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"title": "I Told the Story of a Forgotten Chicano Revolutionary in a Podcast. Turns Out It Was My Story, Too",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This week, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/\">The California Report Magazine\u003c/a> teamed up with LAist Studios to share an episode from the new season of their podcast “\u003ca href=\"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1604648881\">Imperfect Paradise: The Forgotten Revolutionary\u003c/a>.” It’s the story of Oscar Gomez, a radio DJ and Chicano student leader during a time of explosive anti-immigrant political rhetoric in the early 1990s. Some people thought Gomez was going to be the next Cesar Chavez. But then he died near the UC Santa Barbara campus, under mysterious circumstances. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KPCC reporter \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/people/adolfo-guzman-lopez\">Adolfo Guzman-Lopez\u003c/a> first started digging into Gomez’s life and death back in 2019, when UC Davis awarded Gomez a posthumous degree. The new podcast investigates Gomez’s death and delves into his legacy — and reporting it prompted Guzman-Lopez to examine his own life, activism and journalism. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n September of 2021, I and a team of producers set out to find answers to the mysterious death of a 1990s Chicano college activist and college radio DJ. Over the next 10 months, as we interviewed people and looked for documents, I came to the realization that three-decade-old activism fundamentally shaped my three-decade-long journalism career.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s certainly not what I expected to find when I first introduced our audience to Oscar Gomez in 2019. Oscar was a scholar-athlete at Baldwin Park High School who graduated in the spring of 1990, then enrolled at UC Davis that fall. In that same year California was entering a red-hot political climate driven by a backlash against increased immigration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Nov. 17, 1994, four years after Oscar’s freshman year, he was found dead on a Santa Barbara beach, apparently after a fall from a bluff near the UC Santa Barbara campus. My story \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/25-years-after-his-tragic-death-oscar-gomez-gets-his-college-degree\">detailed how he was awarded a posthumous degree\u003c/a> by UC Davis 25 years after his death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Ralph Armbruster-Sandoval, professor of Chicana and Chicano studies, UCSB\"]‘I don’t think we’re at where we’re at today without these sacrifices and activism of the folks in the ’90s.’[/pullquote]I could have left the story there. I could have moved on. And I was about to move on. But the people I interviewed, Oscar’s activist friends, recounted stories of how Chicano college students resisted and reacted to the state’s politics, sometimes putting their own lives on the line, and that dislodged my own memories of my own activism in those years. In the past 30 years I’ve rarely talked publicly about how I was part of the early ’90s Chicano student movement, leading a student newspaper, producing a campus public affairs show and attending protests in California, some of the same protests that Oscar attended.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those personal connections led me to dig deeper. I spent months searching for documents and engaging in a deep process of thinking about how the activist and journalism work I did back then affects me today. I similarly dug deep into Oscar’s college activism and found overlaps between Oscar’s work and mine. The results are in the eight-episode LAist Studios podcast “\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/podcasts/imperfectparadise\">Imperfect Paradise: The Forgotten Revolutionary\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Time traveling back to the early ’90s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Doing this work has made me feel like I’ve been living in the years 1990-1994. Judith Segura-Mora was one of the people who triggered a waterfall of memories. She was the UC Davis student who recruited Oscar to a Chicano student organization on campus in 1990. We put two and two together and I recalled having seen her speak at the National Chicano Student Conference in Albuquerque in 1992. I paid my way there to write a story for Voz Fronteriza, the Chicano newspaper at UC San Diego. It was the first out-of-town reporting assignment in my fledgling reporting career.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I talked to Judith at a reception for the Gomez family a day before Oscar’s degree ceremony. She introduced me to Eddie Salas, who was DJing at the reception. He helped on Oscar’s Chicano public affairs radio show, “\u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/user-532477086\">La Onda Xicana\u003c/a>” (also known as “La Onda Chicana”), and had many late-night conversations with Oscar about a variety of musicians. Hearing Eddie’s stories about “La Onda Chicana” took me back to my own public affairs college radio show, “Radio Califas.” My show sparked an interest in the new rock bands coming out of Mexico and Latin America, an interest that would lead me to write music and concert reviews for many years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11919735\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1172px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11919735\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-producing-Radio-Califas-at-UCSDs-station.jpg\" alt=\"young man behind a DJ booth wearing a leather jacket and glasses smiles into the camera as a record sits on a turntable in the foreground\" width=\"1172\" height=\"922\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-producing-Radio-Califas-at-UCSDs-station.jpg 1172w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-producing-Radio-Califas-at-UCSDs-station-800x629.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-producing-Radio-Califas-at-UCSDs-station-1020x802.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-producing-Radio-Califas-at-UCSDs-station-160x126.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1172px) 100vw, 1172px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adolfo Guzman-Lopez producing ‘Radio Califas’ at UCSD’s station, KSDT. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Adolfo Guzman-Lopez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I found a box of cassettes of my show. I was surprised at the list of interviews: the film director Robert Rodriguez talking about his first film, the LA poet Marisela Norte, the renowned Chicana journalist Elizabeth Martínez, ethnic studies scholar George Lipsitz guest-DJing while he talked about 1960s and ’70s music. And I remembered that I convinced UC San Diego ethnic studies professor Jorge Mariscal to give me and the other students working on the show academic credit for our efforts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The class was Lit/Writing 121 Reportage. Its four units and the A grade I earned raised my grade-point average enough to allow me to graduate from UC San Diego in 1993. Looking at the diversity of Latino arts, culture and politics on the show, I’d say our Radio Califas production team delivered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the podcast production team and I tried to find out what happened to Oscar for “Forgotten Revolutionary,” we heard many more stories of 1990s activism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003cbr>\nValentino Gutierrez, now a high school teacher in Pico Rivera, told us of going on hunger strike to expand Chicano studies while he was an undergrad at UC Santa Barbara. Margarita Berta-Avila, a fellow student and friend of Oscar’s at UC Davis, told us how strongly she felt about the Chicano movement despite not being Mexican American (her parents are from El Salvador and Peru). Other friends of Oscar’s, like Sabrina Enrique, talked of the sexism of the 1990s movement that I believed then was a thing of the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The emotional toll of activism\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>I heard former activists, including Judith, talk about the emotional toll so much activism took on her and her fellow student activists. She said her grades and mental health suffered. Mining my own feelings and looking at my academic transcript, I remembered how mine did, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t think we’re at where we’re at today without these sacrifices and activism of the folks in the ’90s,” said Ralph Armbruster-Sandoval, a professor of Chicana and Chicano studies at UCSB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t feel like they’ve always been properly recognized.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The activism of 1990s college students survives in memories and on mostly analog platforms. These students’ newspapers, film print photographs and cassette audio recordings remain in dusty boxes in attics and garages, and in some university archives, if they’ve survived at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that contributes, Ambruster-Sandoval said, to 1990s Chicano student activism being a “lost period.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11919727\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11919727\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/San-Ysidro-Anti-Columbus-protest-October-10-1992-Photo-by-Gene-Chavira.jpg\" alt=\"aerial black and white photo of young activists holding signs reading 'Columbus had no green card' and 'Chicano power' and 'brown is beautiful'\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1273\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/San-Ysidro-Anti-Columbus-protest-October-10-1992-Photo-by-Gene-Chavira.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/San-Ysidro-Anti-Columbus-protest-October-10-1992-Photo-by-Gene-Chavira-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/San-Ysidro-Anti-Columbus-protest-October-10-1992-Photo-by-Gene-Chavira-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/San-Ysidro-Anti-Columbus-protest-October-10-1992-Photo-by-Gene-Chavira-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/San-Ysidro-Anti-Columbus-protest-October-10-1992-Photo-by-Gene-Chavira-1536x1018.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Activists hold signs at an anti-Columbus protest on Oct. 10, 1992, in San Ysidro. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Gene Chavira)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For about 25 years, that’s what the early 1990s college activist experience felt like to me. Every time I take out copies of the UC San Diego newspaper, Voz Fronteriza, that contain my writings, the pages seem to be more yellow and more brittle. I have cassette copies of my radio shows that need to be digitized before time erases their content.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As I began a mainstream journalism career in the late 1990s, I heard people in my first newsroom say journalism that came out of activism and even ethnic journalism fell into the category of “advocacy journalism.” There is some truth to that. But the comments left a chilling effect that led me to put away my college journalism experiences and lock them up in favor of a traditional “objective” approach. I was at the very beginning of a paid journalism career and I didn’t want another target on my back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But to tell Oscar’s story for the podcast, I had to tell my own story as a 1990s activist because he and I moved in some of the same activist circles and attended some of the same marches, including the protest in downtown Santa Barbara to support Chicano Studies Professor Rudy Acuña on Feb. 1, 1992. Acuña had been turned down for a faculty position in Chicano studies at UC Santa Barbara the year before and \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-09-26-me-1047-story.html\">would sue the university\u003c/a>, alleging bias against him for his activism, race and age. Acuña’s 1972 book, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/occupied-america-history-of-chicanos\">Occupied America: A History of Chicanos\u003c/a>,” and subsequent scholarship led many to consider him a founder of Chicano studies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s where I met Oscar and talked to him briefly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s red-hot politics brought Oscar, me and thousands of other students to those Santa Barbara streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11919724\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11919724\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-Voz.jpg\" alt=\"black and white photo of smiling students holding large banner reading 'voz fronteriza'\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1273\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-Voz.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-Voz-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-Voz-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-Voz-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-Voz-1536x1018.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adolfo Guzman-Lopez (second from right, in vest) and other San Diego college students who collaborated on the UC San Diego Chicano student newspaper, Voz Fronteriza, attend a rally in Santa Barbara on Feb. 1, 1992. The tall man in the center is Arnulfo Casillas, a Chicano education and cultural activist in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara who had worked on Voz Fronteriza in the late 1970s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Gene Chavira)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The state’s institutions were being stretched to the limit after large numbers of people immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1980s to escape \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/latin-american-debt-crisis#:~:text=The%20spark%20for%20the%20crisis,at%20that%20point%20totaled%20%2480\">economic crisis in Mexico\u003c/a> and violent civil wars in Central America, both situations stoked by U.S. policies. Anti-immigrant groups responded with nativist proposals to take away the civil rights of immigrants. They successfully proposed ballot measures like \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/proposition-187-what-you-need-to-know\">Proposition 187\u003c/a> that targeted undocumented immigrants and their kids. (A federal judge ruled in 1997 that \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-nov-15-mn-54053-story.html\">Prop. 187 was unconstitutional\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those anti-immigrant sentiments led me, Oscar and many other Chicano students to feel like we each had a target on our backs. And that environment spilled onto campuses, too, as Agustín Orozco, my friend from UC San Diego, describes\u003ca href=\"https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/story/2022-07-07/opinion-agustin-orozco-activism?fbclid=IwAR1kOhMJRMLU5L0uLSdABE1qxNyIxZJLDV4d1B5wltj8F6De93gQORvBZwM\"> in this essay\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Our shared, yet different, backgrounds\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Oscar and I were both Chicanos but different in many ways. He was a middle-class U.S. citizen raised in the suburbs of LA County. My mother cleaned houses for a living. She and I moved to San Diego when I was 7 years old. We overstayed our tourist visas and only received the authorization to stay permanently about a decade later, when the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, most often described as amnesty, became law in my senior year of high school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oscar responded to the xenophobia by joining the Chicano student organization on campus, then producing a weekly college radio show that mixed various types of music with in-studio interviews and field recordings from protests and marches he attended in different parts of the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before this podcast, my identity as a Chicano felt stuck in the 1990s. But I’ve adopted a fuller understanding of what Chicano, Chicana, Chicanx, Latino and Latinx activism has led to. I now see how the student activism of the 1990s helped lead to the intersectional coalition building of current times, and the exploration of Indigenous philosophy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The more that we could find out about these people and what they went through and, you know, even in this case, how they passed away or were killed, you know, the more we can share truth with people,” said Israel Calderon, a history teacher at Oscar’s alma mater, Baldwin Park High School, and a childhood friend of Oscar.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Liberate your mind’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>That’s one of the reasons Calderon and some of \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/luchascholar/\">Oscar’s friends and relatives created a foundation in Oscar’s name\u003c/a> to raise money and hand out scholarships to Baldwin Park area high school students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re more interested in promoting Oscar’s message to “liberate your mind” and help those who need help than they are to mythologize Oscar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11919737\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11919737\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/OscarGomezProfileCrouching.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of a young man in a white shirt and black cap crouches on an empty roadway\" width=\"800\" height=\"559\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/OscarGomezProfileCrouching.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/OscarGomezProfileCrouching-160x112.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oscar Gomez in an undated photo, circa 1992. \u003ccite>(Courtesy KCSB)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A story that aired last year on NPR reminded me to keep my reporting focused on the human experience. It was a story about then-NPR host Lulu Garcia-Navarro leaving the network. The reporter described how Garcia-Navarro had \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/publiceditor/2006/06/05/5452082/are-npr-reporters-too-involved-in-their-stories\">defended her deeply personal interviewing and reporting approaches\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As journalists we do not check our humanity at the door. What we must do is try and give an accurate representation of what is happening before us to the best of our ability, leaving aside our prejudices,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How and whether I compartmentalize my humanity in the work I do is a question this podcast has raised for me and for others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Am I doing what we had set out to? Have I compromised?” said Margarita Berta-Avila, who’s now a leader with the California Faculty Association, the union for California State University professors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said thinking of Oscar, 28 years after his death, has been an opportunity to check her ideals from her college years and ask whether she’s become jaded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have spent 21 years telling people’s stories at Southern California Public Radio. I have, to the best of my ability, tried to tell stories about people living deep moments in their lives, and of policies that would affect people in one way or another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I feel like I’ve kept a part of my humanity checked at the door at times, fearing that some kind of bias would creep in. There is no bias in connecting deeply with human experiences and letting my own humanity live in that moment, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For that insight, I have El Bandido de Aztlan, Oscar Gomez, to thank.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This week, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/\">The California Report Magazine\u003c/a> teamed up with LAist Studios to share an episode from the new season of their podcast “\u003ca href=\"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1604648881\">Imperfect Paradise: The Forgotten Revolutionary\u003c/a>.” It’s the story of Oscar Gomez, a radio DJ and Chicano student leader during a time of explosive anti-immigrant political rhetoric in the early 1990s. Some people thought Gomez was going to be the next Cesar Chavez. But then he died near the UC Santa Barbara campus, under mysterious circumstances. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KPCC reporter \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/people/adolfo-guzman-lopez\">Adolfo Guzman-Lopez\u003c/a> first started digging into Gomez’s life and death back in 2019, when UC Davis awarded Gomez a posthumous degree. The new podcast investigates Gomez’s death and delves into his legacy — and reporting it prompted Guzman-Lopez to examine his own life, activism and journalism. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">I\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>n September of 2021, I and a team of producers set out to find answers to the mysterious death of a 1990s Chicano college activist and college radio DJ. Over the next 10 months, as we interviewed people and looked for documents, I came to the realization that three-decade-old activism fundamentally shaped my three-decade-long journalism career.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s certainly not what I expected to find when I first introduced our audience to Oscar Gomez in 2019. Oscar was a scholar-athlete at Baldwin Park High School who graduated in the spring of 1990, then enrolled at UC Davis that fall. In that same year California was entering a red-hot political climate driven by a backlash against increased immigration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Nov. 17, 1994, four years after Oscar’s freshman year, he was found dead on a Santa Barbara beach, apparently after a fall from a bluff near the UC Santa Barbara campus. My story \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/25-years-after-his-tragic-death-oscar-gomez-gets-his-college-degree\">detailed how he was awarded a posthumous degree\u003c/a> by UC Davis 25 years after his death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>I could have left the story there. I could have moved on. And I was about to move on. But the people I interviewed, Oscar’s activist friends, recounted stories of how Chicano college students resisted and reacted to the state’s politics, sometimes putting their own lives on the line, and that dislodged my own memories of my own activism in those years. In the past 30 years I’ve rarely talked publicly about how I was part of the early ’90s Chicano student movement, leading a student newspaper, producing a campus public affairs show and attending protests in California, some of the same protests that Oscar attended.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those personal connections led me to dig deeper. I spent months searching for documents and engaging in a deep process of thinking about how the activist and journalism work I did back then affects me today. I similarly dug deep into Oscar’s college activism and found overlaps between Oscar’s work and mine. The results are in the eight-episode LAist Studios podcast “\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/podcasts/imperfectparadise\">Imperfect Paradise: The Forgotten Revolutionary\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Time traveling back to the early ’90s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Doing this work has made me feel like I’ve been living in the years 1990-1994. Judith Segura-Mora was one of the people who triggered a waterfall of memories. She was the UC Davis student who recruited Oscar to a Chicano student organization on campus in 1990. We put two and two together and I recalled having seen her speak at the National Chicano Student Conference in Albuquerque in 1992. I paid my way there to write a story for Voz Fronteriza, the Chicano newspaper at UC San Diego. It was the first out-of-town reporting assignment in my fledgling reporting career.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I talked to Judith at a reception for the Gomez family a day before Oscar’s degree ceremony. She introduced me to Eddie Salas, who was DJing at the reception. He helped on Oscar’s Chicano public affairs radio show, “\u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/user-532477086\">La Onda Xicana\u003c/a>” (also known as “La Onda Chicana”), and had many late-night conversations with Oscar about a variety of musicians. Hearing Eddie’s stories about “La Onda Chicana” took me back to my own public affairs college radio show, “Radio Califas.” My show sparked an interest in the new rock bands coming out of Mexico and Latin America, an interest that would lead me to write music and concert reviews for many years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11919735\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1172px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11919735\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-producing-Radio-Califas-at-UCSDs-station.jpg\" alt=\"young man behind a DJ booth wearing a leather jacket and glasses smiles into the camera as a record sits on a turntable in the foreground\" width=\"1172\" height=\"922\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-producing-Radio-Califas-at-UCSDs-station.jpg 1172w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-producing-Radio-Califas-at-UCSDs-station-800x629.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-producing-Radio-Califas-at-UCSDs-station-1020x802.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-producing-Radio-Califas-at-UCSDs-station-160x126.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1172px) 100vw, 1172px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adolfo Guzman-Lopez producing ‘Radio Califas’ at UCSD’s station, KSDT. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Adolfo Guzman-Lopez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I found a box of cassettes of my show. I was surprised at the list of interviews: the film director Robert Rodriguez talking about his first film, the LA poet Marisela Norte, the renowned Chicana journalist Elizabeth Martínez, ethnic studies scholar George Lipsitz guest-DJing while he talked about 1960s and ’70s music. And I remembered that I convinced UC San Diego ethnic studies professor Jorge Mariscal to give me and the other students working on the show academic credit for our efforts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The class was Lit/Writing 121 Reportage. Its four units and the A grade I earned raised my grade-point average enough to allow me to graduate from UC San Diego in 1993. Looking at the diversity of Latino arts, culture and politics on the show, I’d say our Radio Califas production team delivered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the podcast production team and I tried to find out what happened to Oscar for “Forgotten Revolutionary,” we heard many more stories of 1990s activism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cbr>\nValentino Gutierrez, now a high school teacher in Pico Rivera, told us of going on hunger strike to expand Chicano studies while he was an undergrad at UC Santa Barbara. Margarita Berta-Avila, a fellow student and friend of Oscar’s at UC Davis, told us how strongly she felt about the Chicano movement despite not being Mexican American (her parents are from El Salvador and Peru). Other friends of Oscar’s, like Sabrina Enrique, talked of the sexism of the 1990s movement that I believed then was a thing of the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The emotional toll of activism\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>I heard former activists, including Judith, talk about the emotional toll so much activism took on her and her fellow student activists. She said her grades and mental health suffered. Mining my own feelings and looking at my academic transcript, I remembered how mine did, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t think we’re at where we’re at today without these sacrifices and activism of the folks in the ’90s,” said Ralph Armbruster-Sandoval, a professor of Chicana and Chicano studies at UCSB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t feel like they’ve always been properly recognized.