California Divide

Many small business owners have taken legitimate operations underground during the pandemic. Owners say they’ve been unable to get by on government loans and stimulus checks.

Two estimates portend dramatically different consequences if an eviction moratorium extension doesn’t pass

Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders need to reach an agreement by Jan. 31 for California renters to avoid the beginning of a statewide eviction tsunami.

Three months’ free rent on a 2-bedroom apartment with a pool in West San Jose. A Lake Merritt studio in Oakland at a 50% discount for the first six months. Two months of “complimentary rent plus a $2,000 MasterCard gift card” on a luxury high rise renting for $4,375 a month in San Francisco’s Potrero […]

A class-action lawsuit accuses Bank of America of exposing unemployed California workers to large-scale fraud and cutting off access to jobless benefits during the pandemic.

Farmworkers lost out on up to $1.5 billion in grants and loans for COVID-19 safety needs after the USDA committed funds earmarked as such for a food box program.  The USDA announced on Jan. 4 that it planned to spend $1.5 billion in a fifth round of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. It has yet […]

The state’s progressive tax structure is reaping billions from the wealthiest to fund the state’s safety net. But it also reveals how the pandemic has widened the economic gulf for millions of Californians — more than the rest of the country.

  Lea este artículo en español.  Millions of California workers have faced at least one of two gut-wrenching situations this past year: losing their jobs or risking their lives by showing up in person at work during a pandemic. But for the others — the “work-from-home” contingent — things have been, well, mostly fine. “My career, […]

Maya and her girlfriend count themselves lucky to have received rent relief through the federal CARES Act. Now the pressure is on the recent graduate to get hired and stay on top of rent.

California hotel employees are anxious to see if state lawmakers may revive a “right to recall” proposal to rehire based on seniority or propose new help. Many also worry additional aid from last month’s federal relief package won’t help them.