Shirley Gibson isn’t quite sure how to feel about these numbers. As directing attorney of the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County — which offers legal services to low-income tenants caught between the preposterously priced southern suburbs of San Francisco and the preposterously priced suburbs of Silicon Valley —...
California’s Homelessness Crisis — and Possible Solutions — Explained
By Matt Levin and Jackie Botts, CalMatters California’s most vexing issue is also its most shameful: the large and rising number of residents who lack a safe place to call home. In a state with vast amounts of wealth, more than 150,000 of its residents sleep in shelters, cars, or...
Risks, Rewards, and Robots: The Future of Work in California
Are robots coming for California’s jobs? In today’s increasingly automated economy, that’s certainly the fear. Technology has always generated economic churn, destroying some jobs and creating others. Already advances have generated a whole new sector of “gig” employment, and deeply disrupted other workplaces, from brick-and-mortar bookstores to newspapers to travel...
Watch New 2020 Law #7: Health Insurance About to Be Mandatory in California
By Byrhonda Lyons, CalMatters In 2020, California will make health insurance mandatory — and charge a tax people to people without. For people who lack it now, there’s an upside: The state also will began giving subsidies to those who don’t qualify for assistance through the federal Obamacare program. In 2018,...
CA’s Gun Sentencing Laws Aren’t Tough Enough, so Feds Are Stepping In
On paper, William Carl Adkins is a perfect candidate for prosecution under California’s tough gun control laws. At 34, he has a rap sheet that dates to 2007 and includes possession of drugs with intent to sell, vehicle theft, burglary, drugs again, and, in 2014, being a felon in possession...
Battle Lines Are Drawn Over Oil Drilling in California
Two announcements with implications for California’s oil industry whizzed past each other in recent weeks, revealing starkly conflicting visions for energy development. After a five-year hiatus on auctions for oil-drilling rights on federal land, Washington finalized a plan to allow them on more than 700,000 acres in 11 Central California counties. A more...
California Can Solve Water Shortage With Water It Has. Here’s How.
California is at a water crossroads. We can continue our costly, 100-year-old pattern of trying to find new water supplies, or we can choose instead to focus on smarter ways of using – and reusing – what we already have. With a population projected to top 50 million by mid-century,...
California Needs to Treat Homelessness Like the Disaster It Is. Let’s Provide Housing First
For the past 23 years, I have led a statewide homeless services and housing development agency. In Los Angeles, I have interacted with four mayors, three cycles of county supervisors, and dozens of city council members. During this period, the approach to the growing issue of homelessness has been predictable....
California Is a Wondrous Place. I’m Leaving.
To me, California has always been an amazing place with a wondrous geography far more diverse than the other two largest states. This helps explain why historically it has been such a beacon for so many Americans, including myself, seeking a golden future in the Golden State. But not just...
A Clinical Trial Saved My Life. So Why Aren’t More Cancer Patients Enrolling?
I was 37 years old, and the mother of two children ages 1 and 4, when I was diagnosed with Stage IV inflammatory breast cancer. It is a rare, aggressive form of breast cancer that attacks the lymphatic system around the breast. It is usually fatal, widespread by the time...