Economic Inequality

California's economic recovery was better than expected, but gas prices are shooting up, threatening the state's hard-fought gains.

CalMatters is dedicated to explaining how state government impacts our lives. Your support helps us produce journalism that makes a difference. Donate now. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to put money in Californians’ pockets to help them pay for the skyrocketing price of gas. That was the main takeaway from his State of the State speech Tuesday night, […]

Gavin Newsom took office promising to tackle poverty. His administration has made progress on a number of fronts, but advocates say the state needs to do more to reduce inequality.

California gas prices are the highest in the nation, posing political challenges for Newsom and lawmakers ahead of the 2022 election.

For years, the wisdom and experience of Black women have shed light on racial and economic inequality, and on issues of gender and sexuality.

Income inequality grew in California during three of the last four recessions before the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers are trying to figure out if the same happened in 2020.

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.

California is asking some 1.4 million unemployment recipients to prove their eligibility months after receiving aid as part of a fraud recovery campaign. But some people say they’re caught in the Employment Development Department’s dragnet because they don’t have the documents to be cleared. Now, some risk having to pay back more than $30,000 — or face collection.

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 new report found stark racial inequality across California. Advocates hope that the 2022 state budget will offer some solutions.