Stephen Levy is Director and Senior Economist of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy (CCSCE) in Palo Alto. CCSCE is a private research organization founded in 1969 by Robert Arnold and Stephen Levy to provide an independent assessment of economic and demographic trends in California. CCSCE works with public agencies and nonprofit institutions that require an explanation and analysis of California growth trends including projections and implications for public policy.

Steve’s recent and ongoing work focuses on three main areas.

Assisting Regional Public Agencies in California in Forecasting Long-Term Economic and Demographic Growth and Related Agency Policy Issues

This work involves assisting staff in preparing job projections for California regional planning agencies. The work includes an understanding of national, state and regional job trends and projections, the implications for population and household growth and assessments of regional competitiveness conditions and the implications for public policy. Since 2010 Steve has assisted staff at the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) in each of their 3 recent growth forecasting cycles, continuing work started in 1980 for SCAG. In 2021 he developed alternative growth projections to assist the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in analyzing alternative water demand scenarios.

Assisting Regional Public Agencies and Non-Profit Organizations in California in Addressing Housing Issues

An ongoing part of this work is referenced above as part of the regional growth forecast and policy work. In 2022 Steve is managing (along with Silicon Valley at Home) a grant from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to explain and engage residents in the Bay Area Housing Element updates now required to respond to the new Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA goals) from the state. In 2019 Steve prepared alternative long-term projections of jobs and population for SPUR’s analysis of Bay Area housing needs.

Steve has longstanding working relationships with the lead staff of the California Department of Finance (DOF) group that develops population and household projections and the staff of the California Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) that develops the RHNA allocations. He has served on multiple technical advisory groups for each organization.

Analyzing Workforce Trends and Related Policy Implications

Steve is a member of the NOVA (Silicon Valley) and California Workforce Boards. For NOVA he presents an annual economic update focused on workforce issues. For the state board, he assists in developing the economic analysis input into the state plan.

In 2014 Steve wrote the workforce section for the Economic Prosperity Strategy report funded by HUD for the Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission. In 2018 he analyzed workforce trends for a SPUR initiative on upward mobility and equity. And workforce analyses are part of his regular regional growth forecast work.

In his volunteer capacity in addition to serving on the workforce boards, he serves on the Board of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute (BACEI) and chairs the Housing and Transportation Committee of the Palo Alto League of Women voters. He writes a regular economic update for BACEI. He writes a blog for the Palo Alto Weekly online section that can be linked to from the CCSCE home page.

Stephen Levy has degrees in economics from MIT (B.S. 1963) and Stanford University (M.A. 1967). Steve lives in Palo Alto with his wife, Nancy.

Steve’s publications can be accessed on the CCSCE website. www.ccsce.com on the home page and under the Numbers in the News and Presentations links.