Economic Inequality

WhatMatters

Troubled times in Silicon Valley

A double dose of bad news hit one of California’s key economic engines Tuesday. As word filtered out about two federal investigations into the demise of Silicon Valley Bank, Meta announced it will lay off 10,000 workers.  This follows a string of tech layoffs that began last year, which included Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Meta […]

By Lynn La • March 15, 2023

Economy

Is your boss complying with California’s new pay transparency law? Here’s how to find out

Businesses and workers have questions about California’s new pay transparency law. CalMatters answers which companies need to post pay ranges in job openings, who can ask for their current pay scale, and more.

By Grace Gedye • March 13, 2023

California Divide

Helping the ‘unbanked’: California mulls entering banking business to serve disadvantaged consumers

Studies say 1 in 4 Californians lacks full access to banks and many pay big fees. A state commission is weighing how to provide public banking options, such as no-fee checking accounts.

By Wendy Fry • March 9, 2023

California Divide

‘Coming for our check’: State task force wants strong new agency to handle reparations

A state-appointed panel inching toward recommendations for reparations wants a new state agency to handle compensation and services to Black people.

By Wendy Fry • March 6, 2023

Commentary

Palo Alto, like California, shines as a land of promise but is haunted by its history

In “Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World,” author Malcolm Harris tells tales of the city's founding, highlighting how some grew rich through technology and science while others were left out of the growth and prosperity. His provocative premise explores California's earliest sins and the haunting toll they have taken centuries later.

By Alejandro Lazo • March 2, 2023

California Divide

Undoing the past: Lawmakers seek to mend California neighborhoods sliced by highways

During the interstate highway construction boom, urban neighborhoods were sliced apart, often isolating the homes of minorities and low-income residents. California lawmakers are exploring ways to undo some of that harm by reconnecting neighborhoods.

By Wendy Fry • February 28, 2023

California Divide

Silicon Valley’s vast wealth disparity deepens as poverty increased

One of the world’s richest regions has some of its starkest divides, with its top 10% of households holding two-thirds of its wealth.

By Alejandro Lazo • February 17, 2023

California Divide

Floods, fires, droughts show California needs bigger safety net for farmworkers, advocates say

January’s rains flooded farm fields and orchards. Many California farmworkers lost weeks of pay. Advocates say the state should help them weather such crises. A leading proposal would pay $300 a week to undocumented workers.

By Nicole Foy • February 16, 2023

California Divide

More than 12,000 Californians are getting cash from guaranteed income experiments

State and local governments, and some private funders, are launching dozens of pilot projects making direct, monthly payments to low-income residents to help meet basic needs. Researchers will study what happens next. Key question: will this money add to, reform, or supplant current welfare programs?

By Jeanne Kuang • February 14, 2023

California Divide

With a guaranteed income, you can buy precious time with your family, say California parents

Los Angeles and Oakland parents who received monthly cash without restrictions from new pilot programs said it did more than help them pay bills. What they gained, they said, was priceless — more time with their children.

By Jeanne Kuang • February 14, 2023