California Divide
Mothers struggle to return to work as California reopens
Moms who lost their jobs during the pandemic are still shouldering most of the child care.
How hungry is California? Millions struggle to eat well in an abundant state
How bad is California hunger? A lot depends on your access to food aid, which expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic but is being reduced.
California Divide
California may move to regulate booming debt settlement industry
A bill aims to create new rules for California's mostly unregulated debt settlement industry. AB 1405, expected to pass through Senate committees, comes at a time when the industry expects to see a 75% increase in account enrollment.
California Divide
Look up your Golden State Stimulus amount
Lea este artículo en español. California is expanding its Golden State Stimulus program for low-income households to middle-class families. Under a new budget that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Monday night, state lawmakers agreed to spend $8.1 billion to help out millions of working families. That comes on top of $3.8 billion sent out earlier this year to low-income […]
Housing
Where are tenants falling through the cracks of California eviction ban?
California has one of the nation’s longest-running eviction bans, but an exclusive CalMatters analysis finds that local decisions carved a divide for tenants. Landlords and sheriffs are evicting renters at higher rates in the Central Valley, while some Bay Area counties added protections for tenants.
California Divide
How COVID-19 swept California’s mariachis
As work dried up for mariachi bands, many musicians put themselves at risk for coronavirus transmission. Even when demand picked up last fall, many mariachis were asked to perform at funerals to help families mourn lost loved ones.
California Divide
An entire California town is without running water — in a heat wave
A rural Central Valley community is without running water during a heat wave, prompting authorities to haul in bottles and jugs of water to more than 700 people in Teviston.
California Divide
Legislature looks to halt child support debt collections — only for some
Lawmakers propose to stop collecting child support debt owed to the government in cases where a parent’s only source of income comes from certain cash assistance programs. But advocates had asked the Legislature to go farther by forgiving old, uncollectible debt and to stop imposing a 10% interest.
California Divide
Some disabled Californians feel abandoned by Newsom’s Golden State Stimulus
Gov. Gavin Newsom sent $600 Golden State Stimulus checks to some Californians with disabilities, but passed over others. As the Legislature negotiates with Newsom over his proposal to expand the program, Californians who receive Social Security Disability Insurance say they’re fed up with being overlooked during the pandemic.