California Divide

Nonprofit clinics, tribal organizations and other community groups return to Sacramento for a second year to press for a $100 million health equity and racial justice fund. Gov. Gavin Newsom had left it out of last year’s budget.

As policy experts grapple with how best to address racial inequalities that have worsened in California during the pandemic, a new, more involved policy approach offers promise even as it remains untested.

Essential workers say they are bearing the brunt of the pandemic again but this time, there is less government support. Economists say jobs in California’s low-wage sectors could take longer to recover.

The pandemic gave a chronically homeless veteran in Los Angeles a chance at permanent supportive housing, but his experience differed from what state leaders envision. Can California offer the right support as it adds tens of thousands of new units?

One man's experience transitioning out of homelessness reveals challenges facing California as it ramps up permanent supportive housing.

As union representation has bottomed out in some of the country’s lowest-paid industries, a group of California lawmakers and labor leaders are pushing to test a version of sectoral bargaining, a labor strategy common in other high-income countries. Progressives are pushing for a state-appointed council for the fast food industry to set wages and work conditions, which have historically been negotiated privately between employers and worker unions.

A Los Angeles artist who once sold flowers with his immigrant parents on street corners breaks into the world of NFTs. In doing so, he’s also found a nontraditional way to generate wealth in crypto currency.

California will ban most new gas-powered lawn equipment starting in 2024, but landscapers and gardeners warn the transition will cost them money and jobs. Industry officials say the technology isn’t ready for commercial use and called a $30 million incentive program for small operators inadequate. One state lawmaker who co-authored the bill says he’s open to more funding.

Resident and activists are urging Fresno County change the name of Squaw Valley community. They say it's derogatory to Native American women.

EN RESUMEN Residentes y activistas instan al condado de Fresno a cambiar el nombre de la comunidad de Squaw Valley. Dicen que es despectivo para las mujeres nativas americanas. Read this article in English.  Más de un año después de lanzar un esfuerzo para cambiar el nombre de la comunidad de Squaw Valley, un grupo de […]