poverty

California’s decision to mail a ballot to every registered voter resulted in record ballots cast in the general election — but it was poor and diverse communities that fueled the increases.

To make California stronger, we need to invest in girls and gender-expansive youth, and we need to amplify their leadership potential.

The mutual aid movement has sprung up across California as networks offer food and other forms of relief. But it's too soon to tell if these groups will stick around beyond the pandemic.

Hello! We’re publishing more of our work in Spanish to better serve our diverse state. Make sure to click here to read the article in English. Demand for food and social services has grown almost five-fold in some of Silicon Valley’s wealthiest neighborhoods. Now, the sole full-service social services provider in Cupertino and other west valley cities […]

Lawmakers passed two safety net measures aimed at helping undocumented residents, many who work in essential jobs, access groceries and tax credits. Will Gov. Gavin Newsom sign the bills?

Good morning, California. It’s Monday, July 20. Parents scramble for alternatives It’s official: At least 90% of California students will begin the school year with online learning. The order, which Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday, marks an unprecedented level of state intervention into the operations of more than 1,000 local districts. It also carries massive […]

Cracked roads and blocks of wilted grass and dirt envelop the Edison High School campus in the heart of west Fresno. Police cars, churches and liquor stores abound. But trees, grocery stores, hospitals, parks, restaurants, and banks remain out of sight. Meanwhile, across Highways 180 and 99 heading north toward Bullard Avenue, there is another […]

Newsom orders all Californians to shelter in place until further notice as coronavirus fears grow. Housing crisis complicates state's response to COVID-19.

Donna Insalaco had to lay off 40 of the 45 employees at Pizzaiolo, her gourmet pizzeria in downtown Oakland, after sales fell through a “black hole.” “A lot of tears,” Insalaco said, “All of us here live check-to-check.” Responding to a statewide call for restaurants to close their doors to dine-in customers, Pizzaiolo is now […]

In January, I sat among dozens of other reporters in California’s Capitol as we peppered Gov. Gavin Newsom with questions about his spending plan for the year, a bulging $222 billion budget full of progressive proposals: $1.4 billion in new funds for homeless services, expansion of the state’s health insurance for low-income residents, a proposal […]