Economy

California is the golden state — at least for those at the top of the income scale. For everyone else, the nickname may apply more to the sun than to money. That’s one takeaway of an analysis of U.S.Census Bureau data by the California Budget and Policy Center (CBPC), which found a widening gap between […]

Just a few years ago, Yolanda Harraway was living in a tent on the streets of Chinatown in Salinas, an agricultural hub struggling with a growing homeless community. Harraway’s slide into homelessness began when her son was taken from her custody by Child Protective Services. She struggled with addiction and had several felonies on her […]

Stockton is halfway through an 18-month program that provides $500 a month to 125 people from low-income ZIP codes. Proponents say the program is a step toward economic equality; opponents say it’s unrealistic and enabling.

Critics have long argued that California's child support payback system for families using public assistance is overly punitive, disproportionately affects low-income people, and can drive a wedge between children and their parents. Now, two bills on Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk could change the system.

Homeless people who live outdoors die, on average, three decades earlier. In California locales, "street medicine" teams are trying to improve those odds.

Nonprofits distribute 80 million pounds of food in Los Angeles County per year, helping low-income people survive. 

As the Trump administration pulls back on environmental enforcement, former Gov. Jerry Brown and China’s top climate change official have formally launched a California-China Climate Institute. Brown calls it a way "to keep doors open" with a global power and a response to environmental "malfeasance" in Washington.  

a looming change in what is known as the "public charge" rule is sowing confusion and fear within the immigrant community, causing many people to abandon programs they need for fear of retaliation from immigration authorities

Turning paper victories into a meaningful labor movement with more private-sector members could take work, even in pro-labor California.

The decision caps a multi-year campaign by students and faculty who argued the university had a responsibility to address climate change.