California Archives - YES! Magazine Solutions Journalism

California Shouldn’t Ration Care for Disabled Kids

What good is a waiver program intended to help families access in-home care for medically fragile children if the program is full?

Jennifer McLelland | Nov 14, 2023

California Offers a Lifeline for Children With Long-Term Health Conditions

California’s Enhanced Care Management program, offered through Medi-Cal, could help parents who are caring for children with complex physical, behavioral, and social needs.

Claudia Boyd-Barrett | Sep 14, 2023

Taking Back the Power (Literally)

Frontline communities from California to Puerto Rico lead the fight for energy democracy.

Brooke Anderson | Sep 7, 2023

The Not-So-Rebellious Youth Revolution Coming to Your County

Data from rural Placer County, California, mirrors a larger national trend that shows fewer teen pregnancies, reduced youth crime rates, and higher educational attainment.

Mike Males | Jun 6, 2023

Infographic | Reparations | restitution | racial discrimination

California Runs the Numbers on Reparations

A task force calculated how much Black residents should receive for systemic, state-sanctioned discrimination and ongoing harm.

Tracy Matsue Loeffelholz | May 15, 2023

From Farmworkers to Land Healers

On most days, Sandra de Leon prunes grapevines in Northern California’s wealthiest vineyards. But today she is dressed head to toe in a yellow fire-resistant suit, helmet, safety goggles, and

Brooke Anderson | Apr 25, 2023

Opinion | Domestic Violence | Intimate Partner Violence

Turning Grief Into Healing

A mother, author, and advocate reflects on her own journey out of domestic violence in hopes of helping others break free.

Sheilah Y. Kimble | Apr 18, 2023

Opinion | Power Outages | Disabled Youth | Climate Change | Disability Justice

Power Outages Can Be Life-Threatening for Disabled Youth

Access to electrical power during outages is an equity issue for low-income California residents, especially those with children who rely on medical devices.

Jennifer McLelland | Mar 16, 2023

How to Get Nurses Back in Homes Supporting Disabled Children

Faced with a national shortage of nurses, children with disabilities or chronic illnesses in California are unable to access the home nurses to which they’re entitled by the state. Advocates say the problem is fixable.

Claudia Boyd-Barrett | Feb 21, 2023

Embracing Financial Protections for Abuse Survivors

Even after leaving a domestic violence situation, survivors are often saddled with mountains of debt incurred by their abusers. Can a new California law offer protections?

Claudia Boyd-Barrett | Jan 27, 2023

How Mobile Home Communities Are Adapting for Climate Change

From Vermont to Montana, officials and residents in manufactured housing communities are working to mitigate flood risk.

Sarah Amandolare | Jan 3, 2023

Healing the Land and Themselves

Indigenous, Black, and queer farmers are buying land with the aim to restore and nourish nature along with their cultures and communities.

Michaela Haas | Dec 29, 2022

The Fight for Housing Justice in Los Angeles

From the Los Angeles Tenants Union to Downtown Crenshaw, communities of color in L.A. are rewriting the rules of housing rights.

Jaisal Noor | Dec 5, 2022

How California Can Better Serve Homeless Students

Schools are federally mandated to provide extra support to students experiencing homelessness, but many students—particularly those of color—continue to fall through the cracks in California.

Claudia Boyd-Barrett | Nov 15, 2022

How a Methodist Preacher Became a Champion for Black-Led Sustainable Agriculture

Dennis Hutson wants to recreate a Black farming paradise in California. First he has to adapt to the climate crisis.

Tiffani Patton | Sep 9, 2022

Can Monthly Cash Payments Make Our Economy More Equitable?

Two guaranteed income projects in New York City and Atlanta are showing how modest monthly cash payments to low-income women of color can make a huge difference in alleviating race and gender-based economic inequities.

Sonali Kolhatkar | Feb 11, 2022

What Democrats Can Learn from California’s Failed Recall

California Gov. Gavin Newsom emerged from a recall election on Sept. 14, 2021, as the big winner, having secured a heavy majority of the vote. But while most eyes were on the

Raphael J. Sonenshein | Sep 15, 2021

California’s Recall Election Is a Wake-Up Call for Democrats

If Tuesday’s recall vote in California passes, the Golden State will go the way of Texas, and Democrats will have only themselves to blame.

Chris Winters | Sep 13, 2021

Cities Use Public Transit to Make Nature More Accessible

Seattle is one of several major cities implementing a “transit to trails” program to help more people access local wilderness.

Gregory Scruggs | Jul 16, 2021

Opinion | Immigration | Health Care | Undocumented

Why California Should Expand Health Coverage to Undocumented Seniors

If the state extends Medi-Cal to all undocumented immigrants, they would be eligible to receive potentially life-saving health care.

Denzel Tongue | Apr 12, 2021

Grassroots Volunteers Are Finding Vaccine Appointments for Others

Across the country, volunteers are using their digital savvy to help at-risk people access the COVID vaccine.

Anna Almendrala | Mar 25, 2021

Can California’s Cap and Trade Actually Address Environmental Justice?

Since California’s program launched in 2013, questions have swirled about whether cap and trade has helped or hurt people living in the shadow of the state’s largest emitters.

Julia Rosen | Nov 20, 2020

In-Home Caregivers in California Could Finally Get Unemployment Benefits

If signed into law, California's AB-1993 would extend unemployment eligibility to more than 119,000 family caregivers, most of whom are low-income women of color.

Claudia Boyd-Barrett | Sep 23, 2020

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