One in five Latinos in California live in poverty, the highest of any demographic group. Black students trail all other racial and ethnic groups in reading and math proficiency. And Native Americans are worse off today, with an average life expectancy eight years shorter than a decade ago. Despite a suite of well-intended policies aimed […]
Jesse Bedayn/CalMatters
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Empower Workers or Government Overreach? California’s Fast Food Bill Tests Labor Laws
Amid growing awareness of inequality and jobs that don’t pay enough to cover child care and housing, California is considering a radical proposal: Allow the state to negotiate wages, hours and work conditions for an entire industry. Proponents in the state Legislature say one solution to inequality is to empower workers to negotiate through unions, […]
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A 50% Coupon for One Tool? Gardeners Call California’s Subsidy Inadequate
Though Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill banning the sale of most new gas powered tools by 2024, gardeners and landscapers say a $30 million state subsidy isn’t nearly enough to help small operators make the switch to electric. The state agency responsible for administering the subsidy estimates it has only enough to give […]
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California Moves to be First State to Fund Pilot Universal Basic Income
Universal basic income was championed by Martin Luther King Jr., promoted by Silicon Valley citizens as the “social vaccine for the 21st century” and endorsed by 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang, but it has never really caught on. Now its time may have come. On Thursday California lawmakers approved the nation’s first state-funded guaranteed income program. […]