California Divide

Covering income inequality across the state

Families carry boxes full of fresh produce during a food bank event at El Verano elementary on Nov. 1, 2019. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

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.

Rya Jetha

Jeanne Kuang

and

Jeremia Kimelman

California Divide

Food banks struggle to meet basic needs of LA County residents

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

Jorge Macías

• September 27, 2019

California Divide

Immigrants afraid of Trump’s ‘public charge’ rule are dropping food stamps, MediCal

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

Erica Hellerstein

• September 22, 2019

A man folds his hands next to brochures for CalFresh

California Divide

Getting food stamps to poor Californians is surprisingly difficult

Pressure is increasing on counties to sign up more people for food stamps in a state with one of the nation’s lowest participation rates. But greater enrollment may require more money or more state intervention.

Jackie Botts

and

Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado

• September 2, 2019

Section 8 voucher holder struggles to find an apartment in Fresno.

California Divide

Lawmakers tackle a severe housing shortage for renters who have federal vouchers

The biggest federal housing program for low-income renters is failing to help many Californians because there aren’t enough landlords who accept Section 8 vouchers for rent. State lawmakers are considering two solutions, a carrot and a stick.

Manuela Tobias

and

Jackie Botts

• August 28, 2019

Farmworkers and families wait in line at a monthly clandestine food distribution in Santa Cruz County.

California Divide

In Santa Cruz, a clandestine food bank draws hundreds of farmworkers

Farmworker families worried about immigration raids get food and household goods from a clandestine food bank.

Erica Hellerstein

• August 24, 2019

Immigrant Supporters Rally outside Immigration & Customs Enforcement Office San Francisco

California Divide

As California strikes back, what does President Trump’s latest immigration crackdown mean for the state?

New Trump administration rules would deny green cards to immigrants on public assistance. It's an idea California knows well.

Ben Christopher

and

Jackie Botts

• August 12, 2019

Yaritza Cordova, center, a community worker with Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, signs up Maurice Castro for mail service at the window outside of Catholic Charities John XIII Multi Service Center in San Jose. People who are homeless use the service to receive mail and enroll their children in school. Photo by Randy Vazquez, Bay Area News Group

California Divide

How an unassuming window in San Jose fills a crucial need for the homeless

A decades-old program provides those moving in and out of homelessness with a free mailing address—a small but vital service. Not having an address can mean missing out on welfare checks, Social Security payments, veteran's benefits, school communications, affordable housing updates and letters from friends and family.

Erica Hellerstein

• July 31, 2019

Antoinette Martinez does her weekly grocery shopping at FoodMaxx, and worries that new proposed Trump administration cuts to food stamp eligibility will make it harder for her to stretch her food budget. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

California Divide

“We’re not going to be able to survive:” Why Californians could bear the brunt of Trump food stamp cuts

A Trump administration proposal would cut food stamps to 3.1 million Americans—largely working families with high housing, childcare and medical costs. That could hit hard in California, a state where both the cost of living and the minimum wage are on the rise.

Jackie Botts

• July 29, 2019

A Bay Area woman fills out paperwork to show she is eligible for CalFresh, California's food stamp program.

California Divide

California’s struggle to get food stamps to the hungry

California, which has the nation's highest poverty rate, ranks near the bottom for participation in its food stamp program, CalFresh.

Jackie Botts

• July 18, 2019

A pair of worn out tennis shoes illustrate an all-too-common symptom of income inequality: child poverty. More than 27 percent of children in Santa Cruz county are in poverty, the second highest rate in California

California Divide

California’s child poverty hits coastal Bay Area

More than 27 percent of children in Santa Cruz county live in poverty, the second-highest rate in California. Wages are lower than they are on the other "side of the hill" in the high-cost Bay Area.

Erica Hellerstein

• July 16, 2019