Dan Morain and Richard Polanco; image from the Oral History.CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Richard Polanco is the subject of a new video Oral History conducted by Journalist and author Dan Morain, who covered Polanco’s career for the Los Angeles Times. Morain joined Capitol Weekly’s Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster to talk about Polanco’s career and legacy as the man who is credited as the architect of Latino power in the capitol.
Employees on the job at a Santa Barbara restaurant. (Photo: Ruben M Ramos, via Shutterstock)California’s growth of nonfarm payroll jobs continued on a steady pace as 2021 ended, according to recent figures from the state Employment Development Department that do not fully reflect the impact of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. “The 50,000 gain in the labor force was encouraging in December and certainly included more women,” economist Lynn Reaser told Capitol Weekly.
A young girl in Oakland, a key member of a community targeted for health inequities. (Photo: Roots Community Health Center)OPINION: Much attention has been focused on the barriers and challenges to accessing health care, highlighted by a pandemic that disproportionately harms Black, Latinx, Asian American Pacific Islander, and Indigenous communities. Barriers to technology or lack of broadband impeded access to MyTurn and other scheduling tools. Barriers to transportation made it impossible or difficult for folks to access mega-sites and wait in hours long lines for the vaccine.
Demonstrators supporting the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom gather in Yorba Linda in Orange County. (Photo: Matt Gush, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Usually, the year after a presidential election is pretty quiet in California when it comes to high-profile political contests. But this year Republicans have managed to make the Golden State a national battleground — and a fundraising juggernaut — with their recall fight against Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Demonstrators seeking racial justice for the Asian community at a March rally in Alhambra. (Photo: Ringo Chiu, via Shutterstock)As the nation continues to grapple with devastating police violence against African Americans and rising hate crimes against the Asian-American and Pacific Islander Community, many government leaders continue to talk a good game about the importance of racial justice.
We need a lot more than talk. It’s long past time to