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The activism of 1990s college students survives in memories and on mostly analog platforms. These students’ newspapers, film print photographs and cassette audio recordings remain in dusty boxes in attics and garages, and in some university archives, if they’ve survived at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that contributes, Ambruster-Sandoval said, to 1990s Chicano student activism being a “lost period.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11919727\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11919727\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/San-Ysidro-Anti-Columbus-protest-October-10-1992-Photo-by-Gene-Chavira.jpg\" alt=\"aerial black and white photo of young activists holding signs reading 'Columbus had no green card' and 'Chicano power' and 'brown is beautiful'\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1273\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/San-Ysidro-Anti-Columbus-protest-October-10-1992-Photo-by-Gene-Chavira.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/San-Ysidro-Anti-Columbus-protest-October-10-1992-Photo-by-Gene-Chavira-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/San-Ysidro-Anti-Columbus-protest-October-10-1992-Photo-by-Gene-Chavira-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/San-Ysidro-Anti-Columbus-protest-October-10-1992-Photo-by-Gene-Chavira-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/San-Ysidro-Anti-Columbus-protest-October-10-1992-Photo-by-Gene-Chavira-1536x1018.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Activists hold signs at an anti-Columbus protest on Oct. 10, 1992, in San Ysidro. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Gene Chavira)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For about 25 years, that’s what the early 1990s college activist experience felt like to me. Every time I take out copies of the UC San Diego newspaper, Voz Fronteriza, that contain my writings, the pages seem to be more yellow and more brittle. I have cassette copies of my radio shows that need to be digitized before time erases their content.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As I began a mainstream journalism career in the late 1990s, I heard people in my first newsroom say journalism that came out of activism and even ethnic journalism fell into the category of “advocacy journalism.” There is some truth to that. But the comments left a chilling effect that led me to put away my college journalism experiences and lock them up in favor of a traditional “objective” approach. I was at the very beginning of a paid journalism career and I didn’t want another target on my back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But to tell Oscar’s story for the podcast, I had to tell my own story as a 1990s activist because he and I moved in some of the same activist circles and attended some of the same marches, including the protest in downtown Santa Barbara to support Chicano Studies Professor Rudy Acuña on Feb. 1, 1992. Acuña had been turned down for a faculty position in Chicano studies at UC Santa Barbara the year before and \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-09-26-me-1047-story.html\">would sue the university\u003c/a>, alleging bias against him for his activism, race and age. Acuña’s 1972 book, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/occupied-america-history-of-chicanos\">Occupied America: A History of Chicanos\u003c/a>,” and subsequent scholarship led many to consider him a founder of Chicano studies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s where I met Oscar and talked to him briefly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s red-hot politics brought Oscar, me and thousands of other students to those Santa Barbara streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11919724\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11919724\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-Voz.jpg\" alt=\"black and white photo of smiling students holding large banner reading 'voz fronteriza'\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1273\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-Voz.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-Voz-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-Voz-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-Voz-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/Adolfo-Guzman-Lopez-Voz-1536x1018.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adolfo Guzman-Lopez (second from right, in vest) and other San Diego college students who collaborated on the UC San Diego Chicano student newspaper, Voz Fronteriza, attend a rally in Santa Barbara on Feb. 1, 1992. The tall man in the center is Arnulfo Casillas, a Chicano education and cultural activist in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara who had worked on Voz Fronteriza in the late 1970s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Gene Chavira)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The state’s institutions were being stretched to the limit after large numbers of people immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1980s to escape \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/latin-american-debt-crisis#:~:text=The%20spark%20for%20the%20crisis,at%20that%20point%20totaled%20%2480\">economic crisis in Mexico\u003c/a> and violent civil wars in Central America, both situations stoked by U.S. policies. Anti-immigrant groups responded with nativist proposals to take away the civil rights of immigrants. They successfully proposed ballot measures like \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/proposition-187-what-you-need-to-know\">Proposition 187\u003c/a> that targeted undocumented immigrants and their kids. (A federal judge ruled in 1997 that \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-nov-15-mn-54053-story.html\">Prop. 187 was unconstitutional\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those anti-immigrant sentiments led me, Oscar and many other Chicano students to feel like we each had a target on our backs. And that environment spilled onto campuses, too, as Agustín Orozco, my friend from UC San Diego, describes\u003ca href=\"https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/story/2022-07-07/opinion-agustin-orozco-activism?fbclid=IwAR1kOhMJRMLU5L0uLSdABE1qxNyIxZJLDV4d1B5wltj8F6De93gQORvBZwM\"> in this essay\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Our shared, yet different, backgrounds\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Oscar and I were both Chicanos but different in many ways. He was a middle-class U.S. citizen raised in the suburbs of LA County. My mother cleaned houses for a living. She and I moved to San Diego when I was 7 years old. We overstayed our tourist visas and only received the authorization to stay permanently about a decade later, when the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, most often described as amnesty, became law in my senior year of high school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oscar responded to the xenophobia by joining the Chicano student organization on campus, then producing a weekly college radio show that mixed various types of music with in-studio interviews and field recordings from protests and marches he attended in different parts of the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before this podcast, my identity as a Chicano felt stuck in the 1990s. But I’ve adopted a fuller understanding of what Chicano, Chicana, Chicanx, Latino and Latinx activism has led to. I now see how the student activism of the 1990s helped lead to the intersectional coalition building of current times, and the exploration of Indigenous philosophy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The more that we could find out about these people and what they went through and, you know, even in this case, how they passed away or were killed, you know, the more we can share truth with people,” said Israel Calderon, a history teacher at Oscar’s alma mater, Baldwin Park High School, and a childhood friend of Oscar.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Liberate your mind’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>That’s one of the reasons Calderon and some of \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/luchascholar/\">Oscar’s friends and relatives created a foundation in Oscar’s name\u003c/a> to raise money and hand out scholarships to Baldwin Park area high school students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re more interested in promoting Oscar’s message to “liberate your mind” and help those who need help than they are to mythologize Oscar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11919737\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11919737\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/OscarGomezProfileCrouching.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of a young man in a white shirt and black cap crouches on an empty roadway\" width=\"800\" height=\"559\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/OscarGomezProfileCrouching.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/OscarGomezProfileCrouching-160x112.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oscar Gomez in an undated photo, circa 1992. \u003ccite>(Courtesy KCSB)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A story that aired last year on NPR reminded me to keep my reporting focused on the human experience. It was a story about then-NPR host Lulu Garcia-Navarro leaving the network. The reporter described how Garcia-Navarro had \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/publiceditor/2006/06/05/5452082/are-npr-reporters-too-involved-in-their-stories\">defended her deeply personal interviewing and reporting approaches\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As journalists we do not check our humanity at the door. What we must do is try and give an accurate representation of what is happening before us to the best of our ability, leaving aside our prejudices,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How and whether I compartmentalize my humanity in the work I do is a question this podcast has raised for me and for others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Am I doing what we had set out to? Have I compromised?” said Margarita Berta-Avila, who’s now a leader with the California Faculty Association, the union for California State University professors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said thinking of Oscar, 28 years after his death, has been an opportunity to check her ideals from her college years and ask whether she’s become jaded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have spent 21 years telling people’s stories at Southern California Public Radio. I have, to the best of my ability, tried to tell stories about people living deep moments in their lives, and of policies that would affect people in one way or another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I feel like I’ve kept a part of my humanity checked at the door at times, fearing that some kind of bias would creep in. There is no bias in connecting deeply with human experiences and letting my own humanity live in that moment, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For that insight, I have El Bandido de Aztlan, Oscar Gomez, to thank.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Even as he lay dying on the side of a Southern California mountain — his lips blue, the color gone from his face — wildland firefighter Yaroslav Katkov wanted to push on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re getting to the top. We’re finishing,” his captain recalled Katkov saying after collapsing atop a ridge during a training hike in hot weather, according to state records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Katkov’s speech was garbled. He tried to stand, but couldn’t find his footing. His body temperature was reaching dangerous levels. He was suffering from heat illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What happened on that sun-soaked July day in 2019 is one thread in a larger story about firefighter training in an era of intensifying heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the past 18 months, more than 150 firefighters were sickened by heat exposure while working for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than a quarter of heat-related incidents — the largest category — involve firefighters who fell ill during routine training exercises, Columbia Journalism Investigations, KPCC and LAist found. Like Katkov, nearly all of these firefighters worked part time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889335\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1390px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11889335 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/firefighter-hat-illustration.jpg\" alt=\"An illustration of a red firefighter helmet and goggles above five blurry white dots, on a black background.\" width=\"1390\" height=\"935\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/firefighter-hat-illustration.jpg 1390w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/firefighter-hat-illustration-800x538.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/firefighter-hat-illustration-1020x686.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/firefighter-hat-illustration-160x108.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1390px) 100vw, 1390px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Interviews with current and former Cal Fire employees, medical personnel and wildland firefighting experts reveal multiple issues involving workplace safety during Cal Fire training activities. This is true especially for those who don’t work year-round, such as seasonal and incarcerated firefighters. \u003ccite>(Illustration by Alborz Kamalizad / Photography courtesy of Cal Fire)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The incidents, documented in Cal Fire’s workplace-injury logs, were specifically classified as heat related and occurred between Jan. 1, 2020, and Aug. 3, 2021. CJI and LAist were unable to ascertain how typical the case numbers are. Cal Fire refused to say whether they were unusual or in line with annual totals for heat illnesses among workers over the past decade. The department declined to provide data that could put the numbers into a broader context.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CJI and LAist compiled less comprehensive data from internal Cal Fire reports on employee training injuries dating back to 2001, in addition to other state records. These documents show at least 14 other incidents that bear what some experts say are hallmarks of heat-related illness. In five of these incidents, the firefighters died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='large' align='right']Over the past 18 months, more than 150 firefighters were sickened by heat exposure while working for Cal Fire.[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All the firefighters succumbed to injuries not on the fire line in some remote California wilderness, but during required training. Many were decked out in full wildland gear — wearing long-sleeve jackets, pants and helmets while carrying heavy tools — and doing activities meant to simulate wildfire fighting — taking short hikes into the woods, for instance, or laying hoses up a mountainside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All but one of the deaths occurred in temperatures ranging from 70 to 87 degrees. Four of the victims were incarcerated, participating in a state program meant to bolster firefighting forces that dates back to WWII.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public health experts and federal workplace regulators agree that heat-related illnesses and deaths are 100% preventable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Interviews with current and former Cal Fire employees, medical personnel and wildland firefighting experts, a review of hundreds of pages of government records detailing firefighter injuries and deaths and an analysis of worker heat death cases reveal multiple issues involving workplace safety during Cal Fire training activities. This is true especially for those who don’t work year-round, such as seasonal and incarcerated firefighters. Combined, they make up about half of the agency’s nearly 10,000-strong firefighting force.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Katkov’s death was exceptional in just how many institutional failures occurred during his hike, records show. But many of the other cases of heat-related injuries and deaths indicate the same underlying problems — a punitive culture that can endanger firefighters’ health, a lackluster physical screening process and an ineffective plan for building up firefighters’ tolerance for heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889384\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1380px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11889384 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Warning-signs-illustration.jpg\" alt=\"An illustration composed of nine black-and-white squares that include images of the Lippe Hike, overlaid with a red outline of the trail.\" width=\"1380\" height=\"920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Warning-signs-illustration.jpg 1380w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Warning-signs-illustration-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Warning-signs-illustration-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Warning-signs-illustration-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1380px) 100vw, 1380px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yaroslav Katkov collapsed on his second lap of the 1.45 mile Lippe Hike in Fallbrook, California, a mountain town ringed by ranches just outside of Temecula. According to documents related to the hike, Katkov’s captain ignored signs from Katkov of potential illness. \u003ccite>(Illustration by Alborz Kamalizad / Photography courtesy of Cal Fire)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Warning signs\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>On the day of Katkov’s hike, Cal Fire officials later found that his captain, Joe Ekblad, had missed opportunities to act on several telltale signs of heat illness. Not until Katkov collapsed at the top of that ridge did Ekblad begin emergency procedures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The captain later explained he believed that they could cool Katkov down if they moved fast enough. They stripped off his jacket and drenched him in water. But it didn’t work. Katkov took several deep “gulpy breaths,” according to documents obtained from the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, known as Cal/OSHA. Still, Ekblad delayed calling for emergency help because he thought Katkov “would snap back out of it,” the records show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Statement from Cal Fire\"]‘[Cal Fire] vigorously rejects the notion that a punitive culture exists in relation to the fitness, safety, or wellbeing of our workforce.’[/pullquote]Katkov died of hyperthermia at a hospital the next day. Cal Fire demoted Ekblad. The department found he had “failed to identify a crew member … in physical and/mental distress.” Ekblad didn’t respond to requests for comment. Records show he told investigators that Katkov was a willing participant in the exercises.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire didn’t respond to several requests to interview the department’s head of safety. In a statement, it said it “vigorously rejects the notion that a punitive culture exists in relation to the fitness, safety, or wellbeing of our workforce.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The department says it trains all its firefighters — seasonal, incarcerated or otherwise — on the dangers associated with wildland firefighting, “including methods to prevent, recognize and respond to symptoms of heat related illnesses.” It described its efforts to combat heat-related injuries and deaths as “a partnership” with individual firefighters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Each must do his/her part year-round to ensure that they are preparing for the upcoming fire season,” the department wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On July 28, 2019, Katkov embarked on a training exercise called the Lippe Hike, a 1.45-mile loop at Cal Fire’s Station 16 in Fallbrook, California, a mountain town ringed by ranches just outside of Temecula.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gavin Bledsoe, one of the station’s other fire captains, later told Cal/OSHA investigators that “he had concerns with Joe pushing Yaro hard,” and that Ekblad had pushed other firefighters without giving them enough time for breaks in the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889386\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11889386 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A view from Lippe Hike: several hills and a light cloudy sky.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Lippe Hike winds through the hills just behind Cal Fire Station 16 in northern San Diego County. \u003ccite>(Jacob Margolis/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to documents related to Ekblad’s demotion, the hike that preceded Katkov’s death had never been timed before that morning, and Bledsoe believed the standard for finishing it was set “specifically with Yaro in mind.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Joe has been pushing really hard to get Yaro to quit or up to his standards,” Bledsoe told Cal/OSHA investigators about the rookie firefighter who regularly hiked the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bledsoe didn’t respond to multiple phone calls and text messages seeking comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889397\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 427px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11889397 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Yaro-1.jpeg\" alt=\"A studio portrait of a man in a Cal Fire uniform smiling at the camera.\" width=\"427\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Yaro-1.jpeg 427w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Yaro-1-160x240.jpeg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 427px) 100vw, 427px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cal Fire firefighter Yaroslav Katkov. Katkov died of hyperthermia at a hospital the day after embarking on a training exercise called the Lippe Hike. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Ashley Vallario)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A quarter-mile into the hike, seasonal firefighter Matthew Guerrero told investigators, Katkov was breathing heavily. At one point, as the hike wound from mountains alongside a road, Katkov was slow to move out of oncoming traffic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ekblad wrote in his notebook, “Road Hazard – Cognitive Question.” This was an early sign of heat illness that Ekblad ignored, Cal Fire documents show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The trio completed the hike in about 40 minutes — 10 minutes slower than the time Ekblad had set for the station that morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re gonna do it again. The first hike was unacceptable,” Ekblad said, according to the Cal/OSHA investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ekblad later told the agency’s investigators that doing the hike twice wasn’t standard practice. Cal Fire concluded that it was “clearly unnecessary” given the signs of distress Katkov had exhibited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The trio rested for 20 minutes, drank some water and set off to do the hike again. By then, the temperature had climbed to nearly 88 degrees — five degrees hotter than the 40-year average for the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the steep, often-shadeless path, Katkov told Ekblad he was exhausted — another symptom of heat illness that Ekblad should have recognized, Cal Fire documents said. Rather than seek emergency care, however, the captain encouraged both firefighters to press on, and they pushed up the hill. Guerrero helped steady Katkov’s balance, but Katkov stumbled and had to pause at least 20 times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atop the 650-foot ridge, Katkov fell forward and sat down. Ekblad told him to take off some of his wildland gear, and Guerrero tried to shade him with a jacket. They poured water on him, but his eyes rolled back. He eventually passed out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly an hour after starting the hike a second time, Ekblad called for help. Katkov began to shake uncontrollably. It took another hour for an air ambulance to get to the remote location and transport Katkov to Temecula Valley Hospital. He died the next day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA inspectors found that Cal Fire:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Hadn’t provided enough water or shade on the hike.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Failed to monitor Katkov for preexisting sensitivities to heat.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Didn’t prepare Katkov for the intensity of the job, as required under Cal Fire’s heat-illness prevention plan.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Didn’t initiate an emergency medical response until it was too late.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA fined the department $80,875 — almost five times the average Cal/OSHA fine of $17,000 for all types of cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A ‘toughness mentality’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Ashley Vallario, Katkov’s longtime girlfriend, said she was shocked after reading the investigation. It was clear that Cal Fire hadn’t done everything it should have done to protect Katkov, she said. Its safeguards against workplace heat appear to have failed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They told me that everything that could have been done was done, and that there was no waste of time,” Vallario said. “I believed them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire didn’t respond to written questions about Katkov’s death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889399\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889399\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A sign that reads, 'Cal Fire De Luz Station 16' next to a country road.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1696\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-1536x1018.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-2048x1357.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-1920x1272.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yaroslav Katkov worked at Cal Fire De Luz Station 16 located in the hills just outside of Temecula.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rank matters at Cal Fire. Impressing superiors can help a seasonal firefighter move on to a coveted full-time spot. But a tough paramilitary culture often pushes Cal Fire employees to their physical limits, even in hot temperatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In many cases, that culture has contributed to serious heat-related injuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2013, for instance, a Cal Fire firefighter was at a “rehire” training session in Riverside, meant for seasonal employees about to rejoin their crews. He and the other trainees were forced to do “extra rigorous” exercises after someone had arrived late, according to a Cal/OSHA investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the group practiced a simulated fire attack, the firefighter complained about feeling ill and asked his supervisor if he could take off his jacket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The instructor said no and told the firefighter to sit down in the sun, the records show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11886628\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50596_019_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1020x680.jpg\"]About 10 minutes later, a colleague reported that the firefighter did “not look good.” His legs cramped, and he was gasping for breath — both symptoms of heat illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The firefighter was hospitalized for two days, and Cal/OSHA fined the department $18,560 for violating California’s heat standard by failing to allow the employee to take an adequate rest break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a similar case in 2017, another Cal Fire firefighter was working in full wildland gear while moving a hose for a training exercise, according to Cal/OSHA records. After a break, a new instructor took over another round of the activity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The firefighter later told Cal/OSHA that the work was more strenuous the second time, and that the instructor had “pushed the employee to do more.” The firefighter struggled to finish the task. He was so confused that he couldn’t answer questions, Cal/OSHA records show. An altered mental state is a red flag for heat illness, medical experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The instructor mocked the firefighter and suggested he “go to Orange County since their training is easier,” the inspector wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As in the earlier case, the firefighter spent two days in the hospital. Cal Fire was fined another $2,430 for failing to educate employees about heat’s threats and not providing ready access to water and shade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Robert Salgado, Former Cal/OSHA inspector and wildland firefighter\"]‘We don’t want the smartest guy … we just want a guy who can throw on a pack and hike hills.’