window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"news_11963773": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11963773",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11963773",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11963769,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/GettyImages-1304074409-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/GettyImages-1304074409-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/GettyImages-1304074409-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/GettyImages-1304074409-scaled.jpg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1708
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/GettyImages-1304074409-2048x1366.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1366
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/GettyImages-1304074409-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/GettyImages-1304074409-1536x1025.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1025
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/GettyImages-1304074409-1920x1281.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1281
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/GettyImages-1304074409-800x534.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 534
}
},
"publishDate": 1696701212,
"modified": 1696701467,
"caption": "A team of workers installing solar panels on a home in Southern California. California’s chief utility regulator is considering a new rooftop solar policy that critics say will make it harder to achieve California's ambitious renewable energy goals.",
"description": null,
"title": "Team of Workers Installing Solar Panels on Residential Rooftop in California",
"credit": "adamkaz/Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A worker in a fluorescent yellow vest carries a solar panel on a roof with a residential area in the background beneath him.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_11962578": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11962578",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11962578",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11962557,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/Sacramento-Community-College-MG-CM-09-1038x576.jpeg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/Sacramento-Community-College-MG-CM-09-160x107.jpeg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/Sacramento-Community-College-MG-CM-09-672x372.jpeg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/Sacramento-Community-College-MG-CM-09.jpeg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/Sacramento-Community-College-MG-CM-09-1020x680.jpeg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/Sacramento-Community-College-MG-CM-09-1536x1024.jpeg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/Sacramento-Community-College-MG-CM-09-1920x1280.jpeg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1280
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/Sacramento-Community-College-MG-CM-09-800x533.jpeg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
}
},
"publishDate": 1695840278,
"modified": 1695840325,
"caption": "Students walk through campus at Sacramento City College on Feb. 23, 2022. ",
"description": null,
"title": "Sacramento-Community-College-MG-CM-09",
"credit": "Miguel Gutierrez Jr./CalMatters",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "Silhouette of people walking on campus at Sacramento City College.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_11961982": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11961982",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11961982",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11961980,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/011023-MISSION-VIEJO-DOCTOR-REUTERS-SS-CM-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/011023-MISSION-VIEJO-DOCTOR-REUTERS-SS-CM-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/011023-MISSION-VIEJO-DOCTOR-REUTERS-SS-CM-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/011023-MISSION-VIEJO-DOCTOR-REUTERS-SS-CM.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1334
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/011023-MISSION-VIEJO-DOCTOR-REUTERS-SS-CM-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/011023-MISSION-VIEJO-DOCTOR-REUTERS-SS-CM-1536x1025.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1025
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/011023-MISSION-VIEJO-DOCTOR-REUTERS-SS-CM-1920x1281.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1281
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/011023-MISSION-VIEJO-DOCTOR-REUTERS-SS-CM-800x534.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 534
}
},
"publishDate": 1695253135,
"modified": 1695253197,
"caption": "Emergency room doctor Jim Keany treats a patient at Providence Mission Hospital on Jan. 27, 2022.",
"description": null,
"title": "011023-MISSION-VIEJO-DOCTOR-REUTERS-SS-CM",
"credit": "Shannon Stapleton/Reuters",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "a doctor can be seen behind a wall bending over a patient on a bed",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_11961745": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11961745",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11961745",
"found": true
},
"parent": 0,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMHousing01-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMHousing01-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMHousing01-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMHousing01.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMHousing01-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMHousing01-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMHousing01-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1280
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMHousing01-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
}
},
"publishDate": 1695146057,
"modified": 1695161084,
"caption": "Casa Sueños, an affordable housing complex at 3500 E. 12th St. in Oakland on Aug. 7, 2023.",
"description": null,
"title": "CMHousing01",
"credit": "Semantha Norris/CalMatters",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A big corner building in Oakland. A surrounding chain-link fence is covered in graffiti.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_11961750": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11961750",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11961750",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11961743,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080822-LA-Planned-Parenthood-RN-CM-05-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080822-LA-Planned-Parenthood-RN-CM-05-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080822-LA-Planned-Parenthood-RN-CM-05-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080822-LA-Planned-Parenthood-RN-CM-05.jpg",
"width": 1568,
"height": 1044
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080822-LA-Planned-Parenthood-RN-CM-05-1020x679.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 679
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080822-LA-Planned-Parenthood-RN-CM-05-1536x1023.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1023
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080822-LA-Planned-Parenthood-RN-CM-05-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
}
},
"publishDate": 1695146559,
"modified": 1695146602,
"caption": "The Planned Parenthood-East Los Angeles Health Center in Los Angeles.",
"description": null,
"title": "080822-LA-Planned-Parenthood-RN-CM-05",
"credit": "Raquel Natalicchio for CalMatters",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "the outside of a building that says 'Planned Parenthood'",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_11961358": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11961358",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11961358",
"found": true
},
"parent": 0,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom01-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom01-160x99.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 99
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom01-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom01.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1238
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom01-1020x631.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 631
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom01-1536x951.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 951
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom01-1920x1188.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1188
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom01-800x495.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 495
}
},
"publishDate": 1694802193,
"modified": 1694809839,
"caption": "People sit on the sidewalk of G Street in a small homeless encampment in the Chinatown neighborhood of Fresno on Feb. 10, 2022. ",
"description": null,
"title": "CMNewsom01",
"credit": "Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "An encampment is seen with a tent, pillows and other belongings arranged on a sidewalk next to a building lined with a chain-link fence.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_11961210": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11961210",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11961210",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11961162,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/060122-Laguna-Niguel-Fire-REUTERS-CM-01-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/060122-Laguna-Niguel-Fire-REUTERS-CM-01-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/060122-Laguna-Niguel-Fire-REUTERS-CM-01-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/060122-Laguna-Niguel-Fire-REUTERS-CM-01.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1332
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/060122-Laguna-Niguel-Fire-REUTERS-CM-01-1020x679.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 679
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/060122-Laguna-Niguel-Fire-REUTERS-CM-01-1536x1023.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1023
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/060122-Laguna-Niguel-Fire-REUTERS-CM-01-1920x1279.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1279
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/060122-Laguna-Niguel-Fire-REUTERS-CM-01-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
}
},
"publishDate": 1694723370,
"modified": 1694737542,
"caption": "An aerial view of damage to a neighborhood of multimillion-dollar Laguna Niguel on June 1, 2022. ",
"description": null,
"title": "Aerial views three-weeks after a wildfire burned through a California neighborhood",
"credit": "Mike Blake/CalMatters",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "An aerial view of damage to a neighborhood.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_11961096": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11961096",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11961096",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11960987,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/01_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_17-1038x576.jpeg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/01_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_17-160x107.jpeg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/01_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_17-672x372.jpeg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/01_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_17.jpeg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/01_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_17-1020x680.jpeg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/01_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_17-1536x1024.jpeg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/01_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_17-1920x1280.jpeg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1280
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/01_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_17-800x533.jpeg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
}
},
"publishDate": 1694643782,
"modified": 1694653552,
"caption": "Attendees, many of whom are refugees and asylum seekers, at the 'Day of Dignity' event, get information from resource booths at Colina Del Sol Park in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego on Sept. 9, 2023.",
"description": null,
"title": "01_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_17",
"credit": "Kristian Carreon/CalMatters",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "Several people standing in front of a table with papers and information.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_11960917": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11960917",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11960917",
"found": true
},
"parent": 0,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege01-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege01-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege01-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege01.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege01-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege01-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege01-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1280
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege01-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
}
},
"publishDate": 1694561280,
"modified": 1694561372,
"caption": "Students walking along the walkway to the Academic Village building 2 at the Madera Community College campus on Aug. 28, 2023. ",
"description": null,
"title": "CMCollege01",
"credit": "Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "The outside of the Madera Community College campus.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_11960832": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11960832",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11960832",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11960819,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_18-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_18-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_18-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_18.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_18-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_18-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_18-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1280
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_18-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
}
},
"publishDate": 1694544728,
"modified": 1694545400,
"caption": "An emergency non-congregate housing site in Chico on Sept. 6, 2023.",
"description": null,
"title": "090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_18",
"credit": "Fred Greaves/CalMatters",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "An aerial view of a housing site.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_11960503": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11960503",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11960503",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11960500,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/072922-EV-ELECTRIC-VEHICLE-CHARGING-MHN-12-CM-copy-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/072922-EV-ELECTRIC-VEHICLE-CHARGING-MHN-12-CM-copy-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/072922-EV-ELECTRIC-VEHICLE-CHARGING-MHN-12-CM-copy-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/072922-EV-ELECTRIC-VEHICLE-CHARGING-MHN-12-CM-copy.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/072922-EV-ELECTRIC-VEHICLE-CHARGING-MHN-12-CM-copy-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/072922-EV-ELECTRIC-VEHICLE-CHARGING-MHN-12-CM-copy-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/072922-EV-ELECTRIC-VEHICLE-CHARGING-MHN-12-CM-copy-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1280
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/072922-EV-ELECTRIC-VEHICLE-CHARGING-MHN-12-CM-copy-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
}
},
"publishDate": 1694285948,
"modified": 1694286054,
"caption": "A man charges his car at an electric vehicle charging station in Burlingame, San Mateo County.",
"description": null,
"title": "072922-EV-ELECTRIC-VEHICLE-CHARGING-MHN-12-CM copy",
"credit": "Martin do Nascimento/CalMatters",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "An electric car is charging as a man's arm holds the charger at a charging station.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_11960340": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11960340",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11960340",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11960324,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_19-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_19-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_19-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_19.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_19-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_19-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_19-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1280
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_19-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
}
},
"publishDate": 1694117456,
"modified": 1694117773,
"caption": "A student holds up a nurse note for Catalina Cisneros, secretary at Loma Vista Elementary School, on the first day of school in Salinas on Aug. 8, 2023. ",
"description": null,
"title": "080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_19",
"credit": "Semantha Norris/CalMatters",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A young woman holds a pink card against a glass window as a woman wearing glasses looks at her.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"byline_news_11963769": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_11963769",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_11963769",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/ben-christopher/\">Ben Christopher\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_11962557": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_11962557",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_11962557",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/adam-echelman/\">Adam Echelman\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_11961980": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_11961980",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_11961980",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/shreya-agrawal/\">Shreya Agrawal\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_11961732": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_11961732",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_11961732",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/ben-christopher/\">Ben Christopher\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_11961743": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_11961743",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_11961743",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/shreya-agrawal/\">Shreya Agrawal\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_11961346": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_11961346",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_11961346",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/kristen-hwang/\">Kristen Hwang\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_11961162": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_11961162",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_11961162",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/alexei-koseff/\">Alexei Koseff\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_11960987": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_11960987",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_11960987",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/feliciacalmatters-org/\">Felicia Mello\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_11960912": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_11960912",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_11960912",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/adam-echelman/\">Adam Echelman\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_11960819": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_11960819",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_11960819",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/jeanne-kuang/\">Jeanne Kuang\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_11960500": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_11960500",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_11960500",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/alejandro-lazo/\">Alejandro Lazo\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_11960324": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_11960324",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_11960324",
"name": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/carolyn-jones/\">Carolyn Jones\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"news_affiliate_calmatters": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18481",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18481",
"score": 15.360804
},
"featImg": null,
"name": "CALmatters",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "affiliate",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "CALmatters Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18515,
"slug": "calmatters",
"isLoading": false,
"title": "CALmatters",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "news",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"currentPage": 41
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/news?affiliate=calmatters",
"seeMore": false,
"paginated": true,
"page": 41
}
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad"
}
]
}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"news_11963769": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11963769",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11963769",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1696708837000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 18481
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1696708837,
"format": "standard",
"title": "New Rooftop Solar Policy Would 'Eviscerate' Solar Market, Affect Clean Energy Goals, Critics Argue",
"headTitle": "New Rooftop Solar Policy Would ‘Eviscerate’ Solar Market, Affect Clean Energy Goals, Critics Argue | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>California isn’t short on lofty goals: Lawmakers have vowed to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2022/12/california-plan-climate-change/\">zero out the state’s carbon emissions by 2045\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/05/california-exodus-housing-cost/\">build 2.5 million new homes\u003c/a> by the end of the decade and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2022/12/california-plan-climate-change/\">swap gas-burning appliances with electric ones\u003c/a> in 7 million homes over the next 12 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now California’s chief utility regulator is considering a new rooftop solar policy that a chorus of critics say will make it harder for the state to meet any of those ambitious targets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Oct. 12, the California Public Utilities Commission will vote on whether to reduce the payments that owners of solar panel-equipped apartment buildings receive for the electricity they generate on their rooftops. The decision could mirror an overhaul that the commission adopted late last year for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2022/12/california-solar-rules-overhauled/\">sun-powered single-family homes\u003c/a> and is part of a larger battle among environmentalists and energy policymakers over the role that individually-owned solar panels should play in the state’s planned divorce from fossil fuel-derived energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In both cases, the new rules only apply to new customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supporters of the rule change — the state’s major electric utilities chief among them — argue that the new proposed \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/demand-side-management/energy-efficiency/idsm\">rates, which vary over the course of a day\u003c/a>, better reflect the actual value that rooftop solar panels provide to the electrical grid while offering a fairer shake to customers who don’t have the luxury of living beneath solar panels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new pricing system is also designed to encourage property owners to pair solar panels with batteries, which can store up solar energy in the middle of the day when it’s abundant and cheap and dispatch it when the \u003ca href=\"https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=56880\">grid needs it most\u003c/a> after the sun sets and when the CPUC’s proposed adjusted rates are higher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a notably diverse coalition of California interest groups have banded together to argue otherwise. Landlords, tenant rights organizations, affordable housing advocates, environmental nonprofits and the building industry — which rarely all agree — now say that the policy would only “\u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M518/K933/518933436.PDF\">eviscerate\u003c/a>” the multifamily solar market.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s more, they argue, the proposed change runs counter to a host of ambitious policy goals that California lawmakers have set out to combat climate change, air pollution and the affordable housing crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This proposed decision seems to go right in the opposite direction,” said Bob Raymer, technical director at the California Building Industry Association, a lobbying group that opposes the regulatory overhaul. “It’s nuts. I’ve been doing this stuff for over 40 years and this one is just baffling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-solar-policy-deja-vu\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Solar policy déjà vu\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If this argument sounds familiar, a version has played out in public once before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, the commission cut the payments that homeowners with rooftop solar arrays receive by roughly 75%. The decision came after months of debate, with both sides claiming to speak in the interest of clean energy and economic justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11837543,news_11935070,news_11898992\"]Previously, utilities were required to pay homeowners roughly the retail rate for electricity produced by a photovoltaic array and exported back to the grid. Utilities have long chafed at that arrangement, joining \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/24/business/energy-environment/california-rooftop-solar-utilities.html\">organized utility workers and even some environmental groups\u003c/a>, in arguing that the more cost-effective way to supercharge clean energy production is to focus on utility-scale (read: big) projects. That’s opposed to the disaggregated fleet of photovoltaic arrays, found disproportionately on the homes of the well-to-do, who were able to skimp on the costs of grid maintenance and upgrades, effectively shunting that onto everyone else’s monthly bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC agreed with that argument and replaced that retail tariff with a much lower, adjustable fee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s more or less what is being considered this time around for apartment building owners, but with one highly contested difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even with these lower payments, single-family homeowners with solar can still boost the benefit of their array by using the electricity they generate on site. Every kilowatt hour “self-consumed” is a kilowatt hour that the homeowner doesn’t have to pay in high retail prices. That can add up to significant savings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But under the proposed overhaul for \u003cem>apartment dwellers\u003c/em>, no such savings would be allowed. All of the electricity generated would count as an “export” to the grid and get compensated at the lower wholesale rate. Likewise, all electricity used by the residents of that apartment building would need to be purchased from the utility at retail. For accounting purposes, there would be no“self-consumption” allowed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For rooftop solar companies, the lack of a “self-consumption” provision for apartment buildings amounts to an existential threat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Andrea Barnier, senior asset management specialist, Self-Help Enterprises\"]‘As climate impacts like rising heat continue to increase, there is an ongoing need for grid independence and alternate energy solutions from batteries during rolling blackouts and emergencies, so this also impacts our ability to develop resilient communities.’[/pullquote]Ivy Energy, a San Diego company that sells software to multifamily landlords hoping to offer their tenants solar power, argued to the CPUC that the rule, if adopted as proposed in August, “would eviscerate the economic value proposition” for multifamily solar “rendering all new projects infeasible and unfinanceable, and effectively result in a collapse of the multifamily solar market.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both the state’s major investor-owned utilities and the CPUC say that coming up with a way to account for self-consumption to apartment buildings, where different residents are using different amounts of electricity at different times and would require different levels of compensation, would be a technical nightmare to administer. They argue that it would be costly to build out, raises potential privacy concerns between renters and their landlords and would result in billing so convoluted that no resident could possibly use it to predict the cheapest time to run their dishwasher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Illogical and convoluted” is the term used in a joint letter to the CPUC by \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M518/K901/518901708.PDF\">Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But just because such a system would be hard to implement doesn’t warrant upending the entire industry that has built itself up around the old system, said Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar & Storage Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She pointed to the single-family solar market as a telling example. Since the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2022/12/california-solar-rules-overhauled/\">new policy went into effect\u003c/a>, she said, the number of residential solar projects in the pipeline has dropped at least 40%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But we’ve gotten ourselves in this situation where we’re almost touting the single family version” of the policy, she said. “It’s still not going to be a great thing, but at least it’s not sudden death. Which is what this is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-in-opposition-a-big-tent\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">In opposition: A big tent\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As the CPUC mulled the decision over the summer, a disparate collection of interest groups flocked to the rooftop solar industry’s defense, but for different reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Builders oppose anything that makes solar less financially attractive because the \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/building-energy-efficiency-standards/online-resource-center/solar\">California Energy Commission\u003c/a>, another state agency, now requires virtually all new residential construction to come equipped with solar panels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"David Chanin, co-founder, FutureFit Partners\"]‘Under these new rules I have pretty serious concerns that entire building electrification projects just won’t pencil out anymore.’[/pullquote]Throwing a wrench into the economics of rooftop solar also complicates the statewide push to go electric, to the chagrin of property owners and the entire electrification industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Solar is one of the biggest revenue streams for a landlord asking ‘Why should I invest all this money in a heat hump, a new hot water system?’” said David Chanin, co-founder of FutureFit Partners, a company that helps house and apartment owners make those investments. “Under these new rules I have pretty serious concerns that entire building electrification projects just won’t pencil out anymore.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while the overhaul for single-family solar users mostly directly affected homeowners, it’s apartment-dwelling renters who are likely to be most affected by the current decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The current system “really is the only mechanism we have for a lot of low-income people living in multifamily housing to get solar and clean energy,” said Andrew Dawson, a lobbyist with the California Housing Partnership, a nonprofit that advocates for affordable housing. “For electrification purposes, solar is really important to make sure that people’s bills don’t increase significantly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other programs do exist to help lower income Californians go green. The state’s Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing program provides financial incentives for property owners to invest in new panels and is funded under a different formula. But that program’s coverage is patchy across the state, said Dawsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Andrea Barnier with Self-Help Enterprises, a low-income housing provider in Visalia, said only 15 of the organization’s 40 multifamily projects will be insulated from the policy change through that state program. For the remaining sites, and all future apartment projects, she called the new rule a potential “deterrent to all-electric design.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a filing with the CPUC, the state’s three investor-owned utilities note that multifamily solar is still a relatively rare phenomenon in California. At last count, just 217 residential facilities across the state make use of the program, along with 513 other mixed residential and commercial sites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But with the state vowing to simultaneously turbocharge apartment construction, electrical vehicle purchases and the jettisoning of gas stoves and hot water heaters, critics say that while supporting distributed solar may not be vital now, it will be in the near-future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As climate impacts like rising heat continue to increase, there is an ongoing need for grid independence and alternate energy solutions from batteries during rolling blackouts and emergencies, so this also impacts our ability to develop resilient communities,” said Barnier.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-a-coming-political-dust-up\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A coming political dust-up?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It may only be a matter of time before this argument gets dragged out of the highly-technical and mostly overlooked corridors of the CPUC and into the broader realm of partisan politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In July, the California Democratic Renters Council, a coalition of tenant rights, pro-housing and environmental justice advocacy groups, sent a letter to the CPUC’s five commissioners. It decried the proposed regulatory change that “would force renters to buy all of their power from the utility even when it is generated on their own rooftop” and “discriminate against renters by not giving them the same fair treatment as single-family homeowners.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though many observers expect the CPUC to ultimately vote for the overhaul next week, the breadth of the coalition that has mobilized against it might be difficult for other state lawmakers to overlook, said Raymer with the building industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From a political standpoint, if this gets passed the way it’s proposed, I think the Legislature will be right back in 2024 addressing this,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1924,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 40
},
"modified": 1696707781,
"excerpt": "The California Public Utilities Commission is considering gutting the payments that solar panels on apartment buildings receive, drawing ire from a broad coalition of affordable housing advocates, environmentalists, landlords and tenants rights groups.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The California Public Utilities Commission is considering gutting the payments that solar panels on apartment buildings receive, drawing ire from a broad coalition of affordable housing advocates, environmentalists, landlords and tenants rights groups.",
"title": "New Rooftop Solar Policy Would 'Eviscerate' Solar Market, Affect Clean Energy Goals, Critics Argue | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "New Rooftop Solar Policy Would 'Eviscerate' Solar Market, Affect Clean Energy Goals, Critics Argue",
"datePublished": "2023-10-07T13:00:37-07:00",
"dateModified": "2023-10-07T12:43:01-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "new-rooftop-solar-policy-would-eviscerate-solar-market-affect-clean-energy-goals-critics-argue",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/ben-christopher/\">Ben Christopher\u003c/a>",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/11963769/new-rooftop-solar-policy-would-eviscerate-solar-market-affect-clean-energy-goals-critics-argue",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California isn’t short on lofty goals: Lawmakers have vowed to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2022/12/california-plan-climate-change/\">zero out the state’s carbon emissions by 2045\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/05/california-exodus-housing-cost/\">build 2.5 million new homes\u003c/a> by the end of the decade and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2022/12/california-plan-climate-change/\">swap gas-burning appliances with electric ones\u003c/a> in 7 million homes over the next 12 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now California’s chief utility regulator is considering a new rooftop solar policy that a chorus of critics say will make it harder for the state to meet any of those ambitious targets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Oct. 12, the California Public Utilities Commission will vote on whether to reduce the payments that owners of solar panel-equipped apartment buildings receive for the electricity they generate on their rooftops. The decision could mirror an overhaul that the commission adopted late last year for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2022/12/california-solar-rules-overhauled/\">sun-powered single-family homes\u003c/a> and is part of a larger battle among environmentalists and energy policymakers over the role that individually-owned solar panels should play in the state’s planned divorce from fossil fuel-derived energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In both cases, the new rules only apply to new customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supporters of the rule change — the state’s major electric utilities chief among them — argue that the new proposed \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/demand-side-management/energy-efficiency/idsm\">rates, which vary over the course of a day\u003c/a>, better reflect the actual value that rooftop solar panels provide to the electrical grid while offering a fairer shake to customers who don’t have the luxury of living beneath solar panels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new pricing system is also designed to encourage property owners to pair solar panels with batteries, which can store up solar energy in the middle of the day when it’s abundant and cheap and dispatch it when the \u003ca href=\"https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=56880\">grid needs it most\u003c/a> after the sun sets and when the CPUC’s proposed adjusted rates are higher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a notably diverse coalition of California interest groups have banded together to argue otherwise. Landlords, tenant rights organizations, affordable housing advocates, environmental nonprofits and the building industry — which rarely all agree — now say that the policy would only “\u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M518/K933/518933436.PDF\">eviscerate\u003c/a>” the multifamily solar market.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s more, they argue, the proposed change runs counter to a host of ambitious policy goals that California lawmakers have set out to combat climate change, air pollution and the affordable housing crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This proposed decision seems to go right in the opposite direction,” said Bob Raymer, technical director at the California Building Industry Association, a lobbying group that opposes the regulatory overhaul. “It’s nuts. I’ve been doing this stuff for over 40 years and this one is just baffling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-solar-policy-deja-vu\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Solar policy déjà vu\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If this argument sounds familiar, a version has played out in public once before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, the commission cut the payments that homeowners with rooftop solar arrays receive by roughly 75%. The decision came after months of debate, with both sides claiming to speak in the interest of clean energy and economic justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "Related Stories ",
"postid": "news_11837543,news_11935070,news_11898992"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Previously, utilities were required to pay homeowners roughly the retail rate for electricity produced by a photovoltaic array and exported back to the grid. Utilities have long chafed at that arrangement, joining \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/24/business/energy-environment/california-rooftop-solar-utilities.html\">organized utility workers and even some environmental groups\u003c/a>, in arguing that the more cost-effective way to supercharge clean energy production is to focus on utility-scale (read: big) projects. That’s opposed to the disaggregated fleet of photovoltaic arrays, found disproportionately on the homes of the well-to-do, who were able to skimp on the costs of grid maintenance and upgrades, effectively shunting that onto everyone else’s monthly bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC agreed with that argument and replaced that retail tariff with a much lower, adjustable fee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s more or less what is being considered this time around for apartment building owners, but with one highly contested difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even with these lower payments, single-family homeowners with solar can still boost the benefit of their array by using the electricity they generate on site. Every kilowatt hour “self-consumed” is a kilowatt hour that the homeowner doesn’t have to pay in high retail prices. That can add up to significant savings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But under the proposed overhaul for \u003cem>apartment dwellers\u003c/em>, no such savings would be allowed. All of the electricity generated would count as an “export” to the grid and get compensated at the lower wholesale rate. Likewise, all electricity used by the residents of that apartment building would need to be purchased from the utility at retail. For accounting purposes, there would be no“self-consumption” allowed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For rooftop solar companies, the lack of a “self-consumption” provision for apartment buildings amounts to an existential threat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘As climate impacts like rising heat continue to increase, there is an ongoing need for grid independence and alternate energy solutions from batteries during rolling blackouts and emergencies, so this also impacts our ability to develop resilient communities.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"align": "right",
"size": "medium",
"citation": "Andrea Barnier, senior asset management specialist, Self-Help Enterprises",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Ivy Energy, a San Diego company that sells software to multifamily landlords hoping to offer their tenants solar power, argued to the CPUC that the rule, if adopted as proposed in August, “would eviscerate the economic value proposition” for multifamily solar “rendering all new projects infeasible and unfinanceable, and effectively result in a collapse of the multifamily solar market.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both the state’s major investor-owned utilities and the CPUC say that coming up with a way to account for self-consumption to apartment buildings, where different residents are using different amounts of electricity at different times and would require different levels of compensation, would be a technical nightmare to administer. They argue that it would be costly to build out, raises potential privacy concerns between renters and their landlords and would result in billing so convoluted that no resident could possibly use it to predict the cheapest time to run their dishwasher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Illogical and convoluted” is the term used in a joint letter to the CPUC by \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M518/K901/518901708.PDF\">Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But just because such a system would be hard to implement doesn’t warrant upending the entire industry that has built itself up around the old system, said Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar & Storage Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She pointed to the single-family solar market as a telling example. Since the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2022/12/california-solar-rules-overhauled/\">new policy went into effect\u003c/a>, she said, the number of residential solar projects in the pipeline has dropped at least 40%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But we’ve gotten ourselves in this situation where we’re almost touting the single family version” of the policy, she said. “It’s still not going to be a great thing, but at least it’s not sudden death. Which is what this is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-in-opposition-a-big-tent\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">In opposition: A big tent\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As the CPUC mulled the decision over the summer, a disparate collection of interest groups flocked to the rooftop solar industry’s defense, but for different reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Builders oppose anything that makes solar less financially attractive because the \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/building-energy-efficiency-standards/online-resource-center/solar\">California Energy Commission\u003c/a>, another state agency, now requires virtually all new residential construction to come equipped with solar panels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘Under these new rules I have pretty serious concerns that entire building electrification projects just won’t pencil out anymore.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"align": "right",
"size": "medium",
"citation": "David Chanin, co-founder, FutureFit Partners",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Throwing a wrench into the economics of rooftop solar also complicates the statewide push to go electric, to the chagrin of property owners and the entire electrification industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Solar is one of the biggest revenue streams for a landlord asking ‘Why should I invest all this money in a heat hump, a new hot water system?’” said David Chanin, co-founder of FutureFit Partners, a company that helps house and apartment owners make those investments. “Under these new rules I have pretty serious concerns that entire building electrification projects just won’t pencil out anymore.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while the overhaul for single-family solar users mostly directly affected homeowners, it’s apartment-dwelling renters who are likely to be most affected by the current decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The current system “really is the only mechanism we have for a lot of low-income people living in multifamily housing to get solar and clean energy,” said Andrew Dawson, a lobbyist with the California Housing Partnership, a nonprofit that advocates for affordable housing. “For electrification purposes, solar is really important to make sure that people’s bills don’t increase significantly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other programs do exist to help lower income Californians go green. The state’s Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing program provides financial incentives for property owners to invest in new panels and is funded under a different formula. But that program’s coverage is patchy across the state, said Dawsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Andrea Barnier with Self-Help Enterprises, a low-income housing provider in Visalia, said only 15 of the organization’s 40 multifamily projects will be insulated from the policy change through that state program. For the remaining sites, and all future apartment projects, she called the new rule a potential “deterrent to all-electric design.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a filing with the CPUC, the state’s three investor-owned utilities note that multifamily solar is still a relatively rare phenomenon in California. At last count, just 217 residential facilities across the state make use of the program, along with 513 other mixed residential and commercial sites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But with the state vowing to simultaneously turbocharge apartment construction, electrical vehicle purchases and the jettisoning of gas stoves and hot water heaters, critics say that while supporting distributed solar may not be vital now, it will be in the near-future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As climate impacts like rising heat continue to increase, there is an ongoing need for grid independence and alternate energy solutions from batteries during rolling blackouts and emergencies, so this also impacts our ability to develop resilient communities,” said Barnier.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"h-a-coming-political-dust-up\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A coming political dust-up?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It may only be a matter of time before this argument gets dragged out of the highly-technical and mostly overlooked corridors of the CPUC and into the broader realm of partisan politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In July, the California Democratic Renters Council, a coalition of tenant rights, pro-housing and environmental justice advocacy groups, sent a letter to the CPUC’s five commissioners. It decried the proposed regulatory change that “would force renters to buy all of their power from the utility even when it is generated on their own rooftop” and “discriminate against renters by not giving them the same fair treatment as single-family homeowners.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though many observers expect the CPUC to ultimately vote for the overhaul next week, the breadth of the coalition that has mobilized against it might be difficult for other state lawmakers to overlook, said Raymer with the building industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From a political standpoint, if this gets passed the way it’s proposed, I think the Legislature will be right back in 2024 addressing this,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11963769/new-rooftop-solar-policy-would-eviscerate-solar-market-affect-clean-energy-goals-critics-argue",
