California Divide

Santa Barbara County adopts new rules aimed at preventing COVID-19 outbreaks among H-2A farmworkers. The move comes amid reports of outbreaks, including a monthlong investigation by CalMatters and The Salinas Californian that uncovered outbreaks that sickened more than 350.

Activists joined workers at a McDonald’s in Boyle Heights last week demanding management to return jobs back to four employees after they went on a strike over lack of safety and security at a store during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lizzet Aguilar, 35, one of the strikers, said when the pandemic hit, the McDonald’s where she […]

SB 1399 sought to change how workers are paid in the underground Los Angeles garment industry. But this legislative cycle it failed in the face of strong business opposition.

Even as the state distributed millions of N95 masks, many farmworkers say they didn't receive them during recent wildfires. Few file complaints, fearing employer retaliation.

A bill on the governor's desk would require employers to notify workers and county public health officials about coronavirus outbreaks. A joint investigation by CalMatters and The Salinas Californian uncovered reports of guest worker outbreaks where neither workers nor counties were notified.

A bill on Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk would authorize a reparations study for Black Californians. But a prominent scholar says he hopes California's effort won't detract from the national conversation on redressing slavery.

Maria Madrigal has lived in Sun Valley, in the San Fernando Valley, for the last 33 years. Recently she learned that the Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Valley Generating Station — adjacent to her neighborhood — has been emitting a methane leak for several months. That is a big concern for her because she […]