[/pullquote]Cal Fire Battalion Chief Jon Heggie, who leads several fire stations based in San Diego, including Katkov’s former station, said the department is working to root out the “toughness” mentality that has pervaded its ranks. Some heat-related incidents “have been an unfortunate wake-up call that maybe that culture needs to change,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that may be difficult. Robert Salgado, a former Cal/OSHA inspector and wildland firefighter, notes that Cal Fire’s do-or-die attitude is one of the “very deep-rooted cultural practices in the fire service” that is passed from department to department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t want the smartest guy … we don’t want the most trained guy,” Salgado said. “We just want a guy who can throw on a pack and hike hills.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire union president Tim Edwards of Local 2881 recalls a recent incident in which supervisors pushed firefighters in training activities beyond their limits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ll admit it, we had problems in San Diego in the last four months,” he said, explaining that one supervisor was warned about the way he was treating firefighters after a union member filed a complaint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The supervisor was pushing firefighters to hike “when they weren’t feeling good,” Edwards said, “making them hike thinking if he pushed them a little bit further, it would help them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire, for its part, acknowledges that the department spoke with the supervisor but said he was not reprimanded. It describes the incident as an example of how the department and the union can work together to address potential health issues before they get worse.\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>‘Don’t blame the firefighters’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Another problem, insiders say, is that Cal Fire doesn’t have a physical fitness standard that makes clear what kind of shape seasonal and incarcerated firefighters must be in when they return to duty after months off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11836399\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/09/44642_transform-1.jpg\"]Without such a standard, firefighters may not realize they’re not fit enough until they’re on training hikes or in the field on hot days. At that point, it’s up to individual supervisors to say whether it’s a problem for any firefighter, and what that firefighter needs to do to improve. And that can make for trouble when those supervisors push their employees too hard, especially on hot days, to reach whatever level they deem correct, insiders say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Edwards, of Cal Fire Local 2881, notes that the union has “been pushing for years to have a minimal physical fitness standard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said the union wants seasonal firefighters to have their fitness tested over a week, with intense physical exercise and step-by-step goals to measure their progress. If they fail to pass those tests, he said, they could be set on a remedial path or let go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Edwards blames the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for issues involving incarcerated firefighters. He argues that Cal Fire has little control over these abilities when they arrive at fire camps, even though the 11 heat-related incidents involving incarcerated people identified by CJI and LAist occurred during official Cal Fire trainings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Corrections Department said Cal Fire has always trained incarcerated firefighters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, when a firefighter falls behind on fitness requirements, Cal Fire’s system leaves it up to individual stations to determine how that firefighter will move forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889391\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11889391 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A line of firefighters wearing bright orange uniforms and carrying equipment walk alongside a forest in front of a firefighter wearing a traditional yellow uniform.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Incarcerated firefighters on a training hike with Cal Fire. Incarcerated individuals make up a big chunk of California’s firefighters during wildfire season, but some firefighter union officials point out that incarcerated firefighters don’t receive enough physical training from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation before they join a crew. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Cal Fire)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When firefighters are assigned to a crew for the season, they are allotted an hour each day for personal training, and given access to wellness coordinators and workout gear. Supervisors are required to sign off on each firefighter’s monthly progress as part of a “Physical Fitness Documentation Log.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In more than half of heat-illness cases examined by CJI and LAist, the firefighters didn’t have a fitness plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In interviews with a Cal/OSHA investigator, some of Katkov’s former colleagues raised concerns about his physical fitness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Statement from Cal Fire\"]‘Just as a runner cannot expect to run a marathon without months of preparation, a firefighter cannot show up for the beginning of fire season … without preparing their body for the tasks ahead.’[/pullquote]But Cal/OSHA found that Ekblad had not created a fitness plan or any documentation to measure Katkov’s progress, records show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its statement, Cal Fire said it has no control over its firefighters’ “fitness efforts, caffeine intake, eating habits, water intake, sun exposure, alcohol consumption, or other factors that may impact their ability to perform their job functions” when they are off-duty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It can take weeks or months for firefighters to safely build up their fitness, and experts say it’s not something that can be forced with strenuous exercise in a short period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just as a runner cannot expect to run a marathon without months of preparation, a firefighter cannot show up for the beginning of fire season … without preparing their body for the tasks ahead,” Cal Fire said in its statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brent Ruby, a University of Montana professor who has studied the physical demands of wildland firefighting, said ad hoc training is not the ideal way to train because there’s “a tendency to try to push” new or young recruits. As these firefighters press on, he said, the strain on their body builds up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They hike faster, they produce more heat,” Ruby said, “but the environment is still bearing down on them and pushing back on them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Dr. Thomas Ferguson, Consultant for Cal Fire\"]‘We’ve got to educate the supervisors to recognize that they need to pay attention to this.’[/pullquote]Dr. Thomas Ferguson, a consultant who says he reviews 8,000 medical files for Cal Fire each year, has seen how firefighters who are pushed too hard can get blamed for not meeting physical expectations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ferguson told Cal/OSHA investigators that seasonal firefighters like Katkov are most vulnerable to heat illness. According to Cal/OSHA’s investigative file on Katkov’s death, Ferguson urged the department to adopt a fitness standard for seasonal and incarcerated firefighters partly for this reason.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Don’t blame the firefighters,” he said in a recent interview. “We’ve got to educate the supervisors to recognize that they need to pay attention to this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889395\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889395\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Two firefighters seem to be pulling a long hose through the forest.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Firefighters with Cal Fire San Diego practice a progressive hose lay during training. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Cal Fire)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Identifying the hidden risks\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Even before starting the job, Cal Fire’s health screening processes may miss conditions that could jeopardize firefighters’ lives, experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seasonal and incarcerated firefighters get little more than a basic physical, which experts say doesn’t always screen for potentially problematic health conditions. That has had dire consequences on the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2001, eight firefighters with underlying health problems have died during training — five of them likely from heat exposure, experts say. All of them were incarcerated except for Katkov. Four died from cardiovascular issues, such as heart attacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While not all of those cases were directly tied to heat, researchers say high temperatures often play a hidden role in injuries and deaths, especially in workers who have underlying or preexisting health conditions, such as heart or kidney disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire said its screening policy requires “an annual medical evaluation for all applicants and employees who are required to be medically cleared.” Tests intended to check for preexisting conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders and some cancers, are voluntary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a recent interview with CJI and LAist, Ferguson said Cal Fire has a hard time keeping up with the basic screenings for thousands of seasonal and incarcerated firefighters each year. “It’s an operational issue for them,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union’s Edwards goes further. “When the State of California is hiring a temporary employee, and this is just the sad truth of it, they’re not going to want to invest a whole lot of time and money,” he said. “We don’t agree with that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not until age 40 that full-time Cal Fire employees are required to take heart and blood tests, according to the union. Seasonal firefighters are offered the opportunity, but it’s not mandatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heart issues, which could be caught by more extensive tests, are among the preexisting conditions exacerbated by heat. When a firefighter dies, heat can be overlooked as the primary factor, creating a pattern of uneven enforcement, records show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='large' align='right']It’s not until age 40 that full-time Cal Fire employees are required to take heart and blood tests.[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In April 2015, Raymond Araujo, a 37-year-old incarcerated man assigned to work in the Bautista Conservation Camp, set off on a training hike in Banning, California, about 30 miles from Palm Springs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Cal/OSHA records, Araujo covered two miles of steep terrain. The temperature reached 81 degrees — 10 degrees hotter for the area for that time of year. He stumbled during the exercise. His colleagues tried to carry him to the finish but eventually he lost his vision and fell to his knees. About an hour after the hike began, paramedics declared him dead, according to the records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11889336\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/RS50579_002_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1-1020x680.jpg\"]A Cal/OSHA investigation named heat as a contributing factor in Araujo’s death, but the Riverside County coroner determined the cause was “hypertensive cardiovascular disease,” according to an autopsy report. Cal/OSHA’s medical unit, noting the preexisting condition, concluded that “it did not appear likely that a heat illness or other work-related illness or injury played any role in Araujo’s sudden death,” records show. The agency closed the case without issuing any citations for violating the state’s heat standard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Garrett Brown, a Cal/OSHA inspector from 1994 to 2014, investigated more than 100 work sites for heat issues. He reviewed the Araujo case at our request and said it was impossible to know why the agency chose not to address the heat standard violations. Despite that decision, Brown said the incident resembled many heat cases he had handled, in which workers suffered heart or kidney failure because of hot temperatures, and likely should’ve been handled as possible heat standard violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Cal/OSHA spokesperson defended the agency’s handling of Araujo’s death. “Cal/OSHA Enforcement relied on the Medical Unit’s opinion,” the spokesperson, Frank Polizzi, wrote in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ferguson isn’t the only one who’s raised concerns about Cal Fire’s health-screening process. During the Cal/OSHA investigation into Katkov’s death, Tammy Stout, manager of the Cal Fire medical unit, was blunt in her assessment of the process, explaining that she had received medical clearance even though she believed she was physically incapable of doing a firefighter’s job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire Captain Cesar Nerey put it simply. “You could get a better physical playing high school football than the one required by Cal Fire,” he told the Cal/OSHA investigator.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A gap in existing heat protections\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>There’s another concerning factor in how Cal Fire brings new firefighters onto the job: a lack of a department-wide regimented acclimatization plan that would ease employees into the heat. Instead, as with fitness training, Cal Fire leaves it up to individual stations to craft their own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11886402\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/DSCF1773-1020x680.jpg\"]Here’s why that matters. Acclimatization — building up a tolerance for heat — is a crucial part of training firefighters to operate in extreme conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Easing firefighters into the work in hot temperatures is widely viewed as one of the best ways to prevent heat illnesses and deaths. It should happen during a new or newly returned firefighter’s two weeks of training, health experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For nearly 25 years, since the death of a California firefighter from heat exposure while constructing a fire line in 1997, a federal agency has recommended the state follow specific protocols for acclimatization of firefighters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The protocols, from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), call for:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>New employees working in heat no more than 20% of their first shift, with a daily increase of the same percentage until fully acclimated.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Experienced firefighters returning from an extended break working in heat more than 50% of the first day, with a gradual increase over the course of a week.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire said that it is considering those recommendations, but it “may not be achievable in all situations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The department said following them “could cause issues in protecting the people and resources of California,” since firefighters often are thrust into emergency situations when a fire erupts and may come from areas across the state and be used to different climates. Cal Fire did not address non-emergency training scenarios.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"science_1976705\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/MexicanCrew-Casimiro-1020x765.jpg\"]Some heat-related incidents have occurred early in a firefighter’s tenure and during training. Of all the incidents identified by CJI and LAist, records show at least 14 employees were sickened by heat at the Cal Fire training academy during their first weeks. Dozens more suffered from heat illnesses on the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over a two-month period in the summer of 2014, three firefighters were hospitalized after they had trained in the heat. Two of these incidents occurred in the same week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA considers an acclimatization plan the pinnacle of heat awareness — indeed, it is one of the four pillars of heat safety in the state’s standard. Yet the agency leaves the details on how to acclimate employees up to individual employers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a written statement, Cal/OSHA said “the acclimatization period, when employees are introduced to high heat, is the most critical in terms of illness prevention.” The agency rarely cites employers for failing to acclimatize their employees, as compared to other heat-related violations, having done so only 68 times since 2015, as of July 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What can prevent a tragedy\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>While heat continues to be an issue during Cal Fire training activities, a responsive supervisor can make the difference between life and death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly a year after Katkov’s death, yet another firefighter came close to dying on a training hike in Mariposa, 150 miles east of San José. The firefighter had suffered leg cramps and vomited on the same trail just two weeks earlier, according to Cal Fire documents. A physician cleared him for work, but people with prior injuries can be more susceptible to heat stress, experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a hike in July 2020, the temperature reached 87 degrees. According to Cal Fire records, the captain, who said he’d been aware of the firefighter’s medical issues, watched his progress during the 60-minute exercise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the firefighter gasped for breath, the captain implored him to slow down. When his legs cramped, a colleague helped him down a hill. The captain called an ambulance, and the crew gave him oxygen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Airlifted to a trauma center, the firefigher was treated for heat stroke and a heat-related condition known as rhabdomyolysis, which causes muscle tissue to break down and leak toxins into the blood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889393\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 623px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11889393 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Yaro-5.jpeg\" alt=\"A smiling couple in formal dress sit together at a table at a party.\" width=\"623\" height=\"415\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Yaro-5.jpeg 623w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Yaro-5-160x107.jpeg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 623px) 100vw, 623px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yaroslav Katkov with his longtime partner, Ashley Vallario. Vallario considered filing a lawsuit after Katkov’s death but later decided against it. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Ashley Vallario)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ashley Vallario, Yaroslav Katkov’s partner, who considered filing a lawsuit but decided against it, still can’t understand why Katkov wasn’t given the same level of care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Katkov was selfless, she said, someone who would help others even to his detriment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early in their relationship, Vallario remembers Katkov taking her on a date to pick up trash on the beach. Initially, that gave her pause, but she’s come to realize it was Katkov’s way of giving back. “It definitely made me, like, a better person,” Vallario said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since Katkov’s death, she has pushed Cal Fire to demand more of its leaders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re supposed to have faith that those people would keep them safe,” she said. “It shows what kind of leadership that they’re willing to allow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Brian Edwards reported this story as a fellow for Columbia Journalism Investigations, an investigative reporting unit at the Columbia Journalism School in New York, along with Jacob Margolis, a science reporter at KPCC and LAist, and a member of The California Newsroom.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism.\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "California's Firefighters Keep Getting Injured While Training. Some Have Died | KQED",
"description": "Extensive interviews with current and former members of Cal Fire and reviews of hundreds of government records reveal multiple issues involving workplace safety that put at risk those who fight California's wildfires.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Even as he lay dying on the side of a Southern California mountain — his lips blue, the color gone from his face — wildland firefighter Yaroslav Katkov wanted to push on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re getting to the top. We’re finishing,” his captain recalled Katkov saying after collapsing atop a ridge during a training hike in hot weather, according to state records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Katkov’s speech was garbled. He tried to stand, but couldn’t find his footing. His body temperature was reaching dangerous levels. He was suffering from heat illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What happened on that sun-soaked July day in 2019 is one thread in a larger story about firefighter training in an era of intensifying heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the past 18 months, more than 150 firefighters were sickened by heat exposure while working for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than a quarter of heat-related incidents — the largest category — involve firefighters who fell ill during routine training exercises, Columbia Journalism Investigations, KPCC and LAist found. Like Katkov, nearly all of these firefighters worked part time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889335\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1390px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11889335 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/firefighter-hat-illustration.jpg\" alt=\"An illustration of a red firefighter helmet and goggles above five blurry white dots, on a black background.\" width=\"1390\" height=\"935\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/firefighter-hat-illustration.jpg 1390w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/firefighter-hat-illustration-800x538.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/firefighter-hat-illustration-1020x686.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/firefighter-hat-illustration-160x108.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1390px) 100vw, 1390px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Interviews with current and former Cal Fire employees, medical personnel and wildland firefighting experts reveal multiple issues involving workplace safety during Cal Fire training activities. This is true especially for those who don’t work year-round, such as seasonal and incarcerated firefighters. \u003ccite>(Illustration by Alborz Kamalizad / Photography courtesy of Cal Fire)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The incidents, documented in Cal Fire’s workplace-injury logs, were specifically classified as heat related and occurred between Jan. 1, 2020, and Aug. 3, 2021. CJI and LAist were unable to ascertain how typical the case numbers are. Cal Fire refused to say whether they were unusual or in line with annual totals for heat illnesses among workers over the past decade. The department declined to provide data that could put the numbers into a broader context.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CJI and LAist compiled less comprehensive data from internal Cal Fire reports on employee training injuries dating back to 2001, in addition to other state records. These documents show at least 14 other incidents that bear what some experts say are hallmarks of heat-related illness. In five of these incidents, the firefighters died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All the firefighters succumbed to injuries not on the fire line in some remote California wilderness, but during required training. Many were decked out in full wildland gear — wearing long-sleeve jackets, pants and helmets while carrying heavy tools — and doing activities meant to simulate wildfire fighting — taking short hikes into the woods, for instance, or laying hoses up a mountainside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All but one of the deaths occurred in temperatures ranging from 70 to 87 degrees. Four of the victims were incarcerated, participating in a state program meant to bolster firefighting forces that dates back to WWII.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public health experts and federal workplace regulators agree that heat-related illnesses and deaths are 100% preventable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Interviews with current and former Cal Fire employees, medical personnel and wildland firefighting experts, a review of hundreds of pages of government records detailing firefighter injuries and deaths and an analysis of worker heat death cases reveal multiple issues involving workplace safety during Cal Fire training activities. This is true especially for those who don’t work year-round, such as seasonal and incarcerated firefighters. Combined, they make up about half of the agency’s nearly 10,000-strong firefighting force.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Katkov’s death was exceptional in just how many institutional failures occurred during his hike, records show. But many of the other cases of heat-related injuries and deaths indicate the same underlying problems — a punitive culture that can endanger firefighters’ health, a lackluster physical screening process and an ineffective plan for building up firefighters’ tolerance for heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889384\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1380px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11889384 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Warning-signs-illustration.jpg\" alt=\"An illustration composed of nine black-and-white squares that include images of the Lippe Hike, overlaid with a red outline of the trail.