"authors": [
"byline_news_11963769"
],
"categories": [
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_31972",
"news_32169"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_11963773",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_11962557": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11962557",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11962557",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1695844456000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 18481
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1695844456,
"format": "standard",
"title": "California Community College Enrollment Is Up, Except for One Group of Students",
"headTitle": "California Community College Enrollment Is Up, Except for One Group of Students | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>In April 2020, Alejandra Guerra, 23, started working at Amazon while finishing her associate degree in criminal justice at Sacramento City College. Working nights and weekends at the warehouse near the Sacramento airport, she earned $18.70 an hour, nearly five dollars more than she had been making prior to the pandemic as a secretary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hours were grueling: She finished her last warehouse shift of the week at 5:30 a.m. on Monday and started class, online, at 8 a.m. “I have very bad ADHD, so it’s very hard for me to concentrate when I’m sitting in front of a laptop, especially when I just worked a 10-and-a-half-hour shift,” she said. “I’m just thinking about sleep.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She dropped out of school in May 2020 with about seven classes left to graduate. More than three years later, she still hasn’t returned, making her part of an emerging trend among community college students ages 20 to 30. While other age groups are returning to college following a drop during the COVID-19 pandemic, these twentysomethings are the last holdouts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Don Miller, Vice President of Academic Affairs at Rio Hondo College\"]‘We’re seeing increased wages in occupations that don’t require a bachelor’s or an associate degree.’[/pullquote]At its lowest point following the start of the pandemic, the California Community Colleges system had lost just over 417,000 students, an 18.5% drop compared to the 2018–19 academic year. That was a 30-year low. The decline means colleges risk losing state funds in the near future, since their funding is pegged in part to enrollment. In the long-term, it means employers may grapple with a less educated or less skilled workforce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Enrollment numbers grew by about 5% in the 2022–23 school year, according to data provided by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. It’s the most recent data available, though numbers are not yet official. Early estimates from various community college districts show enrollment gains continuing into this fall, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that rebound is uneven: it stems largely from high school students who are taking college classes, and to a lesser extent, from adults over 30 who are returning to college after \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/06/community-college-enrollment-2/\">leaving at record rates\u003c/a> during the pandemic. Meanwhile, students in their 20s, like Guerra, continued to leave college. The state’s 116 community colleges lost more than 13,000 students between the ages of 20 and 30 last year, about a 2% decline in that population compared to the previous year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/15153595/embed#?secret=63WRe3iOG5\" width=\"1000\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The result is a demographic shift across the community college system. For over a decade, it was students between 20 and 30 years old who made up the plurality of students on campus. Last year, it was students under 20 who represented the largest group. These youth, particularly those in high school, have become central to the strategy of California Community College Chancellor Sonya Christian, who has said she wants to require \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2023/enroll-every-9th-grader-in-a-college-course-says-californias-incoming-community-college-chancellor/691065\">every ninth-grader in California to enroll in a community college course\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Low unemployment means low enrollment for some colleges\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Administrators say there is no single explanation as to why this generation of twentysomethings is lagging behind the rest. For one, the age group isn’t monolithic, and students with different racial or ethnic backgrounds showed differing trends. The population of Asian and Filipino students in their 20s declined by 6% and 12%, respectively, while the number of African American and Native students in the same age group increased by a few percentage points compared to the previous year. Another possible explanation comes from a recent survey of the state’s community college students, which found that \u003ca href=\"https://ccleague.org/sites/default/files/images/basic_needs_among_california_community_college_students-final-2023.pdf?utm_source=CalMatters+Newsletters&utm_campaign=d3f14c6de2-WHATMATTERS&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_faa7be558d-d3f14c6de2-151973567&mc_cid=d3f14c6de2&mc_eid=cafd8c3942\">roughly one-third of students between the ages of 21 and 30 had experienced homelessness in the past year (PDF)\u003c/a> — a higher rate than any other age group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But most college administrators agree that the economy is often a leading factor. Historically, \u003ca href=\"https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/easyblog/why-enrollment-declined-what-can-we-do.html\">college enrollment fluctuates with the economy\u003c/a>. A good economy and ample job opportunities mean students often choose work over school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re seeing increased wages in occupations that don’t require a bachelor’s or an associate degree,” said Don Miller, vice president of academic affairs at Rio Hondo College, located near Whittier in eastern Los Angeles County. He cited rising wages in the service industry, such as at Starbucks, as well as for entry-level openings at logistics companies, such as Amazon or UPS.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Logistics in particular has seen \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/27/technology/pushed-by-pandemic-amazon-goes-on-a-hiring-spree-without-equal.html\">a boost in hiring and wages since the start of the pandemic\u003c/a> as more people shifted to online shopping. New shipping warehouses opened in the Inland Empire, making Amazon the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/magazine/amazon-workers-employees-covid-19.html#:~:text=Nowhere%20in%20the,logistics%20air%20hubs\">largest private employer in the region\u003c/a>, and some Central Valley cities are close behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11962569\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11962569\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09252023_Amazon_RL_CM_02-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"External view of Amazon building with blue sky in the background. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09252023_Amazon_RL_CM_02-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09252023_Amazon_RL_CM_02-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09252023_Amazon_RL_CM_02-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09252023_Amazon_RL_CM_02-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09252023_Amazon_RL_CM_02-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09252023_Amazon_RL_CM_02.jpeg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amazon SMF1 facility in Sacramento on Sept. 25, 2023. \u003ccite>(Rahul Lal/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At East Los Angeles College, logistics and technology professor Leo Medina said his classes, which prepare students to work at places like Amazon and UPS, used to enroll more than 800 students a year before the pandemic. He lost about a quarter of his students in 2020 but said some are starting to return, often with encouragement or financial incentives from their employers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You hit the ceiling if you don’t have a certain amount of education or skill,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guerra started out in an entry-level position at Amazon, but after a year working the night shift, she got promoted. First, she became a data analyst and then an operations supervisor, where she made about $22 an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For years, her managers at Amazon encouraged her to go back to school. While the company covers tuition, books, and fees for many of its employees, Guerra said she was unsure whether she wanted to go back to school or instead try to advance internally through more promotions. Her mentality changed this spring, when she lost her job and had to search for a new one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have all these skills that I’ve learned, but there’s all these jobs that don’t want to hire me because I don’t have a degree,” she said. She found a position as a receptionist at a property management company in Sacramento and plans to enroll in college at some point next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Losing the ‘drive’ for community college\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Community colleges have collectively spent millions of dollars, much of it part of COVID relief funds, to draw back students like Guerra. They run recruitment events at churches, community centers and rodeos. They’ve set up call centers to reach out to students and are plastering billboards \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/08/california-community-colleges-2/\">with eye-catching puns\u003c/a> along highways and on buses. The Sacramento-area community college district flew a drone display in the image of a cap and gown to woo spectators at a professional soccer match. The efficacy of those marketing efforts is up for debate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside tag=\"education, community-college\" label=\"More Related Stories\"]But research has found a few clear trends in college recruitment. Only 13% of students who drop out of college re-enroll in school within five years, according to a\u003ca href=\"https://nscresearchcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/SCND_Report_2019.pdf\"> 2019 analysis (PDF)\u003c/a> by the National Student Clearinghouse. Once students leave high school and put off going to college, it becomes \u003ca href=\"https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/delaying-college-enrollment-earnings-trajectories.pdf\">harder to convince them to enroll (PDF)\u003c/a>, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hunter Garcia, 22, enrolled at Butte College near Chico in the fall of 2019 after seeing a flier that advertised the school. He dropped out in the midst of the pandemic after starting his third semester and soon began working the night shift at a nearby Walmart warehouse. He didn’t feel safe at night near his apartment, and since he didn’t have a car, he walked to work each day around sunset, waiting until 10 p.m. to start his nine-hour shift. After six months, he quit. But by then, he said he felt too isolated and exhausted to restart an online education. “I just lost the drive,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many colleges are rethinking the structure of college: trying to fit school around the student, instead of the traditional model, which asks students to schedule their lives around school. In one of the most innovative approaches, eight community colleges in California have opted into a pilot program that aims to redesign part of their curricula so students can gain a degree \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/09/community-colleges/\">without ever attending class\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most colleges are making simpler changes, such as offering more flexible hours, more online classes and new courses that are more easily applicable in the workforce. One school is offering higher wages for student tutors in an effort to keep them on campus and keep them from seeking higher-paying jobs elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Garcia has no intentions of going back to school in the near future, though he hasn’t ruled it out entirely. He works as a carpenter now, making around $25 an hour, but he says it’s not much easier than his previous job at Walmart. “My body won’t be able to keep up with this forever,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Erica Yee contributed to this reporting.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Adam Echelman covers California’s community colleges in partnership with Open Campus, a nonprofit newsroom focused on higher education.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": true,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1589,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [
"https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/15153595/embed#"
],
"paragraphCount": 27
},
"modified": 1701993568,
"excerpt": "After a historic decline in community college enrollment during the pandemic, students are returning to school again, according to the state’s most recent data. But students between the ages of 20 and 30 are lagging behind.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "After a historic decline in community college enrollment during the pandemic, students are returning to school again, according to the state’s most recent data. But students between the ages of 20 and 30 are lagging behind.",
"title": "California Community College Enrollment Is Up, Except for One Group of Students | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "California Community College Enrollment Is Up, Except for One Group of Students",
"datePublished": "2023-09-27T12:54:16-07:00",
"dateModified": "2023-12-07T15:59:28-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "california-community-college-enrollment-is-up-except-for-1-group-of-students",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/adam-echelman/\">Adam Echelman\u003c/a>",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"sticky": false,
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/11962557/california-community-college-enrollment-is-up-except-for-1-group-of-students",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In April 2020, Alejandra Guerra, 23, started working at Amazon while finishing her associate degree in criminal justice at Sacramento City College. Working nights and weekends at the warehouse near the Sacramento airport, she earned $18.70 an hour, nearly five dollars more than she had been making prior to the pandemic as a secretary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hours were grueling: She finished her last warehouse shift of the week at 5:30 a.m. on Monday and started class, online, at 8 a.m. “I have very bad ADHD, so it’s very hard for me to concentrate when I’m sitting in front of a laptop, especially when I just worked a 10-and-a-half-hour shift,” she said. “I’m just thinking about sleep.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She dropped out of school in May 2020 with about seven classes left to graduate. More than three years later, she still hasn’t returned, making her part of an emerging trend among community college students ages 20 to 30. While other age groups are returning to college following a drop during the COVID-19 pandemic, these twentysomethings are the last holdouts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘We’re seeing increased wages in occupations that don’t require a bachelor’s or an associate degree.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Don Miller, Vice President of Academic Affairs at Rio Hondo College",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>At its lowest point following the start of the pandemic, the California Community Colleges system had lost just over 417,000 students, an 18.5% drop compared to the 2018–19 academic year. That was a 30-year low. The decline means colleges risk losing state funds in the near future, since their funding is pegged in part to enrollment. In the long-term, it means employers may grapple with a less educated or less skilled workforce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Enrollment numbers grew by about 5% in the 2022–23 school year, according to data provided by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. It’s the most recent data available, though numbers are not yet official. Early estimates from various community college districts show enrollment gains continuing into this fall, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that rebound is uneven: it stems largely from high school students who are taking college classes, and to a lesser extent, from adults over 30 who are returning to college after \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/06/community-college-enrollment-2/\">leaving at record rates\u003c/a> during the pandemic. Meanwhile, students in their 20s, like Guerra, continued to leave college. The state’s 116 community colleges lost more than 13,000 students between the ages of 20 and 30 last year, about a 2% decline in that population compared to the previous year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/15153595/embed#?secret=63WRe3iOG5\" width=\"1000\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The result is a demographic shift across the community college system. For over a decade, it was students between 20 and 30 years old who made up the plurality of students on campus. Last year, it was students under 20 who represented the largest group. These youth, particularly those in high school, have become central to the strategy of California Community College Chancellor Sonya Christian, who has said she wants to require \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2023/enroll-every-9th-grader-in-a-college-course-says-californias-incoming-community-college-chancellor/691065\">every ninth-grader in California to enroll in a community college course\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Low unemployment means low enrollment for some colleges\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Administrators say there is no single explanation as to why this generation of twentysomethings is lagging behind the rest. For one, the age group isn’t monolithic, and students with different racial or ethnic backgrounds showed differing trends. The population of Asian and Filipino students in their 20s declined by 6% and 12%, respectively, while the number of African American and Native students in the same age group increased by a few percentage points compared to the previous year. Another possible explanation comes from a recent survey of the state’s community college students, which found that \u003ca href=\"https://ccleague.org/sites/default/files/images/basic_needs_among_california_community_college_students-final-2023.pdf?utm_source=CalMatters+Newsletters&utm_campaign=d3f14c6de2-WHATMATTERS&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_faa7be558d-d3f14c6de2-151973567&mc_cid=d3f14c6de2&mc_eid=cafd8c3942\">roughly one-third of students between the ages of 21 and 30 had experienced homelessness in the past year (PDF)\u003c/a> — a higher rate than any other age group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But most college administrators agree that the economy is often a leading factor. Historically, \u003ca href=\"https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/easyblog/why-enrollment-declined-what-can-we-do.html\">college enrollment fluctuates with the economy\u003c/a>. A good economy and ample job opportunities mean students often choose work over school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re seeing increased wages in occupations that don’t require a bachelor’s or an associate degree,” said Don Miller, vice president of academic affairs at Rio Hondo College, located near Whittier in eastern Los Angeles County. He cited rising wages in the service industry, such as at Starbucks, as well as for entry-level openings at logistics companies, such as Amazon or UPS.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Logistics in particular has seen \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/27/technology/pushed-by-pandemic-amazon-goes-on-a-hiring-spree-without-equal.html\">a boost in hiring and wages since the start of the pandemic\u003c/a> as more people shifted to online shopping. New shipping warehouses opened in the Inland Empire, making Amazon the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/magazine/amazon-workers-employees-covid-19.html#:~:text=Nowhere%20in%20the,logistics%20air%20hubs\">largest private employer in the region\u003c/a>, and some Central Valley cities are close behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11962569\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11962569\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09252023_Amazon_RL_CM_02-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"External view of Amazon building with blue sky in the background. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09252023_Amazon_RL_CM_02-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09252023_Amazon_RL_CM_02-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09252023_Amazon_RL_CM_02-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09252023_Amazon_RL_CM_02-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09252023_Amazon_RL_CM_02-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09252023_Amazon_RL_CM_02.jpeg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amazon SMF1 facility in Sacramento on Sept. 25, 2023. \u003ccite>(Rahul Lal/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At East Los Angeles College, logistics and technology professor Leo Medina said his classes, which prepare students to work at places like Amazon and UPS, used to enroll more than 800 students a year before the pandemic. He lost about a quarter of his students in 2020 but said some are starting to return, often with encouragement or financial incentives from their employers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You hit the ceiling if you don’t have a certain amount of education or skill,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guerra started out in an entry-level position at Amazon, but after a year working the night shift, she got promoted. First, she became a data analyst and then an operations supervisor, where she made about $22 an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For years, her managers at Amazon encouraged her to go back to school. While the company covers tuition, books, and fees for many of its employees, Guerra said she was unsure whether she wanted to go back to school or instead try to advance internally through more promotions. Her mentality changed this spring, when she lost her job and had to search for a new one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have all these skills that I’ve learned, but there’s all these jobs that don’t want to hire me because I don’t have a degree,” she said. She found a position as a receptionist at a property management company in Sacramento and plans to enroll in college at some point next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Losing the ‘drive’ for community college\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Community colleges have collectively spent millions of dollars, much of it part of COVID relief funds, to draw back students like Guerra. They run recruitment events at churches, community centers and rodeos. They’ve set up call centers to reach out to students and are plastering billboards \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/08/california-community-colleges-2/\">with eye-catching puns\u003c/a> along highways and on buses. The Sacramento-area community college district flew a drone display in the image of a cap and gown to woo spectators at a professional soccer match. The efficacy of those marketing efforts is up for debate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"tag": "education, community-college",
"label": "More Related Stories "
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But research has found a few clear trends in college recruitment. Only 13% of students who drop out of college re-enroll in school within five years, according to a\u003ca href=\"https://nscresearchcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/SCND_Report_2019.pdf\"> 2019 analysis (PDF)\u003c/a> by the National Student Clearinghouse. Once students leave high school and put off going to college, it becomes \u003ca href=\"https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/delaying-college-enrollment-earnings-trajectories.pdf\">harder to convince them to enroll (PDF)\u003c/a>, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hunter Garcia, 22, enrolled at Butte College near Chico in the fall of 2019 after seeing a flier that advertised the school. He dropped out in the midst of the pandemic after starting his third semester and soon began working the night shift at a nearby Walmart warehouse. He didn’t feel safe at night near his apartment, and since he didn’t have a car, he walked to work each day around sunset, waiting until 10 p.m. to start his nine-hour shift. After six months, he quit. But by then, he said he felt too isolated and exhausted to restart an online education. “I just lost the drive,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many colleges are rethinking the structure of college: trying to fit school around the student, instead of the traditional model, which asks students to schedule their lives around school. In one of the most innovative approaches, eight community colleges in California have opted into a pilot program that aims to redesign part of their curricula so students can gain a degree \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/09/community-colleges/\">without ever attending class\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most colleges are making simpler changes, such as offering more flexible hours, more online classes and new courses that are more easily applicable in the workforce. One school is offering higher wages for student tutors in an effort to keep them on campus and keep them from seeking higher-paying jobs elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Garcia has no intentions of going back to school in the near future, though he hasn’t ruled it out entirely. He works as a carpenter now, making around $25 an hour, but he says it’s not much easier than his previous job at Walmart. “My body won’t be able to keep up with this forever,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Erica Yee contributed to this reporting.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Adam Echelman covers California’s community colleges in partnership with Open Campus, a nonprofit newsroom focused on higher education.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11962557/california-community-college-enrollment-is-up-except-for-1-group-of-students",
"authors": [
"byline_news_11962557"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_18540",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_20652",
"news_20013"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_11962578",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_11961980": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11961980",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11961980",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1695294018000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "what-to-do-if-youre-one-of-the-thousands-of-californians-losing-medi-cal-coverage-every-month",
"title": "What to Do if You’re Losing Your Medical Coverage in California",
"publishDate": 1695294018,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "What to Do if You’re Losing Your Medical Coverage in California | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Lea este artículo en \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/calmatters-en-espanol/2023/09/miles-de-californianos-pierden-medi-cal-cada-mes-que-puede-hacer-si-pierde-la-cobertura/\">español\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tens of thousands of Californians are losing health insurance every month as the state resumes checking people’s eligibility for Medi-Cal, which it suspended during the COVID-19 public health emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 16 million people in California will be evaluated for eligibility from June 2023 to May 2024. About half of those up for a review were automatically renewed because officials were able to verify their information in the system. Others were sent yellow renewal packets that they were supposed to fill out and send back to their county Medi-Cal office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 300,000 Californians have lost their Medi-Cal eligibility since July 1. The majority of lost coverage in June and July was due to procedural reasons, such as not sending their renewal forms back or having \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/dataandstats/Pages/Continuous-Coverage-Eligibility-Unwinding-Dashboard.aspx\">incorrect information in their forms\u003c/a>, according to state data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some people losing coverage are no longer eligible because of changes in their personal lives, such as starting a job with higher pay. But some might see their coverage lapse because of paperwork mistakes or simply missing a notice in the mail.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s because it’s been such a long period where folks have not had to renew their health coverage,” said Cary Sanders, senior policy director at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network. “There could be up to 2 to 3 million Californians who could lose their health coverage just by virtue of this change, because there would be people who wouldn’t know what to do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are some answers to questions about what you can do if you lose coverage, including how to appeal.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How do I know if I got disenrolled from Medi-Cal?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You will get notified through mail. If you didn’t receive a notification but still believe you might have lost coverage, you can call your local Medi-Cal office to check eligibility or go to your regular clinic or hospital where they can look this information up for you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For any questions about Medi-Cal eligibility, you can contact the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/\">Department of Health Care Services\u003c/a>, which manages the Medi-Cal program. Its \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/Medi-Cal%20Eligibility%20Division.aspx\">Medi-Cal Eligibility Division\u003c/a> can be contacted at (916) 552-9200.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>I qualify for Medi-Cal but still got disenrolled. What should I do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Your next step depends on how much time has lapsed since you lost your coverage, as stated on the official notification letter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11944543 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-thirdman-5327584.jpg']The state has instituted a 90-day appeal period in case you lost coverage even though you qualify.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you are within the 90-day period, you should immediately fill out the yellow renewal packet, or supply any missing information, and send it to your county Medi-Cal office. If you lost the packet or sent the packet but still got disenrolled, call your local Medi-Cal office or go to your regular clinic or hospital to figure out the next steps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you are unable to send your information to your local Medi-Cal office due to accessibility issues and are running out of time, ask the office staff to accept your documents electronically or through the phone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you are past the 90-day period, you will be required to reapply for Medi-Cal benefits. This means starting a new application entirely.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How can I appeal?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Tatiana Fassieux, training and education specialist at Medicare advocacy nonprofit California Health Advocates, said people should remember that they have rights to appeal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you received a notification about disenrollment, you can request \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/Pages/Medi-CalFairHearing.aspx\">a Fair Hearing\u003c/a> and appeal the loss of coverage. This will ensure that your benefits continue until the hearing is resolved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Many people take the letter verbatim and they don’t read it and they don’t appeal,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the state Department of Health Care Services, adults under the age of 26 or over age 50 can qualify for Medi-Cal regardless of immigration status. Medi-Cal does not share information with the immigration office, so undocumented Californians should not be afraid to seek help. Starting Jan. 1. Californians of all ages will be able to qualify for Medi-Cal irrespective of immigration status.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>I got disenrolled because I no longer qualify. How can I get health insurance?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you no longer qualify for Medi-Cal, you may still be able to get low-cost health insurance through \u003ca href=\"https://www.coveredca.com/\">Covered California,\u003c/a> which is the state’s marketplace for health insurance plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11942493]Those who earn up to 250% of the federal poverty level — or $33,975 for an individual or $69,375 for a family of four — would qualify for low-premium plans through Covered California. You may also be eligible for additional health insurance subsidies through \u003ca href=\"https://www.healthforcalifornia.com/covered-california?gclid=CjwKCAjwu4WoBhBkEiwAojNdXjuBHyXGv9QJ2WvwCQzjCMswHa1vsR1UuxKuTWc4ZI-l4ObZEcUNSxoCbQsQAvD_BwE\">the Affordable Care Act (ACA)\u003c/a>, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/individuals-and-families/the-premium-tax-credit-the-basics\">the Advance Premium Tax Credit\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.healthforcalifornia.com/covered-california/cost-sharing?gclid=CjwKCAjwu4WoBhBkEiwAojNdXm8haH2iO9JNelTbsVelQiCRS6uKUAGaOnFPfnOXFmDtuJX4TuxvahoCL8IQAvD_BwE\">Cost-Sharing Reduction plans\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you are over the age of 65 or have disabilities, you may also qualify for \u003ca href=\"https://www.medicare.gov/what-medicare-covers/your-medicare-coverage-choices/whats-medicare\">Medicare\u003c/a> (in addition), which can help pay for hospital costs, medical care and even prescription medication.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How can I make sure I don’t get disenrolled in the future?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Keep an eye out for any mail sent to you from your county Medi-Cal office. If you recently moved, make sure to update your address on the Medi-Cal website or by calling your local office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You will be expected to renew and update your Medi-Cal coverage every year, so keep all your important information in an accessible place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You should have your documents like tax returns and health records handy,” Fassieux said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/pages/keep-your-medi-cal.aspx?utm_source=keepmedicalcoverage.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=keep-mc-coverage\">sign up\u003c/a> for renewal reminders through the state’s renewal website: keepmedicalcoverage.org. That resource also is \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Pages/mantenga-su-medi-cal.aspx\">available from the state in Spanish\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Are there any other resources I can use for help?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The state’s Department of Health Care Services has several resources to help, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/Pages/CountyOffices.aspx\">contact information for your local Medi-Cal office\u003c/a>, schedules of \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/Partner-Community-Events.aspx\">community events and health fairs\u003c/a> where you can get information in person, and guides on \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/pages/keep-your-medi-cal.aspx\">what to do if you lost Medi-Cal coverage\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For assistance with Medi-Cal re-enrollment, you also can call the Office of the Medi-Cal Ombudsman. The office is a neutral resource that can help you deal with any issues you may have with the program. You can contact \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/Pages/MMCDOfficeoftheOmbudsman.aspx\">the Office of the Ombudsman\u003c/a> at (888) 452-8609.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are also several third-party services that can help you get back on Medi-Cal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://healthconsumer.org/\">Health Consumer Alliance\u003c/a> is a free assistance program funded by The California Endowment, Covered California, the state Department of Managed Health Care and the Blue Shield Foundation. It provides legal services and can help you renew your Medi-Cal coverage. To get in touch, you can read \u003ca href=\"https://healthconsumer.org/covid19/\">their guide on renewing Medi-Cal\u003c/a> or call their toll-free number, 888‑804‑3536.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can contact \u003ca href=\"https://benefitscal.com/\">BenefitsCal\u003c/a> which also provides assistance with Medi-Cal. The website has translations in 20 languages.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Will seniors and other vulnerable populations get special assistance?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to health policy organization \u003ca href=\"https://justiceinaging.org/\">Justice in Aging\u003c/a>, seniors and those with disabilities have experienced higher rates of disenrollment from Medi-Cal. \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/dataandstats/Pages/Continuous-Coverage-Eligibility-Unwinding-Dashboard.aspx\">Seniors, pregnant women, and certain children under 21\u003c/a> experienced a disenrollment rate of 26.7% in June 2023, compared to the overall average rate of 21%, according to the Department of Health Care Services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiffany Huyenh-Cho, a health attorney at Justice in Aging, said seniors and people with disabilities are dual-eligible, which means they qualify for both Medicare and Medi-Cal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Dual-eligibles are a very diverse group with really high chronic needs, and they are more likely to be a person of color,” she said. “Their health disparities and chronic conditions are exacerbated by the loss of Medicaid.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Often seniors and other dual-eligibles use their Medi-Cal benefits to cover their Medicare premiums as well as any wraparound services not included in Medicare. The loss of Medi-Cal means they may lose these additional benefits and face the deduction of Medicare premiums from their Social Security checks, said Huyenh-Cho.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That puts people at risk of not being able to pay for rent and other needs, like clothing, food and utilities,” she said. “One of the big concerns that we have is it puts people at risk of economic insecurity and potentially at risk of homelessness because of that loss of income.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those who require additional assistance can reach out to \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/NavigatorsProject.aspx\">state-supported enrollment navigators\u003c/a>, which are community-based organizations and social service agencies that help vulnerable populations through the process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Health Care Services has also released \u003ca href=\"https://socialpresskit.com/keep-medi-cal-coverage\">a social media toolkit\u003c/a> to spread awareness about redeterminations, so people can renew their coverage before they get disenrolled. This kit is available in 19 languages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.chcf.org/\">www.chcf.org\u003c/a> to learn more.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "About 300,000 Californians have lost Medi-Cal coverage since the state resumed eligibility checks. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1747673103,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 40,
"wordCount": 1547
},
"headData": {
"title": "What to Do if Losing Medical Coverage | KQED",
"description": "Thousands in California are losing medical coverage. Discover your options for reapplying, appealing, or switching to other health insurance plans.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "What to Do if Losing Medical Coverage | KQED",
"socialDescription": "Thousands in California are losing medical coverage. Discover your options for reapplying, appealing, or switching to other health insurance plans.",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "What to Do if You’re Losing Your Medical Coverage in California",
"datePublished": "2023-09-21T04:00:18-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-05-19T09:45:03-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/shreya-agrawal/\">Shreya Agrawal\u003c/a>",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/11961980/what-to-do-if-youre-one-of-the-thousands-of-californians-losing-medi-cal-coverage-every-month",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Lea este artículo en \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/calmatters-en-espanol/2023/09/miles-de-californianos-pierden-medi-cal-cada-mes-que-puede-hacer-si-pierde-la-cobertura/\">español\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tens of thousands of Californians are losing health insurance every month as the state resumes checking people’s eligibility for Medi-Cal, which it suspended during the COVID-19 public health emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 16 million people in California will be evaluated for eligibility from June 2023 to May 2024. About half of those up for a review were automatically renewed because officials were able to verify their information in the system. Others were sent yellow renewal packets that they were supposed to fill out and send back to their county Medi-Cal office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 300,000 Californians have lost their Medi-Cal eligibility since July 1. The majority of lost coverage in June and July was due to procedural reasons, such as not sending their renewal forms back or having \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/dataandstats/Pages/Continuous-Coverage-Eligibility-Unwinding-Dashboard.aspx\">incorrect information in their forms\u003c/a>, according to state data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some people losing coverage are no longer eligible because of changes in their personal lives, such as starting a job with higher pay. But some might see their coverage lapse because of paperwork mistakes or simply missing a notice in the mail.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s because it’s been such a long period where folks have not had to renew their health coverage,” said Cary Sanders, senior policy director at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network. “There could be up to 2 to 3 million Californians who could lose their health coverage just by virtue of this change, because there would be people who wouldn’t know what to do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are some answers to questions about what you can do if you lose coverage, including how to appeal.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How do I know if I got disenrolled from Medi-Cal?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You will get notified through mail. If you didn’t receive a notification but still believe you might have lost coverage, you can call your local Medi-Cal office to check eligibility or go to your regular clinic or hospital where they can look this information up for you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For any questions about Medi-Cal eligibility, you can contact the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/\">Department of Health Care Services\u003c/a>, which manages the Medi-Cal program. Its \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/Medi-Cal%20Eligibility%20Division.aspx\">Medi-Cal Eligibility Division\u003c/a> can be contacted at (916) 552-9200.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>I qualify for Medi-Cal but still got disenrolled. What should I do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Your next step depends on how much time has lapsed since you lost your coverage, as stated on the official notification letter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_11944543",
"hero": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-thirdman-5327584.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The state has instituted a 90-day appeal period in case you lost coverage even though you qualify.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you are within the 90-day period, you should immediately fill out the yellow renewal packet, or supply any missing information, and send it to your county Medi-Cal office. If you lost the packet or sent the packet but still got disenrolled, call your local Medi-Cal office or go to your regular clinic or hospital to figure out the next steps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you are unable to send your information to your local Medi-Cal office due to accessibility issues and are running out of time, ask the office staff to accept your documents electronically or through the phone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you are past the 90-day period, you will be required to reapply for Medi-Cal benefits. This means starting a new application entirely.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How can I appeal?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Tatiana Fassieux, training and education specialist at Medicare advocacy nonprofit California Health Advocates, said people should remember that they have rights to appeal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you received a notification about disenrollment, you can request \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/Pages/Medi-CalFairHearing.aspx\">a Fair Hearing\u003c/a> and appeal the loss of coverage. This will ensure that your benefits continue until the hearing is resolved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Many people take the letter verbatim and they don’t read it and they don’t appeal,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the state Department of Health Care Services, adults under the age of 26 or over age 50 can qualify for Medi-Cal regardless of immigration status. Medi-Cal does not share information with the immigration office, so undocumented Californians should not be afraid to seek help. Starting Jan. 1. Californians of all ages will be able to qualify for Medi-Cal irrespective of immigration status.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>I got disenrolled because I no longer qualify. How can I get health insurance?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you no longer qualify for Medi-Cal, you may still be able to get low-cost health insurance through \u003ca href=\"https://www.coveredca.com/\">Covered California,\u003c/a> which is the state’s marketplace for health insurance plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_11942493",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Those who earn up to 250% of the federal poverty level — or $33,975 for an individual or $69,375 for a family of four — would qualify for low-premium plans through Covered California. You may also be eligible for additional health insurance subsidies through \u003ca href=\"https://www.healthforcalifornia.com/covered-california?gclid=CjwKCAjwu4WoBhBkEiwAojNdXjuBHyXGv9QJ2WvwCQzjCMswHa1vsR1UuxKuTWc4ZI-l4ObZEcUNSxoCbQsQAvD_BwE\">the Affordable Care Act (ACA)\u003c/a>, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/individuals-and-families/the-premium-tax-credit-the-basics\">the Advance Premium Tax Credit\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.healthforcalifornia.com/covered-california/cost-sharing?gclid=CjwKCAjwu4WoBhBkEiwAojNdXm8haH2iO9JNelTbsVelQiCRS6uKUAGaOnFPfnOXFmDtuJX4TuxvahoCL8IQAvD_BwE\">Cost-Sharing Reduction plans\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you are over the age of 65 or have disabilities, you may also qualify for \u003ca href=\"https://www.medicare.gov/what-medicare-covers/your-medicare-coverage-choices/whats-medicare\">Medicare\u003c/a> (in addition), which can help pay for hospital costs, medical care and even prescription medication.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How can I make sure I don’t get disenrolled in the future?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Keep an eye out for any mail sent to you from your county Medi-Cal office. If you recently moved, make sure to update your address on the Medi-Cal website or by calling your local office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You will be expected to renew and update your Medi-Cal coverage every year, so keep all your important information in an accessible place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You should have your documents like tax returns and health records handy,” Fassieux said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/pages/keep-your-medi-cal.aspx?utm_source=keepmedicalcoverage.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=keep-mc-coverage\">sign up\u003c/a> for renewal reminders through the state’s renewal website: keepmedicalcoverage.org. That resource also is \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Pages/mantenga-su-medi-cal.aspx\">available from the state in Spanish\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Are there any other resources I can use for help?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The state’s Department of Health Care Services has several resources to help, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/Pages/CountyOffices.aspx\">contact information for your local Medi-Cal office\u003c/a>, schedules of \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/Partner-Community-Events.aspx\">community events and health fairs\u003c/a> where you can get information in person, and guides on \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/pages/keep-your-medi-cal.aspx\">what to do if you lost Medi-Cal coverage\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For assistance with Medi-Cal re-enrollment, you also can call the Office of the Medi-Cal Ombudsman. The office is a neutral resource that can help you deal with any issues you may have with the program. You can contact \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/Pages/MMCDOfficeoftheOmbudsman.aspx\">the Office of the Ombudsman\u003c/a> at (888) 452-8609.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are also several third-party services that can help you get back on Medi-Cal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://healthconsumer.org/\">Health Consumer Alliance\u003c/a> is a free assistance program funded by The California Endowment, Covered California, the state Department of Managed Health Care and the Blue Shield Foundation. It provides legal services and can help you renew your Medi-Cal coverage. To get in touch, you can read \u003ca href=\"https://healthconsumer.org/covid19/\">their guide on renewing Medi-Cal\u003c/a> or call their toll-free number, 888‑804‑3536.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can contact \u003ca href=\"https://benefitscal.com/\">BenefitsCal\u003c/a> which also provides assistance with Medi-Cal. The website has translations in 20 languages.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Will seniors and other vulnerable populations get special assistance?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to health policy organization \u003ca href=\"https://justiceinaging.org/\">Justice in Aging\u003c/a>, seniors and those with disabilities have experienced higher rates of disenrollment from Medi-Cal. \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/dataandstats/Pages/Continuous-Coverage-Eligibility-Unwinding-Dashboard.aspx\">Seniors, pregnant women, and certain children under 21\u003c/a> experienced a disenrollment rate of 26.7% in June 2023, compared to the overall average rate of 21%, according to the Department of Health Care Services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiffany Huyenh-Cho, a health attorney at Justice in Aging, said seniors and people with disabilities are dual-eligible, which means they qualify for both Medicare and Medi-Cal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Dual-eligibles are a very diverse group with really high chronic needs, and they are more likely to be a person of color,” she said. “Their health disparities and chronic conditions are exacerbated by the loss of Medicaid.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Often seniors and other dual-eligibles use their Medi-Cal benefits to cover their Medicare premiums as well as any wraparound services not included in Medicare. The loss of Medi-Cal means they may lose these additional benefits and face the deduction of Medicare premiums from their Social Security checks, said Huyenh-Cho.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That puts people at risk of not being able to pay for rent and other needs, like clothing, food and utilities,” she said. “One of the big concerns that we have is it puts people at risk of economic insecurity and potentially at risk of homelessness because of that loss of income.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those who require additional assistance can reach out to \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/NavigatorsProject.aspx\">state-supported enrollment navigators\u003c/a>, which are community-based organizations and social service agencies that help vulnerable populations through the process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Health Care Services has also released \u003ca href=\"https://socialpresskit.com/keep-medi-cal-coverage\">a social media toolkit\u003c/a> to spread awareness about redeterminations, so people can renew their coverage before they get disenrolled. This kit is available in 19 languages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.chcf.org/\">www.chcf.org\u003c/a> to learn more.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11961980/what-to-do-if-youre-one-of-the-thousands-of-californians-losing-medi-cal-coverage-every-month",
