California Divide

Unpaved roads in Moreno Valley in Riverside County on Feb. 4, 2021. Photo by Nigel Duara, CalMatters

California Divide

Waiting for apartments where the pavement ends

State housing planners continue to allocate tens of thousands of low-income units in Riverside County despite a lack of suitable land and willing developers. The broken zoning process is a lose-lose for state and local governments alike.

By

Nigel Duara

• February 23, 2021

California Divide

With raffles, food sales and fundraisers, Latinos do their best to avoid debt

Food sales, money pools and fundraising campaigns have been a lifesaver for many families affected by the pandemic.

By

Araceli Martinez Ortega

• February 18, 2021

California Divide

Lawmakers pass $600 stimulus checks plus boost for undocumented workers

As Congress debates President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package, California legislators have approved $600 one-time stimulus payments to millions of struggling Californians and extra help for undocumented workers left out of federal relief. Gov. Gavin Newsom says he'll sign it into law.

By

Jackie Botts

• February 17, 2021

CJ Paillant poses for a photograph in the Jack London Square apartment he is losing in Oakland, on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. Paillant lost his job as a product manager for a Silicon Valley software company during the pandemic and now faces a large rental debt. Photo by Anda Chu, Bay Area News Group

California Divide

How an ex-tech worker got $43,804 into rental debt

Even with a statewide eviction moratorium and government rental relief, some renters have accumulated large debts with no way out.

By

Laurence Du Sault

• February 16, 2021

California Divide

Los Mariachis lloran la pérdida de decenas de músicos por COVID-19

By

Araceli Martinez Ortega

• February 16, 2021

The Creek Fire burns downed logs in the forest off of Highway 168 south of Huntington Lake on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020. Photo by Craig Kohlruss, The Fresno Bee

California Divide

Illegal pot grow? Antifa? Rumors swirl about Creek Fire cause, but officials’ lips sealed

By

Manuela Tobias

• February 16, 2021

Erica Wood is photographed in her car near her home in San Diego on Feb. 6, 2021. Wood owns a small mobile piercing business but has been able to work due to COVID-19 restrictions. While struggling with unemployment benefit, she took out a title loan on her car and is now in debt as a result. Photo by Peggy Peattie for CalMatters

California Divide

Why personal debt looks healthy despite worst year for jobs

Americans spent more on homes and reduced more in credit card debt than nearly ever before, but California experts say traditional indicators have failed to capture the pandemic's true toll, warning of a much more complicated — and unequal — debt story.

By

Laurence Du Sault

and

Jackie Botts

• February 16, 2021

An aerial view of the small rural community of Bloomington on Dec. 18, 2020. Photo by Tash Kimmell for CalMatters.

California Divide

When a package at the front door means a warehouse next door

While warehouses have become ubiquitous in the Inland Empire, recent proposals call for rezoning residential land for industrial use, leaving the largely minority and low-income residents who live there with few choices.

By

Orlando Mayorquin

• February 12, 2021

California Divide

California legislators should start paying Capitol interns: report

California’s elected officials have backed a $15-an-hour minimum wage by 2023 but a new report says only a few of them pay their legislative interns.

By

Laurence Du Sault

• February 9, 2021

Economy

How EDD and Bank of America make millions on California unemployment

State records obtained by CalMatters show that the employment agency made $22.5 million on unemployment debit card fees as the pandemic ravaged the job market, but it failed to track how much Bank of America earned off a debit card contract during the spike in benefits. Lawmakers are asking questions about the revenue-sharing deal as workers still missing money fight to survive.

By

Lauren Hepler

• February 3, 2021

California Divide

Covering income inequality across the state