\" width=\"1380\" height=\"920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Warning-signs-illustration.jpg 1380w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Warning-signs-illustration-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Warning-signs-illustration-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Warning-signs-illustration-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1380px) 100vw, 1380px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yaroslav Katkov collapsed on his second lap of the 1.45 mile Lippe Hike in Fallbrook, California, a mountain town ringed by ranches just outside of Temecula. According to documents related to the hike, Katkov’s captain ignored signs from Katkov of potential illness. \u003ccite>(Illustration by Alborz Kamalizad / Photography courtesy of Cal Fire)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Warning signs\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>On the day of Katkov’s hike, Cal Fire officials later found that his captain, Joe Ekblad, had missed opportunities to act on several telltale signs of heat illness. Not until Katkov collapsed at the top of that ridge did Ekblad begin emergency procedures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The captain later explained he believed that they could cool Katkov down if they moved fast enough. They stripped off his jacket and drenched him in water. But it didn’t work. Katkov took several deep “gulpy breaths,” according to documents obtained from the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, known as Cal/OSHA. Still, Ekblad delayed calling for emergency help because he thought Katkov “would snap back out of it,” the records show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘[Cal Fire] vigorously rejects the notion that a punitive culture exists in relation to the fitness, safety, or wellbeing of our workforce.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Katkov died of hyperthermia at a hospital the next day. Cal Fire demoted Ekblad. The department found he had “failed to identify a crew member … in physical and/mental distress.” Ekblad didn’t respond to requests for comment. Records show he told investigators that Katkov was a willing participant in the exercises.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire didn’t respond to several requests to interview the department’s head of safety. In a statement, it said it “vigorously rejects the notion that a punitive culture exists in relation to the fitness, safety, or wellbeing of our workforce.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The department says it trains all its firefighters — seasonal, incarcerated or otherwise — on the dangers associated with wildland firefighting, “including methods to prevent, recognize and respond to symptoms of heat related illnesses.” It described its efforts to combat heat-related injuries and deaths as “a partnership” with individual firefighters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Each must do his/her part year-round to ensure that they are preparing for the upcoming fire season,” the department wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On July 28, 2019, Katkov embarked on a training exercise called the Lippe Hike, a 1.45-mile loop at Cal Fire’s Station 16 in Fallbrook, California, a mountain town ringed by ranches just outside of Temecula.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gavin Bledsoe, one of the station’s other fire captains, later told Cal/OSHA investigators that “he had concerns with Joe pushing Yaro hard,” and that Ekblad had pushed other firefighters without giving them enough time for breaks in the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889386\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11889386 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A view from Lippe Hike: several hills and a light cloudy sky.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Lippe-Hike-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Lippe Hike winds through the hills just behind Cal Fire Station 16 in northern San Diego County. \u003ccite>(Jacob Margolis/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to documents related to Ekblad’s demotion, the hike that preceded Katkov’s death had never been timed before that morning, and Bledsoe believed the standard for finishing it was set “specifically with Yaro in mind.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Joe has been pushing really hard to get Yaro to quit or up to his standards,” Bledsoe told Cal/OSHA investigators about the rookie firefighter who regularly hiked the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bledsoe didn’t respond to multiple phone calls and text messages seeking comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889397\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 427px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11889397 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Yaro-1.jpeg\" alt=\"A studio portrait of a man in a Cal Fire uniform smiling at the camera.\" width=\"427\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Yaro-1.jpeg 427w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Yaro-1-160x240.jpeg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 427px) 100vw, 427px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cal Fire firefighter Yaroslav Katkov. Katkov died of hyperthermia at a hospital the day after embarking on a training exercise called the Lippe Hike. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Ashley Vallario)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A quarter-mile into the hike, seasonal firefighter Matthew Guerrero told investigators, Katkov was breathing heavily. At one point, as the hike wound from mountains alongside a road, Katkov was slow to move out of oncoming traffic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ekblad wrote in his notebook, “Road Hazard – Cognitive Question.” This was an early sign of heat illness that Ekblad ignored, Cal Fire documents show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The trio completed the hike in about 40 minutes — 10 minutes slower than the time Ekblad had set for the station that morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re gonna do it again. The first hike was unacceptable,” Ekblad said, according to the Cal/OSHA investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ekblad later told the agency’s investigators that doing the hike twice wasn’t standard practice. Cal Fire concluded that it was “clearly unnecessary” given the signs of distress Katkov had exhibited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The trio rested for 20 minutes, drank some water and set off to do the hike again. By then, the temperature had climbed to nearly 88 degrees — five degrees hotter than the 40-year average for the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the steep, often-shadeless path, Katkov told Ekblad he was exhausted — another symptom of heat illness that Ekblad should have recognized, Cal Fire documents said. Rather than seek emergency care, however, the captain encouraged both firefighters to press on, and they pushed up the hill. Guerrero helped steady Katkov’s balance, but Katkov stumbled and had to pause at least 20 times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atop the 650-foot ridge, Katkov fell forward and sat down. Ekblad told him to take off some of his wildland gear, and Guerrero tried to shade him with a jacket. They poured water on him, but his eyes rolled back. He eventually passed out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly an hour after starting the hike a second time, Ekblad called for help. Katkov began to shake uncontrollably. It took another hour for an air ambulance to get to the remote location and transport Katkov to Temecula Valley Hospital. He died the next day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA inspectors found that Cal Fire:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Hadn’t provided enough water or shade on the hike.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Failed to monitor Katkov for preexisting sensitivities to heat.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Didn’t prepare Katkov for the intensity of the job, as required under Cal Fire’s heat-illness prevention plan.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Didn’t initiate an emergency medical response until it was too late.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA fined the department $80,875 — almost five times the average Cal/OSHA fine of $17,000 for all types of cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A ‘toughness mentality’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Ashley Vallario, Katkov’s longtime girlfriend, said she was shocked after reading the investigation. It was clear that Cal Fire hadn’t done everything it should have done to protect Katkov, she said. Its safeguards against workplace heat appear to have failed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They told me that everything that could have been done was done, and that there was no waste of time,” Vallario said. “I believed them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire didn’t respond to written questions about Katkov’s death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889399\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889399\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A sign that reads, 'Cal Fire De Luz Station 16' next to a country road.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1696\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-1536x1018.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-2048x1357.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Cal-Fire-Station-Sign-1920x1272.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yaroslav Katkov worked at Cal Fire De Luz Station 16 located in the hills just outside of Temecula.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rank matters at Cal Fire. Impressing superiors can help a seasonal firefighter move on to a coveted full-time spot. But a tough paramilitary culture often pushes Cal Fire employees to their physical limits, even in hot temperatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In many cases, that culture has contributed to serious heat-related injuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2013, for instance, a Cal Fire firefighter was at a “rehire” training session in Riverside, meant for seasonal employees about to rejoin their crews. He and the other trainees were forced to do “extra rigorous” exercises after someone had arrived late, according to a Cal/OSHA investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the group practiced a simulated fire attack, the firefighter complained about feeling ill and asked his supervisor if he could take off his jacket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The instructor said no and told the firefighter to sit down in the sun, the records show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>About 10 minutes later, a colleague reported that the firefighter did “not look good.” His legs cramped, and he was gasping for breath — both symptoms of heat illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The firefighter was hospitalized for two days, and Cal/OSHA fined the department $18,560 for violating California’s heat standard by failing to allow the employee to take an adequate rest break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a similar case in 2017, another Cal Fire firefighter was working in full wildland gear while moving a hose for a training exercise, according to Cal/OSHA records. After a break, a new instructor took over another round of the activity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The firefighter later told Cal/OSHA that the work was more strenuous the second time, and that the instructor had “pushed the employee to do more.” The firefighter struggled to finish the task. He was so confused that he couldn’t answer questions, Cal/OSHA records show. An altered mental state is a red flag for heat illness, medical experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The instructor mocked the firefighter and suggested he “go to Orange County since their training is easier,” the inspector wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As in the earlier case, the firefighter spent two days in the hospital. Cal Fire was fined another $2,430 for failing to educate employees about heat’s threats and not providing ready access to water and shade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘We don’t want the smartest guy … we just want a guy who can throw on a pack and hike hills.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Cal Fire Battalion Chief Jon Heggie, who leads several fire stations based in San Diego, including Katkov’s former station, said the department is working to root out the “toughness” mentality that has pervaded its ranks. Some heat-related incidents “have been an unfortunate wake-up call that maybe that culture needs to change,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that may be difficult. Robert Salgado, a former Cal/OSHA inspector and wildland firefighter, notes that Cal Fire’s do-or-die attitude is one of the “very deep-rooted cultural practices in the fire service” that is passed from department to department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t want the smartest guy … we don’t want the most trained guy,” Salgado said. “We just want a guy who can throw on a pack and hike hills.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire union president Tim Edwards of Local 2881 recalls a recent incident in which supervisors pushed firefighters in training activities beyond their limits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ll admit it, we had problems in San Diego in the last four months,” he said, explaining that one supervisor was warned about the way he was treating firefighters after a union member filed a complaint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The supervisor was pushing firefighters to hike “when they weren’t feeling good,” Edwards said, “making them hike thinking if he pushed them a little bit further, it would help them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire, for its part, acknowledges that the department spoke with the supervisor but said he was not reprimanded. It describes the incident as an example of how the department and the union can work together to address potential health issues before they get worse.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>‘Don’t blame the firefighters’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Another problem, insiders say, is that Cal Fire doesn’t have a physical fitness standard that makes clear what kind of shape seasonal and incarcerated firefighters must be in when they return to duty after months off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Without such a standard, firefighters may not realize they’re not fit enough until they’re on training hikes or in the field on hot days. At that point, it’s up to individual supervisors to say whether it’s a problem for any firefighter, and what that firefighter needs to do to improve. And that can make for trouble when those supervisors push their employees too hard, especially on hot days, to reach whatever level they deem correct, insiders say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Edwards, of Cal Fire Local 2881, notes that the union has “been pushing for years to have a minimal physical fitness standard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said the union wants seasonal firefighters to have their fitness tested over a week, with intense physical exercise and step-by-step goals to measure their progress. If they fail to pass those tests, he said, they could be set on a remedial path or let go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Edwards blames the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for issues involving incarcerated firefighters. He argues that Cal Fire has little control over these abilities when they arrive at fire camps, even though the 11 heat-related incidents involving incarcerated people identified by CJI and LAist occurred during official Cal Fire trainings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Corrections Department said Cal Fire has always trained incarcerated firefighters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, when a firefighter falls behind on fitness requirements, Cal Fire’s system leaves it up to individual stations to determine how that firefighter will move forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889391\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11889391 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A line of firefighters wearing bright orange uniforms and carrying equipment walk alongside a forest in front of a firefighter wearing a traditional yellow uniform.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Incarcerated-Hike-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Incarcerated firefighters on a training hike with Cal Fire. Incarcerated individuals make up a big chunk of California’s firefighters during wildfire season, but some firefighter union officials point out that incarcerated firefighters don’t receive enough physical training from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation before they join a crew. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Cal Fire)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When firefighters are assigned to a crew for the season, they are allotted an hour each day for personal training, and given access to wellness coordinators and workout gear. Supervisors are required to sign off on each firefighter’s monthly progress as part of a “Physical Fitness Documentation Log.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In more than half of heat-illness cases examined by CJI and LAist, the firefighters didn’t have a fitness plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In interviews with a Cal/OSHA investigator, some of Katkov’s former colleagues raised concerns about his physical fitness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Just as a runner cannot expect to run a marathon without months of preparation, a firefighter cannot show up for the beginning of fire season … without preparing their body for the tasks ahead.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But Cal/OSHA found that Ekblad had not created a fitness plan or any documentation to measure Katkov’s progress, records show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its statement, Cal Fire said it has no control over its firefighters’ “fitness efforts, caffeine intake, eating habits, water intake, sun exposure, alcohol consumption, or other factors that may impact their ability to perform their job functions” when they are off-duty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It can take weeks or months for firefighters to safely build up their fitness, and experts say it’s not something that can be forced with strenuous exercise in a short period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just as a runner cannot expect to run a marathon without months of preparation, a firefighter cannot show up for the beginning of fire season … without preparing their body for the tasks ahead,” Cal Fire said in its statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brent Ruby, a University of Montana professor who has studied the physical demands of wildland firefighting, said ad hoc training is not the ideal way to train because there’s “a tendency to try to push” new or young recruits. As these firefighters press on, he said, the strain on their body builds up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They hike faster, they produce more heat,” Ruby said, “but the environment is still bearing down on them and pushing back on them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘We’ve got to educate the supervisors to recognize that they need to pay attention to this.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Dr. Thomas Ferguson, a consultant who says he reviews 8,000 medical files for Cal Fire each year, has seen how firefighters who are pushed too hard can get blamed for not meeting physical expectations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ferguson told Cal/OSHA investigators that seasonal firefighters like Katkov are most vulnerable to heat illness. According to Cal/OSHA’s investigative file on Katkov’s death, Ferguson urged the department to adopt a fitness standard for seasonal and incarcerated firefighters partly for this reason.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Don’t blame the firefighters,” he said in a recent interview. “We’ve got to educate the supervisors to recognize that they need to pay attention to this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889395\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889395\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Two firefighters seem to be pulling a long hose through the forest.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Progressive-Hoselay-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Firefighters with Cal Fire San Diego practice a progressive hose lay during training. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Cal Fire)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Identifying the hidden risks\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Even before starting the job, Cal Fire’s health screening processes may miss conditions that could jeopardize firefighters’ lives, experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seasonal and incarcerated firefighters get little more than a basic physical, which experts say doesn’t always screen for potentially problematic health conditions. That has had dire consequences on the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2001, eight firefighters with underlying health problems have died during training — five of them likely from heat exposure, experts say. All of them were incarcerated except for Katkov. Four died from cardiovascular issues, such as heart attacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While not all of those cases were directly tied to heat, researchers say high temperatures often play a hidden role in injuries and deaths, especially in workers who have underlying or preexisting health conditions, such as heart or kidney disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire said its screening policy requires “an annual medical evaluation for all applicants and employees who are required to be medically cleared.” Tests intended to check for preexisting conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders and some cancers, are voluntary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a recent interview with CJI and LAist, Ferguson said Cal Fire has a hard time keeping up with the basic screenings for thousands of seasonal and incarcerated firefighters each year. “It’s an operational issue for them,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union’s Edwards goes further. “When the State of California is hiring a temporary employee, and this is just the sad truth of it, they’re not going to want to invest a whole lot of time and money,” he said. “We don’t agree with that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not until age 40 that full-time Cal Fire employees are required to take heart and blood tests, according to the union. Seasonal firefighters are offered the opportunity, but it’s not mandatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heart issues, which could be caught by more extensive tests, are among the preexisting conditions exacerbated by heat. When a firefighter dies, heat can be overlooked as the primary factor, creating a pattern of uneven enforcement, records show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "It’s not until age 40 that full-time Cal Fire employees are required to take heart and blood tests.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In April 2015, Raymond Araujo, a 37-year-old incarcerated man assigned to work in the Bautista Conservation Camp, set off on a training hike in Banning, California, about 30 miles from Palm Springs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Cal/OSHA records, Araujo covered two miles of steep terrain. The temperature reached 81 degrees — 10 degrees hotter for the area for that time of year. He stumbled during the exercise. His colleagues tried to carry him to the finish but eventually he lost his vision and fell to his knees. About an hour after the hike began, paramedics declared him dead, according to the records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>A Cal/OSHA investigation named heat as a contributing factor in Araujo’s death, but the Riverside County coroner determined the cause was “hypertensive cardiovascular disease,” according to an autopsy report. Cal/OSHA’s medical unit, noting the preexisting condition, concluded that “it did not appear likely that a heat illness or other work-related illness or injury played any role in Araujo’s sudden death,” records show. The agency closed the case without issuing any citations for violating the state’s heat standard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Garrett Brown, a Cal/OSHA inspector from 1994 to 2014, investigated more than 100 work sites for heat issues. He reviewed the Araujo case at our request and said it was impossible to know why the agency chose not to address the heat standard violations. Despite that decision, Brown said the incident resembled many heat cases he had handled, in which workers suffered heart or kidney failure because of hot temperatures, and likely should’ve been handled as possible heat standard violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Cal/OSHA spokesperson defended the agency’s handling of Araujo’s death. “Cal/OSHA Enforcement relied on the Medical Unit’s opinion,” the spokesperson, Frank Polizzi, wrote in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ferguson isn’t the only one who’s raised concerns about Cal Fire’s health-screening process. During the Cal/OSHA investigation into Katkov’s death, Tammy Stout, manager of the Cal Fire medical unit, was blunt in her assessment of the process, explaining that she had received medical clearance even though she believed she was physically incapable of doing a firefighter’s job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire Captain Cesar Nerey put it simply. “You could get a better physical playing high school football than the one required by Cal Fire,” he told the Cal/OSHA investigator.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A gap in existing heat protections\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>There’s another concerning factor in how Cal Fire brings new firefighters onto the job: a lack of a department-wide regimented acclimatization plan that would ease employees into the heat. Instead, as with fitness training, Cal Fire leaves it up to individual stations to craft their own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Here’s why that matters. Acclimatization — building up a tolerance for heat — is a crucial part of training firefighters to operate in extreme conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Easing firefighters into the work in hot temperatures is widely viewed as one of the best ways to prevent heat illnesses and deaths. It should happen during a new or newly returned firefighter’s two weeks of training, health experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For nearly 25 years, since the death of a California firefighter from heat exposure while constructing a fire line in 1997, a federal agency has recommended the state follow specific protocols for acclimatization of firefighters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The protocols, from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), call for:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>New employees working in heat no more than 20% of their first shift, with a daily increase of the same percentage until fully acclimated.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Experienced firefighters returning from an extended break working in heat more than 50% of the first day, with a gradual increase over the course of a week.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire said that it is considering those recommendations, but it “may not be achievable in all situations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The department said following them “could cause issues in protecting the people and resources of California,” since firefighters often are thrust into emergency situations when a fire erupts and may come from areas across the state and be used to different climates. Cal Fire did not address non-emergency training scenarios.