"authors": [
"byline_news_11961980"
],
"categories": [
"news_457",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_32707",
"news_1054",
"news_2605"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_11961982",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_11961732": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11961732",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11961732",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1695220235000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 18481
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1695220235,
"format": "standard",
"title": "'We Want to See Results': Affordable Housing Bills Inch Closer to Approval",
"headTitle": "‘We Want to See Results’: Affordable Housing Bills Inch Closer to Approval | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>You may not have seen the headlines (there weren’t any). You may have missed the raucous debate (there wasn’t much of one). But with the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/new-california-laws/\">end of the legislative session\u003c/a> last week, California is now on the verge of laying down a welcome mat for most major affordable housing projects across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s not because of a single bill, but a patchwork of current and former legislation that, taken together, “basically covers any flavor of affordable housing you could possibly want to build,” said Linda Mandolini, president of Eden Housing, an affordable housing development nonprofit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Homes designated for lower-income occupants, like all housing projects, face a gauntlet of potential challenges and holdups that add to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/homeless/article278499379.html\">already exorbitant cost of affordable housing\u003c/a> in California. Those hurdles include lawsuits filed under the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/08/ceqa-noise-pollution/\">wide-ranging California Environmental Quality Act\u003c/a>, extensive public hearings and other forms of opposition from local government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, affordable housing projects — in most places and most of the time — may soon be exempt from all that, fitted out in a suit of procedural armor made up of some half a dozen bills and laws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A bill now sitting on the governor’s desk would cover up one of the last chinks in that armor. \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1449\">Assembly Bill 1449\u003c/a>, authored by two Democratic Assembly members, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/david-alvarez-1980/\">David Alvarez\u003c/a> of San Diego and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/home/\">Buffy Wicks\u003c/a> of Oakland, would exempt certain affordable apartment developments from review under CEQA. To qualify, projects would have to be located in dense urban areas, set aside each unit for someone earning less than 80% of the area median income and abide by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/04/california-housing-law-union-dispute-2/\">stricter labor standards\u003c/a>, among other requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though modest and technical-sounding, that’s unusually broad for new construction in California. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Assemblymember David Alvarez (D-San Diego) \"]‘The politics of where Californians are and certainly where the Legislature is — we want to see results. We want to see housing being produced.’[/pullquote] “I do think it’s gonna be very consequential but it’s kind of flown under the radar,” Alvarez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His explanation why: “The politics of where Californians are and certainly where the Legislature is — we want to see results. We want to see housing being produced.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taken together with a handful of other bills and current laws, said Mark Stivers, a lobbyist with the California Housing Partnership, which co-sponsored AB 1449, the new legislation “effectively makes it possible for affordable housing providers to develop nearly all viable sites in California by-right and exempt from CEQA review.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speeding up approval for these projects comes with a trade-off. Environmental justice organizations, labor unions and various opponents of new development see CEQA as a vital tool to weigh in on what gets built, where and under what terms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our communities rely heavily on CEQA to be able to get more information about proposed developments that might be contributing to further pollution,” said Grecia Orozco, a staff attorney with the nonprofit Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local activists also often flood the public meetings of city councils and planning boards to pressure elected officials to \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/neighbors-question-plan-millbrae-hotel-homeless-housing/\">block unpopular projects\u003c/a> or extract concessions from developers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether AB 1449 and a handful of similar bills become law is now up to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Supporters have reason to be optimistic. The Newsom administration is pushing local governments to approve an \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/05/california-exodus-housing-cost/\">unprecedented 2.5 million additional homes\u003c/a> by 2030, he called the \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/CAgovernor/status/1629602373319688192\">CEQA process “broken”\u003c/a> and in the spring he \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2023/05/gavin-newsom-ceqa-reform/\">rolled out a package of bills\u003c/a> aimed at speeding up environmental challenges to projects — though \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/gavin-newsom-ceqa-reform-18114747.php\">housing was not included\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He has until Oct. 14 to sign or veto the bills now sitting on his desk.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A patchwork of carve-outs\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Alvarez-Wicks bill isn’t the first legislative effort to grease the skids for new affordable housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two others, both authored by San Francisco Democratic Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/scott-wiener-1970/\">Scott Wiener\u003c/a>, would force local governments to automatically approve \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/07/california-coast-housing-bill/\">apartment buildings in housing-strapped parts of the state\u003c/a> and most affordable housing projects on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-06/california-churches-nonprofit-colleges-could-build-homes-on-their-land-with-new-bill\">properties of houses of worship and nonprofit colleges\u003c/a>, so long as they comply with a list of zoning, affordability and labor requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A third piece of legislation by San José Democratic Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/dave-cortese-1956/\">Dave Cortese\u003c/a> exempts the decision by local governments to \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB406\">fund affordable housing projects\u003c/a> from environmental challenges, too. Newsom already signed it. [aside postID=news_11956396 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66358_230615-brooklyn-basin-239-ks.NEF-24-ks-KQED-1020x679.jpg'] Still awaiting the governor’s pen are a handful of bills that make it more difficult to stall housing projects through environmental lawsuits in general. That includes a bill by Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/nancy-skinner-1954/\">Nancy Skinner\u003c/a>, a Berkeley Democrat, that would make it easier for \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB439\">courts to toss out environmental challenges they deem “frivolous”\u003c/a> or “solely intended to cause unnecessary delay.” Another by Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/philip-ting-1969/\">Phil Ting\u003c/a>, a San Francisco Democrat, would give local officials a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1633\">deadline by which to approve or deny a project’s environmental review\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Ting proposal was fiercely opposed by many environmental activists and the State Building and Construction Trades Council, an umbrella group that represents many unionized construction workers. The bill would also make it more difficult for courts to award legal fees to groups that sue to block projects through CEQA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>J.P. Rose, a staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, which regularly brings such suits, called that provision “the largest weakening of CEQA in recent history.” [aside label='More on Affordable Housing' tag='affordable-housing'] The fact that this long list of bills passed the Legislature — some by healthy margins — amounts to a notable political shift, said Christopher Elmendorf, a law professor at UC Davis who advised Ting on the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it illustrates that a sea change is underfoot in how people are starting to think about these environmental review laws,” he said, though he noted that the shift in California is still modest compared to those underway in other states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, the Washington legislature nearly unanimously passed a law to \u003ca href=\"https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2023-24/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/Senate/5412-S2%20SBR%20FBR%2023.pdf?q=20230621165457\">exempt virtually all new urban housing (PDF)\u003c/a> from that state’s environmental protection law.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The grand bargain continued\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Many of the California bills build on a law passed last year that streamlines affordable housing construction along commercial corridors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In cobbling together \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB2011\">the law\u003c/a>, its author, Wicks, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2022/08/california-housing-crisis-labor-deal/\">struck a compromise\u003c/a>: In exempting certain housing projects from environmental challenges and other local hurdles, developers would pay workers a higher minimum wage, provide them with health care benefits and abide by other stricter labor standards. That trade was the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/04/california-housing-law-union-dispute-2/\">key to winning the support of the state carpenters’ union\u003c/a> and breaking up a legislative logjam that had stymied housing production bills for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also provided a template for Wiener’s two streamlining bills this year, along with the Alvarez-Wicks CEQA exemption proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That really laid the foundation for those of us who did work in the housing space this year,” said Alvarez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not every pro-housing advocate or CEQA critic is so content with the bargain. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Linda Mandolini, president, Eden Housing\"]‘You’ve got really strong laws, clear exemptions, and an attorney general who’s willing to step up and say you got to build it.’’[/pullquote] “A lot of these bills help a little,” said Jennifer Hernandez, a land-use attorney at the law firm Holland & Knight, who has \u003ca href=\"https://www.hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2015/08/in-the-name-of-the-environment-litigation-abuse-un\">cataloged CEQA challenges to housing projects\u003c/a> for years. But she notes that swapping out the threat of environmental litigation with higher payroll expenses just replaces one cost with another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In practice, she said, these exemptions are only likely to clear the way for substantial new housing construction in higher-cost areas where developers can make up the difference by charging higher rents to non-subsidized residents. “You really need premium rentals to pay for those higher labor standards,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for many affordable housing developers, it’s still a trade worth making.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’ve got really strong laws, clear exemptions, and an attorney general who’s willing to step up and say you got to build it,” said Mandolini with Eden Housing, who has been working on housing in the state for more than two decades. “This is the best it has been in California. … If this had all existed 20 years ago, we might have built a lot more housing a lot faster.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1507,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 30
},
"modified": 1695161087,
"excerpt": "A patchwork of California bills is giving housing developers and local governments more options to reduce red tape for housing projects.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "A patchwork of California bills is giving housing developers and local governments more options to reduce red tape for housing projects.",
"title": "'We Want to See Results': Affordable Housing Bills Inch Closer to Approval | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "'We Want to See Results': Affordable Housing Bills Inch Closer to Approval",
"datePublished": "2023-09-20T07:30:35-07:00",
"dateModified": "2023-09-19T15:04:47-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "we-want-to-see-results-affordable-housing-bills-inch-closer-to-approval",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/ben-christopher/\">Ben Christopher\u003c/a>",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/11961732/we-want-to-see-results-affordable-housing-bills-inch-closer-to-approval",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>You may not have seen the headlines (there weren’t any). You may have missed the raucous debate (there wasn’t much of one). But with the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/new-california-laws/\">end of the legislative session\u003c/a> last week, California is now on the verge of laying down a welcome mat for most major affordable housing projects across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s not because of a single bill, but a patchwork of current and former legislation that, taken together, “basically covers any flavor of affordable housing you could possibly want to build,” said Linda Mandolini, president of Eden Housing, an affordable housing development nonprofit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Homes designated for lower-income occupants, like all housing projects, face a gauntlet of potential challenges and holdups that add to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/homeless/article278499379.html\">already exorbitant cost of affordable housing\u003c/a> in California. Those hurdles include lawsuits filed under the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/08/ceqa-noise-pollution/\">wide-ranging California Environmental Quality Act\u003c/a>, extensive public hearings and other forms of opposition from local government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, affordable housing projects — in most places and most of the time — may soon be exempt from all that, fitted out in a suit of procedural armor made up of some half a dozen bills and laws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A bill now sitting on the governor’s desk would cover up one of the last chinks in that armor. \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1449\">Assembly Bill 1449\u003c/a>, authored by two Democratic Assembly members, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/david-alvarez-1980/\">David Alvarez\u003c/a> of San Diego and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/home/\">Buffy Wicks\u003c/a> of Oakland, would exempt certain affordable apartment developments from review under CEQA. To qualify, projects would have to be located in dense urban areas, set aside each unit for someone earning less than 80% of the area median income and abide by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/04/california-housing-law-union-dispute-2/\">stricter labor standards\u003c/a>, among other requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though modest and technical-sounding, that’s unusually broad for new construction in California. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘The politics of where Californians are and certainly where the Legislature is — we want to see results. We want to see housing being produced.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Assemblymember David Alvarez (D-San Diego) ",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> “I do think it’s gonna be very consequential but it’s kind of flown under the radar,” Alvarez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His explanation why: “The politics of where Californians are and certainly where the Legislature is — we want to see results. We want to see housing being produced.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taken together with a handful of other bills and current laws, said Mark Stivers, a lobbyist with the California Housing Partnership, which co-sponsored AB 1449, the new legislation “effectively makes it possible for affordable housing providers to develop nearly all viable sites in California by-right and exempt from CEQA review.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speeding up approval for these projects comes with a trade-off. Environmental justice organizations, labor unions and various opponents of new development see CEQA as a vital tool to weigh in on what gets built, where and under what terms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our communities rely heavily on CEQA to be able to get more information about proposed developments that might be contributing to further pollution,” said Grecia Orozco, a staff attorney with the nonprofit Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local activists also often flood the public meetings of city councils and planning boards to pressure elected officials to \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/neighbors-question-plan-millbrae-hotel-homeless-housing/\">block unpopular projects\u003c/a> or extract concessions from developers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether AB 1449 and a handful of similar bills become law is now up to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Supporters have reason to be optimistic. The Newsom administration is pushing local governments to approve an \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/05/california-exodus-housing-cost/\">unprecedented 2.5 million additional homes\u003c/a> by 2030, he called the \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/CAgovernor/status/1629602373319688192\">CEQA process “broken”\u003c/a> and in the spring he \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2023/05/gavin-newsom-ceqa-reform/\">rolled out a package of bills\u003c/a> aimed at speeding up environmental challenges to projects — though \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/gavin-newsom-ceqa-reform-18114747.php\">housing was not included\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He has until Oct. 14 to sign or veto the bills now sitting on his desk.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A patchwork of carve-outs\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Alvarez-Wicks bill isn’t the first legislative effort to grease the skids for new affordable housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two others, both authored by San Francisco Democratic Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/scott-wiener-1970/\">Scott Wiener\u003c/a>, would force local governments to automatically approve \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/07/california-coast-housing-bill/\">apartment buildings in housing-strapped parts of the state\u003c/a> and most affordable housing projects on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-06/california-churches-nonprofit-colleges-could-build-homes-on-their-land-with-new-bill\">properties of houses of worship and nonprofit colleges\u003c/a>, so long as they comply with a list of zoning, affordability and labor requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A third piece of legislation by San José Democratic Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/dave-cortese-1956/\">Dave Cortese\u003c/a> exempts the decision by local governments to \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB406\">fund affordable housing projects\u003c/a> from environmental challenges, too. Newsom already signed it. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_11956396",
"hero": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66358_230615-brooklyn-basin-239-ks.NEF-24-ks-KQED-1020x679.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> Still awaiting the governor’s pen are a handful of bills that make it more difficult to stall housing projects through environmental lawsuits in general. That includes a bill by Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/nancy-skinner-1954/\">Nancy Skinner\u003c/a>, a Berkeley Democrat, that would make it easier for \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB439\">courts to toss out environmental challenges they deem “frivolous”\u003c/a> or “solely intended to cause unnecessary delay.” Another by Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/philip-ting-1969/\">Phil Ting\u003c/a>, a San Francisco Democrat, would give local officials a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1633\">deadline by which to approve or deny a project’s environmental review\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Ting proposal was fiercely opposed by many environmental activists and the State Building and Construction Trades Council, an umbrella group that represents many unionized construction workers. The bill would also make it more difficult for courts to award legal fees to groups that sue to block projects through CEQA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>J.P. Rose, a staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, which regularly brings such suits, called that provision “the largest weakening of CEQA in recent history.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "More on Affordable Housing ",
"tag": "affordable-housing"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> The fact that this long list of bills passed the Legislature — some by healthy margins — amounts to a notable political shift, said Christopher Elmendorf, a law professor at UC Davis who advised Ting on the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it illustrates that a sea change is underfoot in how people are starting to think about these environmental review laws,” he said, though he noted that the shift in California is still modest compared to those underway in other states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, the Washington legislature nearly unanimously passed a law to \u003ca href=\"https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2023-24/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/Senate/5412-S2%20SBR%20FBR%2023.pdf?q=20230621165457\">exempt virtually all new urban housing (PDF)\u003c/a> from that state’s environmental protection law.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The grand bargain continued\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Many of the California bills build on a law passed last year that streamlines affordable housing construction along commercial corridors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In cobbling together \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB2011\">the law\u003c/a>, its author, Wicks, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2022/08/california-housing-crisis-labor-deal/\">struck a compromise\u003c/a>: In exempting certain housing projects from environmental challenges and other local hurdles, developers would pay workers a higher minimum wage, provide them with health care benefits and abide by other stricter labor standards. That trade was the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/04/california-housing-law-union-dispute-2/\">key to winning the support of the state carpenters’ union\u003c/a> and breaking up a legislative logjam that had stymied housing production bills for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also provided a template for Wiener’s two streamlining bills this year, along with the Alvarez-Wicks CEQA exemption proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That really laid the foundation for those of us who did work in the housing space this year,” said Alvarez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not every pro-housing advocate or CEQA critic is so content with the bargain. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘You’ve got really strong laws, clear exemptions, and an attorney general who’s willing to step up and say you got to build it.’’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Linda Mandolini, president, Eden Housing",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> “A lot of these bills help a little,” said Jennifer Hernandez, a land-use attorney at the law firm Holland & Knight, who has \u003ca href=\"https://www.hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2015/08/in-the-name-of-the-environment-litigation-abuse-un\">cataloged CEQA challenges to housing projects\u003c/a> for years. But she notes that swapping out the threat of environmental litigation with higher payroll expenses just replaces one cost with another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In practice, she said, these exemptions are only likely to clear the way for substantial new housing construction in higher-cost areas where developers can make up the difference by charging higher rents to non-subsidized residents. “You really need premium rentals to pay for those higher labor standards,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for many affordable housing developers, it’s still a trade worth making.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’ve got really strong laws, clear exemptions, and an attorney general who’s willing to step up and say you got to build it,” said Mandolini with Eden Housing, who has been working on housing in the state for more than two decades. “This is the best it has been in California. … If this had all existed 20 years ago, we might have built a lot more housing a lot faster.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11961732/we-want-to-see-results-affordable-housing-bills-inch-closer-to-approval",
"authors": [
"byline_news_11961732"
],
"categories": [
"news_6266",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_3921",
"news_18538"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_11961745",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_11961743": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11961743",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11961743",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1695151431000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 18481
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1695151431,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Some California Planned Parenthood Workers Vote to Unionize, as Demand From Out-of-State Patients Increases",
"headTitle": "Some California Planned Parenthood Workers Vote to Unionize, as Demand From Out-of-State Patients Increases | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Mia Neustein calls her work for Planned Parenthood in the Coachella Valley her “dream job.” She believes in the organization’s mission, and wants to be a part of it for years to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the pace of that work has increased substantially since last year, when \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101889641/supreme-court-strikes-down-roe-v-wade\">the Supreme Court ended the nationwide right to abortion\u003c/a>, leading some out-of-state patients to travel to Southern California for care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That trend, coupled with several local decisions that she said exacerbated stresses on her colleagues, led workers at her clinic last week to vote to create a union. They’re joining a labor movement taking root at a number of other Planned Parenthood clinics in states that have protected abortion rights since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The types of working conditions that we’ve been dealing with, especially in the last year or so, have really pushed people toward realizing how necessary a union is,” said Neustein, who started working for Planned Parenthood as a health center educator two years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11917111,news_11931183 label='Abortion Rights in California']Her clinic belongs to \u003ca href=\"https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-pacific-southwest\">Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest\u003c/a>, a group of 26 sites in Imperial, Riverside and San Diego counties that regularly sees patients from states with abortion restrictions. The organization estimates that 10% of its patients since the 2022 Supreme Court decision have come from other states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 93% of the workers who voted supported joining \u003ca href=\"https://www.seiu-uhw.org/press/550-planned-parenthood-workers-across-southern-ca-vote-to-join-seiu-uhw-in-historic-victory-for-reproductive-health/\">SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West\u003c/a>. After certification by the National Labor Relations Board, the union would represent 550 Planned Parenthood workers ranging from clinicians to registered nurses and licensed social workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers said they hope to get better pay, an improved time-off policy and safer working conditions through this union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California voters \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11931183/californians-vote-to-protect-abortion-in-constitution\">cemented the right to abortion in the state constitution last year\u003c/a>, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11924553/california-expands-abortion-protections-including-200-million-for-lower-income-undocumented-and-out-of-state-patients\">signed more than two dozen other laws\u003c/a> that are designed to expand access to reproductive care after the 2022 Supreme Court decision known as Dobbs. He and other Democratic leaders have championed California \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/abortion-in-california-laws/\">as a safe haven for women seeking abortions\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, 22 states have introduced or passed legislation to restrict or ban abortion, \u003ca href=\"https://www.axios.com/2022/06/25/abortion-illegal-7-states-more-bans-coming\">according to the news organization Axios\u003c/a>. One of them, Arizona, shares a border with California. \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/world/us/arizona-governor-signs-15-week-abortion-ban-into-law-2022-03-30/\">Arizona prohibits most abortions after 15 weeks\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>More abortions in California\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In states where abortion remains legal, reproductive care workers have been complaining about being overworked due to increased demand for care from out-of-state patients. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/abortion-strikes/planned-parenthood-union\">Planned Parenthood workers\u003c/a> in at least seven states, including Massachusetts and Nebraska, have decided to unionize, according to news reports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve definitely seen an increase in patients,” said Libby Kusiak, a certified physician associate at a Planned Parenthood in San Diego. “We see a lot of out-of-state patients since we’re kind of really perfectly nestled geographically to serve and accommodate patients from other states like Arizona, but we do see patients from Texas and other states as well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Libby Kusiak, Planned Parenthood\"]‘We’ve definitely seen an increase in patients. We see a lot of out-of-state patients since we’re kind of really perfectly nestled geographically to serve and accommodate patients from other states like Arizona, but we do see patients from Texas and other states as well.’[/pullquote]\u003ca href=\"https://www.guttmacher.org/monthly-abortion-provision-study\">A new study by the Guttmacher Institute\u003c/a>, a research organization that supports reproductive rights, shows that the number of abortions in California has increased by 16% since the end of Roe v. Wade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It found 12,300 more abortions were performed from January to June 2023 compared to a similar time period in 2020. That marked the second-largest numerical increase in abortions among states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cathren Cohen, staff attorney at the UCLA Center on Reproductive Health, Law and Policy, said \u003ca href=\"https://law.ucla.edu/sites/default/files/PDFs/Center_on_Reproductive_Health/California_Abortion_Estimates.pdf\">some patients seeking abortions may be traveling from states where bans have not yet been legalized or instituted (PDF)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When people hear the news about the introduction of bans in states like North Carolina, Florida or even Arizona, there is a significant chilling effect,” she said. “People don’t seek out care because they think it is illegal, even if it is six months before those laws go into effect.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Planned Parenthood union vote\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Reproductive care workers, especially those close to the border, are feeling burdened by the increase in patients. The Planned Parenthood employees who voted to join the union last week said they believe they are underpaid and overworked, contributing to turnover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am excited to be able to hopefully repair employee benefits in this organization in a way that truly benefits our employees,” Kusiak said. “Given how hard we work, when we show up to work every day, we really need to have that better balance in our lives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alex Scordato was one of the earliest employees of Planned Parenthood Pacific Southwest who advocated to form a union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It started about a year ago, with actually a conversation between a relatively small group of admin workers and clinical staff,” they said. “We only had about eight people, had an informal session where we’re comparing our pay, talking about various issues.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11961749\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2023/09/19/some-california-planned-parenthood-workers-vote-to-unionize-as-demand-from-out-of-state-patients-increases/09172023_alex_scordato_ah_cm_03/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-11961749\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11961749\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09172023_Alex_Scordato_AH_CM_03.jpg\" alt=\"a white male-appearing person stands in a collared shirt in front of a row of offices\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09172023_Alex_Scordato_AH_CM_03.jpg 2000w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09172023_Alex_Scordato_AH_CM_03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09172023_Alex_Scordato_AH_CM_03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09172023_Alex_Scordato_AH_CM_03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09172023_Alex_Scordato_AH_CM_03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09172023_Alex_Scordato_AH_CM_03-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Scordato, who was one of the first Planned Parenthood employees to advocate forming a union, stands in front of the San Diego LGBT Community Center. \u003ccite>(Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The group soon realized that they were dealing with similar issues and decided that a union would be their best bet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Darrah Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, said in a statement to CalMatters, “As an organization that champions everyone’s right to pursue their own path to a healthy and meaningful life, our goal throughout this process was to ensure that every employee had the opportunity to participate in a fair election.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are proud of the number of staff who participated in the National Labor Relations Board election and made their voice heard today. We look forward to continuing to work together with our staff and now, SEIU-UHW, to ensure Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest is a compassionate and affirming place to give and get care,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union could be one of the largest representing Planned Parenthood workers in the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think this sends a ripple to not only other Planned Parenthood affiliates across the country, but other nonprofit health care organizations, that this is possible, this is coming,” he said. “This is the rebirth of the labor movement. It’s not just a hot labor summer. This is here to last.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.chcf.org/\">www.chcf.org\u003c/a> to learn more.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1179,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 27
},
"modified": 1695151550,
"excerpt": "Planned Parenthood clinics in southern California saw a sharp increase in abortions after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. Now, workers there are creating a union.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Planned Parenthood clinics in southern California saw a sharp increase in abortions after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. Now, workers there are creating a union.",
"title": "Some California Planned Parenthood Workers Vote to Unionize, as Demand From Out-of-State Patients Increases | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Some California Planned Parenthood Workers Vote to Unionize, as Demand From Out-of-State Patients Increases",
"datePublished": "2023-09-19T12:23:51-07:00",
"dateModified": "2023-09-19T12:25:50-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "some-california-planned-parenthood-workers-vote-to-unionize-as-demand-from-out-of-state-patients-increases",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/shreya-agrawal/\">Shreya Agrawal\u003c/a>",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/11961743/some-california-planned-parenthood-workers-vote-to-unionize-as-demand-from-out-of-state-patients-increases",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Mia Neustein calls her work for Planned Parenthood in the Coachella Valley her “dream job.” She believes in the organization’s mission, and wants to be a part of it for years to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the pace of that work has increased substantially since last year, when \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101889641/supreme-court-strikes-down-roe-v-wade\">the Supreme Court ended the nationwide right to abortion\u003c/a>, leading some out-of-state patients to travel to Southern California for care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That trend, coupled with several local decisions that she said exacerbated stresses on her colleagues, led workers at her clinic last week to vote to create a union. They’re joining a labor movement taking root at a number of other Planned Parenthood clinics in states that have protected abortion rights since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The types of working conditions that we’ve been dealing with, especially in the last year or so, have really pushed people toward realizing how necessary a union is,” said Neustein, who started working for Planned Parenthood as a health center educator two years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_11917111,news_11931183",
"label": "Abortion Rights in California "
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Her clinic belongs to \u003ca href=\"https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-pacific-southwest\">Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest\u003c/a>, a group of 26 sites in Imperial, Riverside and San Diego counties that regularly sees patients from states with abortion restrictions. The organization estimates that 10% of its patients since the 2022 Supreme Court decision have come from other states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 93% of the workers who voted supported joining \u003ca href=\"https://www.seiu-uhw.org/press/550-planned-parenthood-workers-across-southern-ca-vote-to-join-seiu-uhw-in-historic-victory-for-reproductive-health/\">SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West\u003c/a>. After certification by the National Labor Relations Board, the union would represent 550 Planned Parenthood workers ranging from clinicians to registered nurses and licensed social workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers said they hope to get better pay, an improved time-off policy and safer working conditions through this union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California voters \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11931183/californians-vote-to-protect-abortion-in-constitution\">cemented the right to abortion in the state constitution last year\u003c/a>, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11924553/california-expands-abortion-protections-including-200-million-for-lower-income-undocumented-and-out-of-state-patients\">signed more than two dozen other laws\u003c/a> that are designed to expand access to reproductive care after the 2022 Supreme Court decision known as Dobbs. He and other Democratic leaders have championed California \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/abortion-in-california-laws/\">as a safe haven for women seeking abortions\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, 22 states have introduced or passed legislation to restrict or ban abortion, \u003ca href=\"https://www.axios.com/2022/06/25/abortion-illegal-7-states-more-bans-coming\">according to the news organization Axios\u003c/a>. One of them, Arizona, shares a border with California. \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/world/us/arizona-governor-signs-15-week-abortion-ban-into-law-2022-03-30/\">Arizona prohibits most abortions after 15 weeks\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>More abortions in California\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In states where abortion remains legal, reproductive care workers have been complaining about being overworked due to increased demand for care from out-of-state patients. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/abortion-strikes/planned-parenthood-union\">Planned Parenthood workers\u003c/a> in at least seven states, including Massachusetts and Nebraska, have decided to unionize, according to news reports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve definitely seen an increase in patients,” said Libby Kusiak, a certified physician associate at a Planned Parenthood in San Diego. “We see a lot of out-of-state patients since we’re kind of really perfectly nestled geographically to serve and accommodate patients from other states like Arizona, but we do see patients from Texas and other states as well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘We’ve definitely seen an increase in patients. We see a lot of out-of-state patients since we’re kind of really perfectly nestled geographically to serve and accommodate patients from other states like Arizona, but we do see patients from Texas and other states as well.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Libby Kusiak, Planned Parenthood",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.guttmacher.org/monthly-abortion-provision-study\">A new study by the Guttmacher Institute\u003c/a>, a research organization that supports reproductive rights, shows that the number of abortions in California has increased by 16% since the end of Roe v. Wade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It found 12,300 more abortions were performed from January to June 2023 compared to a similar time period in 2020. That marked the second-largest numerical increase in abortions among states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cathren Cohen, staff attorney at the UCLA Center on Reproductive Health, Law and Policy, said \u003ca href=\"https://law.ucla.edu/sites/default/files/PDFs/Center_on_Reproductive_Health/California_Abortion_Estimates.pdf\">some patients seeking abortions may be traveling from states where bans have not yet been legalized or instituted (PDF)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When people hear the news about the introduction of bans in states like North Carolina, Florida or even Arizona, there is a significant chilling effect,” she said. “People don’t seek out care because they think it is illegal, even if it is six months before those laws go into effect.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Planned Parenthood union vote\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Reproductive care workers, especially those close to the border, are feeling burdened by the increase in patients. The Planned Parenthood employees who voted to join the union last week said they believe they are underpaid and overworked, contributing to turnover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am excited to be able to hopefully repair employee benefits in this organization in a way that truly benefits our employees,” Kusiak said. “Given how hard we work, when we show up to work every day, we really need to have that better balance in our lives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alex Scordato was one of the earliest employees of Planned Parenthood Pacific Southwest who advocated to form a union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It started about a year ago, with actually a conversation between a relatively small group of admin workers and clinical staff,” they said. “We only had about eight people, had an informal session where we’re comparing our pay, talking about various issues.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11961749\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2023/09/19/some-california-planned-parenthood-workers-vote-to-unionize-as-demand-from-out-of-state-patients-increases/09172023_alex_scordato_ah_cm_03/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-11961749\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11961749\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09172023_Alex_Scordato_AH_CM_03.jpg\" alt=\"a white male-appearing person stands in a collared shirt in front of a row of offices\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09172023_Alex_Scordato_AH_CM_03.jpg 2000w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09172023_Alex_Scordato_AH_CM_03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09172023_Alex_Scordato_AH_CM_03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09172023_Alex_Scordato_AH_CM_03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09172023_Alex_Scordato_AH_CM_03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/09172023_Alex_Scordato_AH_CM_03-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Scordato, who was one of the first Planned Parenthood employees to advocate forming a union, stands in front of the San Diego LGBT Community Center. \u003ccite>(Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The group soon realized that they were dealing with similar issues and decided that a union would be their best bet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Darrah Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, said in a statement to CalMatters, “As an organization that champions everyone’s right to pursue their own path to a healthy and meaningful life, our goal throughout this process was to ensure that every employee had the opportunity to participate in a fair election.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are proud of the number of staff who participated in the National Labor Relations Board election and made their voice heard today. We look forward to continuing to work together with our staff and now, SEIU-UHW, to ensure Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest is a compassionate and affirming place to give and get care,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union could be one of the largest representing Planned Parenthood workers in the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think this sends a ripple to not only other Planned Parenthood affiliates across the country, but other nonprofit health care organizations, that this is possible, this is coming,” he said. “This is the rebirth of the labor movement. It’s not just a hot labor summer. This is here to last.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.chcf.org/\">www.chcf.org\u003c/a> to learn more.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11961743/some-california-planned-parenthood-workers-vote-to-unionize-as-demand-from-out-of-state-patients-increases",
