.
In a roundup of news happening in Berkeley, Berkelside highlights the IGS Library Local Document Digitization Project (LoCalDig): Cal’s Institute of Governmental Studies Library has now digitized more than 5,000 local government documents from across California. (UC Berkeley)
The vast majority of California voters support expanding access to translated ballots for people who speak limited English, an effort that would likely increase turnout,a new poll found.
IGS Co-Director and Professor of Sociology, Cristina Mora, co-wrote an opinion essay in the LA Times on findings from Berkeley IGS Poll between August 2024 and May 2025. The finding show that, despite the tumultous transition between administrations, and the bellicose efforts of the second Trump administration, a majority of Californians, across the partisan aisle, and across all kinds of different groups and places, still support legislation that provides a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
IGS Co-Director Eric Schickler joined Nick Capodice and Hannah McCarthy on Civics 101: A Podcast to discuss congressional checks on presidential power and overreach.
Checks and balances are at the absolute core of our governmental workings.