As California closes prisons, correctional officers land a $1 billion contract with raises and moreAugust 30, 2023Gov. Gavin Newsom has closed two state prisons and he has plans to shut two more by 2025. A new contract for correctional officers offers new perks to the guards who stay.
Health CareCalifornia bails out distressed hospitals, offers interest-free loans to 17 troubled providersAugust 26, 2023Some independent California community hospitals have struggled with rising costs since the COVID-19 pandemic. Three declared bankruptcy this year, prompting the state to distribute interest-free loans.
Race and EquityAfter farmworker’s death in Fresno-area heat, UFW and Sen. Padilla say it’s time for stronger protections at workAugust 22, 2023U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and the United Farm Workers union say a recent death in a tomatillo field was due to heat, but a coroner’s report doesn’t back that up.
State Government8 months after storms, California disaster relief slowly flows to undocumented workers who lost homes, incomeAugust 20, 2023Gov. Gavin Newsom promised $95 million would help undocumented workers rebuild after winter storms and floods. Months later, $18 million is being doled out and there are translation issues with the state’s website.
EnvironmentHardly anyone owns a hydrogen car. California may pay up to $300 million for fuel stations anywayAugust 19, 2023With only 12,000 hydrogen cars on the road, and just two models for sale, California lawmakers are debating how much state money should support them.
EducationWhy Cal State is pushing back on community colleges’ plans to offer bachelor’s degreesAugust 12, 2023A new law allows community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees, an option for students unable to attend a four-year institution. But California State University officials are objecting to many of those proposed programs.
How hungry is California? Millions struggle to eat well in an abundant stateAugust 12, 2023How bad is hunger in California? A lot depends on your access to food aid, which expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic but now is being reduced.
‘Staggering solidarity’: How California’s summer strikes broke down wealth, class barriersAugust 9, 2023Showing solidarity with other social classes is a prominent union strategy in the so-called “hot labor summer” sweeping California. It’s too soon to say if the inter-union activity will get employers to bargain.
EducationDrones, tacos, and billboards: How California community colleges are trying to get students back to schoolAugust 6, 2023After a historic drop in enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic, California community colleges are ramping up marketing efforts, spending more than $40 million in state and federal dollars to lure students back. Is it working?
Some of California’s best-paid public employees say they’re ready to strike. Here’s whyAugust 2, 2023Almost half of the jobs for doctors and psychiatrists in California prisons are unfilled. Now, their union says it’s ready to strike over pay even as the state faces a steep budget deficit.
