Gendered decision making around household water use and spending is well-documented in the Global South but remains under-explored in the United States. This study examines how gender and trust in tap water influence caregivers’ use of bottled or filtered water, sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, and attitudes toward SSB taxation in California’s San Joaquin Valley, one of the state’s most environmentally burdened regions. We analyze survey responses from 155 caregivers in Kern County, located in California’s San Joaquin Valley. We use descriptive analysis and binary logistic regression models to assess associations between gender, tap water trust, SSB consumption, and attitudes toward SSB taxation. Female caregivers are significantly more likely than male caregivers to rely on alternative water sources, despite being less likely to express concern about tap water safety, suggesting a disconnect between perception and behavior. Although male and female respondents report similar SSB consumption, females are also more likely to oppose an SSB tax, report greater price sensitivity, and are less responsive to participatory budgeting approaches. Renters are more supportive of taxation when given input on spending, while Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program -eligible households remain skeptical. Findings suggest a disconnection between perceived water safety and actual water use and spending decisions among women, likely reflecting broader caregiving burdens and resource constraints, and point toward gendered responses to health policy interventions. Integrating gender and care work into analyses of environmental health disparities and policy design is essential for addressing water insecurity and promoting equitable health outcomes in under-resourced communities.

On Friday, November 7, UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI) staff and fellows volunteered with the San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity in Altadena, contributing to the first home being…

This policy toolkit provides key data and community-informed policy recommendations to address the disproportionate air pollution burdens facing California’s Latino neighborhoods.

Using data from the Latino Data Hub and eight semi-structured interviews, this report provides a comprehensive profile of Latino workers in the Inland Empire.

Using data from the Latino Data Hub and eight semi-structured interviews, this report provides a comprehensive profile of Latino workers in the Inland Empire.

This data brief combines property sales, market listings, permits & fire damage data to create a snapshot of how Altadena homeowners are faring 7 months after the Eaton Fire.

The UCLA professor and alumna’s pride in her heritage inspires her to empower Latino communities through her work.

A groundbreaking digital platform offering free, reliable, and bilingual data that transforms our understanding of Latinos and equips us to create data-driven solutions for our communities.

A groundbreaking digital platform offering free, reliable, and bilingual data that transforms our understanding of Latinos and equips us to create data-driven solutions for our communities.

A groundbreaking digital platform offering free, reliable, and bilingual data that transforms our understanding of Latinos and equips us to create data-driven solutions for our communities.

These briefs highlight Latino resilience, innovation, and community-driven strategies in South Phoenix, Tucson, Fruitvale, and San Ysidro neighborhoods during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

This data brief provides key facts on how California’s Latino neighborhoods face disproportionate risks from extreme heat, air pollution, and health inequities.

This data brief examines post-pandemic small business recovery in the U.S, highlighting how Latino-owned businesses have grown in number despite facing disproportionate challenges with earnings, acces...

This data brief examines post-pandemic small business recovery in the U.S, highlighting how Latino-owned businesses have grown in number despite facing disproportionate challenges with earnings, acces...

This case study combines quantitative data and community voices to highlight Latino-led, grassroots-driven responses to COVID-19 in Tucson’s La Doce Corridor.

This case study combines quantitative data and community voices to highlight Latino-led, grassroots-driven responses to COVID-19 in South Phoenix, AZ

This case study combines quantitative data and community voices to highlight Latino-led, grassroots-driven responses to COVID-19 in San Ysidro.

This case study combines quantitative data and community voices to highlight Latino-led, grassroots-driven responses to COVID-19 in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood.

As Women’s History Month draws to a close, two new data briefs from the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI) spotlight the resilience of self-employed women entrepreneurs in California.

A groundbreaking digital platform offering free, reliable, and bilingual data that transforms our understanding of Latinos and equips us to create data-driven solutions for our communities.

A groundbreaking digital platform offering free, reliable, and bilingual data that transforms our understanding of Latinos and equips us to create data-driven solutions for our communities.