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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 […]

If President Joe Biden does somehow drop out of the race, Vice President Kamala Harris is very likely next in line. So after three-and-a-half years of relative obscurity and thankless tasks, the former U.S. senator and California attorney general finds herself center stage during one of the most defining elections in America’s history.  But many […]

Former President Donald Trump evaded serious injury, or death, by mere centimeters after a bullet struck his upper right ear during a campaign rally Saturday in Pennsylvania. The Republican presidential candidate pumped his fist, his face bloodied, as Secret Service agents hustled him off the stage following the shooting. But one spectator was killed, two […]

Good morning, Inequality Insights readers. Today, it’s Wendy Fry here with Felicia Mello to talk to you about our latest investigation into how California state housing inspectors have struggled to make sure farms are providing guest workers with safe and adequate housing. We’d noticed that the number of workers on H2A visas — a federal […]

Beginning Monday, 150 households in Fresno County are expected to receive a $500 prepaid card to spend on anything they’d like — no strings attached. It will be the first of 12 monthly recurring payments those Southwest Fresno and Huron residents will receive as part of a guaranteed basic income program for low-income families.  For […]

From CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff: After abandoning plans to place a competing measure on the November ballot, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that he would campaign against an initiative to increase penalties for some drug and theft crimes in California. Newsom accused supporters of the initiative — which would roll back provisions of Proposition […]

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, California’s Democratic leaders moved fast to shore up reproductive rights: They persuaded voters to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution, approved a dozen bills strengthening abortion protections and passed a law in May to enable Arizona doctors to temporarily provide […]