California Divide

The feet of Mr. Murphy, who has been on Skid Row for a year. Outreach workers are not sure where he came from. Photos by Dan Morain for CALmatters

Newsletters

L.A.’s homeless population, voters to decide big school bond, and preventing HIV

Mental illness, substance abuse common among L.A. homeless. Voters to decide big school bond. Income inequality grows in California.

By Dan Morain and Ricardo Cano • October 8, 2019

WhatMatters

Public health and cannabis vapes, police use of force and mental illness, and parents seeking a better life get a break

Hospitalizations tied to cannabis vaping. California to offer child care help for parent-students. Will new use-of-force law protect mentally ill?

By Dan Morain • September 30, 2019

California Divide

Immigrants afraid of Trump’s ‘public charge’ rule are dropping food stamps, MediCal

a looming change in what is known as the "public charge" rule is sowing confusion and fear within the immigrant community, causing many people to abandon programs they need for fear of retaliation from immigration authorities

By Erica Hellerstein • September 22, 2019

A pair of worn out tennis shoes illustrate an all-too-common symptom of income inequality: child poverty. More than 27 percent of children in Santa Cruz county are in poverty, the second highest rate in California

California Divide

California’s child poverty hits coastal Bay Area

More than 27 percent of children in Santa Cruz county live in poverty, the second-highest rate in California. Wages are lower than they are on the other "side of the hill" in the high-cost Bay Area.

By Erica Hellerstein • July 16, 2019