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One dollar a day. That’s how much immigrant detainees in GEO Group-run ICE facilities in Kern County earn scrubbing bathrooms and cutting hair, reports CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang. Detainees at the Mesa Verde and Golden State Annex ICE facilities told Kuang they started their second labor and hunger strike in two years to protest poor working […]

Gov. Gavin Newsom is pressing for direct action, nearly a month after the U.S. Supreme Court gave cities the green light to clear homeless encampments and arrest or fine unhoused people for sleeping in public spaces. As CalMatters homelessness reporter Marisa Kendall explains, the governor on Thursday issued an executive order directing state agencies to […]

From CalMatters Capitol reporter Jeanne Kuang:  After years of delay, a new California regulation to protect indoor workers from extreme heat is now in effect.  A workplace safety board approved the rule in late June, and asked other state administrative agencies to fast-track putting it on the books. The rule went into effect Tuesday as […]

From CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff: Have you had enough speculation this week about who presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris might choose as her running mate? Can I interest you in some speculation about California’s next governor instead? The crowded field expanded again on Tuesday when Antonio Villaraigosa, the Democratic former Los Angeles mayor […]

As Democratic leaders, donors and advocacy groups jump on the Kamala Harris bandwagon, it can be more intriguing who doesn’t immediately get on board.  Gov. Gavin Newsom, a political frenemy of the vice president and long-rumored presidential hopeful, waited a beat on Sunday after President Joe Biden’s announcement and endorsement. Monday, he sent out a […]

Facing mounting pressure from fellow Democrats to end his reelection bid, President Joe Biden on Sunday made the stunning announcement that he is dropping out of the November race and then endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee.   The president said that he will give more details about his decision — […]

Hi, good morning, Inequality Insights readers; it’s Wendy Fry. About 5.6 million people – or one out of every three California workers – are paid a low wage, according to the UC Berkeley Labor Center’s newly updated Low Wage Work Data Explorer. Low-wage work is defined by the Berkeley researchers as jobs that pay less […]

As fellow Democrats’ calls for President Joe Biden to bow out of his re-election campaign reach a fever pitch, Gov. Gavin Newsom remains a loyal foot soldier to the president, saying he’s “all in, no daylight” during an interview with CBS News last week. But while such unwavering support could be risky for Newsom if […]

Saying it’s time for President Joe Biden to “pass the torch,” U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff on Wednesday became the highest-profile Democrat so far to publicly call for Biden to end his re-election bid.  In a statement, the Burbank Democrat — who is running for U.S. Senate — says he has “serious concerns” about whether Biden […]

In 2021, responding to reports that the state’s homeless shelters were dirty and dangerous, the state Legislature crafted a plan: It would require local governments to inspect their shelters after complaints and file annual reports on shelter conditions. Three years on, California’s cities and counties have basically ignored the mandate. A new investigation from CalMatters […]