Photo by CGN089 via ShutterstockOPINION – Caregiving became my second career the way it does for many women my age; my aging father needed my help. I had recently retired from the corporate world and my family had been relying on my care since we lost my mother at a young age. I chose caregiving out of love. Now,
An artist's rendering of an inmate in solitary confinement. (Photo: LaHellen, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Prolonged solitary confinement is torture. Whether it is referred to as administrative segregation, secure housing, or protective custody, the effect on an individual is the same. Significant psychological harm, and mental and physical damage that can be permanent.
A disabled driver attempts to enter her vehicle. (Photo: didesign021, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Reliable transportation is an important part of everyday life, from getting to work, to going to the doctor, to staying connected with friends and family. However, for nearly 8 million Californians with disabilities, transportation can be anything but reliable, especially for those who drive.
A notary public sends information on his smart phone. (Photo: Motortion Films, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Today, almost everything in our lives can be done online – and thanks to advancements in technology, so can notarizations. But unfortunately, California notaries are being left out and are unable to perform online notarizations for residents.
Illustration of a highspeed connections at a data center: >i>(Image: Anucha Cheechang, via Shutterstock)OPINION: During the past year, as the pandemic inflicted incalculable heartbreak and loss, internet connectivity helped Californians get through the worst public health crisis in over 100 years. But while reliable, high-speed internet access became a lifeline to so many of us during the pandemic, this lifeline was not equally available to all of us.
A California voter casts a ballot by mail. (Photo: vepar5, via Shutterstock)When Californians went to the polls in March, the big news was the consolidation of the Democratic primary contest. Few would have expected that we were also effectively seeing the end of the primary election season — with subsequent elections throughout the spring either cancelled or run under the cloud of a viral pandemic.
A pair of homeless men asking for money on a Los Angeles street corner. (Photo: Hayk_Shalunts, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Dear Gov.-elect Newsom: California has long stood out as a state that innovates and leads. As you begin your term, we at the Western Center on Law and Poverty are ready to work with you to ensure that California lives up to its ideals — including addressing poverty and its subsequent harms.
Prescription drugs displayed across a counter top. (Photo: Motorolka, via Shutterstock)FairWarning: When the Republican-controlled Congress approved a landmark program in 2003 to help seniors buy prescription drugs, it slapped on an unusual restriction: The federal government was barred from negotiating cheaper prices for those medicines. Instead, the job of holding down costs was outsourced to the insurance companies delivering the subsidized new coverage, known as Medicare Part D.
Illustration by Kheng Guan Toh, via ShutterstockOPINION: The California Public Utilities Commission is about to make a landmark decision about the merger of Charter Communications, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks that will have a generational effect on closing—or possibly making permanent—the Digital Divide.
OPINION People who use IHSS, their advocates and the legislature asked: Where are the 40,000 new people ready, willing, qualified and able to do this work, at low pay, with no sick time, no vacation time and usually no health benefits – to take the places of the people already doing the work – some of them for decades?