California Divide

The new child care portal intended to help essential workers find child care during the pandemic lacks key information, including many providers' names, available slots, violations and cost. But a new and more elaborate site has been in the works and will launch in July.

When he worked at a hospital in downtown Los Angeles, Dr. Gregory Taylor saw cases that reflected the community where he grew up: a host of underlying health conditions killing black patients.  Taylor, an internist, called those conditions — diabetes, high blood pressure, respiratory diseases — “a part of the community fabric” among black residents […]

California faces an unprecedented $54.3 billion deficit. Finance officials announce the unemployment rate could reach 18%, worse than the Great Recession. Schools, health care and safety-net programs face devastating cuts as state and local officials seek additional federal stimulus. 

California’s top prosecutor sued Uber and Lyft for classifying drivers as independent contractors, depriving them of employee benefits and wages that are even more essential during the coronavirus pandemic.

California businesses have received $66.6 billion in federal Paycheck Protection Program loans so far, about 13% of the nation’s total, according to federal loan data. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state’s businesses didn’t receive a proportional share of the federal money in the first round, but that it is now “punching above its weight” in […]

For two weeks in March, Dr. Raynald Samoa fought to move air through his lungs. After recovering from COVID-19, the Los Angeles-based diabetes specialist posted videos on Facebook urging others to stay home. His posts resonated with California’s small but tight-knit Pacific Islander community as questions and stories flooded his inbox. One family described the […]

Dalia was working in a clothing factory in South Los Angeles for about five months when the COVID-19 outbreak hit in mid-March. The workload got heavy when the factory started receiving orders to make face masks. Dalia, who was in charge of trimming the masks, sometimes would take extra work home. Like many other undocumented […]

Ryan Indart says he may have to kill off some of the sheep at his east Clovis ranch this fall. With restaurants shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic, he has no market for his animals. When a new flock arrives in October, he won’t have enough space in his pasture if his current flock is still […]

The coronavirus has forced the entire world into disarray, but the food industry in particular. With restaurants closing or reshaping business models around slimmed-down take-out menus, the dominoes are starting to fall for the farmers who suddenly have nowhere to take their food. And, at the same time, as more people find themselves out of […]

Last week Gov. Newsom announced that eligible seniors throughout California could immediately get three free restaurant meals per day delivered to their door. Yet a week later, not a single meal has been delivered, and tens of thousands of Californians who have tried to sign up have been left disappointed, confused and maybe even hungry. […]