California’s K-12 public-school enrollment has precipitously declined during the pandemic, dropping by a record 155,000 students, according to new state projections. That drop-off is about five times greater than California’s annual rate of enrollment decline in recent years. The state, which boasts the largest student enrollment in the country, has...
‘Too Little, Too Late’: California Small Businesses Chase COVID-19 Relief
Since the coronavirus swept into Silicon Valley last spring, Denise Russell’s race to save her San Jose salon has stretched into a marathon. It started with a $103,020 Paycheck Protection Program loan. Then came a federal small business Economic Injury Disaster Loan for $159,000. Now, she’s applying for a $15,000...
‘Tedious, Stressful’: Why Older Californians Are Still Struggling to Get Vaccine
For eight days in a row, David Griffin, 67, woke up at 3 or 4 a.m. to search for a rare, coveted COVID-19 vaccine appointment for himself and his wife, 70, who has multiple sclerosis. Two slots he found, at a Ralph’s supermarket, were abruptly cancelled. Finally, Griffin secured two...
Opinion: Newsom, Legislature Must Urgently Prioritize Kids and Reopen Schools
We are in a crisis. Not just a health crisis, but a kid crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on nearly every aspect of our daily lives, the economy and our health system. But the most overlooked and forgotten are our kids, who have sadly been the collateral damage...
Going Underground: California Business Operates in Secret Amid Pandemic Restrictions
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down his Bay Area region massage business, John went 93 days without income. In March, John and his business partner, Dee, packed away their massage tables and locked up their office. (Both John and Dee are going by pseudonyms for fear of legal repercussions.) But...
Small Businesses Need Support Through COVID-19 Pandemic
Alicia Villanueva started making 100 tamales at night and sold them door-to-door before finally realizing her dream of opening her own restaurant. Eventually, she was selling tens of thousands of her tamales, serving the likes of Google and Facebook, and expected 2020 to be her most profitable year. Then the...
How to Realize the Promise of California’s Youth Justice Transformation
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval of Senate Bill 823 last September comes after decades of work by directly impacted leaders, advocates, young people and communities throughout the state. Soon, the Division of Juvenile Justice with its long history of abuse and violence against Black and Brown youth will be gone. Now, county leaders...
Water Partnerships Between Cities and Farms Would Help Prepare for a Changing Climate
San Joaquin Valley farms and Southern California cities are facing different but equally daunting water challenges. For Valley farmers, the requirement to achieve groundwater sustainability in coming years has heightened interest in expanding water supplies to reduce the need to fallow irrigated farmland. For Southern California, falling demands since the...
California’s Bill for Fighting Trump in Court? $41 Million So Far
California has spent $41 million over the past four years fighting the Trump administration over its regulations and rollbacks involving climate change, immigration, consumer rights and more. During Donald Trump’s presidency, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed lawsuit after lawsuit, challenging the various federal agencies that set new national policies....
State Activates MyTurn Vaccine Clearinghouse Website
Facing criticism for its chaotic COVID-19 vaccine rollout, California has quietly launched a long-promised statewide website to help residents learn when they are eligible to receive the vaccine and schedule appointments. Called MyTurn (myturn.ca.gov), the online registry has not yet been widely promoted and still is a work in progress. Gov. Gavin...