"authors": [
"byline_news_11961743"
],
"categories": [
"news_457",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_866",
"news_30251",
"news_31238",
"news_20296"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_11961750",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_11961346": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11961346",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11961346",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1694874610000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "gavin-newsoms-mental-health-plan-heads-to-voters-heres-what-to-know",
"title": "Gavin Newsom's Mental Health Plan Heads to Voters. Here's What to Know",
"publishDate": 1694874610,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Gavin Newsom’s Mental Health Plan Heads to Voters. Here’s What to Know | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>California voters next spring will get to decide on a ballot measure to create housing and treatment options for unhoused individuals with serious mental illness. If it passes, the measure championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom would mark the first major overhaul of the state’s community mental health system in 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two-pronged proposition on the March primary election ballot includes a nearly $6.4 billion bond to build 10,000 psychiatric treatment units. It also asks voters to redefine how counties spend money collected from a special “millionaire’s tax” to allocate a share of it for housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom and supporters have promoted Proposition 1 as a way to help address the state’s deteriorating homelessness and addiction crises. They contend that increased investment and an update to the state’s Mental Health Services Act are “long overdue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Legislature on Thursday overwhelmingly backed his proposal, with lopsided votes to place it on the 2024 ballot. Newsom still must sign the bills, and he said he would in a written statement after a late-night vote in the Assembly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These measures represent a key part of the solution to our homelessness crisis, and improving mental health for kids and families,” Newsom said. “Now, it will be up to voters to ratify the most significant changes to California’s mental health system in more than 50 years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opponents of the ballot measure say diverting money in the Mental Health Services Act for housing will result in up to $1 billion in cuts to\u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4782\"> current mental health programs\u003c/a> like outpatient care and crisis response. Other advocates criticize the governor for making last-minute changes to the bond, allowing the money to be spent on involuntary treatment institutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what exactly are voters being asked to consider? Here’s how the proposal breaks down.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What is the Mental Health Services Act?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Mental Health Services Act, which voters passed as a ballot measure in 2004, levies a 1% tax on personal income over $1 million. It passed at a time when the state’s mental health system was severely underfunded. Since then, the tax has generated an estimated $26 billion for county mental health programs. Last year the tax garnered more than $3 billion. It supports roughly one-third of the state’s mental health system. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Gov. Gavin Newsom\"]‘These measures represent a key part of the solution to our homelessness crisis, and improving mental health for kids and families.’[/pullquote] The tax is not California’s only source of revenue for mental health programs. The state also receives money from Medi-Cal, and it spends a portion of its general fund on those services. Those sources come with strict spending limitations. For example, Medi-Cal primarily pays for treatment of mental health disorders but will not cover prevention programs. It also will not pay for inpatient treatment at a facility with more than 16 beds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Counties have come to rely on the relative flexibility of Mental Health Services Act dollars to pay for core services like outpatient care, outreach and engagement, school-based counseling, youth wellness programs, family resource centers, and crisis response teams.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What does Newsom want to do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The most significant change put forth by the governor is a requirement that counties invest 30% of their Mental Health Services Act tax dollars — roughly $1 billion based on last year’s revenue — in housing programs, including rental subsidies and navigation services. Counties would have to spend half this money on people who are chronically homeless or living in encampments. They could also use up to one-quarter of the money to build or purchase housing units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg has been a staunch supporter of Newsom’s proposal. Steinberg was one of the co-authors of the Mental Health Services Act when he was an Assembly member in 2004.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To put it plainly, not enough of the Mental Health Services Act dollars are getting out to the people with the most persistent mental illnesses, specifically people who are chronically homeless and living with those underlying conditions,” Steinberg said during a press call in August. “So that’s where you start.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ballot measure puts counties on the hook for paying for substance use disorder treatment with Mental Health Services Act money. Counties have historically paid for addiction treatment with other funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, it\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>renames the program as the Behavioral Health Services Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11961360\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2400px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11961360\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02.jpeg\" alt=\"Gov. Gavin Newsom is pictured with his hands out as he speak to many folks in a warehouse in front of a microphone.\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02.jpeg 2400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flanked by state and local politicians, Newsom announced the state’s plan to address homelessness across the state at Cal Expo in Sacramento, on March 16, 2023. \u003ccite>(Miguel Gutierrez Jr./CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>What will the bond measure do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The second half of Newsom’s proposal places a $6.4 billion general obligation bond before voters to dramatically expand the state’s psychiatric and addiction treatment infrastructure. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg\"]‘To put it plainly, not enough of the Mental Health Services Act dollars are getting out to the people with the most persistent mental illnesses, specifically people who are chronically homeless and living with those underlying conditions.’[/pullquote] Nearly $4.4 billion would go toward building inpatient and residential treatment beds and could serve 100,000 people annually, officials said. California faces a shortage of \u003ca href=\"https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/testimonies/CTA2700/CTA2742-1/RAND_CTA2742-1.pdf\">nearly 8,000 adult psychiatric beds (PDF)\u003c/a>, said Nicole Eberhart, senior behavioral health scientist for the RAND Corporation, during testimony to an Assembly budget subcommittee in May. Long waitlists plague the state’s inpatient mental health system, and doctors say there’s nowhere to send stable patients who need long-term treatment focused on recovery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another $2 billion will go toward building permanent supportive housing, with half set aside for veterans with mental health diagnoses or addiction disorders.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How many people are unhoused in California?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>More than 170,000 Californians are unhoused, the vast majority of whom live in street encampments. California has the highest homeless rate per 10,000 people, second only to the District of Columbia, and the highest proportion of unsheltered homeless individuals in the country, according to federal data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/06/california-homeless-growth-report/\">landmark study by the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative\u003c/a> found about two-thirds of unhoused Californians surveyed suffered from a mental health disorder but only 19% had received recent treatment. The driving force behind homelessness, however, was most often income loss, not mental illness or addiction, \u003ca href=\"https://homelessness.ucsf.edu/our-impact/our-studies/california-statewide-study-people-experiencing-homelessness\">according to the study\u003c/a>. [aside label='More Around California' tag='california-law']\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Who are the supporters?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Sen. Susan Talamantes-Eggman, a Democrat from Stockton, carried the proposed reform of the Mental Health Services Act in the Legislature. During Thursday’s Senate concurrence vote, Talamantes-Eggman said the way counties spend state mental health funding needs to address changes that have happened in the two decades since the act was first designed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, a Democrat from Thousand Oaks, carried the bond proposal in the Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayors and county supervisors from eight major regions, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, successfully lobbied to increase funding for the bond measure by $1.5 billion. City leaders were early supporters of the measure with more than two dozen submitting letters of support along with housing and homeless advocates and the National Alliance on Mental Illness California.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Who are the opponents?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Peer-run and disability organizations have been the staunchest opponents of the changes proposed in the ballot measure. They argue current clients will lose treatment options and accuse Newsom’s administration of using the proposal to fund his \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/08/care-court-california-start/\">CARE Court initiative\u003c/a> that passed last year. That law allows a court to place someone with a serious mental illness into an involuntary treatment program. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Paul Simmons, executive director, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance\"]‘This is a really tough time for our communities. Our concern with [the proposition] is massive increases in involuntary and forced treatment.’[/pullquote] Groups representing people of color and LGBTQ+ communities also oppose the measure. They say it will eliminate prevention resources and worsen already stark disparities in access to treatment. Resource centers that target these populations are among the services most likely to get cut, county behavioral health leaders have said in public hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bond measure, which previously faced no opposition, drew fierce criticism from peer and disability advocates after last-minute amendments \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/mental-health/2023/09/mental-health-bond-gavin-newsom-amendments/\">allowed the money to be used on involuntary treatment facilities\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a really tough time for our communities,” said Paul Simmons, executive director of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. “Our concern with [the proposition] is massive increases in involuntary and forced treatment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Children and family advocates withdrew previous opposition after securing significant concessions from the governor requiring 51% of spending on early intervention be targeted toward children and youth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Some of the money from a state tax on high incomes supporting mental health services will aid housing for those experiencing homelessness and mental illness. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1740517057,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 27,
"wordCount": 1509
},
"headData": {
"title": "Gavin Newsom's Mental Health Plan Heads to Voters. Here's What to Know | KQED",
"description": "Some of the money from a state tax on high incomes supporting mental health services will aid housing for those experiencing homelessness and mental illness. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Gavin Newsom's Mental Health Plan Heads to Voters. Here's What to Know",
"datePublished": "2023-09-16T07:30:10-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-02-25T12:57:37-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/kristen-hwang/\">Kristen Hwang\u003c/a>",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/11961346/gavin-newsoms-mental-health-plan-heads-to-voters-heres-what-to-know",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California voters next spring will get to decide on a ballot measure to create housing and treatment options for unhoused individuals with serious mental illness. If it passes, the measure championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom would mark the first major overhaul of the state’s community mental health system in 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two-pronged proposition on the March primary election ballot includes a nearly $6.4 billion bond to build 10,000 psychiatric treatment units. It also asks voters to redefine how counties spend money collected from a special “millionaire’s tax” to allocate a share of it for housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom and supporters have promoted Proposition 1 as a way to help address the state’s deteriorating homelessness and addiction crises. They contend that increased investment and an update to the state’s Mental Health Services Act are “long overdue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Legislature on Thursday overwhelmingly backed his proposal, with lopsided votes to place it on the 2024 ballot. Newsom still must sign the bills, and he said he would in a written statement after a late-night vote in the Assembly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These measures represent a key part of the solution to our homelessness crisis, and improving mental health for kids and families,” Newsom said. “Now, it will be up to voters to ratify the most significant changes to California’s mental health system in more than 50 years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opponents of the ballot measure say diverting money in the Mental Health Services Act for housing will result in up to $1 billion in cuts to\u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4782\"> current mental health programs\u003c/a> like outpatient care and crisis response. Other advocates criticize the governor for making last-minute changes to the bond, allowing the money to be spent on involuntary treatment institutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what exactly are voters being asked to consider? Here’s how the proposal breaks down.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What is the Mental Health Services Act?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Mental Health Services Act, which voters passed as a ballot measure in 2004, levies a 1% tax on personal income over $1 million. It passed at a time when the state’s mental health system was severely underfunded. Since then, the tax has generated an estimated $26 billion for county mental health programs. Last year the tax garnered more than $3 billion. It supports roughly one-third of the state’s mental health system. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘These measures represent a key part of the solution to our homelessness crisis, and improving mental health for kids and families.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Gov. Gavin Newsom",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> The tax is not California’s only source of revenue for mental health programs. The state also receives money from Medi-Cal, and it spends a portion of its general fund on those services. Those sources come with strict spending limitations. For example, Medi-Cal primarily pays for treatment of mental health disorders but will not cover prevention programs. It also will not pay for inpatient treatment at a facility with more than 16 beds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Counties have come to rely on the relative flexibility of Mental Health Services Act dollars to pay for core services like outpatient care, outreach and engagement, school-based counseling, youth wellness programs, family resource centers, and crisis response teams.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What does Newsom want to do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The most significant change put forth by the governor is a requirement that counties invest 30% of their Mental Health Services Act tax dollars — roughly $1 billion based on last year’s revenue — in housing programs, including rental subsidies and navigation services. Counties would have to spend half this money on people who are chronically homeless or living in encampments. They could also use up to one-quarter of the money to build or purchase housing units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg has been a staunch supporter of Newsom’s proposal. Steinberg was one of the co-authors of the Mental Health Services Act when he was an Assembly member in 2004.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To put it plainly, not enough of the Mental Health Services Act dollars are getting out to the people with the most persistent mental illnesses, specifically people who are chronically homeless and living with those underlying conditions,” Steinberg said during a press call in August. “So that’s where you start.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ballot measure puts counties on the hook for paying for substance use disorder treatment with Mental Health Services Act money. Counties have historically paid for addiction treatment with other funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, it\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>renames the program as the Behavioral Health Services Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11961360\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2400px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11961360\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02.jpeg\" alt=\"Gov. Gavin Newsom is pictured with his hands out as he speak to many folks in a warehouse in front of a microphone.\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02.jpeg 2400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMNewsom02-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flanked by state and local politicians, Newsom announced the state’s plan to address homelessness across the state at Cal Expo in Sacramento, on March 16, 2023. \u003ccite>(Miguel Gutierrez Jr./CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>What will the bond measure do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The second half of Newsom’s proposal places a $6.4 billion general obligation bond before voters to dramatically expand the state’s psychiatric and addiction treatment infrastructure. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘To put it plainly, not enough of the Mental Health Services Act dollars are getting out to the people with the most persistent mental illnesses, specifically people who are chronically homeless and living with those underlying conditions.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> Nearly $4.4 billion would go toward building inpatient and residential treatment beds and could serve 100,000 people annually, officials said. California faces a shortage of \u003ca href=\"https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/testimonies/CTA2700/CTA2742-1/RAND_CTA2742-1.pdf\">nearly 8,000 adult psychiatric beds (PDF)\u003c/a>, said Nicole Eberhart, senior behavioral health scientist for the RAND Corporation, during testimony to an Assembly budget subcommittee in May. Long waitlists plague the state’s inpatient mental health system, and doctors say there’s nowhere to send stable patients who need long-term treatment focused on recovery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another $2 billion will go toward building permanent supportive housing, with half set aside for veterans with mental health diagnoses or addiction disorders.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How many people are unhoused in California?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>More than 170,000 Californians are unhoused, the vast majority of whom live in street encampments. California has the highest homeless rate per 10,000 people, second only to the District of Columbia, and the highest proportion of unsheltered homeless individuals in the country, according to federal data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/06/california-homeless-growth-report/\">landmark study by the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative\u003c/a> found about two-thirds of unhoused Californians surveyed suffered from a mental health disorder but only 19% had received recent treatment. The driving force behind homelessness, however, was most often income loss, not mental illness or addiction, \u003ca href=\"https://homelessness.ucsf.edu/our-impact/our-studies/california-statewide-study-people-experiencing-homelessness\">according to the study\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "More Around California ",
"tag": "california-law"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Who are the supporters?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Sen. Susan Talamantes-Eggman, a Democrat from Stockton, carried the proposed reform of the Mental Health Services Act in the Legislature. During Thursday’s Senate concurrence vote, Talamantes-Eggman said the way counties spend state mental health funding needs to address changes that have happened in the two decades since the act was first designed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, a Democrat from Thousand Oaks, carried the bond proposal in the Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayors and county supervisors from eight major regions, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, successfully lobbied to increase funding for the bond measure by $1.5 billion. City leaders were early supporters of the measure with more than two dozen submitting letters of support along with housing and homeless advocates and the National Alliance on Mental Illness California.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Who are the opponents?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Peer-run and disability organizations have been the staunchest opponents of the changes proposed in the ballot measure. They argue current clients will lose treatment options and accuse Newsom’s administration of using the proposal to fund his \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/08/care-court-california-start/\">CARE Court initiative\u003c/a> that passed last year. That law allows a court to place someone with a serious mental illness into an involuntary treatment program. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘This is a really tough time for our communities. Our concern with [the proposition] is massive increases in involuntary and forced treatment.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Paul Simmons, executive director, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> Groups representing people of color and LGBTQ+ communities also oppose the measure. They say it will eliminate prevention resources and worsen already stark disparities in access to treatment. Resource centers that target these populations are among the services most likely to get cut, county behavioral health leaders have said in public hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bond measure, which previously faced no opposition, drew fierce criticism from peer and disability advocates after last-minute amendments \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/mental-health/2023/09/mental-health-bond-gavin-newsom-amendments/\">allowed the money to be used on involuntary treatment facilities\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a really tough time for our communities,” said Paul Simmons, executive director of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. “Our concern with [the proposition] is massive increases in involuntary and forced treatment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Children and family advocates withdrew previous opposition after securing significant concessions from the governor requiring 51% of spending on early intervention be targeted toward children and youth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11961346/gavin-newsoms-mental-health-plan-heads-to-voters-heres-what-to-know",
"authors": [
"byline_news_11961346"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_457",
"news_6266",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_16",
"news_18543",
"news_4020",
"news_1775",
"news_2605",
"news_33195",
"news_29607"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_11961358",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_11961162": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11961162",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11961162",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1694725233000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "california-lawmakers-failed-to-fix-the-insurance-market-so-what-comes-next",
"title": "California Lawmakers Failed to Fix the Insurance Market. So What Comes Next?",
"publishDate": 1694725233,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "California Lawmakers Failed to Fix the Insurance Market. So What Comes Next? | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>As a string of last-minute deals surfaced this week before tonight’s end of the legislative session, one highly anticipated proposal was not among them — a plan to keep insurance companies in California even as the financial risk from wildfires grows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A key deadline passed Monday night without a bill, dooming the effort for the year, despite involvement from legislative leaders, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Gov. Gavin Newsom. Negotiators struggled to find a balance between \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2023/06/california-home-insurance/\">loosening regulations on an insurance system\u003c/a> that has been pushed to the brink and maintaining protections for homeowners who could face much higher premiums to stabilize the industry, a politically fraught prospect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Legislature won’t return to Sacramento until January, leaving the issue unresolved for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/california-wildfires-explained/\">another fire season\u003c/a>, though there will be hearings and potentially regulatory changes in the months ahead that could reframe the conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Denni Ritter, vice president of government relations, American Property Casualty Insurance Association\"]‘This is not an overnight fix. That was part of the heartache with the negotiations — there are no overnight fixes.’[/pullquote]“That’s the progress we’ve made here,” said Michael Soller, a spokesperson for Lara’s Department of Insurance. Fixing the home insurance market is now a priority across state government, he said, and there is urgency to get something done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During an interview Tuesday night with Politico California, Newsom said a working group within his administration has focused on this “waving red flag issue” for months, in addition to the discussions with the Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So we’ve gamed out some different strategies,” he said, declining to specify whether that might include calling a special legislative session or issuing an executive order this fall. “We can do a lot of things. And I’m very mindful. We can do all of that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the governor said he would have more to announce as soon as next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wildfires fueled a looming crisis in California’s insurance market for years. After disastrous fire seasons in 2017 and 2018 wiped out decades of profit, insurance companies began \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2021/06/california-wildfire-insurance-climate-change/\">dropping tens of thousands of customers\u003c/a> by refusing to renew their policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the situation reached a blaring emergency in May, when California’s largest home insurer, State Farm, announced that it would \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/05/state-farm-california-insurance/\">stop selling new policies altogether across the state\u003c/a>. Another major provider, Allstate, soon acknowledged that it had \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/04/business/allstate-insurance-california.html\">done the same months earlier\u003c/a>, while Farmers Insurance \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/10/business/farmers-insurance-california/index.html\">limited its offerings in July\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11951934\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11951934\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"In a nighttime photo lit dramatically by orange flames, a single-story home burns brightly, with the photo taken from the end of a driveway or yard.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A house burns on Platina Road during the Zogg Fire near Ono on Sept. 27, 2020. \u003ccite>(Ethan Swope/The Associated Press)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The industry says it has become too expensive to operate in California, blaming the high cost of rebuilding, growing risk from natural disasters and increasing expenses from buying “reinsurance,” or insurance for their losses, which state law prohibits them from passing onto customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rippling consequences make it more difficult to build new homes, because of a lack of insurance options, as California tries to climb out of a severe housing shortage. It also imperils the state’s FAIR Plan, which offers limited insurance to homeowners who cannot secure a plan through a private insurer. The FAIR Plan is funded by a levy on insurance companies, so it faces insolvency as they leave the market and more customers are pushed into the program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Negotiations for a legislative solution considered whether to allow companies to use forward-looking catastrophe models, rather than past losses, to set insurance rates, as they are already allowed to do for earthquakes; whether to let them factor reinsurance into their prices; how to set assessments for the FAIR Plan; how to speed up regulatory review of rate increase requests; and whether to require insurers to operate in communities with the biggest threat of wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We thought we had a sensible, viable solution that we could continue to massage,” said state \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/susan-rubio-1970/\">Sen. Susan Rubio\u003c/a>, a West Covina Democrat who leads the Senate Insurance Committee. “We were ready to act this year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With just a few weeks to maneuver at the jam-packed end of session, however, lawmakers and advocates say it was too late to reach an agreement that could earn widespread support.[aside postID=\"news_11957293,news_11953252,news_11951923\" label=\"Related Stories\"]Denni Ritter, a vice president of government relations for the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, one of several insurance industry organizations, said there was broad consensus around incorporating catastrophe modeling and reinsurance costs into rates, but a framework for FAIR Plan assessments was still unresolved. Many legislators also wanted to ensure the bill would offer as much benefit to consumers as it did to the industry, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everybody was still trying to wrap their heads around hard solutions,” Ritter said. “We just ran out of time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An unexpected bomb dropped last Thursday when state Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/bill-dodd-1956/\">Bill Dodd\u003c/a>, a Napa Democrat who was involved in the deliberations because his district has been slammed by wildfire damage, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/insurance-deal-dead-18353489.php\">publicly declared a “deal is dead,”\u003c/a> days before the deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd told CalMatters this week that a secret recording of a building industry lobbyist describing efforts to jam a bill through the Legislature, \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/31/california-wildfires-insurance-risk-00113563\">leaked by the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog\u003c/a>, scared many of his colleagues, who worried that the plan would be a giveaway to insurance companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even without that, this is a very complicated issue,” Dodd said. “It was not helpful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamie Court, the president of Consumer Watchdog who recorded the lobbyist on a flight, said consumer groups like his did not have a seat at the table, which delegitimized the negotiations for some lawmakers. He encouraged the Legislature to consider homeowner-oriented solutions — such as giving people money to harden their homes against wildfires and then guaranteeing their access to insurance if they do — in a more transparent process next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the secrecy was the main thing. No one saw it, even people in the building. And that’s no way to make policy,” Court said. “You can’t jam it down people’s throats.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assembly counterparts tried to keep the negotiations alive. The day after Dodd’s declaration, Assemblymembers \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/lisa-calderon-1965/\">Lisa Calderon\u003c/a>, a Whittier Democrat who leads the Assembly Insurance Committee, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/jim-wood-1960/\">Jim Wood\u003c/a>, a Healdsburg Democrat whose district has been battered by wildfires, \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/akoseff/status/1700231059538117054\">jointly issued a statement\u003c/a> signaling that discussions would continue into the final weekend before the end of session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But no proposal ultimately surfaced by Monday night. Calderon and Wood both declined multiple interview requests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our Caucus has been steadfast in putting consumers first, and I’m grateful for their dedication,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, a Hollister Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday announcing a series of public hearings this fall on the insurance system. “Our mission has always been to ensure homeowners and businesses across California can access and retain comprehensive insurance coverage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Senate has no similar plans, though Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, a San Diego Democrat, said in a statement, “We know we have to act to address insurance availability before we experience the market failure we’ve seen in Florida and elsewhere.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11961211\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11961211\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing glasses and a business suit holds a microphone in his right hand.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ricardo Lara, California Insurance Commissioner, speaks during a press conference with Los Angeles labor leaders and advocates in Commerce on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. \u003ccite>(Alisha Jucevic/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The focus now shifts to Lara, who as insurance commissioner has broad regulatory authority to reshape California’s home insurance market without the Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/insurance-commissioner/\">his reelection campaign last year\u003c/a>, critics accused Lara of not doing enough to protect homeowners in wildfire areas. His office began enforcing a new regulation in October requiring \u003ca href=\"https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/2022/release076-2022.cfm\">rate discounts for homeowners and businesses\u003c/a> that adopt wildfire safety measures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ritter of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association said a solution could largely be handled through regulations. Even if Lara acts quickly, however, it will take months more for companies to recalculate rates and get them approved by the insurance department, a process that the industry complains takes far too long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is not an overnight fix,” Ritter said. “That was part of the heartache with the negotiations — there are no overnight fixes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Soller, the spokesperson for Lara, said a workshop at the end of September to explore catastrophe modeling — how it would affect the availability of insurance and future rates, how models would take into consideration safety investments — could inform a rulemaking process. The department is also working to modernize the FAIR Plan, he said, and to streamline reviews of rate filings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The causes are far more complex than often gets acknowledged,” Soller said. “The solutions are far more complex.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Legislature may still want to have its say as well. Dodd said lawmakers will keep working over the recess and could introduce a proposal next year, based on what Lara does this fall, that is ready to move right away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Once the insurance commissioner does what he’s going to do, that frames the whole issue and allows all sides to opine,” Dodd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Legislators weren’t able to reach a compromise that helps insurers with wildfire risk while also protecting homeowners. Interest groups hope to find one in meetings this fall.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1721121661,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 34,
"wordCount": 1561
},
"headData": {
"title": "California Lawmakers Failed to Fix the Insurance Market. So What Comes Next? | KQED",
"description": "Legislators weren’t able to reach a compromise that helps insurers with wildfire risk while also protecting homeowners. Interest groups hope to find one in meetings this fall.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "California Lawmakers Failed to Fix the Insurance Market. So What Comes Next?",
"datePublished": "2023-09-14T14:00:33-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-07-16T02:21:01-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/alexei-koseff/\">Alexei Koseff\u003c/a>",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/11961162/california-lawmakers-failed-to-fix-the-insurance-market-so-what-comes-next",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As a string of last-minute deals surfaced this week before tonight’s end of the legislative session, one highly anticipated proposal was not among them — a plan to keep insurance companies in California even as the financial risk from wildfires grows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A key deadline passed Monday night without a bill, dooming the effort for the year, despite involvement from legislative leaders, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Gov. Gavin Newsom. Negotiators struggled to find a balance between \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2023/06/california-home-insurance/\">loosening regulations on an insurance system\u003c/a> that has been pushed to the brink and maintaining protections for homeowners who could face much higher premiums to stabilize the industry, a politically fraught prospect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Legislature won’t return to Sacramento until January, leaving the issue unresolved for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/california-wildfires-explained/\">another fire season\u003c/a>, though there will be hearings and potentially regulatory changes in the months ahead that could reframe the conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘This is not an overnight fix. That was part of the heartache with the negotiations — there are no overnight fixes.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Denni Ritter, vice president of government relations, American Property Casualty Insurance Association",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“That’s the progress we’ve made here,” said Michael Soller, a spokesperson for Lara’s Department of Insurance. Fixing the home insurance market is now a priority across state government, he said, and there is urgency to get something done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During an interview Tuesday night with Politico California, Newsom said a working group within his administration has focused on this “waving red flag issue” for months, in addition to the discussions with the Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So we’ve gamed out some different strategies,” he said, declining to specify whether that might include calling a special legislative session or issuing an executive order this fall. “We can do a lot of things. And I’m very mindful. We can do all of that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the governor said he would have more to announce as soon as next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wildfires fueled a looming crisis in California’s insurance market for years. After disastrous fire seasons in 2017 and 2018 wiped out decades of profit, insurance companies began \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2021/06/california-wildfire-insurance-climate-change/\">dropping tens of thousands of customers\u003c/a> by refusing to renew their policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the situation reached a blaring emergency in May, when California’s largest home insurer, State Farm, announced that it would \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2023/05/state-farm-california-insurance/\">stop selling new policies altogether across the state\u003c/a>. Another major provider, Allstate, soon acknowledged that it had \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/04/business/allstate-insurance-california.html\">done the same months earlier\u003c/a>, while Farmers Insurance \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/10/business/farmers-insurance-california/index.html\">limited its offerings in July\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11951934\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11951934\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"In a nighttime photo lit dramatically by orange flames, a single-story home burns brightly, with the photo taken from the end of a driveway or yard.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/AP23152014505846-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A house burns on Platina Road during the Zogg Fire near Ono on Sept. 27, 2020. \u003ccite>(Ethan Swope/The Associated Press)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The industry says it has become too expensive to operate in California, blaming the high cost of rebuilding, growing risk from natural disasters and increasing expenses from buying “reinsurance,” or insurance for their losses, which state law prohibits them from passing onto customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rippling consequences make it more difficult to build new homes, because of a lack of insurance options, as California tries to climb out of a severe housing shortage. It also imperils the state’s FAIR Plan, which offers limited insurance to homeowners who cannot secure a plan through a private insurer. The FAIR Plan is funded by a levy on insurance companies, so it faces insolvency as they leave the market and more customers are pushed into the program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Negotiations for a legislative solution considered whether to allow companies to use forward-looking catastrophe models, rather than past losses, to set insurance rates, as they are already allowed to do for earthquakes; whether to let them factor reinsurance into their prices; how to set assessments for the FAIR Plan; how to speed up regulatory review of rate increase requests; and whether to require insurers to operate in communities with the biggest threat of wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We thought we had a sensible, viable solution that we could continue to massage,” said state \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/susan-rubio-1970/\">Sen. Susan Rubio\u003c/a>, a West Covina Democrat who leads the Senate Insurance Committee. “We were ready to act this year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With just a few weeks to maneuver at the jam-packed end of session, however, lawmakers and advocates say it was too late to reach an agreement that could earn widespread support.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_11957293,news_11953252,news_11951923",
"label": "Related Stories "
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Denni Ritter, a vice president of government relations for the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, one of several insurance industry organizations, said there was broad consensus around incorporating catastrophe modeling and reinsurance costs into rates, but a framework for FAIR Plan assessments was still unresolved. Many legislators also wanted to ensure the bill would offer as much benefit to consumers as it did to the industry, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everybody was still trying to wrap their heads around hard solutions,” Ritter said. “We just ran out of time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An unexpected bomb dropped last Thursday when state Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/bill-dodd-1956/\">Bill Dodd\u003c/a>, a Napa Democrat who was involved in the deliberations because his district has been slammed by wildfire damage, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/insurance-deal-dead-18353489.php\">publicly declared a “deal is dead,”\u003c/a> days before the deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd told CalMatters this week that a secret recording of a building industry lobbyist describing efforts to jam a bill through the Legislature, \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/31/california-wildfires-insurance-risk-00113563\">leaked by the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog\u003c/a>, scared many of his colleagues, who worried that the plan would be a giveaway to insurance companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even without that, this is a very complicated issue,” Dodd said. “It was not helpful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamie Court, the president of Consumer Watchdog who recorded the lobbyist on a flight, said consumer groups like his did not have a seat at the table, which delegitimized the negotiations for some lawmakers. He encouraged the Legislature to consider homeowner-oriented solutions — such as giving people money to harden their homes against wildfires and then guaranteeing their access to insurance if they do — in a more transparent process next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the secrecy was the main thing. No one saw it, even people in the building. And that’s no way to make policy,” Court said. “You can’t jam it down people’s throats.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assembly counterparts tried to keep the negotiations alive. The day after Dodd’s declaration, Assemblymembers \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/lisa-calderon-1965/\">Lisa Calderon\u003c/a>, a Whittier Democrat who leads the Assembly Insurance Committee, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/jim-wood-1960/\">Jim Wood\u003c/a>, a Healdsburg Democrat whose district has been battered by wildfires, \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/akoseff/status/1700231059538117054\">jointly issued a statement\u003c/a> signaling that discussions would continue into the final weekend before the end of session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But no proposal ultimately surfaced by Monday night. Calderon and Wood both declined multiple interview requests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our Caucus has been steadfast in putting consumers first, and I’m grateful for their dedication,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, a Hollister Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday announcing a series of public hearings this fall on the insurance system. “Our mission has always been to ensure homeowners and businesses across California can access and retain comprehensive insurance coverage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Senate has no similar plans, though Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, a San Diego Democrat, said in a statement, “We know we have to act to address insurance availability before we experience the market failure we’ve seen in Florida and elsewhere.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11961211\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11961211\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing glasses and a business suit holds a microphone in his right hand.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/092622_PressConference_LJ_CM_11.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ricardo Lara, California Insurance Commissioner, speaks during a press conference with Los Angeles labor leaders and advocates in Commerce on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. \u003ccite>(Alisha Jucevic/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The focus now shifts to Lara, who as insurance commissioner has broad regulatory authority to reshape California’s home insurance market without the Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/insurance-commissioner/\">his reelection campaign last year\u003c/a>, critics accused Lara of not doing enough to protect homeowners in wildfire areas. His office began enforcing a new regulation in October requiring \u003ca href=\"https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/2022/release076-2022.cfm\">rate discounts for homeowners and businesses\u003c/a> that adopt wildfire safety measures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ritter of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association said a solution could largely be handled through regulations. Even if Lara acts quickly, however, it will take months more for companies to recalculate rates and get them approved by the insurance department, a process that the industry complains takes far too long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is not an overnight fix,” Ritter said. “That was part of the heartache with the negotiations — there are no overnight fixes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Soller, the spokesperson for Lara, said a workshop at the end of September to explore catastrophe modeling — how it would affect the availability of insurance and future rates, how models would take into consideration safety investments — could inform a rulemaking process. The department is also working to modernize the FAIR Plan, he said, and to streamline reviews of rate filings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The causes are far more complex than often gets acknowledged,” Soller said. “The solutions are far more complex.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Legislature may still want to have its say as well. Dodd said lawmakers will keep working over the recess and could introduce a proposal next year, based on what Lara does this fall, that is ready to move right away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Once the insurance commissioner does what he’s going to do, that frames the whole issue and allows all sides to opine,” Dodd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11961162/california-lawmakers-failed-to-fix-the-insurance-market-so-what-comes-next",
