Image by Dragon ClawsOPINION – As a former corporate employee and now a minority business owner, I have worked tirelessly to reduce workplace bias and discrimination. With my new company, I’m successfully using artificial intelligence to help solve these vexing problems, so I was surprised and disappointed when I recently reviewed well-intended, but terribly misguided, AI bias legislation
Image by Mameraman via ShuterstockOPINION – Following decades of activist struggle, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have made our state the first to outlaw caste discrimination, an ancient form of ancestry-based social stratification endemic to South Asia but also unfortunately upheld by diasporic communities in California. In vetoing SB 403, Newsom has not only blocked vital protections for this marginalized community, but also played into the broader political agenda of a group of powerful Hindu nationalist organizations who drove opposition to the bill.
The high cost of living, image by William PotterOPINION – A groundbreaking and startling new report shows California is losing the battle to bring people out of homelessness because living in our state is simply unaffordable.
Health care delays, image by LightspringOPINION – Long plagued by racism and discrimination, communities of color lag on many healthcare measures. Unfortunately, some insurance companies are erecting extraordinary barriers that will actually delay necessary treatment for patients — and exacerbate inequities.
Tie dye house key by William Hager, ShutterstockOPINION: In California, where the housing affordability crisis only has worsened over the years, LGBTQ+ tenants are struggling to maintain stable, affordable housing.
Image by AndriiKoval via shutterstockOPINION – Cash payouts alone will not restore fundamental civil rights to California’s 2.25 million Black residents.
Image by Lightspring via ShutterstockThe last time our state innovated in this regard was in 1913 with the Alien Law Land Law, which targeted Japanese, but also applied to Chinese, Koreans and South Asians to deny them rights to land.
The Harbor Freeway at rush hour in Los Angeles. (Photo: Joseph Sohm, via Shutterstock) OPINION: The California Department of Insurance, having identified a disparity, has established a worthy goal of expanding auto insurance discounts to more low-income consumers and communities of color. But as it pursues that goal, the department must keep in mind a foundational principle in healing problems: Do no harm.
A check-cashing outlet in Los Angeles, often used by low-income families. (Photo: image_vulture, via Shutterstock)A solid majority of Californians say children growing up in the state today will be worse off financially than their parents, while more than two-thirds say the gap between rich and poor is widening. In the past year, more than four in ten households with annual incomes below $40,000 had work hours or pay reduced, and an equal share had to cut back on food.
Voters casting their ballots at a local precinct. (Photo: Joseph Sohm, Shutterstock)Proposition 209, the constitutional amendment intended to prevent discrimination or preferential treatment on the basis of race, ethnicity, or sex in areas like public education and contracting, was approved by California voters a generation ago. In November, they will decide whether to get rid of it.