California’s crisis of homelessness is driven by high housing costs. Despite the state’s wealth, strong economic growth, and robust social safety net, California has the highest poverty rate, at over 15%, of any state using the Census Bureau’s cost-of-living adjusted measure. Check out the Cato Institute’s Project on Poverty and Inequality. Los Angeles county Sheriffs go from tent to tent on Venice beach asking the homeless occupants if they would like to move off of the beach into a shelter Wednesday, June 23, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Opinion by Michael Tanner |Los Angeles Daily News - October 21, 2021
This spring, an order from federal District Judge David O. Carter that Los Angeles provide shelter for all people currently encamped on skid row threw most of the city’s elected officials into a panic. Last month, they were temporarily saved from having to solve the homelessness crisis when a three-judge appeals court threw out Judge Carter’s decision. But while city officials — and taxpayers — are momentarily off the hook, the thousands of Californians trapped on the street, in L.A. and across the state, are not. There are roughly 63,000 homeless Angelenos, and more than 161,000 statewide, meaning California has the highest rate of homelessness in the nation. By some estimates, California has 48 percent of all unsheltered homeless Americans. Clearly, this situation cannot be allowed to continue. This week, the Cato Institute’s Project on Poverty and Inequality in California released a report on ways to reduce poverty in the Golden State, and strategies for tackling homelessness loom large. In fact, fully one-third of the report deals with how to resolve high housing costs and the homeless crisis. And these two issues are deeply entwined. Despite what some have claimed, California’s crisis of homelessness is driven by high housing costs. True, many people experiencing homelessness struggle with mental health or substance use challenges. But a majority of homeless Californians simply “fell to the street” because they were unable afford rent. In fact, data from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority showed that a majority of people experiencing homelessness cited economic reasons for their loss of housing. Lilly McGee 7/12/2021
Mis- and dis-information are two of the most insidious tools used to undermine our democracy and the value of every person’s voice. Learn how to recognize them and stop them in their tracks. What Are Mis- and Disinformation? Misinformation: inadvertently sharing false information without the intent to harm Ex. Your sister says that the latest local bill will raise taxes because that’s what she heard from a trusted friend. Disinformation: intentionally sharing false information with the intent to harm Ex. Your sister lies that the latest local bill will raises taxes because she knows that’s the only way you won’t support it. While disinformation may seem like the worse of the two, it’s frighteningly easy to spread misinformation. Remember the game “telephone” and how it shows that our messages get distorted over time? Every day, we play telephone in our face-to-face conversations, over social media, and more, with important political information. Stephanie Hernandez 10/4/2021 Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15) is our chance to honor and celebrate the amazing accomplishments of individuals that identify as Hispanic or Latinx! Dolores Huerta Labor Leader, Civil Rights Activist Dolores Huerta was born on April 10, 1930, in Dawson, New Mexico. Huerta’s father was a farmworker and miner who became a state legislator in 1938; her mother was a community activist who ran a local hotel. Their civic engagement sparked Huerta’s later work as one of the most influential labor activists and leaders of the Chicano civil rights movement. Huerta attended the University of the Pacific’s Delta College, where she trained as a teacher. She briefly taught in the 1950s, but after seeing so many of her students show up to class hungry and barefoot, she began her lifelong journey as an organizer and activist. Mural of activist Dolores Huerta In the 1960s, she founded the Agricultural Workers Association and led voter registration drives, specifically helping Hispanic Americans register to vote. She later met César Chávez, and the two co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, an organization meant to empower agricultural workers and improve working conditions. Huerta quickly realized that she wasn’t only advocating for farm workers’ rights but also challenging gender discrimination. She emphasized the importance of the entire family in advocacy, since it was not just men but women and children who were involved in and impacted by agricultural work. Later in her career, she focused on women’s rights, specifically on encouraging more Hispanic women to run for office at the local, state, and federal levels. In 2012, Huerta received The Presidential Medal of Freedom. Now at the age of 91, Dolores continues her activism through her organization, the Dolores Huerta Foundation, an organization that advocates for women, children, and farm workers. |
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