Labor

Corporate Fearmongering Over Fast Food Wages Have Aged Like Cold French Fries

Janine Jackson / FAIR Dec 16, 2024 The evidence is in: Minimum wage hikes tend to have little to no effect on employment, but can raise the wages of hundreds of thousands of workers. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Race

Can Land Repair the Nation’s Racist Past?

Adam Mahoney / High Country News Dec 4, 2024 In California, an approach to Black reparations based on land access, ownership and stewardship. Dig deeper ( 18 Min. Read )

Prison Reform

Nevada Voters Have Banned Slavery. Why Hasn’t California?

Natalia Mesa / High Country News Nov 26, 2024 A tale of two states and the future of “involuntary servitude” in the West. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Economic Justice

California Bans Medical Debt From Credit Reports

Molly Castle Work / KFF Health News Sep 27, 2024 The law, designed to protect consumers from financial aftereffects of a medical emergency, goes into effect in January. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Environment

California Sues Exxon Over Plastics Deception

Edward Carver / Common Dreams Sep 24, 2024 The unprecedented lawsuit alleges decades of lies about the recyclability of plastics, propagated to increase production. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Economic Justice

Poverty in California Has Nearly Doubled Since 2021

Mark Kreidler / Capital & Main Sep 20, 2024 New data shows the dramatic effect of the expiration of pandemic-era relief efforts. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Environment

The Forgotten Struggle To Ban Gas-Powered Cars in the 1960s

Scott W. Stern / Grist Aug 30, 2024 Half a century ago, an obscure state senator fought to ban vehicles that used combustion engines—and almost won. Dig deeper ( 12 Min. Read )

Economic Justice

As California Cities Enforce Housing Ban, Where Will the Unhoused Go?

Erin Rode / High Country News Aug 8, 2024 There aren't nearly enough shelter beds available, but that isn't stopping localities from enforcing the ban following a recent Supreme Court decision. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

TD Original

The Coyotes of Crenshaw

Erin Aubry Kaplan / Truthdig Jul 31, 2024 A rise in predatory visitors unsettles a community already struggling with gentrification. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Social Justice

California Cut Poverty During the Pandemic, But It Was a Temporary Fix

Mark Kreidler / Capital & Main Jul 17, 2024 The effect of social safety net programs during Covid created interesting lessons to be learned. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Health & Wellness

California Debates Legalization of Psychedelics

Bernard J. Wolfson / KFF Health News May 14, 2024 A new bill would require the state to begin accepting facilitator license applications in April 2026. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Environment

California Takes Historic Action Against Groundwater-Guzzling Farms

Jake Bittle / Grist Apr 18, 2024 Regulators just imposed unprecedented fees on water usage in the state’s agricultural heartland. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )