poverty

The biggest federal housing program for low-income renters is failing to help many Californians because there aren’t enough landlords who accept Section 8 vouchers for rent. State lawmakers are considering two solutions, a carrot and a stick.

A decades-old program provides those moving in and out of homelessness with a free mailing address—a small but vital service. Not having an address can mean missing out on welfare checks, Social Security payments, veteran's benefits, school communications, affordable housing updates and letters from friends and family.

A Trump administration proposal would cut food stamps to 3.1 million Americans—largely working families with high housing, childcare and medical costs. That could hit hard in California, a state where both the cost of living and the minimum wage are on the rise.

Enrollment in state food stamp program lags. Drug-overdose deaths fall nationally but rise in California. Paint companies settle two-decade-old lead suit.

California, which has the nation's highest poverty rate, ranks near the bottom for participation in its food stamp program, CalFresh.

Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar: My responsibility goes beyond deciding cases. We must help the public understand what we do and share our collective knowledge. Nowhere is that mission more urgent than when it comes to improving the lives of our state’s children.

Lenny Mendonca: Government officials don't do a good job of engaging the public as we grapple with big, complex challenges. Today, my team at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development is launching a new podcast called Made in California to change that dynamic.  

Lois Capps: Over 40 years of evidence shows that Nurse-Family Partnership reduces preterm birth, improves child health and school readiness, and reduces child abuse and juvenile crime. In addition, there are cost savings on medical care, child welfare, special education, and criminal justice.

The federal opportunity zone program created by the 2017 tax overhaul, enables investors to defer capital gains taxes on funds invested in designated communities. Opportunity zones offer one path forward that relies on private capital to bear the cost.

As the cost of health care, housing, food, and transportation continue to rise, we must make work pay better. Expanding the California earned income tax credit will do that for those who need it most.