Six years into California’s effort to target school funding more to disadvantaged students, new research has found that high-need districts are getting substantially more money. But the report released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California indicates poorer schools getting most of the extra help are relying on less experienced and...
Is Ethnic Studies Plan Too Politically Correct Even for California?
As Americans grapple with shifts in culture and demographics, majority-minority California is developing a high school curriculum in ethnic studies, one of the first nationally. Not long ago — while managing his extracurriculars and winnowing his college choices — Eli Safaie-Kia, 17, found time to discover a draft of it. Its contents were, in some...
Worried About Wildfires, Californians Ready for Action on Climate Change
A majority of Californians believe global warming is happening now and that it’s a serious threat to the Golden State’s future, according to the results of a recent poll. What’s more, Californians are ready to cast their votes and spend their money to fight it. The findings from the Public Policy Institute...
Let’s Be Blunt: Cannabis Consumers Need Protection
California boasts the strongest “lemon laws” in the country. Another law helps Californians make decisions about avoiding chemicals that could cause cancer or birth defects. A third law requires manufacturers of cleaning products to disclose ingredients. Now the California Legislature should get serious about protecting cannabis consumers from potentially serious public...
Postpartum Mental Illness: The Crisis No Expectant Mother Expects
Eva Schwartz didn’t have a history of mental illness. There were never any indicators that the birth of her first child would spark a years-long struggle that would threaten her marriage and her life. Schwartz was 29 in 2015, with a stable home life in Sacramento, as she awaited the...
On Trump’s Tax Returns and More, Newsom’s Agenda Isn’t Jerry Brown’s
As governor, Jerry Brown vetoed a 2017 measure to keep presidential candidates off the California primary ballot unless they release their tax returns. With a stern veto message, he said the Trump-trolling bill would create a political “slippery slope.” “Today we require tax returns, but what would be next? Five...
How Latinos Can Help in Fight Against Climate Change
In California, climate change is a personal issue. We seem to be experiencing its earliest effects much more dramatically than the rest of the country. But Latinos are truly on the front lines. Construction, farming, manufacturing all draw heavily on Latino workers, and they are at greater risk when they...
Why California’s ‘Grayest’ Generation Needs Master Plan for Aging
Watching Gov. Gavin Newsom focus some of his youthful energy on the issue of aging is both refreshing and clearly required, especially given his observation that California is getting grayer in staggering numbers. Newsom noted in his State of the State address in February that California’s over-65 population will nearly...
Earthquakes Can Dry Water Supply. Californians Must Prepare
Recent earthquakes have us all thinking about emergency preparedness. Whether that’s updating the earthquake kit, putting supplies in the car trunk, or finally affixing the bookshelves to the wall, there are steps we can take personally to prepare for the worst. Critical to any earthquake kit is bottled water. This...
California Steers Toward a Future of Self-Driving Cars
California is laying the groundwork for the next, slightly scary phase in its push toward zero-emission transportation: self-driving cars packed with computers using finely tuned algorithms, high-definition cameras, radar, and other high-tech gadgetry. What the driverless cars won’t feature: steering wheels, brake pedals, and gas pedals. Autonomous vehicles, mostly electric,...