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Some heat-related incidents have occurred early in a firefighter’s tenure and during training. Of all the incidents identified by CJI and LAist, records show at least 14 employees were sickened by heat at the Cal Fire training academy during their first weeks. Dozens more suffered from heat illnesses on the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over a two-month period in the summer of 2014, three firefighters were hospitalized after they had trained in the heat. Two of these incidents occurred in the same week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA considers an acclimatization plan the pinnacle of heat awareness — indeed, it is one of the four pillars of heat safety in the state’s standard. Yet the agency leaves the details on how to acclimate employees up to individual employers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a written statement, Cal/OSHA said “the acclimatization period, when employees are introduced to high heat, is the most critical in terms of illness prevention.” The agency rarely cites employers for failing to acclimatize their employees, as compared to other heat-related violations, having done so only 68 times since 2015, as of July 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What can prevent a tragedy\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>While heat continues to be an issue during Cal Fire training activities, a responsive supervisor can make the difference between life and death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly a year after Katkov’s death, yet another firefighter came close to dying on a training hike in Mariposa, 150 miles east of San José. The firefighter had suffered leg cramps and vomited on the same trail just two weeks earlier, according to Cal Fire documents. A physician cleared him for work, but people with prior injuries can be more susceptible to heat stress, experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a hike in July 2020, the temperature reached 87 degrees. According to Cal Fire records, the captain, who said he’d been aware of the firefighter’s medical issues, watched his progress during the 60-minute exercise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the firefighter gasped for breath, the captain implored him to slow down. When his legs cramped, a colleague helped him down a hill. The captain called an ambulance, and the crew gave him oxygen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Airlifted to a trauma center, the firefigher was treated for heat stroke and a heat-related condition known as rhabdomyolysis, which causes muscle tissue to break down and leak toxins into the blood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889393\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 623px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11889393 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Yaro-5.jpeg\" alt=\"A smiling couple in formal dress sit together at a table at a party.\" width=\"623\" height=\"415\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Yaro-5.jpeg 623w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Yaro-5-160x107.jpeg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 623px) 100vw, 623px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yaroslav Katkov with his longtime partner, Ashley Vallario. Vallario considered filing a lawsuit after Katkov’s death but later decided against it. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Ashley Vallario)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ashley Vallario, Yaroslav Katkov’s partner, who considered filing a lawsuit but decided against it, still can’t understand why Katkov wasn’t given the same level of care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Katkov was selfless, she said, someone who would help others even to his detriment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early in their relationship, Vallario remembers Katkov taking her on a date to pick up trash on the beach. Initially, that gave her pause, but she’s come to realize it was Katkov’s way of giving back. “It definitely made me, like, a better person,” Vallario said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since Katkov’s death, she has pushed Cal Fire to demand more of its leaders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re supposed to have faith that those people would keep them safe,” she said. “It shows what kind of leadership that they’re willing to allow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Brian Edwards reported this story as a fellow for Columbia Journalism Investigations, an investigative reporting unit at the Columbia Journalism School in New York, along with Jacob Margolis, a science reporter at KPCC and LAist, and a member of The California Newsroom.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>In 2017, Ben Perez went to a Mojave Desert resort for a free vacation and ended up signing away his life savings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was sold on an idea that a mostly uninhabited, sun-baked desert city might one day become the next Palm Springs, the next Silicon Valley. It turned out Perez is one of tens of thousands of people who’ve been drawn into this mirage for decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new podcast \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/podcasts/california-city.php\">“California City”\u003c/a> follows award-winning journalist Emily Guerin in uncovering the mind-boggling history of a place made up of sprawling suburbs … with no houses. A place where empty desert land is presented as a ticket to the American Dream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11834254\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11834254\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-1020x764.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-536x402.jpg 536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California City is carved out of the Mojave Desert. It was designed in the late 1950s for hundreds of thousands of people, but today, there are only about 14,000 residents. Many neighborhoods remain unbuilt. Dirt roads lead to nowhere. Some have street signs, but many are unnamed. One former resident remembered standing at the corner of ‘blank and blank.’ \u003ccite>(Chava Sanchez/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For decades, real estate developers have gotten rich by selling this fever dream to thousands of people, many of whom are hard-working immigrants looking to build a better future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the reality is much different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The land investments never paid off, and the landowners — many of whom scraped together their life savings to buy a plot of land — were left with next to nothing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11834255\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11834255\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44510_Desert-_For-Sale_-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44510_Desert-_For-Sale_-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44510_Desert-_For-Sale_-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44510_Desert-_For-Sale_-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44510_Desert-_For-Sale_-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44510_Desert-_For-Sale_-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California City is filled with signs advertising vacant land for sale. \u003ccite>(Chava Sanchez/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>California City is just a few miles north of Edwards Air Force Base.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s the third-largest city in the state by land area, but the population stood at only 14,120 in the last census. It’s a one-bar town surrounded by a vast layout of unpaved streets, filled with people too afraid to talk about the heart of the problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a story in which victims can be perpetrators and heroes can be villains — from the do-gooder attorney who helped thousands of people before committing a heinous crime of his own, to a former police chief who decided not to investigate an open secret in his own town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To uncover the full scope of this story, and raise awareness about the thousands of people who were affected, this Western crime noir goes back to where it all got started 60 years ago by an immigrant with a dream of his own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11834256\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11834256\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-1020x764.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-536x402.jpg 536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California City is the third largest city in the state – by land area. But it’s never become the thriving community early developers promised it would be. \u003ccite>(Chava Sanchez/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In this episode of the California Report Magazine, Guerin tells us how salespeople convinced Ben Perez to spend 5 years’ worth of his savings in a matter of three hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s an excerpt from the first episode of the California City podcast, an 8-part series from our partners at \u003ca href=\"https://www.laiststudios.com/\">LAist Studios.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In 2017, Ben Perez went to a Mojave Desert resort for a free vacation and ended up signing away his life savings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was sold on an idea that a mostly uninhabited, sun-baked desert city might one day become the next Palm Springs, the next Silicon Valley. It turned out Perez is one of tens of thousands of people who’ve been drawn into this mirage for decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new podcast \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/podcasts/california-city.php\">“California City”\u003c/a> follows award-winning journalist Emily Guerin in uncovering the mind-boggling history of a place made up of sprawling suburbs … with no houses. A place where empty desert land is presented as a ticket to the American Dream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11834254\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11834254\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-1020x764.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut-536x402.jpg 536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44509__Drone-Roads-0668-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California City is carved out of the Mojave Desert. It was designed in the late 1950s for hundreds of thousands of people, but today, there are only about 14,000 residents. Many neighborhoods remain unbuilt. Dirt roads lead to nowhere. Some have street signs, but many are unnamed. One former resident remembered standing at the corner of ‘blank and blank.’ \u003ccite>(Chava Sanchez/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For decades, real estate developers have gotten rich by selling this fever dream to thousands of people, many of whom are hard-working immigrants looking to build a better future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the reality is much different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The land investments never paid off, and the landowners — many of whom scraped together their life savings to buy a plot of land — were left with next to nothing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11834255\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11834255\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44510_Desert-_For-Sale_-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44510_Desert-_For-Sale_-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44510_Desert-_For-Sale_-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44510_Desert-_For-Sale_-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44510_Desert-_For-Sale_-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44510_Desert-_For-Sale_-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California City is filled with signs advertising vacant land for sale. \u003ccite>(Chava Sanchez/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>California City is just a few miles north of Edwards Air Force Base.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s the third-largest city in the state by land area, but the population stood at only 14,120 in the last census. It’s a one-bar town surrounded by a vast layout of unpaved streets, filled with people too afraid to talk about the heart of the problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a story in which victims can be perpetrators and heroes can be villains — from the do-gooder attorney who helped thousands of people before committing a heinous crime of his own, to a former police chief who decided not to investigate an open secret in his own town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To uncover the full scope of this story, and raise awareness about the thousands of people who were affected, this Western crime noir goes back to where it all got started 60 years ago by an immigrant with a dream of his own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11834256\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11834256\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-1020x764.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut-536x402.jpg 536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/RS44511_Drone-CA-City-0489-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California City is the third largest city in the state – by land area. But it’s never become the thriving community early developers promised it would be. \u003ccite>(Chava Sanchez/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In this episode of the California Report Magazine, Guerin tells us how salespeople convinced Ben Perez to spend 5 years’ worth of his savings in a matter of three hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s an excerpt from the first episode of the California City podcast, an 8-part series from our partners at \u003ca href=\"https://www.laiststudios.com/\">LAist Studios.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Why Older Uber Drivers Earn Less Than Younger Ones",
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"headTitle": "The California Dream | The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>Older workers have been tapping into the gig economy in California. Some aren’t ready to retire. Others may face age discrimination when looking for other jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gig platforms can be fairly easy for many older workers to join. But research shows that on certain apps, they’re earning less than younger workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There could be a very substantial pay cut per hour, when moving from a career job to something like the gig economy,” said Rebecca Diamond, a Stanford University economist who has done research on platforms like Uber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11772787,news_11771412,news_11770427\" label=\"Regulating the Gig Economy\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Big changes could be ahead for gig workers in California. This week, state lawmakers are preparing to vote on \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/bill/AB5/2019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Assembly Bill 5,\u003c/a> a bill that would reclassify many independent contractors as employees, with the aim of providing greater protections to workers who currently don’t receive the benefits of more traditional employment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the lack of benefits, plugging into the gig economy has been an attractive option for some older job seekers, because the barriers to entry on many apps have been low.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keith Cooney, who turns 65 in October, is an Uber driver in South Lake Tahoe. He usually leaves the windows down when he drives, letting his passengers enjoy the crisp mountain breeze and the scent of pine trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They love the fresh air,” Cooney said. “I say, 'Is that too much wind on you?' 'No, we love it.' So I say, 'OK!' \"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Driving for Uber gives Cooney a chance to meet riders from all over the country. He said a typical ride lasts about 10 to 15 minutes, long enough to strike up a conversation about where people are from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I tell them I've been here about 20 years, I'm originally from New Orleans,” he said, his accent starting to come through. “They want to talk about the restaurants, the music, the food. So we carry on a conversation.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cooney may be reaching an age when workers in previous eras would consider retirement. But he said he has no plans to stop driving anytime soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He previously worked as a concierge at a local timeshare, but he said his boss was pushy. So in 2016, he switched to Uber. It was easy to sign up, and he liked the idea of not having a boss at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I set my own hours,” Cooney said. “I work when I want to work. And so far it's been working for me. I've been able to pay my bills.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Cooney said Uber drivers in South Lake Tahoe have to deal with one major challenge: Demand is highly seasonal. Tourists swarm this resort town in the summer, and they come to hit the slopes in the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the offseasons, Cooney will have long dry spells when he hardly gets any riders. This past May, \"I was lucky to make $20 or $30 a day,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He has just entered another down spell. “After Labor Day, it will start slowing down and it will be slow until Thanksgiving,” Cooney said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11773131\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11773131\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/Tahoe-Uber-Car-e1568052171231.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Uber drivers in South Lake Tahoe see demand spike during tourist seasons, and plummet at other times of year. \u003ccite>(David Wagner/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Still, Cooney thinks the flexibility of driving for Uber makes it a pretty good job for older people. This part of California has a high percentage of seniors. El Dorado County’s median age of nearly 46 is the fourth highest in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The gig economy can be a fallback for those struggling to find other employment, but gig jobs are not always lucrative for older workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Diamond, the Stanford economist, co-authored \u003ca href=\"https://web.stanford.edu/~diamondr/OldUberPP.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a recent study\u003c/a> that broke down earnings for Uber drivers by age. The researchers found that 60-year-old drivers earn nearly 10% less per hour than 30-year-old drivers on average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s not because Uber pays younger and older drivers differently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Obviously, the Uber formula for pay is the same for all workers,” Diamond said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Rebecca Diamond, a Stanford University economist\"]'It could have a lot of beneficial job characteristics. But the pay may be very different than what the workers had been experiencing in their longer-term jobs.'[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A large part of that gap can be explained by where older drivers live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Older workers live in the suburbs more than younger workers do,” Diamond said. “If the suburbs pay less, they're going to sort of have to just accept that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suburbs and rural areas typically do pay less, because there’s less demand from riders. Younger drivers are more concentrated in cities, where demand is higher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Timing is important too. Older drivers tend to avoid working late at night, when demand can peak with people hailing rides home from bars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Diamond said these pay disparities make sense, based on where and when older drivers tend to work. But the gap is still notable, because it’s the exact opposite of what happens in more traditional jobs, where there’s a norm that older employees earn more than younger workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Older drivers get no such premium on Uber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It could have a lot of beneficial job characteristics,” Diamond said. “But the pay may be very different than what the workers had been experiencing in their longer-term jobs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khymberleigh Levin, 58, said she was surprised to hear that younger drivers out-earn older ones on Uber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I think I drive just as much as a young driver does,\" said Levin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She drives part time in South Lake Tahoe, but said she focuses on times with high demand, often driving until 2 a.m. on the weekends. She doesn't feel like she's putting in less effort than younger drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said it would be impractical to chase higher demand by driving all the way to a larger city, such as Sacramento or San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11719321,news_11660885,news_11508374\" label=\"Challenges for drivers\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Would it really pay?\" Levin asked. \"You're paying for your gas there, wear and tear on your car, and a hotel there because you can't drive back. So I haven't really thought of it. Also, to be honest, I feel a lot safer here than I would in a big city.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber declined to comment for this story. But in the past, the company has pitched itself to older workers as a great way to make extra money, stay socially engaged and control your own schedule.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It once \u003ca href=\"https://press.aarp.org/2015-07-30-Life-Reimagined-Announces-Collaboration-with-Uber-to-Offer-New-Income-Opportunities-to-Members\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">directly recruited older drivers\u003c/a>, offering a $35 incentive to new drivers who signed up through an AARP subsidiary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keith Cooney said he understands why older drivers like him can end up earning less.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know that if I were to work from midnight to 3 in the morning, that's when people really make a lot of money,” Cooney said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He used to work that late when he first started driving. But now, he’s just not willing to put up with drunken passengers in the middle of the night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I've never had anybody throw up in my car,” he said. “They've come close, but they never have.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cooney said in a bigger city, he’d be able to get rides year-round. And he might earn more. But he’s not about to move out of South Lake Tahoe in order to find out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Dream series is a statewide media collaboration of CalMatters, KPBS, KPCC, KQED and Capital Public Radio with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the James Irvine Foundation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11768052\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"219\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/CADreamBanner-1-800x219-160x44.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Older workers have been tapping into the gig economy in California. Some aren’t ready to retire. Others may face age discrimination when looking for other jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gig platforms can be fairly easy for many older workers to join. But research shows that on certain apps, they’re earning less than younger workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There could be a very substantial pay cut per hour, when moving from a career job to something like the gig economy,” said Rebecca Diamond, a Stanford University economist who has done research on platforms like Uber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Big changes could be ahead for gig workers in California. This week, state lawmakers are preparing to vote on \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/bill/AB5/2019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Assembly Bill 5,\u003c/a> a bill that would reclassify many independent contractors as employees, with the aim of providing greater protections to workers who currently don’t receive the benefits of more traditional employment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the lack of benefits, plugging into the gig economy has been an attractive option for some older job seekers, because the barriers to entry on many apps have been low.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keith Cooney, who turns 65 in October, is an Uber driver in South Lake Tahoe. He usually leaves the windows down when he drives, letting his passengers enjoy the crisp mountain breeze and the scent of pine trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They love the fresh air,” Cooney said. “I say, 'Is that too much wind on you?' 'No, we love it.' So I say, 'OK!' \"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Driving for Uber gives Cooney a chance to meet riders from all over the country. He said a typical ride lasts about 10 to 15 minutes, long enough to strike up a conversation about where people are from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I tell them I've been here about 20 years, I'm originally from New Orleans,” he said, his accent starting to come through. “They want to talk about the restaurants, the music, the food. So we carry on a conversation.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cooney may be reaching an age when workers in previous eras would consider retirement. But he said he has no plans to stop driving anytime soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He previously worked as a concierge at a local timeshare, but he said his boss was pushy. So in 2016, he switched to Uber. It was easy to sign up, and he liked the idea of not having a boss at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I set my own hours,” Cooney said. “I work when I want to work. And so far it's been working for me. I've been able to pay my bills.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Cooney said Uber drivers in South Lake Tahoe have to deal with one major challenge: Demand is highly seasonal. Tourists swarm this resort town in the summer, and they come to hit the slopes in the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the offseasons, Cooney will have long dry spells when he hardly gets any riders. This past May, \"I was lucky to make $20 or $30 a day,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He has just entered another down spell. “After Labor Day, it will start slowing down and it will be slow until Thanksgiving,” Cooney said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11773131\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11773131\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/Tahoe-Uber-Car-e1568052171231.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Uber drivers in South Lake Tahoe see demand spike during tourist seasons, and plummet at other times of year. \u003ccite>(David Wagner/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Still, Cooney thinks the flexibility of driving for Uber makes it a pretty good job for older people. This part of California has a high percentage of seniors. El Dorado County’s median age of nearly 46 is the fourth highest in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The gig economy can be a fallback for those struggling to find other employment, but gig jobs are not always lucrative for older workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Diamond, the Stanford economist, co-authored \u003ca href=\"https://web.stanford.edu/~diamondr/OldUberPP.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a recent study\u003c/a> that broke down earnings for Uber drivers by age. The researchers found that 60-year-old drivers earn nearly 10% less per hour than 30-year-old drivers on average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s not because Uber pays younger and older drivers differently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Obviously, the Uber formula for pay is the same for all workers,” Diamond said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A large part of that gap can be explained by where older drivers live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Older workers live in the suburbs more than younger workers do,” Diamond said. “If the suburbs pay less, they're going to sort of have to just accept that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suburbs and rural areas typically do pay less, because there’s less demand from riders. Younger drivers are more concentrated in cities, where demand is higher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Timing is important too. Older drivers tend to avoid working late at night, when demand can peak with people hailing rides home from bars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Diamond said these pay disparities make sense, based on where and when older drivers tend to work. But the gap is still notable, because it’s the exact opposite of what happens in more traditional jobs, where there’s a norm that older employees earn more than younger workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Older drivers get no such premium on Uber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It could have a lot of beneficial job characteristics,” Diamond said. “But the pay may be very different than what the workers had been experiencing in their longer-term jobs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khymberleigh Levin, 58, said she was surprised to hear that younger drivers out-earn older ones on Uber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I think I drive just as much as a young driver does,\" said Levin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She drives part time in South Lake Tahoe, but said she focuses on times with high demand, often driving until 2 a.m. on the weekends. She doesn't feel like she's putting in less effort than younger drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said it would be impractical to chase higher demand by driving all the way to a larger city, such as Sacramento or San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Would it really pay?\" Levin asked. \"You're paying for your gas there, wear and tear on your car, and a hotel there because you can't drive back. So I haven't really thought of it. Also, to be honest, I feel a lot safer here than I would in a big city.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber declined to comment for this story. But in the past, the company has pitched itself to older workers as a great way to make extra money, stay socially engaged and control your own schedule.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It once \u003ca href=\"https://press.aarp.org/2015-07-30-Life-Reimagined-Announces-Collaboration-with-Uber-to-Offer-New-Income-Opportunities-to-Members\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">directly recruited older drivers\u003c/a>, offering a $35 incentive to new drivers who signed up through an AARP subsidiary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keith Cooney said he understands why older drivers like him can end up earning less.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know that if I were to work from midnight to 3 in the morning, that's when people really make a lot of money,” Cooney said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He used to work that late when he first started driving. But now, he’s just not willing to put up with drunken passengers in the middle of the night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I've never had anybody throw up in my car,” he said. “They've come close, but they never have.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cooney said in a bigger city, he’d be able to get rides year-round. And he might earn more. But he’s not about to move out of South Lake Tahoe in order to find out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Dream series is a statewide media collaboration of CalMatters, KPBS, KPCC, KQED and Capital Public Radio with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the James Irvine Foundation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11768052\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"219\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/CADreamBanner-1-800x219-160x44.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "despite-a-growing-latino-middle-class-california-families-face-hurdles-getting-there",