"authors": [
"byline_news_11961162"
],
"categories": [
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_18159",
"news_4463"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_11961210",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_11960987": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11960987",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11960987",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1694701850000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 18481
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1694701850,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Films, Counseling and Mediators — This Is How California Is Spending $90 Million to Fight Hate",
"headTitle": "Films, Counseling and Mediators — This Is How California Is Spending $90 Million to Fight Hate | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>California recently awarded \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/CivilRights/(STH)_AWARD_ANNOUNCEMENT_FY_2022-2023_AND_2023-2024.pdf?ver=2023-08-21-150032-497\">$91 million in grants (PDF)\u003c/a> to local organizations that help prevent hate crimes or support survivors, part of an unprecedented effort to combat hate in a state that saw a 20% increase in such crimes in 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite its progressive reputation, California last year reported steep increases in hate crimes against transgender people (up 55%), Muslims (up 39%) and Black people (up 27%), according to the attorney general’s office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That growth outpaced similar hate growth trends in 42 major cities, according to a soon to be released study by Cal State San Bernardino’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.csusb.edu/hate-and-extremism-center\">Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s latest Stop the Hate grants bring its non-law enforcement anti-hate spending to more than $200 million since 2021, more than any other state, advocates say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The grants will go to more than 170 community groups at a time when the state is experiencing a steady clip in high-profile hate incidents — from the August murder of a Southern California store owner who flew \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/21/us/california-pride-flag-shooting/index.html\">a rainbow flag\u003c/a>, and the recent evacuation of an Oakland elementary school after a \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2023/08/29/chabot-elementary-evacuated-school-canceled-due-to-bomb-threat/\">racist bomb threat\u003c/a>, to the fiery debates over rights of transgender students at various school boards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California in the past year created a commission to study \u003ca href=\"https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/commission-on-the-state-of-hate/#:~:text=The%20Commission%20on%20the%20State,of%20hate%20activity%20in%20California\">the state of hate\u003c/a> and set up a \u003ca href=\"https://stophate.calcivilrights.ca.gov/s/\">hotline\u003c/a> for people to report incidents to its Civil Rights Department. The state also put together a team of mediators to address conflicts in communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Swap meet of hate’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Both Sacramento and Los Angeles saw record levels of hate crimes in 2022, according to the study by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.csusb.edu/hate-and-extremism-center\">Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism\u003c/a>, which independently analyzes data from local law enforcement agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers say that while the state’s reported hate crime numbers appear to be dipping slightly in 2023, the upcoming presidential election is likely to turn up the temperature even more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are very concerned about an increase next year,” said Brian Levin, a study author and member of the nine-month-old Commission on the State of Hate. He told fellow commissioners last month: “Mainstream politics has gotten not only more tribal, but also more bigoted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said in an interview with CalMatters that hate crimes historically rise in response to political speech and current events. But in recent years such spikes have lasted longer, such as when anti-Black crimes remained elevated months after 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11961103\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11961103\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/02_032721_Asian_Hate_Crime_LA_AP_CM_01-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"Several people standing with protest signs and American flags.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/02_032721_Asian_Hate_Crime_LA_AP_CM_01-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/02_032721_Asian_Hate_Crime_LA_AP_CM_01-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/02_032721_Asian_Hate_Crime_LA_AP_CM_01-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/02_032721_Asian_Hate_Crime_LA_AP_CM_01-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/02_032721_Asian_Hate_Crime_LA_AP_CM_01-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/02_032721_Asian_Hate_Crime_LA_AP_CM_01.jpeg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protestors march at a rally against Asian hate crimes near the Los Angeles Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on March 27, 2021. \u003ccite>(Damian Dovarganes/AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Social media provides “a 24–7 swap meet of hate,” he said. “We’re having a significant increase in hate crimes, and hate crimes are getting more violent. But we’re also having more reporting, particularly in certain areas.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hate crimes are notoriously difficult to track. Survivors often don’t report them, and local law enforcement agencies vary in how well they monitor them and how much they report to state and federal authorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s grants aim to help reduce or respond to hate crimes, and to incidents that may not rise to the level of a crime but nevertheless take a toll on an individual or community.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Anti-transgender hate\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Terra Russell-Slavin, chief impact officer at the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center, said the center is receiving more hate mail than in the past and recently experienced a credible bomb threat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There definitely is increased fear among the community,” she said, adding that the rise in reported hate crimes against transgender people, while troubling, is not surprising.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is part of a nationally coordinated attack against our community, and it’s very much targeted at transgender people and particularly trans youth issues,” she said, adding that anti-transgender rhetoric by elected officials “has been field-tested, and frankly it feels like attacking the transgender community is helping rally their base.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Equality California, an LGBTQ civil rights organization, received a wave of phone calls at the start of pride festival season from people organizing such events in small towns wondering if it was safe, said program director Erin Arendse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Equality California is using its $630,000 state grant to create a rapid response network that can send staff and resources to local communities when issues arise — such as when a school board is deciding on policies that would out transgender students or ban rainbow flags in classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to make sure they understand these policies,” Arendse said, “both in terms of how it impacts an individual student and how it turns up the temperature of anti-transgender and LGBTQ sentiment and indicates that it’s OK to discriminate against this group of people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Black Californians most often affected\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In California and nationwide, Black people and communities are the most frequent target of reported hate crimes, data show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Black people represented 6% of California’s population but about 30% of its reported hate crime victims in 2022, according to the attorney general’s office. Yet organizations focused on the Black community appear to be receiving a fraction of the grants the state is disbursing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One group, the Black Youth Leadership Project in Elk Grove, a Sacramento suburb, will use its Stop the Hate funds to provide mental health services — from art therapy to support groups — to Black children who experience racism in school, said Lorreen Pryor, its president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11961104\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11961104\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/03_09092023_Black_Students_Mental_Health_RL_03-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"A woman stands in the shadow with blue sky behind her. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/03_09092023_Black_Students_Mental_Health_RL_03-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/03_09092023_Black_Students_Mental_Health_RL_03-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/03_09092023_Black_Students_Mental_Health_RL_03-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/03_09092023_Black_Students_Mental_Health_RL_03-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/03_09092023_Black_Students_Mental_Health_RL_03-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/03_09092023_Black_Students_Mental_Health_RL_03.jpeg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lorreen Pryor, president of the Black Youth Leadership Project, said her group was the only Black-led organization on a conference call about the state’s anti-hate hotline. She attended a festival in Elk Grove on Sept. 9, 2023. \u003ccite>(Rahul Lal/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The organization often mediates between schools and outraged parents, advocating for administrators to take parents’ concerns seriously. School bias can range from a teacher using the N-word in class to a Black student being disciplined for behavior that is tolerated from other students, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She added she was surprised to discover that hers was the only Black-led group on a conference call of organizations consulting on the state’s hate hotline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to focus on the group that is most impacted, and that happens to be Black people,” Pryor said. “And until they do that, it’s all for naught.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Early focus on anti-Asian hate\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California originally created the Stop the Hate grants in response to a surge in anti-Asian hate incidents reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. The coalition \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/college-beat/2021/06/tracking-anti-asian-hate/\">Stop AAPI Hate\u003c/a> has documented more than 11,000 such incidents nationwide since 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Newsom signed the Asian Pacific Islander Equity budget in 2021 funding the grants at the urging of the state’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. Early grants primarily went to organizations serving that community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state broadened its most recent round of grants to fund organizations that reflect California’s diversity, said Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of AAPI Equity Alliance, the lead organization distributing grants in the Los Angeles region. (The California Department of Social Services awards the grants.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s declining Black population may have depressed the number of Black-led organizations applying for and receiving funding, Kulkarni said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" the hate aria-label=\"Datawrapper visualization\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/vHE3m/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"822\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003cbr>\n[datawrapper]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some grants will address workplace hate. The NAACP’s California Hawaii State Conference is sponsoring legal consultations for people experiencing discrimination on the job or in housing. And San Francisco-based PRC, which helps Black transgender women reenter the workforce, is using its grant to make a film about its clients’ quest to overcome stigma and find jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another documentary, produced by teen filmmakers, will chronicle the impact of hate crimes on immigrant and refugee communities in San Diego. Somali Family Service, the nonprofit spearheading the project, said it could empower other refugee communities and inspire policymakers to think about solutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most Middle Eastern and North African teenagers the organization serves have experienced or witnessed hate incidents, said Rachel Evans, the group’s youth program manager. Many tell her they stay home from school on September 11, hoping to avoid the racist and anti-Muslim taunts that have come from students, teachers and administrators on that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Many of these youth were not even born when 9/11 happened and they’re experiencing this unjust, ridiculous blame,” said Evans. “They don’t feel welcome in the country based on something that has nothing to do with them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Inspiring victims to report hate\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California’s hotline offers people who have experienced hate incidents an opportunity to report them, whether or not the incidents were crimes. From its launch in May through the end of August, it has received 361 calls, said the Civil Rights Department, which runs it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One goal is to reach Californians who are reluctant to contact police or who live in remote areas with few community groups to turn to, department officials said. Callers can learn about the reporting process, file a civil rights complaint, and access counseling, legal services and other support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hong Lee knows from experience how important such support can be. Three years ago, while standing in line at a restaurant, Lee turned down a man’s offer of a lunch date and he began yelling anti-Asian and sexist slurs at her. Lee captured the incident on video but a responding police officer called it “normal” and refused to take a report, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A month later Lee realized she was experiencing post-traumatic stress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wasn’t sleeping at night, just staring up at the ceiling,” she said. “I was in complete denial that I needed help at first.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A friend connected her with LA vs Hate, a Los Angeles-based precursor of the state’s hotline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It helped her get mental health counseling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now Lee works with other hate incident survivors and has started a nonprofit organization, Seniors Fight Back, that provides self-defense classes to elderly Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Her group is not getting a state grant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11961108\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11961108\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/04_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_02-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"People standing in line near tree.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/04_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_02-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/04_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_02-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/04_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_02-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/04_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_02-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/04_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_02-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/04_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_02.jpeg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Somali Family Service, one of the groups receiving state anti-hate money, hosted immigrant families, refugees and asylum seekers at a resource fair in San Diego on Sept. 9, 2023. \u003ccite>(Kristian Carreon/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Often people at her classes share that they’ve been physically assaulted, she said, and Lee encourages them to report it, saying that in her case, several other victims recognized the man in her video and he ultimately faced hate crime charges from another incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, she said, many are reluctant to report. One woman in a self-defense class said she had been assaulted on public transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She had bruises all over her body, but she didn’t want to tell anybody about it,” Lee said. “Two years later, she’s still inside her apartment, because she’s afraid to go outside.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The attorney general’s report said anti-Asian hate crimes fell in California by 43% in 2022 but they’re still far above pre-pandemic levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While scapegoating Asian Americans for the pandemic has receded nationally, anxiety about the economy and the U.S. relationship with China are driving other forms of anti-Asian racism, Kulkarni said. She cited Florida’s new law that \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/08/18/florida-chinese-land-laws/\">bars Chinese citizens\u003c/a> from owning property in much of that state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Microaggressions still are a common experience among Los Angeles’ Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, Kulkarni said, citing a state-funded study her group is conducting, but people are reporting declines in trauma symptoms when they speak out about their experiences. The AAPI Equity Alliance plans to use the study’s findings to launch support groups for Korean, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino and Japanese Americans in January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the San Francisco Bay Area, the Coalition for Community Safety and Justice is using a state grant to build alliances among various ethnic communities to tackle issues that affect all of them, such as safety on public transit and within public housing complexes. Cynthia Choi, co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, a coalition member, said they’re asking public housing residents such questions as “Would you like to have escorts when you’re running errands? Would you like more opportunities to get to know your neighbors?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Safety is a concern for all communities, and it’s the one rallying point for residents and neighbors to come together around,” Choi said. “If we don’t tend to people’s basic needs being met, we are going to continue to see harm happen, whether it’s racially motivated or due to other factors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Community conflict resolutions\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To help with that progress, the state’s new strike team of trained mediators will provide “immediate, on-the-ground intervention to avoid violence and to reduce tension in something that is live, something that is happening,” said Kevin Kish, director of the Civil Rights Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That could mean stepping in after a hate incident to help community members and law enforcement respond or it could mean helping a city council or school board prepare for a contentious meeting, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody takes a class on how to deal with difficult public meetings,” he said. “People don’t know what to do and sometimes they make mistakes. Part of the value of this program is talking to folks in advance to make a plan for what might happen and how they’re going to respond.”[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11827832,news_11880068\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mediators are trained in both civil rights and government. They began working together in October, officials said, declining to discuss details of specific cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile the state’s Commission on the State of Hate is monitoring hate activity and hosting public forums. Consisting of activists, researchers, community leaders and law enforcement representatives appointed by the governor and Legislature, it’s required to issue annual reports and to recommend solutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Will all this effort actually reduce hate in California? Researchers say that just as bigoted comments by public officials can fuel crimes, when government leaders take strong stands against hate, such incidents decrease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Stop the Hate funding to community groups is part of a three-year plan, however it’s unclear whether lawmakers will choose to renew it. The law establishing the Commission on the State of Hate requires it to sunset in 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The question is, can we make sure the state continues to sustain this level of investment?” Choi asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee said a key will be more state outreach to grassroots organizations like her self-defense group. “We have the one-on-one connections to people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Added Levin, from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism: “This is not something that’s going to be solved by so-called experts and advocates. It’s going to be solved by soccer coaches, principals, community leaders, journalists. We need a whole-community response.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": true,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 2578,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [
"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/vHE3m/"
],
"paragraphCount": 62
},
"modified": 1694653800,
"excerpt": "Hate crimes were up 20% in California in 2022, with those against transgender, Muslim and Black people increasing especially sharply. But the state is also spending more than any other to combat such crimes, including a hotline, state commission and a new round of grants to community organizations.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Hate crimes were up 20% in California in 2022, with those against transgender, Muslim and Black people increasing especially sharply. But the state is also spending more than any other to combat such crimes, including a hotline, state commission and a new round of grants to community organizations.",
"title": "Films, Counseling and Mediators — This Is How California Is Spending $90 Million to Fight Hate | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Films, Counseling and Mediators — This Is How California Is Spending $90 Million to Fight Hate",
"datePublished": "2023-09-14T07:30:50-07:00",
"dateModified": "2023-09-13T18:10:00-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "films-counseling-and-mediators-this-is-how-california-is-spending-90-million-to-fight-hate",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/feliciacalmatters-org/\">Felicia Mello\u003c/a>",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/11960987/films-counseling-and-mediators-this-is-how-california-is-spending-90-million-to-fight-hate",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California recently awarded \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/CivilRights/(STH)_AWARD_ANNOUNCEMENT_FY_2022-2023_AND_2023-2024.pdf?ver=2023-08-21-150032-497\">$91 million in grants (PDF)\u003c/a> to local organizations that help prevent hate crimes or support survivors, part of an unprecedented effort to combat hate in a state that saw a 20% increase in such crimes in 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite its progressive reputation, California last year reported steep increases in hate crimes against transgender people (up 55%), Muslims (up 39%) and Black people (up 27%), according to the attorney general’s office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That growth outpaced similar hate growth trends in 42 major cities, according to a soon to be released study by Cal State San Bernardino’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.csusb.edu/hate-and-extremism-center\">Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s latest Stop the Hate grants bring its non-law enforcement anti-hate spending to more than $200 million since 2021, more than any other state, advocates say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The grants will go to more than 170 community groups at a time when the state is experiencing a steady clip in high-profile hate incidents — from the August murder of a Southern California store owner who flew \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/21/us/california-pride-flag-shooting/index.html\">a rainbow flag\u003c/a>, and the recent evacuation of an Oakland elementary school after a \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2023/08/29/chabot-elementary-evacuated-school-canceled-due-to-bomb-threat/\">racist bomb threat\u003c/a>, to the fiery debates over rights of transgender students at various school boards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California in the past year created a commission to study \u003ca href=\"https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/commission-on-the-state-of-hate/#:~:text=The%20Commission%20on%20the%20State,of%20hate%20activity%20in%20California\">the state of hate\u003c/a> and set up a \u003ca href=\"https://stophate.calcivilrights.ca.gov/s/\">hotline\u003c/a> for people to report incidents to its Civil Rights Department. The state also put together a team of mediators to address conflicts in communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Swap meet of hate’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Both Sacramento and Los Angeles saw record levels of hate crimes in 2022, according to the study by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.csusb.edu/hate-and-extremism-center\">Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism\u003c/a>, which independently analyzes data from local law enforcement agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers say that while the state’s reported hate crime numbers appear to be dipping slightly in 2023, the upcoming presidential election is likely to turn up the temperature even more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are very concerned about an increase next year,” said Brian Levin, a study author and member of the nine-month-old Commission on the State of Hate. He told fellow commissioners last month: “Mainstream politics has gotten not only more tribal, but also more bigoted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said in an interview with CalMatters that hate crimes historically rise in response to political speech and current events. But in recent years such spikes have lasted longer, such as when anti-Black crimes remained elevated months after 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11961103\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11961103\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/02_032721_Asian_Hate_Crime_LA_AP_CM_01-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"Several people standing with protest signs and American flags.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/02_032721_Asian_Hate_Crime_LA_AP_CM_01-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/02_032721_Asian_Hate_Crime_LA_AP_CM_01-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/02_032721_Asian_Hate_Crime_LA_AP_CM_01-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/02_032721_Asian_Hate_Crime_LA_AP_CM_01-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/02_032721_Asian_Hate_Crime_LA_AP_CM_01-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/02_032721_Asian_Hate_Crime_LA_AP_CM_01.jpeg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protestors march at a rally against Asian hate crimes near the Los Angeles Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on March 27, 2021. \u003ccite>(Damian Dovarganes/AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Social media provides “a 24–7 swap meet of hate,” he said. “We’re having a significant increase in hate crimes, and hate crimes are getting more violent. But we’re also having more reporting, particularly in certain areas.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hate crimes are notoriously difficult to track. Survivors often don’t report them, and local law enforcement agencies vary in how well they monitor them and how much they report to state and federal authorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s grants aim to help reduce or respond to hate crimes, and to incidents that may not rise to the level of a crime but nevertheless take a toll on an individual or community.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Anti-transgender hate\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Terra Russell-Slavin, chief impact officer at the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center, said the center is receiving more hate mail than in the past and recently experienced a credible bomb threat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There definitely is increased fear among the community,” she said, adding that the rise in reported hate crimes against transgender people, while troubling, is not surprising.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is part of a nationally coordinated attack against our community, and it’s very much targeted at transgender people and particularly trans youth issues,” she said, adding that anti-transgender rhetoric by elected officials “has been field-tested, and frankly it feels like attacking the transgender community is helping rally their base.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Equality California, an LGBTQ civil rights organization, received a wave of phone calls at the start of pride festival season from people organizing such events in small towns wondering if it was safe, said program director Erin Arendse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Equality California is using its $630,000 state grant to create a rapid response network that can send staff and resources to local communities when issues arise — such as when a school board is deciding on policies that would out transgender students or ban rainbow flags in classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to make sure they understand these policies,” Arendse said, “both in terms of how it impacts an individual student and how it turns up the temperature of anti-transgender and LGBTQ sentiment and indicates that it’s OK to discriminate against this group of people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Black Californians most often affected\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In California and nationwide, Black people and communities are the most frequent target of reported hate crimes, data show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Black people represented 6% of California’s population but about 30% of its reported hate crime victims in 2022, according to the attorney general’s office. Yet organizations focused on the Black community appear to be receiving a fraction of the grants the state is disbursing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One group, the Black Youth Leadership Project in Elk Grove, a Sacramento suburb, will use its Stop the Hate funds to provide mental health services — from art therapy to support groups — to Black children who experience racism in school, said Lorreen Pryor, its president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11961104\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11961104\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/03_09092023_Black_Students_Mental_Health_RL_03-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"A woman stands in the shadow with blue sky behind her. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/03_09092023_Black_Students_Mental_Health_RL_03-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/03_09092023_Black_Students_Mental_Health_RL_03-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/03_09092023_Black_Students_Mental_Health_RL_03-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/03_09092023_Black_Students_Mental_Health_RL_03-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/03_09092023_Black_Students_Mental_Health_RL_03-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/03_09092023_Black_Students_Mental_Health_RL_03.jpeg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lorreen Pryor, president of the Black Youth Leadership Project, said her group was the only Black-led organization on a conference call about the state’s anti-hate hotline. She attended a festival in Elk Grove on Sept. 9, 2023. \u003ccite>(Rahul Lal/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The organization often mediates between schools and outraged parents, advocating for administrators to take parents’ concerns seriously. School bias can range from a teacher using the N-word in class to a Black student being disciplined for behavior that is tolerated from other students, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She added she was surprised to discover that hers was the only Black-led group on a conference call of organizations consulting on the state’s hate hotline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to focus on the group that is most impacted, and that happens to be Black people,” Pryor said. “And until they do that, it’s all for naught.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Early focus on anti-Asian hate\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California originally created the Stop the Hate grants in response to a surge in anti-Asian hate incidents reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. The coalition \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/college-beat/2021/06/tracking-anti-asian-hate/\">Stop AAPI Hate\u003c/a> has documented more than 11,000 such incidents nationwide since 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Newsom signed the Asian Pacific Islander Equity budget in 2021 funding the grants at the urging of the state’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. Early grants primarily went to organizations serving that community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state broadened its most recent round of grants to fund organizations that reflect California’s diversity, said Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of AAPI Equity Alliance, the lead organization distributing grants in the Los Angeles region. (The California Department of Social Services awards the grants.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s declining Black population may have depressed the number of Black-led organizations applying for and receiving funding, Kulkarni said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" the hate aria-label=\"Datawrapper visualization\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/vHE3m/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"822\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "datawrapper",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some grants will address workplace hate. The NAACP’s California Hawaii State Conference is sponsoring legal consultations for people experiencing discrimination on the job or in housing. And San Francisco-based PRC, which helps Black transgender women reenter the workforce, is using its grant to make a film about its clients’ quest to overcome stigma and find jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another documentary, produced by teen filmmakers, will chronicle the impact of hate crimes on immigrant and refugee communities in San Diego. Somali Family Service, the nonprofit spearheading the project, said it could empower other refugee communities and inspire policymakers to think about solutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most Middle Eastern and North African teenagers the organization serves have experienced or witnessed hate incidents, said Rachel Evans, the group’s youth program manager. Many tell her they stay home from school on September 11, hoping to avoid the racist and anti-Muslim taunts that have come from students, teachers and administrators on that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Many of these youth were not even born when 9/11 happened and they’re experiencing this unjust, ridiculous blame,” said Evans. “They don’t feel welcome in the country based on something that has nothing to do with them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Inspiring victims to report hate\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California’s hotline offers people who have experienced hate incidents an opportunity to report them, whether or not the incidents were crimes. From its launch in May through the end of August, it has received 361 calls, said the Civil Rights Department, which runs it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One goal is to reach Californians who are reluctant to contact police or who live in remote areas with few community groups to turn to, department officials said. Callers can learn about the reporting process, file a civil rights complaint, and access counseling, legal services and other support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hong Lee knows from experience how important such support can be. Three years ago, while standing in line at a restaurant, Lee turned down a man’s offer of a lunch date and he began yelling anti-Asian and sexist slurs at her. Lee captured the incident on video but a responding police officer called it “normal” and refused to take a report, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A month later Lee realized she was experiencing post-traumatic stress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wasn’t sleeping at night, just staring up at the ceiling,” she said. “I was in complete denial that I needed help at first.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A friend connected her with LA vs Hate, a Los Angeles-based precursor of the state’s hotline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It helped her get mental health counseling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now Lee works with other hate incident survivors and has started a nonprofit organization, Seniors Fight Back, that provides self-defense classes to elderly Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Her group is not getting a state grant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11961108\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11961108\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/04_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_02-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"People standing in line near tree.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/04_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_02-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/04_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_02-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/04_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_02-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/04_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_02-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/04_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_02-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/04_090923_Day_Of_Dignity_KC_CM_02.jpeg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Somali Family Service, one of the groups receiving state anti-hate money, hosted immigrant families, refugees and asylum seekers at a resource fair in San Diego on Sept. 9, 2023. \u003ccite>(Kristian Carreon/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Often people at her classes share that they’ve been physically assaulted, she said, and Lee encourages them to report it, saying that in her case, several other victims recognized the man in her video and he ultimately faced hate crime charges from another incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, she said, many are reluctant to report. One woman in a self-defense class said she had been assaulted on public transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She had bruises all over her body, but she didn’t want to tell anybody about it,” Lee said. “Two years later, she’s still inside her apartment, because she’s afraid to go outside.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The attorney general’s report said anti-Asian hate crimes fell in California by 43% in 2022 but they’re still far above pre-pandemic levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While scapegoating Asian Americans for the pandemic has receded nationally, anxiety about the economy and the U.S. relationship with China are driving other forms of anti-Asian racism, Kulkarni said. She cited Florida’s new law that \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/08/18/florida-chinese-land-laws/\">bars Chinese citizens\u003c/a> from owning property in much of that state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Microaggressions still are a common experience among Los Angeles’ Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, Kulkarni said, citing a state-funded study her group is conducting, but people are reporting declines in trauma symptoms when they speak out about their experiences. The AAPI Equity Alliance plans to use the study’s findings to launch support groups for Korean, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino and Japanese Americans in January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the San Francisco Bay Area, the Coalition for Community Safety and Justice is using a state grant to build alliances among various ethnic communities to tackle issues that affect all of them, such as safety on public transit and within public housing complexes. Cynthia Choi, co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, a coalition member, said they’re asking public housing residents such questions as “Would you like to have escorts when you’re running errands? Would you like more opportunities to get to know your neighbors?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Safety is a concern for all communities, and it’s the one rallying point for residents and neighbors to come together around,” Choi said. “If we don’t tend to people’s basic needs being met, we are going to continue to see harm happen, whether it’s racially motivated or due to other factors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Community conflict resolutions\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To help with that progress, the state’s new strike team of trained mediators will provide “immediate, on-the-ground intervention to avoid violence and to reduce tension in something that is live, something that is happening,” said Kevin Kish, director of the Civil Rights Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That could mean stepping in after a hate incident to help community members and law enforcement respond or it could mean helping a city council or school board prepare for a contentious meeting, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody takes a class on how to deal with difficult public meetings,” he said. “People don’t know what to do and sometimes they make mistakes. Part of the value of this program is talking to folks in advance to make a plan for what might happen and how they’re going to respond.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "Related Stories ",
"postid": "news_11827832,news_11880068"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mediators are trained in both civil rights and government. They began working together in October, officials said, declining to discuss details of specific cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile the state’s Commission on the State of Hate is monitoring hate activity and hosting public forums. Consisting of activists, researchers, community leaders and law enforcement representatives appointed by the governor and Legislature, it’s required to issue annual reports and to recommend solutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Will all this effort actually reduce hate in California? Researchers say that just as bigoted comments by public officials can fuel crimes, when government leaders take strong stands against hate, such incidents decrease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Stop the Hate funding to community groups is part of a three-year plan, however it’s unclear whether lawmakers will choose to renew it. The law establishing the Commission on the State of Hate requires it to sunset in 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The question is, can we make sure the state continues to sustain this level of investment?” Choi asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee said a key will be more state outreach to grassroots organizations like her self-defense group. “We have the one-on-one connections to people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Added Levin, from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism: “This is not something that’s going to be solved by so-called experts and advocates. It’s going to be solved by soccer coaches, principals, community leaders, journalists. We need a whole-community response.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11960987/films-counseling-and-mediators-this-is-how-california-is-spending-90-million-to-fight-hate",
"authors": [
"byline_news_11960987"
],
"categories": [
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_29267",
"news_33186",
"news_29910",
"news_33187",
"news_33185",
"news_4273",
"news_19216"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_11961096",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_11960912": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11960912",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11960912",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1694615405000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 18481
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1694615405,
"format": "standard",
"title": "'Radically Different': 8 California Community Colleges Test New Way to Earn Degrees With Less Class Time",
