A dry field and barn off of Highway 152 in California's Pacheco Pass. (Photo: Hank Shiffman, via Shutterstock)As if the COVID-19 epidemic, economic malaise, disrupted schooling and wildfires weren’t enough, California now finds itself heading for a drought. A big drought. In fact, the U.S. Drought Monitor says that 91 percent of the state is in a drought right now.
The impact of the pandemic is seen in San Diego's Mission Valley, normally crowded with traffic. ((Photo: Travelling Thilo, via Shutterstock)For all of our grousing about COVID-19 fatigue, a few novel trends are clear one year into the pandemic. In the early weeks of 2021, Californians are staying home way more than we did in our pre-pandemic life. Even so, we’re heading out to shop, dine and work far more now than in March 2020, when state officials issued the first sweeping stay-at-home order, or the dark period that followed the winter holidays, when we hunkered down as coronavirus caseloads exploded.
An image of California voting materials. (Photo: Jason Raff, via Shutterstock)As has been reported in Capitol Weekly, the early vote has been dominated by Democratic voters. This is in direct contrast to every other election in California history in which Republicans have over-performed in the early returns, leaving Democrats to play catch-up in the late mail and Election Day vote.
Immigrant workers harvest strawberries in a Salinas field. (Photo: David A. Litman, via Shutterstock)While we remain in the throes of an increasingly savage pandemic, policy makers at all levels of government are trying to soften the impact of the outbreak on our physical and financial health. But they are not the only ones: A group of little-known organizations are trying to ease the impact on an especially vulnerable community — undocumented immigrants.
An illustration of the 2020 census. (Image: Maria Dryfout, via Shutterstock)In the most recent year for which an estimate is available (2015), California received about $77 billion in census-related funding—more than 80% of the total federal funds the state received that year. A number of federal programs draw on population estimates derived from the 2010 Census to calculate the share of federal funding for each state. The 2020 Census will soon update these estimates.
A diverse crowd recites the Pledge of Allegiance at a political rally at CSU-Dominguez Hills in Los Angeles. (Photo: Joseph Sohm)OPINION: In 1968, California officially adopted a nickname, “the Golden State,” to convey a sense of opportunity for all who live here. But a new initiative confirms that, nearly a half century later, Californians still face profound opportunity gaps based on race.
The CalPERS' governing board during a meeting several years ago at the pension fund's headquarters. (Photo: CalPERS board)Calpensions: Twice in recent decades CalPERS fell below 100 percent of the funding needed for promised pensions, and twice CalPERS climbed back. But since a $100 billion investment loss in 2008, the CalPERS funding level has not recovered.
A homeless woman sleeps on a park bench in Santa Monica. (Photo: Joseph SohmStuck in the limbo above the federal poverty level yet below adequate income streams to make ends meet, these “hidden poor” are often a forgotten demographic. Why is identifying the “hidden poor” so important? On average, their health is much worse than their wealthier neighbors – and thus more expensive to treat – yet they are rarely included in health statistics.
Californians’ reliance on TV for their political news is declining, while an increasing number of people are using the Internet for political coverage, according to a report from the Public Policy Institute of California.