"title": "Despite a Growing Latino Middle Class, California Families Face Hurdles Getting There",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dropcap]O[/dropcap]ne recent Saturday morning, about 100 people sat on folding chairs in a hall at the First Christian Church in Downey. They were there for the church’s weekly food distribution. Volunteers called out names from a list as people waited their turn to get in line for donated groceries. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among those waiting was Janette Perez. She sat in one row of chairs, holding her baby boy in her lap. Her 6-year-old-son played nearby. It was their first time here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11759939 label='Related Coverage']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was told through my job that they were donating food here at the church, so I came by to see what they could give me, since we’re struggling right now,” Perez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perez lives with her husband and two young children in South Gate, a short distance away. She and her husband both work. He installs car stereos. She works in nutrition at a Head Start preschool. But even with two incomes, she said, they’re just scraping by. It gets to her. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really difficult,” she said, tearing up. “Our rent is like $1,375, and our car payment is almost $500, so we can’t afford anything right now.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11760864\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11760864\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38055__DSF3049-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38055__DSF3049-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38055__DSF3049-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38055__DSF3049-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38055__DSF3049-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38055__DSF3049-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People arrive to the Downey First Christian Church every Saturday for groceries, pastries, coffee, and a time of community. \u003ccite>(Chava Sanchez/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Experts say that even as Latinos’ economic fortunes have risen in the U.S., with rising median incomes and the Latino poverty rate \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">at an all-time low\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, according to census data, many families face a host of obstacles to upward mobility, especially as housing and living costs increase. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unsteady work hours and a lack of access to banking and credit are among the issues that can get in the way. An education gap persists, despite rising high school graduation rates and college enrollment, according to experts. Filial duty and other family obligations can eat into finances. As for those who lack legal immigration status, opportunities have become increasingly limited. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And here, in California, the biggest challenge these days is the cost of housing. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Traditionally, saving up and buying property has been one of the main ways that Latino families have built wealth, said Jody Agius Vallejo, a University of Southern California sociologist. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s harder to do these days. While the median household income for Latinos in the U.S. is now over $50,000 a year, it doesn’t get you much in California, she said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside tag='income-inequality' label='The cost of living in California']\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The high cost of housing in California is something that really threatens economic stability,” Vallejo said. “It’s not just the fact that home ownership costs are high. Even having to pay high rents can prevent people from saving to buy a home.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">reported last year \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">that Latinos in California have a lower rate of home ownership than in other states where Latinos represent more than 30 percent of the population. This includes states like Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, where Latino median household income is lower than it is in California. Housing affordability is a major factor. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Waiting her turn for groceries at the church, Perez said she and her husband wish they could buy a home, “so that my children have somewhere to live, so they won’t struggle the way we did,” she said. But it seems out of reach. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perez said her mom, a first-generation immigrant from Mexico, owns her home, but she’s struggled to make the payments since Perez’s father died about six years ago, so she can’t offer much help. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, Perez said, it’s impossible for them to save any money. Her job doesn’t pay over the summer, and her husband’s hours aren’t steady. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The hours are not the same as they used to be,” Perez said of her husband’s job. “He will work maybe five days out of the week, sometimes four days out of the week.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11760868\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11760868\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38056__DSF3064-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38056__DSF3064-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38056__DSF3064-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38056__DSF3064-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38056__DSF3064-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38056__DSF3064-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Elvira Rodriguez, a volunteer at the food bank, unpacks a box full of orange juice. Volunteers themselves are often going through the same housing-related hardships as the people they serve. \u003ccite>(Chava Sanchez/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Unreliable hours are a problem for Latinos in lower-earning jobs, said Anthony Alvarez, an economic sociologist at Cal State Fullerton. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We still do see high levels of what we would call income volatility, meaning that you have changes in your income, from week to week or month to month, or even year to year,” Alvarez said. “This oftentimes makes it very difficult to accumulate savings.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While many groups are affected by income volatility, Latinos are \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">among those hardest hit\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. A 2017 report from Pew Charitable Trusts found that Latinos and people with a high school diploma or less are the most likely to face income losses from unsteady earnings. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A lack of savings and emergency funds also makes it difficult for families to establish good credit, Alvarez said. Adding to this challenge is the fact that while banking rates for Latinos are gradually improving, according to federal data, many remain unbanked or under-banked. \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to the federal FDIC\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, 14 percent of Latinos in 2017 did not use banking services. This is especially true among foreign-born, first-generation immigrants.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for the second generation, extended-family obligations can be a drag on finances, such as when a parent or other family member needs money for unexpected medical costs or an emergency expense, Alvarez said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And that makes it more difficult for you to actually meet your own bills,” Alvarez said. “So the next thing you know, you’re late on your credit card bill, or your car loan.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11760880\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11760880 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38054__DSF2931-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38054__DSF2931-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38054__DSF2931-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38054__DSF2931-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38054__DSF2931-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38054__DSF2931-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A cart loaded with fresh vegetables, eggs, and milk at the Downey Food Bank. Unreliable working hours and low-paying jobs are some of the main drivers of the Latino community’s common struggles. \u003ccite>(Chava Sanchez/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Also, for some, there’s a very big obstacle: legal status. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the Pew Research Center, the population of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">has declined substantially \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">over the past decade or so, from an estimated peak of 12.2 million in 2007 to about 10.5 million in 2017. But recent policies have made it more difficult for people to adjust their immigration status. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the church in Downey, food bank volunteer Catherine Alvarez said she’s sponsoring her husband for a green card. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s undocumented, so it’s really difficult for him to get a job and stay there for the long term,” said Alvarez, a Downey resident who was born in Colombia and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. “As soon as they don’t need him, they just let him go.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alvarez says her family of four has struggled to stay as renters in Downey, a city that’s long been a draw for middle-class Latinos, with its quiet residential streets and well-regarded schools. They wanted to keep their two teen boys in school there. But in recent years she’s had health problems that have required surgery and kept her from working, she said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her husband takes all the work he can, from construction to odd jobs: “If he needs to clean a toilet, he’ll do it,” Alvarez said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='large' align='right' citation='Janette Perez, Downey mother of two']‘Our rent is like $1,375, and our car payment is almost $500, so we can’t afford anything right now.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at times it hasn’t been enough. About three years ago, when the family was hit with medical bills, they lost the apartment they were living in. They had to stay with friends and sometimes even in their car until they could raise enough to move into a new place, Alvarez said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s hopeful that if her husband gets legal status, it could change their fortunes. But she worries: What if he’s denied? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I get sad because I don’t know,” Alvarez said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the pathways to middle-class status becoming rockier, will future generations of California’s Latino families have a harder time cracking the ceiling? Perhaps, said USC sociologist Vallejo. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11760888\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11760888\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Janette Perez holds her baby at the Downey First Christian Church in this undated photo. Perez said her family is barely scraping by, despite having two incomes. \u003ccite>(Leslie Berestein Rojas/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The California of today does not hold the same kinds of opportunities that it did 30 years ago,” Vallejo said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she added that there’s also reason for hope: The state has immigrant-friendly laws, she said, and has enacted recent policies like raising the minimum wage and expanding health care, widening the social safety net. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we can make education accessible for all, if we can…invest in things like access to capital and helping ease people’s housing burdens,” Vallejo said, “all of these things could really help to promote economic stability.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before she left to collect her donated groceries, Janette Perez mentioned that her mother-in-law lives in Arizona. It’s cheaper there, and the thought of moving has crossed her mind – often. But her mother and siblings are in the Los Angeles area, which makes her reluctant to leave. As they stick it out in California, Perez said she tries to appreciate what they have. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I told my husband, you know what, at least we have somewhere to live,” Perez said. “There’s a lot of people that don’t even have a house. They have to live in someone’s garage or like the homeless, that have to live in the street.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They at least have jobs, she said, and a roof over their heads. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they’re grateful for that. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Dream series is a statewide media collaboration of CALmatters, KPBS, KPCC, KQED and Capital Public Radio, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the James Irvine Foundation and the College Futures Foundation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11759951\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"219\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219-160x44.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Even as Latinos’ economic fortunes have risen with rising median incomes and an all-time low poverty rate, census data indicates many families face a host of obstacles, especially as housing and living costs climb.",
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"title": "Despite a Growing Latino Middle Class, California Families Face Hurdles Getting There | KQED",
"description": "Even as Latinos’ economic fortunes have risen with rising median incomes and an all-time low poverty rate, census data indicates many families face a host of obstacles, especially as housing and living costs climb.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">O\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>ne recent Saturday morning, about 100 people sat on folding chairs in a hall at the First Christian Church in Downey. They were there for the church’s weekly food distribution. Volunteers called out names from a list as people waited their turn to get in line for donated groceries. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among those waiting was Janette Perez. She sat in one row of chairs, holding her baby boy in her lap. Her 6-year-old-son played nearby. It was their first time here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was told through my job that they were donating food here at the church, so I came by to see what they could give me, since we’re struggling right now,” Perez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perez lives with her husband and two young children in South Gate, a short distance away. She and her husband both work. He installs car stereos. She works in nutrition at a Head Start preschool. But even with two incomes, she said, they’re just scraping by. It gets to her. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really difficult,” she said, tearing up. “Our rent is like $1,375, and our car payment is almost $500, so we can’t afford anything right now.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11760864\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11760864\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38055__DSF3049-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38055__DSF3049-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38055__DSF3049-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38055__DSF3049-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38055__DSF3049-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38055__DSF3049-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People arrive to the Downey First Christian Church every Saturday for groceries, pastries, coffee, and a time of community. \u003ccite>(Chava Sanchez/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Experts say that even as Latinos’ economic fortunes have risen in the U.S., with rising median incomes and the Latino poverty rate \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">at an all-time low\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, according to census data, many families face a host of obstacles to upward mobility, especially as housing and living costs increase. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unsteady work hours and a lack of access to banking and credit are among the issues that can get in the way. An education gap persists, despite rising high school graduation rates and college enrollment, according to experts. Filial duty and other family obligations can eat into finances. As for those who lack legal immigration status, opportunities have become increasingly limited. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And here, in California, the biggest challenge these days is the cost of housing. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Traditionally, saving up and buying property has been one of the main ways that Latino families have built wealth, said Jody Agius Vallejo, a University of Southern California sociologist. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s harder to do these days. While the median household income for Latinos in the U.S. is now over $50,000 a year, it doesn’t get you much in California, she said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The high cost of housing in California is something that really threatens economic stability,” Vallejo said. “It’s not just the fact that home ownership costs are high. Even having to pay high rents can prevent people from saving to buy a home.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">reported last year \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">that Latinos in California have a lower rate of home ownership than in other states where Latinos represent more than 30 percent of the population. This includes states like Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, where Latino median household income is lower than it is in California. Housing affordability is a major factor. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Waiting her turn for groceries at the church, Perez said she and her husband wish they could buy a home, “so that my children have somewhere to live, so they won’t struggle the way we did,” she said. But it seems out of reach. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perez said her mom, a first-generation immigrant from Mexico, owns her home, but she’s struggled to make the payments since Perez’s father died about six years ago, so she can’t offer much help. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, Perez said, it’s impossible for them to save any money. Her job doesn’t pay over the summer, and her husband’s hours aren’t steady. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The hours are not the same as they used to be,” Perez said of her husband’s job. “He will work maybe five days out of the week, sometimes four days out of the week.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11760868\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11760868\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38056__DSF3064-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38056__DSF3064-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38056__DSF3064-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38056__DSF3064-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38056__DSF3064-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38056__DSF3064-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Elvira Rodriguez, a volunteer at the food bank, unpacks a box full of orange juice. Volunteers themselves are often going through the same housing-related hardships as the people they serve. \u003ccite>(Chava Sanchez/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Unreliable hours are a problem for Latinos in lower-earning jobs, said Anthony Alvarez, an economic sociologist at Cal State Fullerton. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We still do see high levels of what we would call income volatility, meaning that you have changes in your income, from week to week or month to month, or even year to year,” Alvarez said. “This oftentimes makes it very difficult to accumulate savings.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While many groups are affected by income volatility, Latinos are \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">among those hardest hit\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. A 2017 report from Pew Charitable Trusts found that Latinos and people with a high school diploma or less are the most likely to face income losses from unsteady earnings. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A lack of savings and emergency funds also makes it difficult for families to establish good credit, Alvarez said. Adding to this challenge is the fact that while banking rates for Latinos are gradually improving, according to federal data, many remain unbanked or under-banked. \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to the federal FDIC\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, 14 percent of Latinos in 2017 did not use banking services. This is especially true among foreign-born, first-generation immigrants.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for the second generation, extended-family obligations can be a drag on finances, such as when a parent or other family member needs money for unexpected medical costs or an emergency expense, Alvarez said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And that makes it more difficult for you to actually meet your own bills,” Alvarez said. “So the next thing you know, you’re late on your credit card bill, or your car loan.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11760880\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11760880 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38054__DSF2931-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38054__DSF2931-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38054__DSF2931-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38054__DSF2931-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38054__DSF2931-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38054__DSF2931-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A cart loaded with fresh vegetables, eggs, and milk at the Downey Food Bank. Unreliable working hours and low-paying jobs are some of the main drivers of the Latino community’s common struggles. \u003ccite>(Chava Sanchez/LAist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Also, for some, there’s a very big obstacle: legal status. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the Pew Research Center, the population of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">has declined substantially \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">over the past decade or so, from an estimated peak of 12.2 million in 2007 to about 10.5 million in 2017. But recent policies have made it more difficult for people to adjust their immigration status. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the church in Downey, food bank volunteer Catherine Alvarez said she’s sponsoring her husband for a green card. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s undocumented, so it’s really difficult for him to get a job and stay there for the long term,” said Alvarez, a Downey resident who was born in Colombia and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. “As soon as they don’t need him, they just let him go.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alvarez says her family of four has struggled to stay as renters in Downey, a city that’s long been a draw for middle-class Latinos, with its quiet residential streets and well-regarded schools. They wanted to keep their two teen boys in school there. But in recent years she’s had health problems that have required surgery and kept her from working, she said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her husband takes all the work he can, from construction to odd jobs: “If he needs to clean a toilet, he’ll do it,” Alvarez said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at times it hasn’t been enough. About three years ago, when the family was hit with medical bills, they lost the apartment they were living in. They had to stay with friends and sometimes even in their car until they could raise enough to move into a new place, Alvarez said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s hopeful that if her husband gets legal status, it could change their fortunes. But she worries: What if he’s denied? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I get sad because I don’t know,” Alvarez said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the pathways to middle-class status becoming rockier, will future generations of California’s Latino families have a harder time cracking the ceiling? Perhaps, said USC sociologist Vallejo. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11760888\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11760888\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38058_Janette-Perez-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Janette Perez holds her baby at the Downey First Christian Church in this undated photo. Perez said her family is barely scraping by, despite having two incomes. \u003ccite>(Leslie Berestein Rojas/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The California of today does not hold the same kinds of opportunities that it did 30 years ago,” Vallejo said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she added that there’s also reason for hope: The state has immigrant-friendly laws, she said, and has enacted recent policies like raising the minimum wage and expanding health care, widening the social safety net. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we can make education accessible for all, if we can…invest in things like access to capital and helping ease people’s housing burdens,” Vallejo said, “all of these things could really help to promote economic stability.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before she left to collect her donated groceries, Janette Perez mentioned that her mother-in-law lives in Arizona. It’s cheaper there, and the thought of moving has crossed her mind – often. But her mother and siblings are in the Los Angeles area, which makes her reluctant to leave. As they stick it out in California, Perez said she tries to appreciate what they have. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I told my husband, you know what, at least we have somewhere to live,” Perez said. “There’s a lot of people that don’t even have a house. They have to live in someone’s garage or like the homeless, that have to live in the street.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They at least have jobs, she said, and a roof over their heads. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they’re grateful for that. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Dream series is a statewide media collaboration of CALmatters, KPBS, KPCC, KQED and Capital Public Radio, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the James Irvine Foundation and the College Futures Foundation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11759951\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"219\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219-160x44.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the real estate firm where she works, Monica Rivera has a window office. At 29, she has a great job, managing a team of agents. She has a degree from USC. The walls of her office are adorned with the awards she’s won and family photos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the center of one wall is a small, framed photo that stands out. It’s a faded black and white snapshot of a woman with dark hair, seated at a workbench, making something with her hands. Rivera calls her Abuela Nina – her grandmother.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation='Jody Agius Vallejo, a University of Southern California sociologist']‘The Latino education gap is closing, although it’s still large, more and more Latinos are entering college than ever before. High school graduation rates have increased significantly. And so there is real progress being made.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s actually from when she came to the United States and worked in a factory, and she’s making some kind of plastic mold,” said Rivera. “One of my favorite pictures.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The photo was taken about 50 years ago, not long after Rivera’s grandparents set out from the Mexican state of Jalisco in the mid-1960s for Southern California. They found work in a metal foundry that made aircraft parts. At first, their plan was to save up and take their earnings back to Mexico. But after about five years here, they decided to stay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s when Abuela Nina had a radical idea: Why not buy property? Doing so was a decision that would change the family’s trajectory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fast-forward a few decades, and Monica’s family is successful: Her father owns a business. Her mother works for Los Angeles County. Both have profited from real estate investments. And Monica is the first in the family to earn a college degree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Within two generations, the Rivera family has gone from the factory floor to solid middle class. It took lots of hard work and smart financial investments. But their story is rapidly becoming that of a growing number of Latinos in California and throughout the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"The California Dream Series\" tag=\"california-dream\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re seeing increases in socioeconomic attainment with each generation since immigration,” said Jody Agius Vallejo, a University of Southern California sociologist who studies the Latino middle class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the poverty rate among Latinos in the U.S.\u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/02/hispanic-poverty-rate-hit-an-all-time-low-in-2017.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> has dropped\u003c/a> to its lowest recorded level in history. It continues to drop in California, too. Meanwhile, the median income for Latinos in the U.S. and in California continues to rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More Latinos are becoming affluent: Beacon Economics \u003ca href=\"https://www.scpr.org/news/2016/03/24/58901/latinos-make-more-spend-more-in-los-angeles-county/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported\u003c/a> three years ago that in 2014, more than a quarter of Los Angeles County’s Latino households were bringing in between $100,000 to $200,000 a year, compared with 16 percent in 2000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve seen rates of Latino business ownership increase exponentially,” Vallejo said. “The Latino education gap is closing, although it’s still large, more and more Latinos are entering college than ever before. High school graduation rates have increased significantly. And so there is real progress being made.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vallejo added, “It absolutely contrasts with the myths and the rhetoric that is out there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All that said, many Latino families in California are still struggling. In spite of the gains, Latinos are overrepresented among poor Americans, with 17 percent of California’s Latino population living below the federal poverty line, according to census data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And with ever-higher housing and other costs, some of the very opportunities that gave previous generations a leg up toward the middle class in California are becoming ever more elusive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11759964\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RIVERA-FAMILY12-800x539.jpg\" alt=\"Juan Rivera with one of their horses, photographed on May 26, 2019 in Chino.\" width=\"800\" height=\"539\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11759964\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Juan Rivera with one of their horses, photographed on May 26, 2019 in Chino. \u003ccite>(James Bernal/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>From Have-Not to Have\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One recent morning, Rivera joined her parents for breakfast in their spacious home in Chino, a suburb about 30 miles east of Los Angeles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Juan and Helen Rivera designed and built their modern three-bedroom, Spanish-style home a few years ago. It sits on a two-acre equestrian property — the couple loves horses, and they own several of them. Out back are stables and a riding arena, on grounds lush with purple jacaranda. A convertible Mercedes sits in the driveway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s the couple’s second horse property. Before this they lived in a five-bedroom home with stables in La Mirada. Helen, an administrator with the L.A. County Health Department, recounted the neighborhood gossip when they moved in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People, neighbors, just assumed that we were drug lords,” she said, half-laughing. “There was a rumor that came back to us, and I was, like, what?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neighbors have assumed other things, as well. One neighbor saw Juan working on his new home and thought he was part of the construction crew, asking him where the owner was. Juan simply took off his hat and said “Hi, I’m Juan.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just an assumption that people will make against us, you know,” Helen said, “that we can’t have anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they do, and they worked for it — as did their parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11759983\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38020_RIVERA-FAMILY25-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11759983\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38020_RIVERA-FAMILY25-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38020_RIVERA-FAMILY25-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38020_RIVERA-FAMILY25-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38020_RIVERA-FAMILY25-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38020_RIVERA-FAMILY25-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38020_RIVERA-FAMILY25-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Helen Rivera showing a photo of her with her children in the 1990s. Photographed at their home on May 26, 2019 in Chino, California. \u003ccite>(James Bernal/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Juan was in his teens when his parents bought that first home in 1971, a triplex in the working-class community of South Gate. They’d been saving and saving, he said, never so much as going out to eat. But his parents didn’t even have legal status then, and they earned little.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I think about it, I don’t know how they made it, because they were making minimum wage and the down payment was $3,000,” Juan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they made it. Pooling their resources, the family bought the units. Juan, his parents and three siblings crammed into the front house, a small two-bedroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My mom and my dad slept in one bedroom, then my sisters slept in the other one, and we slept in the living room, the boys,” Juan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other units were rented out — and with that, the family began modestly building wealth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Juan, who by then was working as a welder, had pitched in some of his savings for his parents’ purchase. When he was ready to buy his first home as a young man, they helped out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not long after, he was temporarily laid off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So then,” Juan said, “I went selling oranges on the street.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And he kept making those mortgage payments and building equity, until he got his job back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11759992\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38021_RIVERA-FAMILY26-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11759992\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38021_RIVERA-FAMILY26-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38021_RIVERA-FAMILY26-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38021_RIVERA-FAMILY26-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38021_RIVERA-FAMILY26-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38021_RIVERA-FAMILY26-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38021_RIVERA-FAMILY26-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Helen Rivera with her parrot, Blue Agave, photographed at her home, on May 26, 2019 in Chino, California. \u003ccite>(James Berna/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Helen didn’t have it much easier. She grew up Mexican American, the daughter of U.S. citizens, a short distance east of downtown Los Angeles in East L.A. Her father had a union job at a company that made garbage disposals. Things were stable until she was around seven, when her mother became disabled in a devastating car accident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bills piled up. Then, her dad’s union went on strike. At one point, money got so tight that the family resorted to scrounging for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My dad would wake me up early in the morning, and we’d take the bus to the big central market where they have all these trucks, and we would have shopping bags,” Helen remembers. “As a little girl, it was easier for me to go under the trucks and pick up the potatoes that fell under the truck. And then I would come back and get ready for school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In time, the family got back on its feet. Helen’s dad began earning better pay and, over time, her parents bought a house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They knew being homeowners that you gain a certain level of respect being a homeowner,” Helen said. “And that was something my dad explained to me at a young age.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While they absorbed these lessons from their parents, both of the Riveras struggled financially as younger adults. Both had children of their own before they met. Helen at one point worked three jobs, including waiting tables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation='Monica Rivera']‘I believe that the American dream is to come to a place where you open up new opportunities not just for yourself, but for your family.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they took what opportunities they could. Not long after they married in the mid-1980s, the welding-repair shop where Juan worked went up for sale. With his savings and a little help from relatives, Juan bought it. At first, just paying the bills was a stretch. But as the shop began turning a profit, the couple invested it in real estate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I read all kinds of books,” Juan said, “On doing foundation, everything to build a house. I also read principles of real estate, all this stuff to do real estate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They started with some apartments. They did a little flipping. As property values rose, they held off. Then, the housing bubble burst. Juan, who obtained a real estate license in 2007, started going to property auctions. Monica was a teenager then, and she would go along.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had just gotten my permit to start driving,” Monica said. “So he was basically teaching me how to drive, and we started going to auctions. And we’d literally be in the front of the line, with the bidding paddle and the auctioneer would be auctioning off the property, and he’d let me hold the paddle. And I’d get excited about that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The properties they bought, sold and refinanced helped put Monica through college. She graduated from USC in 2012 with zero student loans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I believe that the American dream is to come to a place where you open up new opportunities not just for yourself, but for your family,” Monica said. “Had it not been for the road that was paved by my parents, by my grandmother, by all of our family that came before, I would never have gotten the opportunity to go to college.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11759980\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1348px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11759980\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1348\" height=\"2048\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut.jpg 1348w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut-160x243.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut-800x1216.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut-1020x1550.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut-790x1200.jpg 790w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut-1920x2918.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1348px) 100vw, 1348px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A gate cutout depicting Helen Rivera and one their horses under the shaed of a Loquat tree. Photographed at tehe Rivera home on May 26, 2019 in Chino, California. \u003ccite>(James Bernal/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Planting Seeds\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, Monica has her successful career with Keller Williams Realty in Downey, a city that in recent decades has become a magnet for middle-class Latinos and Latino-owned businesses. She and her team work closely with Latino families, including first-time homebuyers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While buying has become increasingly difficult these days, when a family succeeds in closing on their first home, she said, it often makes her think of Abuela Nina, who died a couple of years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Monica sees it, her hard-working family would have made it eventually. But she credits Abuela Nina’s ambitious desire to put down roots as the catalyst that helped push them forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She said something that really stuck with me,” Monica said. “’Hay que sembrar para cosechar.’ You have to plant the seeds in order to reap the harvest.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A harvest that families like her grandmother’s hope they can reap someday, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Dream series is a statewide media collaboration of CALmatters, KPBS, KPCC, KQED and Capital Public Radio, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the James Irvine Foundation and the College Futures Foundation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11759951\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"219\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219-160x44.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The median income for Latinos in California continues to rise, but some of the opportunities that gave previous generations a leg up toward the middle class are becoming ever more elusive.",
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"title": "A Growing Latino Middle Class: One Family’s Journey From Have-Not to Have | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">I\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>n the real estate firm where she works, Monica Rivera has a window office. At 29, she has a great job, managing a team of agents. She has a degree from USC. The walls of her office are adorned with the awards she’s won and family photos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the center of one wall is a small, framed photo that stands out. It’s a faded black and white snapshot of a woman with dark hair, seated at a workbench, making something with her hands. Rivera calls her Abuela Nina – her grandmother.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘The Latino education gap is closing, although it’s still large, more and more Latinos are entering college than ever before. High school graduation rates have increased significantly. And so there is real progress being made.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s actually from when she came to the United States and worked in a factory, and she’s making some kind of plastic mold,” said Rivera. “One of my favorite pictures.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The photo was taken about 50 years ago, not long after Rivera’s grandparents set out from the Mexican state of Jalisco in the mid-1960s for Southern California. They found work in a metal foundry that made aircraft parts. At first, their plan was to save up and take their earnings back to Mexico. But after about five years here, they decided to stay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s when Abuela Nina had a radical idea: Why not buy property? Doing so was a decision that would change the family’s trajectory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fast-forward a few decades, and Monica’s family is successful: Her father owns a business. Her mother works for Los Angeles County. Both have profited from real estate investments. And Monica is the first in the family to earn a college degree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Within two generations, the Rivera family has gone from the factory floor to solid middle class. It took lots of hard work and smart financial investments. But their story is rapidly becoming that of a growing number of Latinos in California and throughout the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re seeing increases in socioeconomic attainment with each generation since immigration,” said Jody Agius Vallejo, a University of Southern California sociologist who studies the Latino middle class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the poverty rate among Latinos in the U.S.\u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/02/hispanic-poverty-rate-hit-an-all-time-low-in-2017.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> has dropped\u003c/a> to its lowest recorded level in history. It continues to drop in California, too. Meanwhile, the median income for Latinos in the U.S. and in California continues to rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More Latinos are becoming affluent: Beacon Economics \u003ca href=\"https://www.scpr.org/news/2016/03/24/58901/latinos-make-more-spend-more-in-los-angeles-county/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported\u003c/a> three years ago that in 2014, more than a quarter of Los Angeles County’s Latino households were bringing in between $100,000 to $200,000 a year, compared with 16 percent in 2000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve seen rates of Latino business ownership increase exponentially,” Vallejo said. “The Latino education gap is closing, although it’s still large, more and more Latinos are entering college than ever before. High school graduation rates have increased significantly. And so there is real progress being made.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vallejo added, “It absolutely contrasts with the myths and the rhetoric that is out there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All that said, many Latino families in California are still struggling. In spite of the gains, Latinos are overrepresented among poor Americans, with 17 percent of California’s Latino population living below the federal poverty line, according to census data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And with ever-higher housing and other costs, some of the very opportunities that gave previous generations a leg up toward the middle class in California are becoming ever more elusive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11759964\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RIVERA-FAMILY12-800x539.jpg\" alt=\"Juan Rivera with one of their horses, photographed on May 26, 2019 in Chino.\" width=\"800\" height=\"539\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11759964\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Juan Rivera with one of their horses, photographed on May 26, 2019 in Chino. \u003ccite>(James Bernal/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>From Have-Not to Have\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One recent morning, Rivera joined her parents for breakfast in their spacious home in Chino, a suburb about 30 miles east of Los Angeles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Juan and Helen Rivera designed and built their modern three-bedroom, Spanish-style home a few years ago. It sits on a two-acre equestrian property — the couple loves horses, and they own several of them. Out back are stables and a riding arena, on grounds lush with purple jacaranda. A convertible Mercedes sits in the driveway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s the couple’s second horse property. Before this they lived in a five-bedroom home with stables in La Mirada. Helen, an administrator with the L.A. County Health Department, recounted the neighborhood gossip when they moved in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People, neighbors, just assumed that we were drug lords,” she said, half-laughing. “There was a rumor that came back to us, and I was, like, what?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neighbors have assumed other things, as well. One neighbor saw Juan working on his new home and thought he was part of the construction crew, asking him where the owner was. Juan simply took off his hat and said “Hi, I’m Juan.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just an assumption that people will make against us, you know,” Helen said, “that we can’t have anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they do, and they worked for it — as did their parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11759983\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38020_RIVERA-FAMILY25-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11759983\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38020_RIVERA-FAMILY25-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38020_RIVERA-FAMILY25-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38020_RIVERA-FAMILY25-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38020_RIVERA-FAMILY25-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38020_RIVERA-FAMILY25-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38020_RIVERA-FAMILY25-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Helen Rivera showing a photo of her with her children in the 1990s. Photographed at their home on May 26, 2019 in Chino, California. \u003ccite>(James Bernal/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Juan was in his teens when his parents bought that first home in 1971, a triplex in the working-class community of South Gate. They’d been saving and saving, he said, never so much as going out to eat. But his parents didn’t even have legal status then, and they earned little.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I think about it, I don’t know how they made it, because they were making minimum wage and the down payment was $3,000,” Juan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they made it. Pooling their resources, the family bought the units. Juan, his parents and three siblings crammed into the front house, a small two-bedroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My mom and my dad slept in one bedroom, then my sisters slept in the other one, and we slept in the living room, the boys,” Juan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other units were rented out — and with that, the family began modestly building wealth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Juan, who by then was working as a welder, had pitched in some of his savings for his parents’ purchase. When he was ready to buy his first home as a young man, they helped out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not long after, he was temporarily laid off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So then,” Juan said, “I went selling oranges on the street.