"headTitle": "‘Radically Different’: 8 California Community Colleges Test New Way to Earn Degrees With Less Class Time | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>A revolution is in the making at California’s community colleges: No more grades, no more sitting through lectures or seminars, no more deadlines. In a pilot program taking shape across eight of the state’s community colleges, the only requirement for some associate degrees will be “competency.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students who can prove that they have the relevant skills can earn that degree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In theory, this model, known as “competency-based education,” could provide students with more flexibility and the potential to attain degrees faster in key job sectors. The pilot is geared toward working adults, many of whom \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/06/community-college-enrollment-2/\">left community colleges at record rates\u003c/a> during the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the state’s population of K-12 students continues to shrink, leaving colleges with fewer students right out of high school, the pilot aims to attract adults who are already in the workforce by “valuing their lived and work experience,” said Madera Community College President Ángel Reyna.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If successful, these community colleges will set themselves apart from every other two-year institution in the country. The pilot, which launched in 2021, provides \u003ca href=\"https://www.datawrapper.de/_/3nzyx/\">eight California community colleges\u003c/a> with up to $515,000 over four years to design a single associate degree program using this new model.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The goal is for students to be able to enroll at some point in the 2024–25 academic year, said Aisha Lowe, an executive vice chancellor at the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. In practice, colleges must overcome bureaucratic and logistical hurdles to make the new system work. At least one community college says it is struggling to hit the state’s deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The challenge is to create something that works “but isn’t so different that colleges can still wrap their heads around it and engage,” Lowe said. “It’s definitely unprecedented.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A new way to measure learning\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The new model restructures the requirements of a degree to reflect what students have learned, rather than the amount of time they spend in class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, all college degrees require a certain number of hours spent in a classroom, either in-person or virtually. An associate degree, which California’s community colleges offer, requires roughly 3,000 hours spent in a classroom or on homework in a traditional academic year. That’s why some refer to it as a “two-year degree.” [aside label='More on Education' tag='california-education'] Teachers get paid in part based on the number of hours they teach. Because of the high number of part-time students, the state funds colleges and universities based largely on the number of hours that a student spends in class, not the number of students themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this current system, students may be required to sit through classes to get college credit even if they can demonstrate they already have some of the requisite skills. Students who may have less time for school because of work or family obligations lose out too, said Charla Long, the president of the Competency-Based Education Network, a consultant for California’s pilot program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve created an inequitable system because it’s so time-bound,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the new system, students seeking an associate degree in early childhood education at Shasta College in Redding will take 60 different exams, each one testing a specific skill, said Buffy Tanner, the college’s director of innovation and special projects. Students in the program will have materials to teach themselves, teachers will be available to answer questions and counselors will be able to provide wraparound support. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Charla Long, president, Competency-Based Education Network\"]‘We’ve created an inequitable system because it’s so time-bound.’[/pullquote] Currently, a student is required to take 20 semester-long classes for that same degree. Students in the new program will be able to take an exam up to three times and can move as quickly or as slowly as they want, Tanner said. In-state students in the new program who do not qualify for financial aid will pay the same total tuition, just shy of $2,800 for an associate degree, not including the cost of books, classroom supplies, or other miscellaneous fees. Shasta College, like the other colleges in the pilot, is still trying to figure out how much to pay faculty in the new system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not every student can succeed in this self-paced format. Tanner said the plan is to vet students for the program through questions about their lives and study habits: “Do you need external deadlines? What kind of self-discipline do you have?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to make sure students fully understand what they’re getting into,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A growing phenomenon\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Such \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/09/community-colleges/\">alternative education systems\u003c/a> have existed for decades. Since the 1970s, some colleges and universities have experimented with new models of teaching and learning that offer more flexibility and try to evaluate students based on what they know, not on how much time they spent in class, Long said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1997, a group of 19 governors from Western states agreed to develop a private, nonprofit institution, known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.wgu.edu/student-experience/learning/how.html\">Western Governors University\u003c/a>, to provide “competency-based” education. With roughly 150,000 students today, it’s the \u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d21/tables/dt21_312.10.asp\">largest higher education institution in the country\u003c/a>. Though headquartered in Utah, the university is entirely online and boasts students from all 50 states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other large for-profit and nonprofit university systems have experimented with the same model, including Capella University, an online college, and Southern New Hampshire University. California followed. In 2018, \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2018/gov-brown-pushes-online-community-college-in-his-state-of-the-state-faculty-critic-remains-unmoved/593020\">at the behest of former Gov. Jerry Brown\u003c/a>, the state created a new community college, known as Calbright, which is free, entirely online, and exclusively “competency-based.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is radically different, and an incredibly powerful way to support our students,” Calbright’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.calbright.org/newsroom/blog/what-is-competency-based-education/\">blog\u003c/a> says about its model.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/State-of-the-Field-Findings-from-2020-Postsecondary-CBE-Survey-July-2021.pdf\">2020 survey (PDF)\u003c/a> of nearly 500 colleges and universities across the country found that 13% were already offering at least one degree or certificate through competency-based education and roughly half of those surveyed were in the process of adopting one, though the report noted that there’s “considerable variation” about how they define the model.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Late-night homework makes progress slow\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For Calbright student Jeremy Cox, the appeal was less about the instructional method and more about the convenience of online education. He started taking online classes in 2016 through for-profit companies such as Udemy and Coursera.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960916\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11960916 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege02.jpg\" alt='An older man with a blue, collared shirt that says \"Calbright College\" on it stands in a walkway with trees.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege02.jpg 2000w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege02-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege02-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege02-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege02-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege02-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeremy Cox at Seal Beach on Aug. 28, 2023. \u003ccite>(Julie A Hotz/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“To be able to just pull out a phone and bust out a couple of lessons from Udemy or Coursera, that’s very helpful,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One day while at a park near Long Beach with his children, Cox ran into a woman who told him about Calbright College. While Udemy and Coursera do not focus on a particular instructional method, Cox said his experience at Calbright College has been pretty similar, with two key differences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike Udemy or Coursera, he said, Calbright provides teachers who are more available and respond quickly to questions via Slack, a messaging app. The other difference is social interaction. He has become involved in building community among his classmates and serves as the college’s first student body president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calbright has had consistent enrollment growth each academic year since it began, despite \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2021/05/calbright-community-college-audi/\">a scathing report\u003c/a> from the state auditor’s office. State legislators have repeatedly tried to defund the school, pointing to poor academic outcomes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though the college advertises that students can finish certificate programs in less than a year, CalMatters found that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/2023/04/calbright-community-college/\">fewer than 10% of Calbright students do\u003c/a>. The data only runs through the spring of 2022, and Calbright was unable to provide updated figures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cox said he had intended to complete an IT certification at Calbright in three to six months with a goal of one day getting a job that involves user design, artificial intelligence or blockchain. Now, he expects it to take about a year and a half.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My study time is when the kids go to bed. I only have after 10 p.m.,” he said. “And then with student body responsibilities, my time is split between the two. Half of it is with the student body and half is my studies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Creating an ‘unprecedented’ new system\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With this new pilot, these eight community colleges in California aim to go one step further than Calbright College, using a similar concept but creating new curricula and setting up new systems to provide even more flexibility for students. Calbright is not in the pilot, but Lowe said the college has provided advice, such as strategies to support students outside the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the 2024–25 school year, these eight colleges plan to change part of their state funding formula, faculty pay, and financial aid regulations. They’re also adapting the licenses that allow them to operate, a process known as accreditation. These are changes that take years of work and include getting approval from district boards, state officials and federal agencies. Adapting financial aid policies is particularly cumbersome, but Long, president of the Competency-Based Education Network, said if the eight colleges can succeed, they’ll be the first two-year institutions in the country to do it. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Elizabeth Waterbury, music instructor and faculty association president, Shasta College\"]‘This whole framework is going to have to break or change and nobody really knows how to go about doing that.’[/pullquote] If the state’s community colleges can’t adapt to the competency model of no lectures or grades, other schools will beat them to it, said Lowe, an executive vice chancellor of the community college system. She pointed to “for-profits” as the primary competitor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Shasta College, Tanner said the pilot program offered an opportunity to train students as the state ramps up its plans to offer free transitional kindergarten, which is a year of school offered to any 4-year-old before kindergarten. California will need \u003ca href=\"https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/ca-transitional-kindergarten-workforce-brief\">as many as 15,600 new early childhood educators\u003c/a> by 2025–26 to teach transitional kindergarten.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State law sets requirements for transitional kindergarten teachers, such as taking 24 units of early education college classes or having comparable professional experience. For those who already have some background in early childhood education, but not enough to meet the requirements, the new course model could allow them to “quickly demonstrate that they know their stuff,” Tanner said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Unions and faculty leaders voice concern\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The success of the pilot depends on the support of the faculty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Take a look at teacher load, teacher contracts — that’s all connected to time in the classroom, lecture hours. This whole framework is going to have to break or change and nobody really knows how to go about doing that,” said Elizabeth Waterbury, a music instructor and the faculty association president at Shasta College.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While she supports the idea, she’s concerned about what the new system could do to faculty pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m afraid we may be the ones who could make it more difficult for California to transition to competency-based education,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tanner and her colleagues haven’t yet tried to sell the faculty union on the pilot. Instead, they plan to ask faculty involved in the pilot program to track their time so that the college first understands the workload.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last fall, faculty leaders from the Madera Community College Academic Senate expressed concerns about the ways this new model might impact their pay and intellectual property, college president Reyna said. The development of the new program has been on “pause” ever since, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960915\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11960915 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege03.jpg\" alt=\"The campus of Madera Community College is show. A pole with the school's flag hangs on a pole. Students walk with backpacks.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege03.jpg 2000w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege03-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Madera Community College banner hanging over the main walkway on campus on Aug. 28, 2023. \u003ccite>(Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On Aug. 25, the Madera Community College Academic Senate issued \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/CBE-Resolution-adopted-08.25.23.pdf\">a resolution (PDF) \u003c/a>saying it was “deeply concerned” about the direction of the pilot program and asked the college to “reconsider” participating. However, the former president of the academic senate, Brad Millar, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Attachment-C-Madera_Direct-Assessment-Competency-Based-Education-Collaborative-RFA-20-040.pdf\">already signed off on the formation of the program\u003c/a> on March 7, 2021, when the college submitted its application to join the pilot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in its resolution, the academic senate said anyone who signed the application on behalf of the group never sought approval from its members. When the members of the academic senate did discuss the program on Nov. 18, 2022, it “failed to garner support,” according to the resolution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In concept, there are many benefits,” Bill Turini, president of the Madera Community College Academic Senate, told CalMatters. One potential concern is that the model could lead to less qualified teachers in some instances, he said. He said the program is “still an abstraction” but pointed to other, simpler changes that he said yield similar results, such as more online instruction and flexible start dates. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Leticia Barajas, faculty member and president of academic senate, East Los Angeles College\"]‘We’ve now grown to an older student population. This is about institutional transformative change.’[/pullquote] Madera Community College is the newest community college in the state, officially recognized in 2020. It is part of a large district that includes Fresno City College, Clovis Community College, and Reedley College. None of the other schools in the district are participating in the pilot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Any policy that we want to change at Madera Community College to accommodate competency-based education, it impacts the three other colleges,” Reyna said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>East Los Angeles College is the only college participating in the pilot among a nine-college district. It’s the largest community college district in the nation. It’s been slow to implement some of the changes required by the pilot program, but success there could make it easier for other colleges in the district to follow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you talk to faculty who’ve been here longer than 10 years and their picture of an East Los Angeles College student, they envision a 20-year-old student taking 15 units (full-time) at the Monterey Park campus. We’ve now grown to an older student population,” said Leticia Barajas, a faculty member and president of the college’s academic senate. “This is about institutional transformative change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 2498,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 45
},
"modified": 1694564786,
"excerpt": "Eight California community colleges are trying a new education model that defines success by the skills a student learns, versus the time spent in a classroom.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Eight California community colleges are trying a new education model that defines success by the skills a student learns, versus the time spent in a classroom.",
"title": "'Radically Different': 8 California Community Colleges Test New Way to Earn Degrees With Less Class Time | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "'Radically Different': 8 California Community Colleges Test New Way to Earn Degrees With Less Class Time",
"datePublished": "2023-09-13T07:30:05-07:00",
"dateModified": "2023-09-12T17:26:26-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "radically-different-8-california-community-colleges-test-new-way-to-earn-degrees-with-less-class-time",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/adam-echelman/\">Adam Echelman\u003c/a>",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/11960912/radically-different-8-california-community-colleges-test-new-way-to-earn-degrees-with-less-class-time",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A revolution is in the making at California’s community colleges: No more grades, no more sitting through lectures or seminars, no more deadlines. In a pilot program taking shape across eight of the state’s community colleges, the only requirement for some associate degrees will be “competency.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students who can prove that they have the relevant skills can earn that degree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In theory, this model, known as “competency-based education,” could provide students with more flexibility and the potential to attain degrees faster in key job sectors. The pilot is geared toward working adults, many of whom \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/06/community-college-enrollment-2/\">left community colleges at record rates\u003c/a> during the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the state’s population of K-12 students continues to shrink, leaving colleges with fewer students right out of high school, the pilot aims to attract adults who are already in the workforce by “valuing their lived and work experience,” said Madera Community College President Ángel Reyna.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If successful, these community colleges will set themselves apart from every other two-year institution in the country. The pilot, which launched in 2021, provides \u003ca href=\"https://www.datawrapper.de/_/3nzyx/\">eight California community colleges\u003c/a> with up to $515,000 over four years to design a single associate degree program using this new model.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The goal is for students to be able to enroll at some point in the 2024–25 academic year, said Aisha Lowe, an executive vice chancellor at the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. In practice, colleges must overcome bureaucratic and logistical hurdles to make the new system work. At least one community college says it is struggling to hit the state’s deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The challenge is to create something that works “but isn’t so different that colleges can still wrap their heads around it and engage,” Lowe said. “It’s definitely unprecedented.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A new way to measure learning\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The new model restructures the requirements of a degree to reflect what students have learned, rather than the amount of time they spend in class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, all college degrees require a certain number of hours spent in a classroom, either in-person or virtually. An associate degree, which California’s community colleges offer, requires roughly 3,000 hours spent in a classroom or on homework in a traditional academic year. That’s why some refer to it as a “two-year degree.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "More on Education ",
"tag": "california-education"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> Teachers get paid in part based on the number of hours they teach. Because of the high number of part-time students, the state funds colleges and universities based largely on the number of hours that a student spends in class, not the number of students themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this current system, students may be required to sit through classes to get college credit even if they can demonstrate they already have some of the requisite skills. Students who may have less time for school because of work or family obligations lose out too, said Charla Long, the president of the Competency-Based Education Network, a consultant for California’s pilot program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve created an inequitable system because it’s so time-bound,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the new system, students seeking an associate degree in early childhood education at Shasta College in Redding will take 60 different exams, each one testing a specific skill, said Buffy Tanner, the college’s director of innovation and special projects. Students in the program will have materials to teach themselves, teachers will be available to answer questions and counselors will be able to provide wraparound support. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘We’ve created an inequitable system because it’s so time-bound.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Charla Long, president, Competency-Based Education Network",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> Currently, a student is required to take 20 semester-long classes for that same degree. Students in the new program will be able to take an exam up to three times and can move as quickly or as slowly as they want, Tanner said. In-state students in the new program who do not qualify for financial aid will pay the same total tuition, just shy of $2,800 for an associate degree, not including the cost of books, classroom supplies, or other miscellaneous fees. Shasta College, like the other colleges in the pilot, is still trying to figure out how much to pay faculty in the new system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not every student can succeed in this self-paced format. Tanner said the plan is to vet students for the program through questions about their lives and study habits: “Do you need external deadlines? What kind of self-discipline do you have?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to make sure students fully understand what they’re getting into,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A growing phenomenon\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Such \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/09/community-colleges/\">alternative education systems\u003c/a> have existed for decades. Since the 1970s, some colleges and universities have experimented with new models of teaching and learning that offer more flexibility and try to evaluate students based on what they know, not on how much time they spent in class, Long said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1997, a group of 19 governors from Western states agreed to develop a private, nonprofit institution, known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.wgu.edu/student-experience/learning/how.html\">Western Governors University\u003c/a>, to provide “competency-based” education. With roughly 150,000 students today, it’s the \u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d21/tables/dt21_312.10.asp\">largest higher education institution in the country\u003c/a>. Though headquartered in Utah, the university is entirely online and boasts students from all 50 states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other large for-profit and nonprofit university systems have experimented with the same model, including Capella University, an online college, and Southern New Hampshire University. California followed. In 2018, \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2018/gov-brown-pushes-online-community-college-in-his-state-of-the-state-faculty-critic-remains-unmoved/593020\">at the behest of former Gov. Jerry Brown\u003c/a>, the state created a new community college, known as Calbright, which is free, entirely online, and exclusively “competency-based.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is radically different, and an incredibly powerful way to support our students,” Calbright’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.calbright.org/newsroom/blog/what-is-competency-based-education/\">blog\u003c/a> says about its model.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/State-of-the-Field-Findings-from-2020-Postsecondary-CBE-Survey-July-2021.pdf\">2020 survey (PDF)\u003c/a> of nearly 500 colleges and universities across the country found that 13% were already offering at least one degree or certificate through competency-based education and roughly half of those surveyed were in the process of adopting one, though the report noted that there’s “considerable variation” about how they define the model.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Late-night homework makes progress slow\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For Calbright student Jeremy Cox, the appeal was less about the instructional method and more about the convenience of online education. He started taking online classes in 2016 through for-profit companies such as Udemy and Coursera.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960916\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11960916 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege02.jpg\" alt='An older man with a blue, collared shirt that says \"Calbright College\" on it stands in a walkway with trees.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege02.jpg 2000w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege02-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege02-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege02-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege02-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege02-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeremy Cox at Seal Beach on Aug. 28, 2023. \u003ccite>(Julie A Hotz/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“To be able to just pull out a phone and bust out a couple of lessons from Udemy or Coursera, that’s very helpful,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One day while at a park near Long Beach with his children, Cox ran into a woman who told him about Calbright College. While Udemy and Coursera do not focus on a particular instructional method, Cox said his experience at Calbright College has been pretty similar, with two key differences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike Udemy or Coursera, he said, Calbright provides teachers who are more available and respond quickly to questions via Slack, a messaging app. The other difference is social interaction. He has become involved in building community among his classmates and serves as the college’s first student body president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calbright has had consistent enrollment growth each academic year since it began, despite \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2021/05/calbright-community-college-audi/\">a scathing report\u003c/a> from the state auditor’s office. State legislators have repeatedly tried to defund the school, pointing to poor academic outcomes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though the college advertises that students can finish certificate programs in less than a year, CalMatters found that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/2023/04/calbright-community-college/\">fewer than 10% of Calbright students do\u003c/a>. The data only runs through the spring of 2022, and Calbright was unable to provide updated figures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cox said he had intended to complete an IT certification at Calbright in three to six months with a goal of one day getting a job that involves user design, artificial intelligence or blockchain. Now, he expects it to take about a year and a half.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My study time is when the kids go to bed. I only have after 10 p.m.,” he said. “And then with student body responsibilities, my time is split between the two. Half of it is with the student body and half is my studies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Creating an ‘unprecedented’ new system\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With this new pilot, these eight community colleges in California aim to go one step further than Calbright College, using a similar concept but creating new curricula and setting up new systems to provide even more flexibility for students. Calbright is not in the pilot, but Lowe said the college has provided advice, such as strategies to support students outside the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the 2024–25 school year, these eight colleges plan to change part of their state funding formula, faculty pay, and financial aid regulations. They’re also adapting the licenses that allow them to operate, a process known as accreditation. These are changes that take years of work and include getting approval from district boards, state officials and federal agencies. Adapting financial aid policies is particularly cumbersome, but Long, president of the Competency-Based Education Network, said if the eight colleges can succeed, they’ll be the first two-year institutions in the country to do it. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘This whole framework is going to have to break or change and nobody really knows how to go about doing that.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Elizabeth Waterbury, music instructor and faculty association president, Shasta College",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> If the state’s community colleges can’t adapt to the competency model of no lectures or grades, other schools will beat them to it, said Lowe, an executive vice chancellor of the community college system. She pointed to “for-profits” as the primary competitor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Shasta College, Tanner said the pilot program offered an opportunity to train students as the state ramps up its plans to offer free transitional kindergarten, which is a year of school offered to any 4-year-old before kindergarten. California will need \u003ca href=\"https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/ca-transitional-kindergarten-workforce-brief\">as many as 15,600 new early childhood educators\u003c/a> by 2025–26 to teach transitional kindergarten.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State law sets requirements for transitional kindergarten teachers, such as taking 24 units of early education college classes or having comparable professional experience. For those who already have some background in early childhood education, but not enough to meet the requirements, the new course model could allow them to “quickly demonstrate that they know their stuff,” Tanner said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Unions and faculty leaders voice concern\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The success of the pilot depends on the support of the faculty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Take a look at teacher load, teacher contracts — that’s all connected to time in the classroom, lecture hours. This whole framework is going to have to break or change and nobody really knows how to go about doing that,” said Elizabeth Waterbury, a music instructor and the faculty association president at Shasta College.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While she supports the idea, she’s concerned about what the new system could do to faculty pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m afraid we may be the ones who could make it more difficult for California to transition to competency-based education,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tanner and her colleagues haven’t yet tried to sell the faculty union on the pilot. Instead, they plan to ask faculty involved in the pilot program to track their time so that the college first understands the workload.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last fall, faculty leaders from the Madera Community College Academic Senate expressed concerns about the ways this new model might impact their pay and intellectual property, college president Reyna said. The development of the new program has been on “pause” ever since, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960915\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11960915 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege03.jpg\" alt=\"The campus of Madera Community College is show. A pole with the school's flag hangs on a pole. Students walk with backpacks.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege03.jpg 2000w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/CMCollege03-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Madera Community College banner hanging over the main walkway on campus on Aug. 28, 2023. \u003ccite>(Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters/CatchLight Local)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On Aug. 25, the Madera Community College Academic Senate issued \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/CBE-Resolution-adopted-08.25.23.pdf\">a resolution (PDF) \u003c/a>saying it was “deeply concerned” about the direction of the pilot program and asked the college to “reconsider” participating. However, the former president of the academic senate, Brad Millar, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Attachment-C-Madera_Direct-Assessment-Competency-Based-Education-Collaborative-RFA-20-040.pdf\">already signed off on the formation of the program\u003c/a> on March 7, 2021, when the college submitted its application to join the pilot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in its resolution, the academic senate said anyone who signed the application on behalf of the group never sought approval from its members. When the members of the academic senate did discuss the program on Nov. 18, 2022, it “failed to garner support,” according to the resolution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In concept, there are many benefits,” Bill Turini, president of the Madera Community College Academic Senate, told CalMatters. One potential concern is that the model could lead to less qualified teachers in some instances, he said. He said the program is “still an abstraction” but pointed to other, simpler changes that he said yield similar results, such as more online instruction and flexible start dates. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘We’ve now grown to an older student population. This is about institutional transformative change.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Leticia Barajas, faculty member and president of academic senate, East Los Angeles College",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> Madera Community College is the newest community college in the state, officially recognized in 2020. It is part of a large district that includes Fresno City College, Clovis Community College, and Reedley College. None of the other schools in the district are participating in the pilot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Any policy that we want to change at Madera Community College to accommodate competency-based education, it impacts the three other colleges,” Reyna said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>East Los Angeles College is the only college participating in the pilot among a nine-college district. It’s the largest community college district in the nation. It’s been slow to implement some of the changes required by the pilot program, but success there could make it easier for other colleges in the district to follow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you talk to faculty who’ve been here longer than 10 years and their picture of an East Los Angeles College student, they envision a 20-year-old student taking 15 units (full-time) at the Monterey Park campus. We’ve now grown to an older student population,” said Leticia Barajas, a faculty member and president of the college’s academic senate. “This is about institutional transformative change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11960912/radically-different-8-california-community-colleges-test-new-way-to-earn-degrees-with-less-class-time",
"authors": [
"byline_news_11960912"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_18540",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_18538",
"news_20334",
"news_31933",
"news_20652"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_11960917",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_11960819": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11960819",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11960819",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1694548467000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "to-sweep-homeless-camps-california-cities-have-to-offer-shelter-but-what-that-means-is-debatable",
"title": "To Sweep Homeless Camps, California Cities Have to Offer Shelter. But What That Means Is Debatable",
"publishDate": 1694548467,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "To Sweep Homeless Camps, California Cities Have to Offer Shelter. But What That Means Is Debatable | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Cities in the West can’t legally clear encampments unless they can provide adequate alternative shelter to the camp residents. But what, precisely, constitutes “adequate shelter?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is it one cot among dozens in a congregate shelter? A top bunk for an elderly person? An individual tiny home? A strip of asphalt, without electricity or water, where rows of people can set up their tents?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Shawn Takeuchi, San Diego Police Captain\"]‘We cannot enforce our way through homelessness; it’s not the proper way to address homelessness.’[/pullquote]The definition is at the heart of debates raging across California in the five years since a federal appeals court ruled that it’s cruel and unusual punishment to evict homeless people from public spaces when they have no other options. The 2018 \u003ca href=\"https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2018/09/04/15-35845.pdf\">decision on that Boise, Idaho case (PDF)\u003c/a> by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, binding on states in the West, did not require cities to set up enough shelter beds for their entire homeless population, but said it would be unconstitutional to criminally penalize people camping in public when they lack “access to adequate temporary shelter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week a three-judge panel of that same court took another crack at the issue — this time declining to lift a temporary order that has, for nine months, halted San Francisco officials from sweeping the city’s homeless camps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most recent order gave San Francisco officials confirmation that the city can sweep sites and cite residents who are “voluntarily” homeless: those refusing legitimate, adequate shelter offers. Officials said they haven’t yet decided whether to do that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960830\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960830\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"An aerial view of a housing site.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial view of Chico’s emergency non-congregate housing site. \u003ccite>(Fred Greaves/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>California cities have been itching to get around the technical bounds of the Idaho ruling as constituents with homes complain about encampments in public spaces, citing public health and other concerns. Many local governments say they can ban encampments and that they have the alternative shelter options to enforce it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calling it a necessary form of tough love, they’re cracking down on public camps, pairing an offer of shelter — or a stern prodding toward it — with the threat of arrest or fine. San Diego in late July began enforcing a ban on camps in most public places during the day; other cities that have recently passed camping restrictions include Sacramento, San Rafael and Culver City.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some say the carrot-and-stick approach is too weak a response to flagrant public health and safety concerns on the streets. Others say it’s an infringement on the rights of unhoused people who, if they refuse shelter because of personal circumstances, will get shuffled around town, lose belongings and contact with social workers, or be pushed to more remote or dangerous places to sleep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, both advocates for the homeless and the city claimed the latest court decision supported their side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are pleased that the 9th Circuit agreed with the City that the preliminary injunction does not apply to those who refuse shelter or those who have a shelter bed and choose to maintain a tent on the street,” City Attorney David Chiu said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An attorney for the plaintiffs, a group of unsheltered San Franciscans and the nonprofit Coalition on Homelessness, said that was always the case — but with shelters often near capacity, the city hasn’t shown it is truly providing adequate offers to those on the streets. More than 4,000 people live unsheltered on the streets in San Francisco, while the city has \u003ca href=\"https://hsh.sfgov.org/services/the-homelessness-response-system/shelter/\">just over 3,000 beds\u003c/a>, and notes that not all unoccupied beds are immediately available for someone to be placed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The question is, are those people actually voluntarily homeless, did they actually give them a specific offer?” said Zal Shroff, interim legal director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. “The city is representing that 4,000 people on the streets are there by choice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>New bans with new tents\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In San Diego, police have for more than a month been enforcing a controversial new ban on camps on most public property during the day, or when shelter is available. The July ban prohibits camping near schools or shelters and in parks regardless of whether there’s shelter available. Enforcement coincided with \u003ca href=\"https://www.sandiego.gov/homelessness-strategies-and-solutions/services/safe-sleeping-program\">a new “Safe Sleeping site”\u003c/a> near a city park as a nod to adequate shelter options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though police have also recently ramped up enforcement of an older law banning camps from blocking sidewalks, they say they haven’t yet made an arrest under the new one, instead issuing 85 warnings and four citations in August. Police say they’re employing a progressive strategy by which city staff and then police offer shelter first and issue a warning, then step up to a misdemeanor charge or even an arrest if an unhoused person continues to camp in a prohibited spot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Diego Police Capt. Shawn Takeuchi of the Neighborhood Policing Division acknowledges it’s an imperfect approach to the needs of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.rtfhsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2023-City-of-San-Diego-Region-Breakdown.pdf\">6,500 city residents (PDF)\u003c/a> who are homeless any given night this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of those, about 2,600 were in shelter beds. Nearly 3,300 were unsheltered — more than a 30% increase from last year. There are about 1,800 city-funded \u003ca href=\"https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/hssd-comprehensive-shelter-strategy.pdf\">shelter beds in San Diego (PDF)\u003c/a> and about 600 others that are not funded by the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11959120,news_11950967,news_11954909\" label=\"Related Stories\"]“We cannot enforce our way through homelessness; it’s not the proper way to address homelessness,” Takeuchi said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for those who refuse a shelter placement or willingly flaunt other laws such as those against public drug use, Takeuchi said, “enough’s enough. Government intervention needs to happen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new “safe sleeping site” — a fenced asphalt lot with 136 tents that fit up to two people each — is located in a city maintenance yard tucked into the southern edge of the storied Balboa Park. The park and areas near schools have been the city’s first enforcement targets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city-funded site offers two meals a day, showers and services to help residents with their housing search. Couples can stay together. Folks can stay indefinitely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a new option in a city that has historically offered only large congregate shelters, which many refuse or find unsuitable. Mayor Todd Gloria said it comes with the “expectation” that more people will choose it over living on the streets when beds are available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have put out a tremendous amount of carrots and we do need a few sticks,” he said. “It is the expectations of taxpayers funding these efforts that folks avail themselves of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of last week, the site had seven tents open, a spokesperson for Gloria said. The city’s other shelters are all nearly full any given night, said Sofia Cardenas, data and compliance manager at the Alpha Project, a San Diego nonprofit that runs five other shelters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neighboring cities have \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/huge-influx-of-homeless-in-chula-vista-after-san-diegos-camping-ban-begins-nonprofit-director/3279891/\">reported increases\u003c/a> in encampments in their own borders in the wake of San Diego’s new law, and Cardenas said the nonprofit’s outreach workers are having a harder time finding clients who have scattered around the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Takeuchi acknowledged when officers approach a person with a warning or to cite them for violating the camping ban, they don’t necessarily know if there’s a placement for that person’s specific circumstances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not as simple as, okay, there’s a bed available for every person we contact because there are certain beds that are not available to certain populations of folks,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When considering the new ordinance, the city’s attorneys \u003ca href=\"https://docs.sandiego.gov/memooflaw/MS-2023-4.pdf\">in a legal memo (PDF)\u003c/a> noted that certain shelter options would be inadequate and put the city in danger of violating the Idaho ruling — such as an offer of a top bunk for an elderly or disabled person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the first month of enforcement, Takeuchi said out of 85 warnings only three people told police they would agree to a shelter placement, though people who are interested can call the city directly and do not have to accept the offer directly from police.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cardenas said the city should have increased the number and variety of shelter beds before starting the enforcement, and said existing shelter spaces, including the tent site, may still be inadequate for the elderly or those with disabilities or mental illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mostly we see people shuffling around,” trying to avoid police, Cardenas said. “When we’re asking them to accept sanctioned campgrounds … is that the best we can do? Accept this, or go to jail?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cities contend they’ve been increasing the options. In San Diego, Gloria said officials have another sanctioned campsite planned to open this year that will be able to accommodate up to 400, and have loosened rules on the city’s congregate shelters so that residents can bring in a pet and are not required to be sober.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mirroring other California politicians on the matter, Gloria criticized activists who call the shelter offerings inadequate as an “infinitesimally small number of voices who seemingly enjoy seeing encampments on the streets.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s never enough for them,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Better for who?’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Even if shelter spaces are open, unhoused people sometimes opt out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the din of the Highway 99 overpass along the edge of Sacramento’s urban core, a man emerged from his tent on a recent weekend morning and sat at a makeshift breakfast table, shaking a box of cereal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The man, who would only identify himself as 53-year-old Eric D., said he’d lived at this encampment of about five tents for about a month. His last campsite was a few blocks away near a freeway exit, and highway patrol officers told him he had to leave. The officers had given him a pamphlet with information about social services and shelter; he said “most of the information, a lot of the homeless people already know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Better for who?” he said, when asked whether he would consider a shelter placement better than the encampment. “It depends on the individual.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960831\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_15.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960831\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_15-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"An aerial view of a housing site with a few people walking around.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_15-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_15-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_15-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_15.jpg 1568w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People and dogs walking between pallet shelters at an emergency non-congregate housing site in Chico on Sept. 6, 2023. \u003ccite>(Fred Greaves/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Before the freeway exit site, Eric said he’d stayed at a shelter near downtown Sacramento for about two months, but said he got kicked out after missing the curfew three times. The third time, he said he had been staying with relatives while attending a family funeral. Now, he walks or takes the bus two miles from the tent to the community college where he takes classes twice a week, and a social worker visits him occasionally, helping him search for an apartment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eric said not all shelter experiences are comfortable and some people chafe at the rules. If he tries one again, he would want it to be near the community college.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people are living harder than they need to,” he said of life on the streets. “Me, I can’t stand it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His neighbor, Joel Martinez, bagged up trash on the sidewalk before sitting down to light a cigarette.