Third grader Sachi Schuman, 8, carries a sign she made in favor of reopening public schools during a rally at Astro Park in Oakland on Feb. 28, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters
Third grader Sachi Schuman, 8, carries a sign she made in favor of reopening public schools during a rally at Astro Park in Oakland on Feb. 28, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

In summary

This week, we talk about the complexities of measuring personal debt in California and the state’s new plan to return to in-person learning.

Californians appear to have triumphed over unprecedented job loss and a pandemic-triggered economic downturn to pay down interest-heavy personal debt, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s reports of American consumer debt. CalMatters reporters Jackie Botts and Laurence Du Sault discuss how stimulus payments, inequality and other factors may be hiding a more complicated issue.

CalMatters K-12 education reporter Ricardo Cano also joins the podcast to talk about a school reopening deal that would incentivize schools to return their youngest students to in-person learning as early as April 1.

Listen to the “California State of Mind” episode, hosted by Elizabeth Aguilera and Nicole Nixon. Subscribe on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can follow @yourgoldenstate, @CalMatters and @CapRadioNews on Twitter to engage with our show every week and see the biggest California stories of the day.

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