Image by Jacob LundOPINION – By December, 73 out of 120 state legislators will have left the building in just two years. As term limit reform kicks in, some critics have grumbled that this turnover is damaging, because we’re losing established leaders and decades of accumulated experience. What’s being overlooked is the leadership and experience we’re gaining.
A billboard at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood. (Photo: lofti photography, via Shutterstock)OPINION: The U.S. is currently facing a public health crisis — one that is on the rise at an alarming rate, has devastating consequences, and is 100% preventable. And that’s congenital syphilis (CS). Mothers with syphilis can transmit it to their babies during pregnancy or at birth. Approximately 40% of babies born to patients with untreated syphilis are stillborn or die from the infection as a newborn.
A woman checks her plans at a construction project. (Photo: Serhii Krot, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Historically, the industry has been dominated by males, and while that is still true today, we are slowly challenging this reality as the number of women in construction is steadily increasing. In 2021, women made up 10.9% of the United States construction industry which is up from 9.9% in 2018.
College students performing research in a biology science class. (Photo: Rido, via Shutterstock)OPINION: A daughter of immigrants working hard labor jobs. A first-generation student who suffered the loss of her father and whose mom was laid off. A single mother working to provide for her three children. These are the students our California colleges would have lost and whose futures would have been limited were it not for financial aid.
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.
Customers order lunches at a bakery in the Napa Valley. (Photo: James Kirkikis, via Shutterstock)OPINION: In the entrepreneurial world, California is a hub of innovation. The state is home to roughly four million small businesses which employ more than seven million workers.
The state Senate in Sacramento, where appointees of the governor face confirmation. (Photo: trekandshoot,via Shutterstock)OPINION: Women in this country have always had to be liked in order to survive. Prior to 1848, American women weren’t permitted to own property or work outside the home. Instead, they were forced to rely on men to determine their worth and much of that depended on whether or not they were found to be likeable.
A board of directors considers a financial report from the chief strategy officer. (Photo: Gorodenkoff, via Shutterstock)Amid growing calls for women on corporate boards, and headlines about corporate wrongdoing like the sexual harassment scandals at Google, California’s 662 publicly traded companies have added 669 women to their boards in the past two years. This sea change is driven by California Senate Bill 826, which took effect in 2019.
A doctor moves an ultrasound transducer across a woman's belly. (Photo: Andrey_Popov, via Shutterstock)OPINION: With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, expectant mothers of color in California now face two battles at once: potential exposure to a deadly virus, and long-standing inadequate access to the best prenatal and maternal healthcare. And as the Black Lives Matter protests and national conversations around racial injustice continue to spread across California, it is more important than ever that California lawmakers address the systemic racial health disparities that plague our communities and give rise to this lack of access.
An owner of a laundry in her shop. (Photo: Sirtravelsalot, via Shutterstock)OPINION: We are in an extraordinary time — one that has exposed significant structural inequities throughout society. But times of crisis provide opportunities for reimagining “norms” and initiating large-scale change. As many as 7.5 million small businesses are in danger of closing during the next five months as a result of the pandemic according to a survey by Main Street America.