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Martinez, 63, considers himself a caretaker for a friend he’s met on the streets. She lives around the corner in a van, and that morning she was leaning on its hood partially clothed, chattering to herself. Martinez worries about leaving her alone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She talks to people we don’t see or hear,” he said. “People were taking advantage of her. I don’t know if she’d fit in at a shelter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Martinez said, he’s trying to talk her into moving indoors or to a sanctioned campground with him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said he understands why cities are moving to ban encampments, and said not all residents keep their camps clean, though some, he said, “police ourselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know people don’t like to be reminded of the homelessness,” he said. “But it’s here, and it seems like the COVID thing really brought it all out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Asphalt next to an airport doesn’t count\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Federal courts have rarely defined the adequacy of specific types of shelter — though in one extreme case a judge said some things simply don’t count.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Chico, a group of unhoused residents sued the city in 2021 over its enforcement of a ban on camping on any public property. At the time, the city had 120 congregate shelter beds (capacity was diminished during the pandemic) and more than 570 unsheltered residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to the suit, officials opened a temporary sanctioned campground that summer where residents were allowed to park trailers or pitch tents. The city said it could accommodate its entire homeless population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960829\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960829\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Airplanes and a control tower in the distance.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Airplanes and the control tower of the Chico Regional Airport in Chico on Sept. 6, 2023. \u003ccite>(Fred Greaves/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Federal District Court Judge Morrison C. England — upon finding that the campground was a strip of asphalt alongside the local airport on the outskirts of town, with one awning erected for shade — \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Chico-preliminary-injunction.pdf\">was unconvinced (PDF)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This raises the question, ‘What is shelter?’” he wrote, before quickly dismissing Chico’s “asphalt tarmac with no roof and no walls, no water and no electricity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chico officials closed the airport site after less than three months, and last year settled the suit by agreeing to build a “pallet shelter” — 177 tiny homes — where those who are camping in a prohibited spot can be directed by outreach workers or police.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the settlement, when the city \u003ca href=\"https://chico.ca.us/sites/main/files/file-attachments/camping_enforcement_timline-2022-08-19.pdf?1660944310\">plans to sweep a camp (PDF)\u003c/a>, it must count the number of people living there and confirm there’s enough open shelter beds for them, then notify the plaintiffs’ attorneys and conduct outreach to offer the residents shelter in a process that could take 17 days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 300 people have stayed at the new site since April, either because the city was about to sweep their campsites or because they called the city shelter intake line themselves, said Amber Abney-Bass, executive director of the nonprofit Jesus Center which is contracted by the city to run the site. More than 140 of them left either for violating program rules or not returning to their bed for 72 hours, prompting the shelter to give the slot to somebody else, she said. Fourteen have moved on to more stable housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Abney-Bass said she’s glad the case caused the city to create more beds, but she’s wary that as congregate shelters fall out of favor, some will remain on the streets believing “nothing else is good enough” compared to a tiny home placement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her nonprofit has assessed more than 100 other people living on the streets since the settlement who have refused a shelter placement if they couldn’t get into the tiny homes site.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Waiting for more judicial guidance\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In another case, in Sacramento, a federal judge has temporarily halted encampment sweeps during heat waves twice since last year, after advocates pointed out in court that the city had been directing unhoused people to a sanctioned campground on unshaded asphalt. The site, city attorney Susana Alcala Wood said, does have meals, showers, restrooms and social services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city has asked the 9th Circuit to weigh in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In order to advise my client as to what constitutes sufficient shelter, I need the court to tell me,” Alcala Wood said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the most part, Sacramento has not issued criminal citations against unhoused people violating new camping restrictions passed last year, including bans on camping near schools or for blocking sidewalks. Instead, assistant City Manager Mario Lara said city workers focus on “voluntary compliance,” which does include ordering people to move their tents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s drawn the ire of residents and other local politicians who want camps cleared faster and more frequently. Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho has \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article279073229.html\">threatened city officials \u003c/a>with legal action if they don’t enforce the camping bans more aggressively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether California’s shelter options are “adequate” alternatives to encampments remains an open question. Will Knight, decriminalization director at the National Homelessness Law Center, who opposes the bans, said that’s the next legal frontier for cities hoping to enforce camping restrictions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Knight defines adequate shelter as accommodating of the personal reasons someone might refuse a traditional shelter bed — including proximity to their children’s school, transportation options or wanting to stay with a pet or partner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has to be done from an extremely humane and individualized level,” he said, of enforcing camping bans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the Idaho ruling undergirding the debate may go before the Supreme Court. The Oregon city of Grants Pass, after losing its bid to enforce its camping ban in a similar case before the 9th Circuit this year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-175/275911/20230823153037814_Grants%20Pass%20v.%20Johnson_cert%20petition_corrected.pdf\">has appealed (PDF)\u003c/a> to the high court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alcala Wood, of Sacramento, said she’s among a number of city attorneys who plan to sign on to a brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Is a shelter not adequate if it doesn’t provide a place for your pets? Is a shelter not adequate if it doesn’t provide a place for you to store all your excess personal belongings?” she said, ticking off cities’ questions about their obligations. “Should we allow a person to be able to cook in a shelter? What about open flames? These are all questions we do not have the answers to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Police can’t force homeless people from encampments unless the city in question has 'adequate shelter' to offer the people getting forced off the street, according to courts. Now everyone involved wants to know what 'adequate shelter' is.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1740521044,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 69,
"wordCount": 3067
},
"headData": {
"title": "To Sweep Homeless Camps, California Cities Have to Offer Shelter. But What That Means Is Debatable | KQED",
"description": "Police can’t force homeless people from encampments unless the city in question has 'adequate shelter' to offer the people getting forced off the street, according to courts. Now everyone involved wants to know what 'adequate shelter' is.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "To Sweep Homeless Camps, California Cities Have to Offer Shelter. But What That Means Is Debatable",
"datePublished": "2023-09-12T12:54:27-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-02-25T14:04:04-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/jeanne-kuang/\">Jeanne Kuang\u003c/a>",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/11960819/to-sweep-homeless-camps-california-cities-have-to-offer-shelter-but-what-that-means-is-debatable",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Cities in the West can’t legally clear encampments unless they can provide adequate alternative shelter to the camp residents. But what, precisely, constitutes “adequate shelter?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is it one cot among dozens in a congregate shelter? A top bunk for an elderly person? An individual tiny home? A strip of asphalt, without electricity or water, where rows of people can set up their tents?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘We cannot enforce our way through homelessness; it’s not the proper way to address homelessness.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Shawn Takeuchi, San Diego Police Captain",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The definition is at the heart of debates raging across California in the five years since a federal appeals court ruled that it’s cruel and unusual punishment to evict homeless people from public spaces when they have no other options. The 2018 \u003ca href=\"https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2018/09/04/15-35845.pdf\">decision on that Boise, Idaho case (PDF)\u003c/a> by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, binding on states in the West, did not require cities to set up enough shelter beds for their entire homeless population, but said it would be unconstitutional to criminally penalize people camping in public when they lack “access to adequate temporary shelter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week a three-judge panel of that same court took another crack at the issue — this time declining to lift a temporary order that has, for nine months, halted San Francisco officials from sweeping the city’s homeless camps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most recent order gave San Francisco officials confirmation that the city can sweep sites and cite residents who are “voluntarily” homeless: those refusing legitimate, adequate shelter offers. Officials said they haven’t yet decided whether to do that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960830\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960830\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"An aerial view of a housing site.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_12.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial view of Chico’s emergency non-congregate housing site. \u003ccite>(Fred Greaves/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>California cities have been itching to get around the technical bounds of the Idaho ruling as constituents with homes complain about encampments in public spaces, citing public health and other concerns. Many local governments say they can ban encampments and that they have the alternative shelter options to enforce it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calling it a necessary form of tough love, they’re cracking down on public camps, pairing an offer of shelter — or a stern prodding toward it — with the threat of arrest or fine. San Diego in late July began enforcing a ban on camps in most public places during the day; other cities that have recently passed camping restrictions include Sacramento, San Rafael and Culver City.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some say the carrot-and-stick approach is too weak a response to flagrant public health and safety concerns on the streets. Others say it’s an infringement on the rights of unhoused people who, if they refuse shelter because of personal circumstances, will get shuffled around town, lose belongings and contact with social workers, or be pushed to more remote or dangerous places to sleep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, both advocates for the homeless and the city claimed the latest court decision supported their side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are pleased that the 9th Circuit agreed with the City that the preliminary injunction does not apply to those who refuse shelter or those who have a shelter bed and choose to maintain a tent on the street,” City Attorney David Chiu said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An attorney for the plaintiffs, a group of unsheltered San Franciscans and the nonprofit Coalition on Homelessness, said that was always the case — but with shelters often near capacity, the city hasn’t shown it is truly providing adequate offers to those on the streets. More than 4,000 people live unsheltered on the streets in San Francisco, while the city has \u003ca href=\"https://hsh.sfgov.org/services/the-homelessness-response-system/shelter/\">just over 3,000 beds\u003c/a>, and notes that not all unoccupied beds are immediately available for someone to be placed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The question is, are those people actually voluntarily homeless, did they actually give them a specific offer?” said Zal Shroff, interim legal director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. “The city is representing that 4,000 people on the streets are there by choice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>New bans with new tents\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In San Diego, police have for more than a month been enforcing a controversial new ban on camps on most public property during the day, or when shelter is available. The July ban prohibits camping near schools or shelters and in parks regardless of whether there’s shelter available. Enforcement coincided with \u003ca href=\"https://www.sandiego.gov/homelessness-strategies-and-solutions/services/safe-sleeping-program\">a new “Safe Sleeping site”\u003c/a> near a city park as a nod to adequate shelter options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though police have also recently ramped up enforcement of an older law banning camps from blocking sidewalks, they say they haven’t yet made an arrest under the new one, instead issuing 85 warnings and four citations in August. Police say they’re employing a progressive strategy by which city staff and then police offer shelter first and issue a warning, then step up to a misdemeanor charge or even an arrest if an unhoused person continues to camp in a prohibited spot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Diego Police Capt. Shawn Takeuchi of the Neighborhood Policing Division acknowledges it’s an imperfect approach to the needs of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.rtfhsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2023-City-of-San-Diego-Region-Breakdown.pdf\">6,500 city residents (PDF)\u003c/a> who are homeless any given night this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of those, about 2,600 were in shelter beds. Nearly 3,300 were unsheltered — more than a 30% increase from last year. There are about 1,800 city-funded \u003ca href=\"https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/hssd-comprehensive-shelter-strategy.pdf\">shelter beds in San Diego (PDF)\u003c/a> and about 600 others that are not funded by the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_11959120,news_11950967,news_11954909",
"label": "Related Stories "
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We cannot enforce our way through homelessness; it’s not the proper way to address homelessness,” Takeuchi said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for those who refuse a shelter placement or willingly flaunt other laws such as those against public drug use, Takeuchi said, “enough’s enough. Government intervention needs to happen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new “safe sleeping site” — a fenced asphalt lot with 136 tents that fit up to two people each — is located in a city maintenance yard tucked into the southern edge of the storied Balboa Park. The park and areas near schools have been the city’s first enforcement targets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city-funded site offers two meals a day, showers and services to help residents with their housing search. Couples can stay together. Folks can stay indefinitely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a new option in a city that has historically offered only large congregate shelters, which many refuse or find unsuitable. Mayor Todd Gloria said it comes with the “expectation” that more people will choose it over living on the streets when beds are available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have put out a tremendous amount of carrots and we do need a few sticks,” he said. “It is the expectations of taxpayers funding these efforts that folks avail themselves of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of last week, the site had seven tents open, a spokesperson for Gloria said. The city’s other shelters are all nearly full any given night, said Sofia Cardenas, data and compliance manager at the Alpha Project, a San Diego nonprofit that runs five other shelters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neighboring cities have \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/huge-influx-of-homeless-in-chula-vista-after-san-diegos-camping-ban-begins-nonprofit-director/3279891/\">reported increases\u003c/a> in encampments in their own borders in the wake of San Diego’s new law, and Cardenas said the nonprofit’s outreach workers are having a harder time finding clients who have scattered around the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Takeuchi acknowledged when officers approach a person with a warning or to cite them for violating the camping ban, they don’t necessarily know if there’s a placement for that person’s specific circumstances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not as simple as, okay, there’s a bed available for every person we contact because there are certain beds that are not available to certain populations of folks,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When considering the new ordinance, the city’s attorneys \u003ca href=\"https://docs.sandiego.gov/memooflaw/MS-2023-4.pdf\">in a legal memo (PDF)\u003c/a> noted that certain shelter options would be inadequate and put the city in danger of violating the Idaho ruling — such as an offer of a top bunk for an elderly or disabled person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the first month of enforcement, Takeuchi said out of 85 warnings only three people told police they would agree to a shelter placement, though people who are interested can call the city directly and do not have to accept the offer directly from police.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cardenas said the city should have increased the number and variety of shelter beds before starting the enforcement, and said existing shelter spaces, including the tent site, may still be inadequate for the elderly or those with disabilities or mental illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mostly we see people shuffling around,” trying to avoid police, Cardenas said. “When we’re asking them to accept sanctioned campgrounds … is that the best we can do? Accept this, or go to jail?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cities contend they’ve been increasing the options. In San Diego, Gloria said officials have another sanctioned campsite planned to open this year that will be able to accommodate up to 400, and have loosened rules on the city’s congregate shelters so that residents can bring in a pet and are not required to be sober.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mirroring other California politicians on the matter, Gloria criticized activists who call the shelter offerings inadequate as an “infinitesimally small number of voices who seemingly enjoy seeing encampments on the streets.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s never enough for them,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Better for who?’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Even if shelter spaces are open, unhoused people sometimes opt out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the din of the Highway 99 overpass along the edge of Sacramento’s urban core, a man emerged from his tent on a recent weekend morning and sat at a makeshift breakfast table, shaking a box of cereal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The man, who would only identify himself as 53-year-old Eric D., said he’d lived at this encampment of about five tents for about a month. His last campsite was a few blocks away near a freeway exit, and highway patrol officers told him he had to leave. The officers had given him a pamphlet with information about social services and shelter; he said “most of the information, a lot of the homeless people already know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Better for who?” he said, when asked whether he would consider a shelter placement better than the encampment. “It depends on the individual.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960831\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_15.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960831\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_15-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"An aerial view of a housing site with a few people walking around.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_15-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_15-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_15-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_15.jpg 1568w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People and dogs walking between pallet shelters at an emergency non-congregate housing site in Chico on Sept. 6, 2023. \u003ccite>(Fred Greaves/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Before the freeway exit site, Eric said he’d stayed at a shelter near downtown Sacramento for about two months, but said he got kicked out after missing the curfew three times. The third time, he said he had been staying with relatives while attending a family funeral. Now, he walks or takes the bus two miles from the tent to the community college where he takes classes twice a week, and a social worker visits him occasionally, helping him search for an apartment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eric said not all shelter experiences are comfortable and some people chafe at the rules. If he tries one again, he would want it to be near the community college.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people are living harder than they need to,” he said of life on the streets. “Me, I can’t stand it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His neighbor, Joel Martinez, bagged up trash on the sidewalk before sitting down to light a cigarette.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Martinez, 63, considers himself a caretaker for a friend he’s met on the streets. She lives around the corner in a van, and that morning she was leaning on its hood partially clothed, chattering to herself. Martinez worries about leaving her alone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She talks to people we don’t see or hear,” he said. “People were taking advantage of her. I don’t know if she’d fit in at a shelter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Martinez said, he’s trying to talk her into moving indoors or to a sanctioned campground with him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said he understands why cities are moving to ban encampments, and said not all residents keep their camps clean, though some, he said, “police ourselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know people don’t like to be reminded of the homelessness,” he said. “But it’s here, and it seems like the COVID thing really brought it all out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Asphalt next to an airport doesn’t count\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Federal courts have rarely defined the adequacy of specific types of shelter — though in one extreme case a judge said some things simply don’t count.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Chico, a group of unhoused residents sued the city in 2021 over its enforcement of a ban on camping on any public property. At the time, the city had 120 congregate shelter beds (capacity was diminished during the pandemic) and more than 570 unsheltered residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to the suit, officials opened a temporary sanctioned campground that summer where residents were allowed to park trailers or pitch tents. The city said it could accommodate its entire homeless population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960829\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960829\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Airplanes and a control tower in the distance.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/090623_Chico_Homeless_FG_CM_07.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Airplanes and the control tower of the Chico Regional Airport in Chico on Sept. 6, 2023. \u003ccite>(Fred Greaves/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Federal District Court Judge Morrison C. England — upon finding that the campground was a strip of asphalt alongside the local airport on the outskirts of town, with one awning erected for shade — \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Chico-preliminary-injunction.pdf\">was unconvinced (PDF)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This raises the question, ‘What is shelter?’” he wrote, before quickly dismissing Chico’s “asphalt tarmac with no roof and no walls, no water and no electricity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chico officials closed the airport site after less than three months, and last year settled the suit by agreeing to build a “pallet shelter” — 177 tiny homes — where those who are camping in a prohibited spot can be directed by outreach workers or police.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the settlement, when the city \u003ca href=\"https://chico.ca.us/sites/main/files/file-attachments/camping_enforcement_timline-2022-08-19.pdf?1660944310\">plans to sweep a camp (PDF)\u003c/a>, it must count the number of people living there and confirm there’s enough open shelter beds for them, then notify the plaintiffs’ attorneys and conduct outreach to offer the residents shelter in a process that could take 17 days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 300 people have stayed at the new site since April, either because the city was about to sweep their campsites or because they called the city shelter intake line themselves, said Amber Abney-Bass, executive director of the nonprofit Jesus Center which is contracted by the city to run the site. More than 140 of them left either for violating program rules or not returning to their bed for 72 hours, prompting the shelter to give the slot to somebody else, she said. Fourteen have moved on to more stable housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Abney-Bass said she’s glad the case caused the city to create more beds, but she’s wary that as congregate shelters fall out of favor, some will remain on the streets believing “nothing else is good enough” compared to a tiny home placement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her nonprofit has assessed more than 100 other people living on the streets since the settlement who have refused a shelter placement if they couldn’t get into the tiny homes site.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Waiting for more judicial guidance\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In another case, in Sacramento, a federal judge has temporarily halted encampment sweeps during heat waves twice since last year, after advocates pointed out in court that the city had been directing unhoused people to a sanctioned campground on unshaded asphalt. The site, city attorney Susana Alcala Wood said, does have meals, showers, restrooms and social services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city has asked the 9th Circuit to weigh in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In order to advise my client as to what constitutes sufficient shelter, I need the court to tell me,” Alcala Wood said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the most part, Sacramento has not issued criminal citations against unhoused people violating new camping restrictions passed last year, including bans on camping near schools or for blocking sidewalks. Instead, assistant City Manager Mario Lara said city workers focus on “voluntary compliance,” which does include ordering people to move their tents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s drawn the ire of residents and other local politicians who want camps cleared faster and more frequently. Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho has \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article279073229.html\">threatened city officials \u003c/a>with legal action if they don’t enforce the camping bans more aggressively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether California’s shelter options are “adequate” alternatives to encampments remains an open question. Will Knight, decriminalization director at the National Homelessness Law Center, who opposes the bans, said that’s the next legal frontier for cities hoping to enforce camping restrictions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Knight defines adequate shelter as accommodating of the personal reasons someone might refuse a traditional shelter bed — including proximity to their children’s school, transportation options or wanting to stay with a pet or partner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has to be done from an extremely humane and individualized level,” he said, of enforcing camping bans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the Idaho ruling undergirding the debate may go before the Supreme Court. The Oregon city of Grants Pass, after losing its bid to enforce its camping ban in a similar case before the 9th Circuit this year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-175/275911/20230823153037814_Grants%20Pass%20v.%20Johnson_cert%20petition_corrected.pdf\">has appealed (PDF)\u003c/a> to the high court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alcala Wood, of Sacramento, said she’s among a number of city attorneys who plan to sign on to a brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Is a shelter not adequate if it doesn’t provide a place for your pets? Is a shelter not adequate if it doesn’t provide a place for you to store all your excess personal belongings?” she said, ticking off cities’ questions about their obligations. “Should we allow a person to be able to cook in a shelter? What about open flames? These are all questions we do not have the answers to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11960819/to-sweep-homeless-camps-california-cities-have-to-offer-shelter-but-what-that-means-is-debatable",
"authors": [
"byline_news_11960819"
],
"categories": [
"news_6266",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_21214",
"news_4020"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_11960832",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_11960500": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11960500",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11960500",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1694286666000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "california-will-end-electric-car-rebates-to-subsidize-lower-income-car-buyers",
"title": "California Will End Electric Car Rebates to Focus on Subsidizing Lower-Income Car Buyers",
"publishDate": 1694286666,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "California Will End Electric Car Rebates to Focus on Subsidizing Lower-Income Car Buyers | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18481,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>California is eliminating its popular electric car rebate program — which often runs out of money and has long waiting lists — to focus on providing subsidies only to lower-income car buyers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://cleanvehiclerebate.org/en\">Clean Vehicle Rebate Project\u003c/a>, in existence since 2010, will end when it runs out of money this year. In its place, \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/californias-clean-vehicle-rebate-program-will-transition-helping-low-income-residents\">the state will expand a program\u003c/a> next year that provides subsidies only to residents with low-to-middle income — those who have more trouble affording electric cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The income limits will be much more restrictive. Californians who earn more than 300% of the \u003ca href=\"https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines\">federal poverty level\u003c/a> will no longer qualify for a state subsidy when they purchase an electric car, according to the California Air Resources Board. Currently, that level is $43,740 for an individual and $90,000 for a family of four, with sliding scales for household size.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In comparison, under the existing program that is being eliminated, individuals earning up to $135,000 and joint filers earning up to $200,000 qualified. The rebates for battery-powered cars varied from $7,500 for households with lower-income to $2,000 for those with higher income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say the old program has been a key driver for helping Californians transition to electric cars. But now that the vehicles have become mainstream, the state will shift the emphasis to helping people who can’t afford their high price tags.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The goal here is not to eliminate options for one group of motorists at the expense of another, but to assist those who’ve been unable to purchase a cleaner vehicle and to broaden and deepen the state’s ZEV (zero-emission vehicle) fleet. We need everyone possible to afford a ZEV, and this has been part of the plan to do that for a number of years,” said air board spokesman David Clegern.[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"David Clegern, California Air Resources Board\"]‘The goal here is not to eliminate options for one group of motorists at the expense of another, but to assist those who’ve been unable to purchase a cleaner vehicle.’[/pullquote]The program called \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/clean-cars-4-all\">Clean Cars 4 All \u003c/a>will be expanded statewide next year; it currently is available only in the five largest air districts. The revamped program will give people statewide who meet the income requirements up to $12,000 to scrap and replace their older gas-powered cars with cleaner alternatives. Those not getting rid of an older car can qualify for up to $7,500 in purchase grants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Car buyers also may qualify for a federal \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/credits-for-new-clean-vehicles-purchased-in-2023-or-after\">tax credit \u003c/a>of up to $7,500 for some vehicles, with income restrictions of $150,000 for individuals and $300,000 for married couples filing jointly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bill Magavern, policy director of the Coalition for Clean Air, a Los Angeles-based advocacy group, said the state will “democratize clean transportation” with its more targeted subsidies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is time for (the state rebate) to go away,” Magavern said. “When EVs were considered to be exotic and strange and out of reach for most people, it was important to have this broad-based rebate. But now EVs have gone mainstream.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some car dealers worry that ending the rebate for middle-to–higher income Californians might discourage people from buying the cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jessie Dosanjh, president of the California Automotive Retailing Group, a network of dealerships in the San Francisco Bay Area where about 20% of sales are electric vehicles, said the cars are still relatively expensive compared to other options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, he said he understands why the state is shifting its focus to consumers with low-to-middle-income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As we’re moving into more mass adoption, I think it’s critical to have that income-based structure, because it opens up the market to some people who might be on the fringe, and not be able to afford it due to income limitations,” Dosanjh said.[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11956089,news_11944855,news_11932078\"]The average price of an electric car was \u003ca href=\"https://www.coxautoinc.com/market-insights/kbb-atp-july-2023/#:~:text=According%20to%20Kelley%20Blue%20Book,%24199%20from%20one%20year%20ago.\">$53,469 in July\u003c/a>, about 18% lower than a year earlier. The industry average for all 2023 cars in July was about $48,300.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project has issued half a million rebates worth $1.2 billion. And the program remains wildly popular, hitting a record 14,000 applications in July, the air board said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now its website announces: “Funds for CVRP are nearly exhausted. Applications received on or after September 6, 2023, will be placed on a standby list and are not guaranteed a rebate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While it is disappointing to see the most successful incentive program in history end, the march toward eliminating traditional (rebates) and directing the very limited funding to equity programs has been clear for several years now,” said Steve Douglas, a vice president at the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an auto industry group.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The goal: Making electric cars affordable for everyone\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/series/california-electric-vehicles/\">California is trying to electrify its 25 million cars, clean up its severe air pollution and reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels\u003c/a>. To do so, the state is mandating that 35% of new 2026 car models sold in California must be zero-emissions, climbing to 68% in 2030 and 100% in 2035.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the mandate to succeed, the government has to ensure that people throughout the state, in all income levels, can afford electric cars.[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Bill Magavern, policy director, Coalition for Clean Air\"]‘It is time for (the state rebate) to go away. When EVs were considered to be exotic and strange and out of reach for most people, it was important to have this broad-based rebate. But now EVs have gone mainstream.’[/pullquote]But a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2023/03/california-electric-cars-demographics/\">CalMatters’ statewide analysis of ZIP codes earlier this year \u003c/a>showed extreme disparities in electric car ownership. Communities with mostly white and Asian high-income residents have the state’s highest concentrations of zero-emission cars. In stark contrast, California ZIP codes with the largest percentages of Latino and Black residents have extremely low proportions of electric cars — many with no electric cars at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Income seems to be the main driver of the disparities, according to CalMatters’ analysis. Most median household incomes in the top 10 ZIP codes for electric cars exceeded $200,000, much higher than the statewide $84,097.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dosanjh, from the Bay Area car dealership group, said early adopters were often higher-earning people who worked in the technology industry, or at least technology enthusiasts. But these days he said he sees more people buying electric cars to replace their gas-powered vehicles, rather than having them as novelty and luxury items.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/zero-emission-vehicle-and-infrastructure-statistics/new-zev-sales\">1.6 million zero-emission vehicles\u003c/a> have been sold in California; one out of four cars sold during the second quarter of this year were zero emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Erich Muehlegger, a professor of economics at UC Davis, said the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project has been “the main workhorse to encourage people to buy zero-emissions vehicles.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the rebate program has been subject to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2022/08/california-electric-cars-rebates/\">inconsistent and inadequate funding\u003c/a>, according to CalMatters reporting. Last year the program was flooded with requests for the money, resulting in long waits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, the various state programs were confusing to Californians. Now they can apply in one place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Closing out the (rebate) program has been the plan for some time, and in 2015 the decision was made that when ZEVs reached 16% of new vehicle sales, [that] would be the point where that would happen. We let it run longer (25%) just to ensure we had a healthy market,” Clegern said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The state concluded that shifting financing to Californians who may have been left out of the ZEV market because of their income is the right thing to do and also deepens the market,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program that will be expanded, Clean Cars 4 All, has assisted households with low-to-middle-income as well as families who live in areas designated as “disadvantaged communities,” with low socioeconomic status as well as environmental risks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new program will be rolled out with a revamped financing assistance program for buyers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The money comes from the state’s greenhouse gas reduction fund, which raises money by selling carbon allowances to pollution-emitting businesses, as well as money from the state’s budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Now that electric cars are mainstream, higher-income Californians will no longer qualify for state subsidies, while lower-income buyers could get up to $12,000.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1721158962,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 31,
"wordCount": 1445
},
"headData": {
"title": "California Will End Electric Car Rebates to Focus on Subsidizing Lower-Income Car Buyers | KQED",
"description": "Now that electric cars are mainstream, higher-income Californians will no longer qualify for state subsidies, while lower-income buyers could get up to $12,000.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "California Will End Electric Car Rebates to Focus on Subsidizing Lower-Income Car Buyers",
"datePublished": "2023-09-09T12:11:06-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-07-16T12:42:42-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/alejandro-lazo/\">Alejandro Lazo\u003c/a>",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/11960500/california-will-end-electric-car-rebates-to-subsidize-lower-income-car-buyers",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California is eliminating its popular electric car rebate program — which often runs out of money and has long waiting lists — to focus on providing subsidies only to lower-income car buyers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://cleanvehiclerebate.org/en\">Clean Vehicle Rebate Project\u003c/a>, in existence since 2010, will end when it runs out of money this year. In its place, \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/californias-clean-vehicle-rebate-program-will-transition-helping-low-income-residents\">the state will expand a program\u003c/a> next year that provides subsidies only to residents with low-to-middle income — those who have more trouble affording electric cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The income limits will be much more restrictive. Californians who earn more than 300% of the \u003ca href=\"https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines\">federal poverty level\u003c/a> will no longer qualify for a state subsidy when they purchase an electric car, according to the California Air Resources Board. Currently, that level is $43,740 for an individual and $90,000 for a family of four, with sliding scales for household size.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In comparison, under the existing program that is being eliminated, individuals earning up to $135,000 and joint filers earning up to $200,000 qualified. The rebates for battery-powered cars varied from $7,500 for households with lower-income to $2,000 for those with higher income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say the old program has been a key driver for helping Californians transition to electric cars. But now that the vehicles have become mainstream, the state will shift the emphasis to helping people who can’t afford their high price tags.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The goal here is not to eliminate options for one group of motorists at the expense of another, but to assist those who’ve been unable to purchase a cleaner vehicle and to broaden and deepen the state’s ZEV (zero-emission vehicle) fleet. We need everyone possible to afford a ZEV, and this has been part of the plan to do that for a number of years,” said air board spokesman David Clegern.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘The goal here is not to eliminate options for one group of motorists at the expense of another, but to assist those who’ve been unable to purchase a cleaner vehicle.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"align": "right",
"size": "medium",
"citation": "David Clegern, California Air Resources Board",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The program called \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/clean-cars-4-all\">Clean Cars 4 All \u003c/a>will be expanded statewide next year; it currently is available only in the five largest air districts. The revamped program will give people statewide who meet the income requirements up to $12,000 to scrap and replace their older gas-powered cars with cleaner alternatives. Those not getting rid of an older car can qualify for up to $7,500 in purchase grants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Car buyers also may qualify for a federal \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/credits-for-new-clean-vehicles-purchased-in-2023-or-after\">tax credit \u003c/a>of up to $7,500 for some vehicles, with income restrictions of $150,000 for individuals and $300,000 for married couples filing jointly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bill Magavern, policy director of the Coalition for Clean Air, a Los Angeles-based advocacy group, said the state will “democratize clean transportation” with its more targeted subsidies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is time for (the state rebate) to go away,” Magavern said. “When EVs were considered to be exotic and strange and out of reach for most people, it was important to have this broad-based rebate. But now EVs have gone mainstream.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some car dealers worry that ending the rebate for middle-to–higher income Californians might discourage people from buying the cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jessie Dosanjh, president of the California Automotive Retailing Group, a network of dealerships in the San Francisco Bay Area where about 20% of sales are electric vehicles, said the cars are still relatively expensive compared to other options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, he said he understands why the state is shifting its focus to consumers with low-to-middle-income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As we’re moving into more mass adoption, I think it’s critical to have that income-based structure, because it opens up the market to some people who might be on the fringe, and not be able to afford it due to income limitations,” Dosanjh said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "Related Stories ",
"postid": "news_11956089,news_11944855,news_11932078"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The average price of an electric car was \u003ca href=\"https://www.coxautoinc.com/market-insights/kbb-atp-july-2023/#:~:text=According%20to%20Kelley%20Blue%20Book,%24199%20from%20one%20year%20ago.\">$53,469 in July\u003c/a>, about 18% lower than a year earlier. The industry average for all 2023 cars in July was about $48,300.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project has issued half a million rebates worth $1.2 billion. And the program remains wildly popular, hitting a record 14,000 applications in July, the air board said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now its website announces: “Funds for CVRP are nearly exhausted. Applications received on or after September 6, 2023, will be placed on a standby list and are not guaranteed a rebate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While it is disappointing to see the most successful incentive program in history end, the march toward eliminating traditional (rebates) and directing the very limited funding to equity programs has been clear for several years now,” said Steve Douglas, a vice president at the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an auto industry group.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The goal: Making electric cars affordable for everyone\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/series/california-electric-vehicles/\">California is trying to electrify its 25 million cars, clean up its severe air pollution and reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels\u003c/a>. To do so, the state is mandating that 35% of new 2026 car models sold in California must be zero-emissions, climbing to 68% in 2030 and 100% in 2035.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the mandate to succeed, the government has to ensure that people throughout the state, in all income levels, can afford electric cars.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘It is time for (the state rebate) to go away. When EVs were considered to be exotic and strange and out of reach for most people, it was important to have this broad-based rebate. But now EVs have gone mainstream.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"align": "right",
"size": "medium",
