Cynthia Alvarez, image by Scott Duncan PhotographyFor Cynthia Alvarez, chief of staff to Sen. Lena Gonzalez, has had an affinity for helping people since her childhood growing up in Inglewood.
Laura Wilcox, whose shooting death in Nevada County inspired "Laura's Law." (Family photo)Legislation to strengthen California’s 2002 “Laura’s Law,” which gives family members a legal tool to get treatment for their severely mentally ill relatives, has been approved 77-0 by the state Assembly, despite opposition from some California counties, behavioral health directors and a labor union representing employees in local mental-health programs.
Then student bookstore on the campus of UCLA, October 2017. (Photo: Michael Gordon)OPINION: My childhood dream was to be a teacher. But because of my dyslexia and difficulty with math, I thought the only jobs I’d ever be qualified for were jobs that don’t require a college degree. It wasn’t until the recession hit and I lost my job waiting tables that I decided try community college.