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

George Dowell is vaccinated against COVID-19 at Umoja Health pop-up clinic in Oakland on Feb. 2, 2022. Photo by Marissa Leshnov for CalMatters

California Divide

COVID pulls down Latino, Black, Asian life expectancy more than whites, study says

Medical journal study says life expectancy for California’s Latinos fell six years, more than other populations during pandemic.

Jeanne Kuang

• July 7, 2022

Farmworkers harvest romaine lettuce in King City in 2017. Photo by Lucy Nicholson, Reuters

California Divide

Study says California employers fail to keep food, farm workers safe from COVID

A new report uses Cal/OSHA data to show how California food production employers failed to keep workers safe from COVID-19.

Levi Kalish

• July 7, 2022

Starlyn Darby doesn't produce enough breastmilk to feed her 8 month-old son Zelimir, who is underweight and relies on Enfamil Ensure formula. Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters

California Divide

State and federal restrictions make it harder for low-income families to get infant formula

For families receiving government assistance, the types of infant formula they are allowed to purchase is limited. When the shortage began, California couldn’t quickly expand its list of approved formula brands due to federal restrictions, leaving low-income families scrambling to find formula.

Elizabeth Aguilera

• July 1, 2022

Starting wages are advertised on a sign in the window of a Taco Bell in Sacramento on May 9, 2022. AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

California Divide

Proposal to boost state minimum wage to $18 won’t go on ballot

Had the California Living Wage Act proposal succeeded, it would have increased base wages to $16 an hour next January and $18 by 2025.

Jeanne Kuang

• July 1, 2022

Luna Walker bags chocolate croissants for patrons at Nabolom Bakery in Berkeley on Jan. 19, 2022. Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters

California Divide

California workers found better paying jobs, but experts warn recession puts them at risk

Experts say the “great reshuffling” of jobs during the pandemic is changing California’s economy and workforce. Here are some takeaways.

Levi Kalish

• June 30, 2022

California Divide

California’s white households get bigger property tax breaks than Black, Latino homeowners under Prop 13, study says

While homeownership remains a challenge for people of color in California, those who do achieve it don’t equitably reap the benefits, a new report argues, because of the state's landmark law limiting property tax increases.

Jeanne Kuang

• June 22, 2022

California Divide

California legislators want to help you buy a house with down payment, ‘shared equity’

Legislators propose a $1-billion-a-year down payment program for first-time buyers, given the high cost of housing and rising mortgage interest rates, in exchange for a partial stake.

Alejandro Lazo

• June 15, 2022

Anthony Torres loads a vehicle with food at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank at Franklin D. Roosevelt Park in Los Angeles on March 23, 2021. Photo by Mike Blake, REUTERS

California Divide

California’s plan to provide food assistance to undocumented residents leaves some out

California will offer food assistance to undocumented people over 55. Advocates want more. They say younger people need help, too.

Melissa Montalvo

and

Jeanne Kuang

• June 14, 2022

Fast-food workers and other SEIU members marched to the Capitol to deliver postcards and petitions in support of AB257 to the Governor's Office on May 31, 2022. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

California Divide

California may give fast food workers power to bargain with their industry

Push to pass a labor-sponsored bill is a key ‘Fight for $15’ priority and a potential organizing foothold in an industry where unionization has long been elusive.

Alejandro Lazo

and

Jeanne Kuang

• June 2, 2022

People line up to speak during a reparations task force meeting at Third Baptist Church in San Francisco on April 13, 2022. Photo by Janie Har, AP Photo

California Divide

Reparations could include tuition, housing grants, California task force says

California’s first-in-the-nation task force to identify reparations said business loans, housing grants, tuition, wage and job protections could provide redress for African Americans.

Levi Kalish

• June 1, 2022