"citation": "Bill Magavern, policy director, Coalition for Clean Air",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2023/03/california-electric-cars-demographics/\">CalMatters’ statewide analysis of ZIP codes earlier this year \u003c/a>showed extreme disparities in electric car ownership. Communities with mostly white and Asian high-income residents have the state’s highest concentrations of zero-emission cars. In stark contrast, California ZIP codes with the largest percentages of Latino and Black residents have extremely low proportions of electric cars — many with no electric cars at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Income seems to be the main driver of the disparities, according to CalMatters’ analysis. Most median household incomes in the top 10 ZIP codes for electric cars exceeded $200,000, much higher than the statewide $84,097.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dosanjh, from the Bay Area car dealership group, said early adopters were often higher-earning people who worked in the technology industry, or at least technology enthusiasts. But these days he said he sees more people buying electric cars to replace their gas-powered vehicles, rather than having them as novelty and luxury items.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/zero-emission-vehicle-and-infrastructure-statistics/new-zev-sales\">1.6 million zero-emission vehicles\u003c/a> have been sold in California; one out of four cars sold during the second quarter of this year were zero emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Erich Muehlegger, a professor of economics at UC Davis, said the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project has been “the main workhorse to encourage people to buy zero-emissions vehicles.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the rebate program has been subject to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2022/08/california-electric-cars-rebates/\">inconsistent and inadequate funding\u003c/a>, according to CalMatters reporting. Last year the program was flooded with requests for the money, resulting in long waits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, the various state programs were confusing to Californians. Now they can apply in one place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Closing out the (rebate) program has been the plan for some time, and in 2015 the decision was made that when ZEVs reached 16% of new vehicle sales, [that] would be the point where that would happen. We let it run longer (25%) just to ensure we had a healthy market,” Clegern said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The state concluded that shifting financing to Californians who may have been left out of the ZEV market because of their income is the right thing to do and also deepens the market,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program that will be expanded, Clean Cars 4 All, has assisted households with low-to-middle-income as well as families who live in areas designated as “disadvantaged communities,” with low socioeconomic status as well as environmental risks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new program will be rolled out with a revamped financing assistance program for buyers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The money comes from the state’s greenhouse gas reduction fund, which raises money by selling carbon allowances to pollution-emitting businesses, as well as money from the state’s budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11960500/california-will-end-electric-car-rebates-to-subsidize-lower-income-car-buyers",
"authors": [
"byline_news_11960500"
],
"categories": [
"news_8",
"news_1397"
],
"tags": [
"news_33152",
"news_22457",
"news_27626"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_11960503",
"label": "news_18481"
},
"news_11960324": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11960324",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11960324",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1694183434000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 18481
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1694183434,
"format": "standard",
"title": "California Schools Struggle to Deal With Soaring Chronic Absenteeism",
"headTitle": "California Schools Struggle to Deal With Soaring Chronic Absenteeism | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>As a new school year gets underway in California, districts are desperately trying to lure thousands of missing, tardy and truant students back to the classroom in what many view as a pivotal moment for education in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2021–22, 30% of students in California’s public schools were chronically absent, an all-time high and more than three times the pre-pandemic rate. Advocates fear that unless schools can reverse the trend, so many students will fall behind that they may never catch up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a crisis, and it’s not going to change until we do everything we can to get kids back in school 100%,” said Heather Hough, director of Policy Analysis for California Education. “What we all fear is that this will become the new normal. … It is hard to overstate the importance of this issue, and it is absolutely a pivotal moment.”[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Hedy Chang, executive director, Attendance Works\"]‘We need to create those deep connections, so every child knows that there’s an adult waiting with open arms to welcome them to school. That needs to be the new normal.’[/pullquote]Before the pandemic, about 10% of students in California’s public schools missed at least 10% (or 18 days) in a school year, which the state defines as chronically absent. But COVID-related school closures, remote learning and quarantines have created a new habit for millions of families: optional, not mandatory, daily school attendance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though California \u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ai/sb/#:~:text=California%20compulsory%20education%20law%20requires,Exam%20and%20obtained%20parental%20permission.\">law\u003c/a> requires all children ages 6 through 18 to attend school every day, nearly 2 million students were chronically absent in 2021–22, the most recent year data is available. Nearly every group of students had high rates of absenteeism, but the highest rates were among kindergartners. Kindergartners who are Black, Pacific Islander or have disabilities all had rates of 50% or higher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960341\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21.jpg\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960341\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Seven small children stand in line on a playground.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students line up on the first day of school at Loma Vista Elementary School in Salinas on Aug. 8, 2023. \u003ccite>(Semantha Norris/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Students’ specific reasons for missing school are varied. Lack of transportation is among the most common reasons, but sometimes students have to look after younger siblings or go to work. In some cases, students stay home because they’re being bullied or don’t like their teachers. After COVID, some parents have become overly cautious about sending their children to school with minor ailments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Personal connections have made all the difference at an elementary school in Salinas — thanks in part to a school secretary the students call “Miss Cathy.”[aside postID=\"mindshift_61166,mindshift_61278,news_11940901\" label=\"Related Stories\"]As students and their parents file into Loma Vista Elementary every morning, Catalina Cisneros greets them by name, gives them hugs and catches up in Spanish, the predominant language in that part of the city. Cisneros, a Salinas native, said she understands the struggles that families face as they raise their children while working long hours, sometimes starting their days at 4 a.m. in the nearby lettuce fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I treat the parents how I’d like to be treated, with empathy and compassion,” said Cisneros, who started working at Loma Vista Elementary three years ago. “We have to, because we want the kids in school. The parents want their kids in school, too. They’re doing the best they can, and sometimes it’s hard. I get that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Absenteeism has myriad negative impacts. For students, they’re more likely to fall behind academically, drop out and not graduate. For schools, lower attendance means less revenue from the state, which bases its funding on how many students show up every day. For teachers, poor attendance means half-empty classrooms, with some students who are weeks or months behind their peers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960342\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26.jpg\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960342\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing a dress and pink sweater embraces a child wearing a blue sweater and jeans on a playground.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catalina Cisneros, secretary at Loma Vista Elementary School, gets a hug from a student on the first day of school in Salinas on Aug. 8, 2023. \u003ccite>(Semantha Norris/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>There are legal implications, as well. In extreme cases, local district attorneys can get involved, citing and fining parents or students who persistently flout the mandatory attendance law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alarmed at the extent of the crisis, the Legislature is intervening. The Assembly recently asked Hough’s organization, Policy Analysis for California Education, to study the issue and come up with recommendations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The findings could lead to legislation that would address the issue directly. A few possibilities include increased accountability at the local level, such as offering districts more incentives to get students back in class; better data collection; and broader efforts to make school a more attractive place for students to be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to the pandemic, the state has already invested billions in initiatives aimed at boosting student engagement, including:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ex/elopinfo.asp\">After-school and summer programs\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2023/08/school-lunches/\">Improved school meals\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/ts-communityschools.asp\">Community schools\u003c/a>, which offer social services to students, their families and others in the neighborhood.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/08/18/governor-newsom-unveils-new-plan-to-transform-kids-mental-health/\">Mental health\u003c/a> counselors, on-campus wellness centers and staff training on social-emotional learning.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://stnonline.com/special-reports/historic-california-budget-provides-more-funding-to-school-transportation-questions-remain/\">Expanded school bus services\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear how much impact these programs have had so far, or if they’ll survive once COVID relief funding expires or the state budget tightens. But in any case, the state needs to do more, said Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting, a Democrat representing San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s worrisome that kids are still staying home from school in record numbers,” Ting said. “Our investments in universal school meals, after-school programs and home-to-school transportation have not been enough to bring students back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ting said he’s hopeful that studying the issue will lead to solutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When children don’t regularly attend class, they fall behind on their lessons, and they are more likely to drop out — some as early as kindergarten. The implications of a less-educated generation are great,” he said. “We need to understand why attendance is below pre-COVID levels, so that we can better direct state resources and education leaders where they’ll be most effective in re-engaging students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Absenteeism has been so high in the Salinas City Elementary District — approaching 40% last year — that the district convened a group of teachers, administrators, counselors and others to brainstorm how to get students back in the classroom. Among the steps is encouraging office staff to be friendly, welcoming and non-judgmental, even when students are late or absent for long periods. Another step is talking to the families and students who have struggled the most with attendance, and addressing the specific reasons they can’t get to school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960336\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03.jpg\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960336\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A small girl wearing a purple skirt and pink backpack walks with a bald man wearing a black shirt and camouflage pants in a crosswalk.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Parents walk their kids to school on the first day of classes at Loma Vista Elementary School in Salinas on Aug. 8, 2023. \u003ccite>(Semantha Norris/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In some cases, families said the bus pickup time was too early. So the district purchased a fleet of vans that could do shorter bus routes, allowing for later pickup times. Other families said their children didn’t want to go to school because they felt anxious or bullied, so the district connected students with counselors, tried to end the bullying and worked to improve the overall campus climate. Some students said they simply hate school, so the district arranged for them to transfer to a school that might be a better fit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The efforts appear to be working. In 2021–22, the district’s chronic absenteeism rate was 38%, almost triple the pre-pandemic rate and well above the state average. By January, it had fallen to 29%, and last week it had fallen to 21%. Loma Vista, which had one of the district’s highest absenteeism rates — 46% in 2021–22 — saw its rate drop to just over 24% so far this school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The numbers are important, said Superintendent Rebeca Andrade, but students’ success is more important. The pandemic was particularly hard on the community, and families in the lower-income agricultural region have struggled to rebound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To see so many kids missing school — it wasn’t just frustrating. It was heartbreaking,” Andrade said. “School is supposed to be a safe place, and too many students were missing that. We knew we had to do something.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960339\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12.jpg\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960339\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12-800x533.jpg\" alt='A woman wearing a shirt with blue and white designs holds a book that reads \"Good Morning\" with illustrations in front of children.' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A teacher greets her students as they enter the classroom on the first day of school at Loma Vista Elementary School in Salinas on Aug. 8, 2023. \u003ccite>(Semantha Norris/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Stemming absenteeism ultimately may be up to individual schools and staff, said Hedy Chang, executive director of the advocacy group Attendance Works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For starters, health standards need to change, she said. Schools should promote better preventative care for students, but also convince parents that COVID is no longer a public health emergency and that children should not miss school “for every sniffle or tummy ache.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But more importantly, school staff must work directly with families to address the specific reasons for absenteeism, taking into account language and cultural barriers, and build strong personal relationships with parents and students, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960337\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08.jpg\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960337\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Eight children sit in chairs on a playground with their hands on their heads facing a woman who is doing the same thing while standing.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A teacher plays a game with students before an assembly on the first day of school at Loma Vista Elementary School in Salinas on Aug. 8, 2023. \u003ccite>(Semantha Norris/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We need to create those deep connections, so every child knows that there’s an adult waiting with open arms to welcome them to school,” Chang said. “That needs to be the new normal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maria Perez, a parent at Loma Vista, said she wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to get her fourth grade daughter to school in time to be at her job at a Castroville fruit distribution center by 8 a.m. It doesn’t help, she said, when her daughter oversleeps or doesn’t feel well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes it’s a challenge. I tell her, it’s going to be a good day, it’s alright, don’t worry,” Perez said. “It’s important she goes to school because I want her to meet people, to make friends, to learn, to be someone in life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parent Leslie Naranjo, who dropped four of her six kids off at Loma Vista on a recent morning, said getting out the door every day can be a Herculean task. She hasn’t always been as punctual as she’d like to be, but she’s trying: She now puts out her kids’ clothes the night before, bought a shoe rack so they’re not constantly searching for lost shoes, and has them shower before bed instead of in the morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s all helped, she said, but it’s Miss Cathy’s smiles that have made the difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we come in, she always says, ‘Hi!’ She’s always so happy to see us,” Naranjo said. “The kids see she’s excited to be here, so they get excited. It works.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1873,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 32
},
"modified": 1694129158,
"excerpt": "Nearly a third of K–12 students statewide were chronically absent in 2020–21, more than 3 times the pre-pandemic rate. Some school officials fear that pattern will become the new normal.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Nearly a third of K–12 students statewide were chronically absent in 2020–21, more than 3 times the pre-pandemic rate. Some school officials fear that pattern will become the new normal.",
"title": "California Schools Struggle to Deal With Soaring Chronic Absenteeism | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "California Schools Struggle to Deal With Soaring Chronic Absenteeism",
"datePublished": "2023-09-08T07:30:34-07:00",
"dateModified": "2023-09-07T16:25:58-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "california-schools-struggle-to-deal-with-soaring-chronic-absenteeism",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/carolyn-jones/\">Carolyn Jones\u003c/a>",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/11960324/california-schools-struggle-to-deal-with-soaring-chronic-absenteeism",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As a new school year gets underway in California, districts are desperately trying to lure thousands of missing, tardy and truant students back to the classroom in what many view as a pivotal moment for education in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2021–22, 30% of students in California’s public schools were chronically absent, an all-time high and more than three times the pre-pandemic rate. Advocates fear that unless schools can reverse the trend, so many students will fall behind that they may never catch up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a crisis, and it’s not going to change until we do everything we can to get kids back in school 100%,” said Heather Hough, director of Policy Analysis for California Education. “What we all fear is that this will become the new normal. … It is hard to overstate the importance of this issue, and it is absolutely a pivotal moment.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘We need to create those deep connections, so every child knows that there’s an adult waiting with open arms to welcome them to school. That needs to be the new normal.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Hedy Chang, executive director, Attendance Works",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Before the pandemic, about 10% of students in California’s public schools missed at least 10% (or 18 days) in a school year, which the state defines as chronically absent. But COVID-related school closures, remote learning and quarantines have created a new habit for millions of families: optional, not mandatory, daily school attendance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though California \u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ai/sb/#:~:text=California%20compulsory%20education%20law%20requires,Exam%20and%20obtained%20parental%20permission.\">law\u003c/a> requires all children ages 6 through 18 to attend school every day, nearly 2 million students were chronically absent in 2021–22, the most recent year data is available. Nearly every group of students had high rates of absenteeism, but the highest rates were among kindergartners. Kindergartners who are Black, Pacific Islander or have disabilities all had rates of 50% or higher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960341\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21.jpg\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960341\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Seven small children stand in line on a playground.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_21.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students line up on the first day of school at Loma Vista Elementary School in Salinas on Aug. 8, 2023. \u003ccite>(Semantha Norris/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Students’ specific reasons for missing school are varied. Lack of transportation is among the most common reasons, but sometimes students have to look after younger siblings or go to work. In some cases, students stay home because they’re being bullied or don’t like their teachers. After COVID, some parents have become overly cautious about sending their children to school with minor ailments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Personal connections have made all the difference at an elementary school in Salinas — thanks in part to a school secretary the students call “Miss Cathy.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "mindshift_61166,mindshift_61278,news_11940901",
"label": "Related Stories "
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>As students and their parents file into Loma Vista Elementary every morning, Catalina Cisneros greets them by name, gives them hugs and catches up in Spanish, the predominant language in that part of the city. Cisneros, a Salinas native, said she understands the struggles that families face as they raise their children while working long hours, sometimes starting their days at 4 a.m. in the nearby lettuce fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I treat the parents how I’d like to be treated, with empathy and compassion,” said Cisneros, who started working at Loma Vista Elementary three years ago. “We have to, because we want the kids in school. The parents want their kids in school, too. They’re doing the best they can, and sometimes it’s hard. I get that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Absenteeism has myriad negative impacts. For students, they’re more likely to fall behind academically, drop out and not graduate. For schools, lower attendance means less revenue from the state, which bases its funding on how many students show up every day. For teachers, poor attendance means half-empty classrooms, with some students who are weeks or months behind their peers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960342\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26.jpg\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960342\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing a dress and pink sweater embraces a child wearing a blue sweater and jeans on a playground.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_26.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catalina Cisneros, secretary at Loma Vista Elementary School, gets a hug from a student on the first day of school in Salinas on Aug. 8, 2023. \u003ccite>(Semantha Norris/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>There are legal implications, as well. In extreme cases, local district attorneys can get involved, citing and fining parents or students who persistently flout the mandatory attendance law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alarmed at the extent of the crisis, the Legislature is intervening. The Assembly recently asked Hough’s organization, Policy Analysis for California Education, to study the issue and come up with recommendations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The findings could lead to legislation that would address the issue directly. A few possibilities include increased accountability at the local level, such as offering districts more incentives to get students back in class; better data collection; and broader efforts to make school a more attractive place for students to be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to the pandemic, the state has already invested billions in initiatives aimed at boosting student engagement, including:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ex/elopinfo.asp\">After-school and summer programs\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2023/08/school-lunches/\">Improved school meals\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/ts-communityschools.asp\">Community schools\u003c/a>, which offer social services to students, their families and others in the neighborhood.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/08/18/governor-newsom-unveils-new-plan-to-transform-kids-mental-health/\">Mental health\u003c/a> counselors, on-campus wellness centers and staff training on social-emotional learning.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://stnonline.com/special-reports/historic-california-budget-provides-more-funding-to-school-transportation-questions-remain/\">Expanded school bus services\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear how much impact these programs have had so far, or if they’ll survive once COVID relief funding expires or the state budget tightens. But in any case, the state needs to do more, said Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting, a Democrat representing San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s worrisome that kids are still staying home from school in record numbers,” Ting said. “Our investments in universal school meals, after-school programs and home-to-school transportation have not been enough to bring students back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ting said he’s hopeful that studying the issue will lead to solutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When children don’t regularly attend class, they fall behind on their lessons, and they are more likely to drop out — some as early as kindergarten. The implications of a less-educated generation are great,” he said. “We need to understand why attendance is below pre-COVID levels, so that we can better direct state resources and education leaders where they’ll be most effective in re-engaging students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Absenteeism has been so high in the Salinas City Elementary District — approaching 40% last year — that the district convened a group of teachers, administrators, counselors and others to brainstorm how to get students back in the classroom. Among the steps is encouraging office staff to be friendly, welcoming and non-judgmental, even when students are late or absent for long periods. Another step is talking to the families and students who have struggled the most with attendance, and addressing the specific reasons they can’t get to school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960336\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03.jpg\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960336\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A small girl wearing a purple skirt and pink backpack walks with a bald man wearing a black shirt and camouflage pants in a crosswalk.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_03.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Parents walk their kids to school on the first day of classes at Loma Vista Elementary School in Salinas on Aug. 8, 2023. \u003ccite>(Semantha Norris/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In some cases, families said the bus pickup time was too early. So the district purchased a fleet of vans that could do shorter bus routes, allowing for later pickup times. Other families said their children didn’t want to go to school because they felt anxious or bullied, so the district connected students with counselors, tried to end the bullying and worked to improve the overall campus climate. Some students said they simply hate school, so the district arranged for them to transfer to a school that might be a better fit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The efforts appear to be working. In 2021–22, the district’s chronic absenteeism rate was 38%, almost triple the pre-pandemic rate and well above the state average. By January, it had fallen to 29%, and last week it had fallen to 21%. Loma Vista, which had one of the district’s highest absenteeism rates — 46% in 2021–22 — saw its rate drop to just over 24% so far this school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The numbers are important, said Superintendent Rebeca Andrade, but students’ success is more important. The pandemic was particularly hard on the community, and families in the lower-income agricultural region have struggled to rebound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To see so many kids missing school — it wasn’t just frustrating. It was heartbreaking,” Andrade said. “School is supposed to be a safe place, and too many students were missing that. We knew we had to do something.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960339\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12.jpg\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960339\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12-800x533.jpg\" alt='A woman wearing a shirt with blue and white designs holds a book that reads \"Good Morning\" with illustrations in front of children.' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_12.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A teacher greets her students as they enter the classroom on the first day of school at Loma Vista Elementary School in Salinas on Aug. 8, 2023. \u003ccite>(Semantha Norris/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Stemming absenteeism ultimately may be up to individual schools and staff, said Hedy Chang, executive director of the advocacy group Attendance Works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For starters, health standards need to change, she said. Schools should promote better preventative care for students, but also convince parents that COVID is no longer a public health emergency and that children should not miss school “for every sniffle or tummy ache.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But more importantly, school staff must work directly with families to address the specific reasons for absenteeism, taking into account language and cultural barriers, and build strong personal relationships with parents and students, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960337\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08.jpg\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11960337\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Eight children sit in chairs on a playground with their hands on their heads facing a woman who is doing the same thing while standing.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/080923_School-Attendance_SN_CM_08.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A teacher plays a game with students before an assembly on the first day of school at Loma Vista Elementary School in Salinas on Aug. 8, 2023. \u003ccite>(Semantha Norris/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We need to create those deep connections, so every child knows that there’s an adult waiting with open arms to welcome them to school,” Chang said. “That needs to be the new normal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maria Perez, a parent at Loma Vista, said she wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to get her fourth grade daughter to school in time to be at her job at a Castroville fruit distribution center by 8 a.m. It doesn’t help, she said, when her daughter oversleeps or doesn’t feel well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes it’s a challenge. I tell her, it’s going to be a good day, it’s alright, don’t worry,” Perez said. “It’s important she goes to school because I want her to meet people, to make friends, to learn, to be someone in life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parent Leslie Naranjo, who dropped four of her six kids off at Loma Vista on a recent morning, said getting out the door every day can be a Herculean task. She hasn’t always been as punctual as she’d like to be, but she’s trying: She now puts out her kids’ clothes the night before, bought a shoe rack so they’re not constantly searching for lost shoes, and has them shower before bed instead of in the morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s all helped, she said, but it’s Miss Cathy’s smiles that have made the difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we come in, she always says, ‘Hi!’ She’s always so happy to see us,” Naranjo said. “The kids see she’s excited to be here, so they get excited. It works.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11960324/california-schools-struggle-to-deal-with-soaring-chronic-absenteeism",
"authors": [
"byline_news_11960324"
],
"categories": [
"news_18540",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_28367",
"news_30911",
"news_31231",
"news_20517"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_18481"
],
"featImg": "news_11960340",
"label": "news_18481"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"radioSearchSegmentsReducer": {},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9a90d476-aa04-455d-9a4c-0871ed6216d4/bay-curious",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/44420f75-3b0e-4301-ab3b-16da6b09e543/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Snap Judgment",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Spooked",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d800ea4c-7a2c-42f2-b861-edaf78a5db0b/the-bay",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026Reducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/news?affiliate=calmatters": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 480,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 980,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"news_11963769",
"news_11962557",
"news_11961980",
"news_11961732",
"news_11961743",
"news_11961346",
"news_11961162",
"news_11960987",
"news_11960912",
"news_11960819",
"news_11960500",
"news_11960324"
],
"complete": true
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"newslettersReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"newsletters": {},
"isSubscribing": false,
"isUnsubscribing": false,
"subscribedNewsletters": {}
},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"careers": {
"name": "Careers",
"type": "terms",
"id": "careers",
"slug": "careers",
"link": "/careers",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"newsletters": {
"name": "newsletters",
"type": "terms",
"id": "newsletters",
"slug": "newsletters",
"link": "/newsletters",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news_affiliate_calmatters": {
"isLoading": true
},
"news_18481": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18481",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18481",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "CALmatters",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "affiliate",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "CALmatters Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18515,
"slug": "calmatters",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/affiliate/calmatters"
},
"news_8": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_8",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "8",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 8,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/news"
},
"news_31972": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_31972",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "31972",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "rooftop solar",
"slug": "rooftop-solar",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "rooftop solar | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 31989,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/rooftop-solar"
},
"news_32169": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_32169",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "32169",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "rooftop solar panels",
"slug": "rooftop-solar-panels",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "rooftop solar panels | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 32186,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/rooftop-solar-panels"
},
"news_31795": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_31795",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "31795",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 31812,
"slug": "california",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/california"
},
"news_18540": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18540",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18540",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Education Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2595,
"slug": "education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/education"
},
"news_20652": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20652",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20652",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "community college",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "community college Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20669,
"slug": "community-college",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/community-college"
},
"news_20013": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20013",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20013",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "education Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20030,
"slug": "education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/education"
},
"news_457": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_457",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "457",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 16998,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/health"
},
"news_32707": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_32707",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "32707",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "audience-news",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "audience-news Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 32724,
"slug": "audience-news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/audience-news"
},
"news_1054": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1054",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1054",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "health insurance",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "health insurance Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1065,
"slug": "health-insurance",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/health-insurance"
},
"news_2605": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_2605",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "2605",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Medi-Cal",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Medi-Cal Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2621,
"slug": "medi-cal",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/medi-cal"
},
"news_6266": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_6266",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "6266",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6290,
"slug": "housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/housing"
},
"news_3921": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3921",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3921",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "affordable housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "affordable housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3940,
"slug": "affordable-housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/affordable-housing"
},
"news_18538": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18538",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18538",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 31,
"slug": "california",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/california"
},
"news_866": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_866",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "866",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "abortion",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "abortion Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 876,
"slug": "abortion",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/abortion"
},
"news_30251": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_30251",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "30251",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "abortion access",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "abortion access Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 30268,
"slug": "abortion-access",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/abortion-access"
},
"news_31238": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_31238",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "31238",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 31255,
"slug": "dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-organization",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-organization"
},
"news_20296": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20296",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20296",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "planned parenthood",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "planned parenthood Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20313,
"slug": "planned-parenthood",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/planned-parenthood"
},
"news_16": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_16",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "16",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Gavin Newsom",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Gavin Newsom Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 16,
"slug": "gavin-newsom",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/gavin-newsom"
},
"news_18543": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18543",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18543",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 466,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/health"
},
"news_4020": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_4020",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "4020",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Homelessness",
"slug": "homelessness",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Homelessness | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "index"
},
"ttid": 4039,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/homelessness"
},
"news_1775": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1775",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1775",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1790,
"slug": "housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/housing"
},
"news_33195": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33195",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33195",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "mental health services act",
"slug": "mental-health-services-act",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "mental health services act | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 33212,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/mental-health-services-act"
},
"news_29607": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_29607",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "29607",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "unhoused",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "unhoused Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 29624,
"slug": "unhoused",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/unhoused"
},
"news_18159": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18159",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18159",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "insurance",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "insurance Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18193,
"slug": "insurance",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/insurance"
},
"news_4463": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_4463",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "4463",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "wildfires",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "wildfires Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4482,
"slug": "wildfires",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/wildfires"
},
"news_29267": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_29267",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "29267",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "anti-asian",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "anti-asian Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 29284,
"slug": "anti-asian",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/anti-asian"
},
"news_29910": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_29910",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "29910",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "anti-Muslim",
"slug": "anti-muslim",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "anti-Muslim | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 29927,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/anti-muslim"
},
"news_4273": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_4273",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "4273",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "hate crimes",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "hate crimes Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4292,
"slug": "hate-crimes",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/hate-crimes"
},
"news_19216": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_19216",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "19216",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "racism",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "racism Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 19233,
"slug": "racism",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/racism"
},
"news_20334": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20334",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20334",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California Community Colleges",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Community Colleges Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20351,
"slug": "california-community-colleges",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/california-community-colleges"
},
"news_31933": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_31933",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "31933",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California education Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 31950,
"slug": "california-education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/california-education"
},
"news_21214": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_21214",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "21214",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "homeless encampments",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "homeless encampments Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21231,
"slug": "homeless-encampments",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/homeless-encampments"
},
"news_1397": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1397",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1397",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Transportation",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Transportation Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1409,
"slug": "transportation",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/transportation"
},
"news_33152": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33152",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33152",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "electric car subsidies",
"slug": "electric-car-subsidies",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "electric car subsidies | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 33169,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/electric-car-subsidies"
},
"news_22457": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_22457",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "22457",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "electric cars",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "electric cars Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 22474,
"slug": "electric-cars",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/electric-cars"
},
"news_27626": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_27626",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "27626",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "featured-news",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "featured-news Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 27643,
"slug": "featured-news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/featured-news"
},
"news_28367": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_28367",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "28367",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "attendance",
"slug": "attendance",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "attendance | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 28384,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/attendance"
},
"news_30911": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_30911",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "30911",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "california schools",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "california schools Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 30928,
"slug": "california-schools",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/california-schools"
},
"news_31231": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_31231",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "31231",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "chronic absenteeism",
"slug": "chronic-absenteeism",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "chronic absenteeism | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 31248,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/chronic-absenteeism"
},
"news_20517": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20517",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20517",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "transportation",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "transportation Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20534,
"slug": "transportation",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/transportation"
}
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
}
}
