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

Members of the the Domestic Workers Alliance join the actors and writers strike at the Warner Brothers Studio in Burbank, on July 19, 2023. Photo by Zaydee Sanchez for CalMatters

California Divide

‘Staggering solidarity’: How California’s summer strikes broke down wealth, class barriers

Showing solidarity with other social classes is a prominent union strategy in the so-called “hot labor summer” sweeping California. It’s too soon to say if the inter-union activity will get employers to bargain.

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

• August 8, 2023

California Divide

Waiting game: Asylum seekers at California border at more risk during court fight

The Biden administration’s app rule makes it harder for migrants to assert a right to asylum, advocates say. Lawsuits are sparking debate about immigration control, safety.

Wendy Fry

• August 7, 2023

Farm workers plant grapevines at a farm in Woodland on April 25, 2022. Photo by Fred Greaves, Reuters

California Divide

‘Double disadvantage’: These California workers’ pay gap is widest by far

A new study shows women without legal residency face a lopsided pay gap. In California they take home 44 cents for every dollar that white, non-Latino men make and 87 cents for every dollar undocumented men make. Would raising the minimum wage help?

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

• July 27, 2023

Farmworkers pick melons in the early morning hours in Huron on Sept. 18, 2018. Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP Photo

California Divide

The hidden cost of California’s hot workplaces: 20,000 job injuries a year

A workers comp study says one day above 100 degrees can cause 15% more accidents, costing workers and employers millions. A new advisory panel may help the state improve its work heat rules.

Nicole Foy

• July 25, 2023

California Divide

California’s farmworkers in labor investigations will get free legal help with immigration

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state will spend $4.5 million on free legal services for undocumented workers involved in state investigations of wage theft or other labor violations. The lawyers can help with their immigration cases.

Nicole Foy

• July 21, 2023

The sun sets behind a row of electrical towers in Fresno County on Sept. 6, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

California Divide

Are major changes coming to your electric bill? 5 things to know

California’s electric rates are among the highest in the country. Three big power companies propose charging fixed rates based on income, saying low-income customers will save money. Critics doubt it’ll work.

Wendy Fry

• July 20, 2023

Grace Diaz, a caregiver, at the home of her client in Orange County on June 7, 2023. Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters

California Divide

Demand for California caregivers is rising, but their pay isn’t. Lawmakers hope to change that.

Many California caregivers are aging immigrants making near-minimum wage. Two bills to improve pay and safety could benefit elderly Californians facing a caregiver shortage.

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

• July 12, 2023

Arturo Villanueva, 37, a tractor driver, in Oxnard on July 2, 2023. Photo by Julie Leopo-Bermudez for CalMatters

California Divide

California built a safety net for undocumented immigrants. Now deficits could leave some behind

As California gives immigrants access to more public programs, its poverty rate declines, some say. But budget and recession worries slow that progress.

Jeanne Kuang

and

Nicole Foy

• July 11, 2023

People protest in front of InterContinental Hotel as unionized hotel workers in Los Angeles and Orange County go on strike, in Los Angeles on July 2, 2023. Photo by David Swanson, REUTERS

California Divide

What’s behind the hotel workers’ strike days before national holiday

A union says hotel workers making $20 to $25 an hour aren’t earning enough to live near where they work.

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

• July 2, 2023