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And he kept making those mortgage payments and building equity, until he got his job back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11759992\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38021_RIVERA-FAMILY26-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11759992\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38021_RIVERA-FAMILY26-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38021_RIVERA-FAMILY26-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38021_RIVERA-FAMILY26-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38021_RIVERA-FAMILY26-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38021_RIVERA-FAMILY26-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38021_RIVERA-FAMILY26-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Helen Rivera with her parrot, Blue Agave, photographed at her home, on May 26, 2019 in Chino, California. \u003ccite>(James Berna/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Helen didn’t have it much easier. She grew up Mexican American, the daughter of U.S. citizens, a short distance east of downtown Los Angeles in East L.A. Her father had a union job at a company that made garbage disposals. Things were stable until she was around seven, when her mother became disabled in a devastating car accident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bills piled up. Then, her dad’s union went on strike. At one point, money got so tight that the family resorted to scrounging for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My dad would wake me up early in the morning, and we’d take the bus to the big central market where they have all these trucks, and we would have shopping bags,” Helen remembers. “As a little girl, it was easier for me to go under the trucks and pick up the potatoes that fell under the truck. And then I would come back and get ready for school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In time, the family got back on its feet. Helen’s dad began earning better pay and, over time, her parents bought a house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They knew being homeowners that you gain a certain level of respect being a homeowner,” Helen said. “And that was something my dad explained to me at a young age.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While they absorbed these lessons from their parents, both of the Riveras struggled financially as younger adults. Both had children of their own before they met. Helen at one point worked three jobs, including waiting tables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘I believe that the American dream is to come to a place where you open up new opportunities not just for yourself, but for your family.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they took what opportunities they could. Not long after they married in the mid-1980s, the welding-repair shop where Juan worked went up for sale. With his savings and a little help from relatives, Juan bought it. At first, just paying the bills was a stretch. But as the shop began turning a profit, the couple invested it in real estate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I read all kinds of books,” Juan said, “On doing foundation, everything to build a house. I also read principles of real estate, all this stuff to do real estate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They started with some apartments. They did a little flipping. As property values rose, they held off. Then, the housing bubble burst. Juan, who obtained a real estate license in 2007, started going to property auctions. Monica was a teenager then, and she would go along.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had just gotten my permit to start driving,” Monica said. “So he was basically teaching me how to drive, and we started going to auctions. And we’d literally be in the front of the line, with the bidding paddle and the auctioneer would be auctioning off the property, and he’d let me hold the paddle. And I’d get excited about that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The properties they bought, sold and refinanced helped put Monica through college. She graduated from USC in 2012 with zero student loans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I believe that the American dream is to come to a place where you open up new opportunities not just for yourself, but for your family,” Monica said. “Had it not been for the road that was paved by my parents, by my grandmother, by all of our family that came before, I would never have gotten the opportunity to go to college.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11759980\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1348px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11759980\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1348\" height=\"2048\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut.jpg 1348w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut-160x243.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut-800x1216.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut-1020x1550.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut-790x1200.jpg 790w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/RS38019_RIVERA-FAMILY6-qut-1920x2918.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1348px) 100vw, 1348px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A gate cutout depicting Helen Rivera and one their horses under the shaed of a Loquat tree. Photographed at tehe Rivera home on May 26, 2019 in Chino, California. \u003ccite>(James Bernal/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Planting Seeds\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, Monica has her successful career with Keller Williams Realty in Downey, a city that in recent decades has become a magnet for middle-class Latinos and Latino-owned businesses. She and her team work closely with Latino families, including first-time homebuyers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While buying has become increasingly difficult these days, when a family succeeds in closing on their first home, she said, it often makes her think of Abuela Nina, who died a couple of years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Monica sees it, her hard-working family would have made it eventually. But she credits Abuela Nina’s ambitious desire to put down roots as the catalyst that helped push them forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She said something that really stuck with me,” Monica said. “’Hay que sembrar para cosechar.’ You have to plant the seeds in order to reap the harvest.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A harvest that families like her grandmother’s hope they can reap someday, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Dream series is a statewide media collaboration of CALmatters, KPBS, KPCC, KQED and Capital Public Radio, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the James Irvine Foundation and the College Futures Foundation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11759951\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"219\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/CADreamBanner-1-800x219-160x44.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "$13 Million Settlement Reached After Worker Injury at Tesla's Fremont Factory",
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"content": "\u003cp>A woman who claimed she suffered debilitating injuries while working as a janitor at Tesla's Fremont plant will get $13 million in a settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The case had been set for trial in Alameda County. The agreement was reached Friday after a jury was selected but before opening statements began, according to Khail Parris, attorney for the plaintiff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time of the 2014 incident, Parris's client Teodora Tapia was employed by Flagship Facility Services as a janitor at the Tesla plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6003755/Tapia-lawsuit.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tapia's complaint\u003c/a>, on the night of August 12, 2014, she was performing janitorial services when the driver of a Tesla car pinned her between his vehicle and another, and then struck her a second time. That driver was contracted by another staffing company, West Valley Staffing Group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"As a result of the Defendant's actions,\" the claim said, \"Plaintiff suffered serious and permanent injuries to her lower extremities and body.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parris said Tapia is now permanently disabled as a result of her injuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Everyone agreed she would never be able to work again, in any capacity, in any kind of job because of how severe her injury was,\" Parris added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for Tesla confirmed to KPCC that the company reached a settlement agreement, but said much of the financial burden will fall on West Valley Staffing Group, the company that employed the driver of the car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Given that it involved two contractors on Tesla's property, the contractor's employer, West Valley, will pay the bulk of the settlement,\" Tesla said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/2019/05/15/13_million_settlement_tesla_fremont_factory.php\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read the full story via KPCC / LAist\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A woman who claimed she suffered debilitating injuries while working as a janitor at Tesla's Fremont plant will get $13 million in a settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The case had been set for trial in Alameda County. The agreement was reached Friday after a jury was selected but before opening statements began, according to Khail Parris, attorney for the plaintiff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time of the 2014 incident, Parris's client Teodora Tapia was employed by Flagship Facility Services as a janitor at the Tesla plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6003755/Tapia-lawsuit.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tapia's complaint\u003c/a>, on the night of August 12, 2014, she was performing janitorial services when the driver of a Tesla car pinned her between his vehicle and another, and then struck her a second time. That driver was contracted by another staffing company, West Valley Staffing Group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"As a result of the Defendant's actions,\" the claim said, \"Plaintiff suffered serious and permanent injuries to her lower extremities and body.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parris said Tapia is now permanently disabled as a result of her injuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Everyone agreed she would never be able to work again, in any capacity, in any kind of job because of how severe her injury was,\" Parris added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for Tesla confirmed to KPCC that the company reached a settlement agreement, but said much of the financial burden will fall on West Valley Staffing Group, the company that employed the driver of the car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Given that it involved two contractors on Tesla's property, the contractor's employer, West Valley, will pay the bulk of the settlement,\" Tesla said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/2019/05/15/13_million_settlement_tesla_fremont_factory.php\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read the full story via KPCC / LAist\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "middle-class-californians-heres-whats-in-gov-newsoms-budget-for-you",
"title": "Middle-Class Californians: Here’s What’s in Gov. Newsom’s Budget for You",
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"headTitle": "Middle-Class Californians: Here’s What’s in Gov. Newsom’s Budget for You | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>California’s middle class is reaching a breaking point. Especially when it comes to the high cost of housing. So says the state’s new governor, Gavin Newsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Housing. This is the issue,” Newsom said at a press conference earlier this month, unveiling his \u003ca href=\"http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/FullBudgetSummary.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">first budget proposal as governor\u003c/a>. “Unless we get serious about it, this state will continue to lose its middle class, and the dream will be limited to fewer and fewer people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Middle-class Californians could find some relief under Newsom’s $209 billion budget, which includes new spending aimed at getting cities to approve more housing. Other proposals could bring down the cost of health care and higher education for Californians who currently make too much to qualify for state help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But middle-class California families won’t find much help shouldering other expenses, like the looming cost of caring for aging family members.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What does “middle-class” even mean in California?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a state where families of four earning up to $117,400 meet the federal government’s definition of “low-income” in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/30/us/bay-area-housing-market.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">certain regions\u003c/a>, there may be no definitive answer on what qualifies as “middle-class.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But according to a recent \u003ca href=\"http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/06/the-american-middle-class-is-stable-in-size-but-losing-ground-financially-to-upper-income-families/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pew Research Center analysis\u003c/a> of government wage data, families of four in California can be considered middle-class if they make anywhere between $59,702 and $179,105 per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Direct subsidies in the governor’s budget tend to go toward Californians making less. Newsom noted that no state has a higher \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/2018/09/12/california_still_has_the_nations_highest_poverty_rate_blame_housing_costs.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">poverty rate\u003c/a> than California. He wants to try to lower it by giving higher tax refunds to full-time workers earning up to $15 an hour through an expanded version of the state’s earned income tax credit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s also proposing a large boost in spending to subsidize the development of affordable housing for low-income residents. His budget calls for increasing the state’s low-income housing tax credit from $80 million to $500 million per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The budget also includes a $500-million bump to the California Housing Finance Agency’s mixed‑income loan program, which finances developments that include units for moderate-income residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/embed/SrWC9XnKPKI?start=3865\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Housing\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The governor’s budget doesn’t propose similar housing subsidies for most middle-class Californians. Matthew Lewis, director of communications for the pro-housing group \u003ca href=\"https://cayimby.org/about/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California YIMBY\u003c/a>, said that approach makes sense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As a matter of policy, you don’t provide subsidies to people who are making over $80,000 a year,” said Lewis. “But in California, that’s the middle class.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lewis doesn’t think Newsom can subsidize his way toward a solution to the state’s housing crisis. Instead, he and other housing advocates like what Newsom’s budget does to push local governments to approve more housing in general.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It appears that Governor Newsom is himself a YIMBY,” said Lewis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under Newsom’s budget, cities that meet housing goals set by the state would be rewarded with money from a $500 million state fund, and they could use that money for whatever they want.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11719937/controversial-bay-area-housing-plan-heads-to-state-legislature\">Controversial Bay Area Housing Plan Heads to State Legislature\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11719937/controversial-bay-area-housing-plan-heads-to-state-legislature\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/GettyImages-1046169802-1020x680.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“In other words, he’s starting to build funds that would actually financially encourage cities to build more housing,” said \u003ca href=\"https://beaconecon.com/people/bio/christopher_thornberg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chris Thornberg of Beacon Economics\u003c/a>. He said that should help address California’s housing supply problems. “That’s really helpful for California’s middle class.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom has also discussed punishing cities that fail to meet their housing goals by withholding transit funding. It’s an idea that has not gone over well with local governments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"http://www.cacities.org/Top/News/Press-Releases/2019/League-of-California-Cities-Issues-Statement-on-Go\">a statement\u003c/a> on the governor’s budget, League of California Cities executive director Carolyn Coleman said her organization was concerned about proposals “that would raid local transportation funds that voters have repeatedly dedicated to local communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Health Care\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The words “middle-class” only appear once in Newsom’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/FullBudgetSummary.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">280-page budget proposal\u003c/a>. They show up under his plan to expand health care subsidies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One Californian encouraged by that move is Heather Altman. She works as an environmental consultant out of her home in Long Beach. She gets to be her own boss, and she makes decent money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I guess I do consider myself middle class,” Altman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She would not have started her business back in 2014 without Obamacare. It meant she could finally afford her own health insurance. She no longer needed to get it through an employer. She has asthma, a pre-existing condition that made individual coverage unaffordable in the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in 2014, “My premium was $356 for a platinum plan,” Altman said. “I thought that was super affordable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11716531/newsoms-first-act-as-governor-expanding-health-coverage\">Newsom’s First Act as Governor? Expanding Health Coverage\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11716531/newsoms-first-act-as-governor-expanding-health-coverage\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/NewsomInaugWaving-1020x691.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Premiums for the same plan have more than doubled, to $761 per month. Altman has switched to a plan with a lower premium. But add in the routine costs of treating her asthma, and she’s spending more than $800 a month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s very difficult to budget,” Altman said. “And it certainly isn’t sustainable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, individuals who earn up to $48,560 a year are eligible for \u003ca href=\"https://www.healthforcalifornia.com/covered-california/income-limits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">subsidized premiums\u003c/a> through Covered California. Altman makes too much to qualify. But Newsom’s budget calls for raising annual income limits for individuals to $72,840 and for families of four to $150,600.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Had that subsidy bracket been in place when I started my business, there would have been years that I would have qualified,” Altman said. “I’m hopeful that some of these changes may make a meaningful difference in my financial bottom line.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-11721624\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/Healthcare-Subsidies-chart-800x618.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"618\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/Healthcare-Subsidies-chart-800x618.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/Healthcare-Subsidies-chart-160x124.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/Healthcare-Subsidies-chart-1020x788.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/Healthcare-Subsidies-chart-1200x927.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/Healthcare-Subsidies-chart.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Altman has shared her story with the advocacy organization \u003ca href=\"https://health-access.org/about-us/staff/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Health Access California\u003c/a>. Executive director Anthony Wright said Newsom’s budget is promising for Californians like her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Current law has cliffs where the assistance runs out,” Wright said. “The extra help will allow some families to get coverage that otherwise couldn’t afford it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom plans to pay for the expanded subsidies by creating a state version of the Affordable Care Act’s federal mandate to either buy health insurance or pay a tax penalty (which has gone to $0 under the Trump administration).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3916?utm_source=laowww&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=3916\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a report\u003c/a> on the governor’s budget, the California Legislative Analyst’s Office notes that this approach could create a funding conflict. If the state tax penalty works, it should drive more people to buy insurance. But then, “less funding would be available for premium subsidies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>College\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Higher education is another big drain on middle-class budgets. Newsom’s budget calls for a tuition freeze at state universities, earmarking $300 million for the California State University system and $240 million for the University of California system each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>University of Southern California professor of sociology \u003ca href=\"https://dornsife.usc.edu/pere/pastor/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Manuel Pastor\u003c/a> said middle-class families could also get a break under Newsom’s $40 million plan to make a second year of community college tuition-free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you can make the first and second year free, you’re lowering the cost for a lot of middle class parents of a four-year education,” Pastor said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The Cost of Caring for Family Members, Young and Old\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Universal preschool and six months of paid family leave for parents are still on Newsom’s agenda. But this budget won’t pay for those goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford University assistant professor of health research and policy \u003ca href=\"https://web.stanford.edu/~mrossin/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Maya Rossin-Slater\u003c/a> said California’s existing paid family leave law could be strengthened. Right now, many parents don’t use it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her research \u003ca href=\"https://web.stanford.edu/~mrossin/AKMdraft_Oct2018.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shows California workers\u003c/a> at smaller, lower-paying companies are less likely to take paid family leave than higher-paid workers. That could be, in part, because workers fear that under existing law, their jobs won’t be protected while they’re out.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11708405/pricey-real-estate-prompts-scammers-to-target-senior-homeowners\">Pricey Real Estate Prompts Scammers to Target Senior Homeowners\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11708405/pricey-real-estate-prompts-scammers-to-target-senior-homeowners\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/Homes-1038x576.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“Job protection, I think, is crucial,” Rossin-Slater said, “Especially for middle-class families that might worry about not having a job to return to after the leave.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Longer paid family leave could help alleviate some of the high cost of child care, which often costs middle-class parents more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.scpr.org/news/2016/04/13/59477/childcare-costs-more-than-college-tuition-in-calif/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">college tuition\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s population is aging. With more and more baby boomers retiring, the cost of caring for elderly parents will also start to stack up for more middle class families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The governor’s budget includes a 15.2 percent increase in general fund spending for in-home supportive services. But USC gerontology professor \u003ca href=\"http://gero.usc.edu/faculty/donna-benton-ph-d/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donna Benton\u003c/a> said most Californians don’t qualify for the low-income program. So they’re stuck spending thousands of dollars a year on caregiving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Out-of-pocket costs eat up 20 percent of caregivers’ income, on average. Some caregivers have to quit their jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Family members in general sacrifice a lot,” said Benton. “And then when they go to look for services for themselves, usually they’re not going to qualify.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benton was part of a state task force that issued a \u003ca href=\"http://tffc.usc.edu/2018/07/02/final-report-from-the-california-task-force-on-family-caregiving-2/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">number of recommendations\u003c/a> to help ease the cost. Among their ideas was a tax credit for caregiving expenses, as well as more funding for resource centers throughout the state that serve caregivers regardless of income level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Benton looked through Newsom’s budget, she said, “I didn’t see anything that, I would say, touched on any of the recommendations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long Beach environmental consultant Heather Altman lives near her parents, who are now in their 70s. She said they’re in a good financial position right now. But she wonders if they’ll end up needing her help in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Should it come to that time, then yeah, that responsibility falls to me,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The same will be true for millions of middle-class Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/series/californiadream/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The California Dream series\u003c/a> is a statewide media collaboration of CALmatters, KPBS, KPCC, KQED and Capital Public Radio with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the James Irvine Foundation and the College Futures Foundation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11660142\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner.jpg%20https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1867\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner.jpg 1867w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-160x44.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-800x219.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-1020x280.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-1180x324.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-960x263.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-240x66.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-375x103.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-520x143.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1867px) 100vw, 1867px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Health insurance and higher education could become more affordable — but probably not the cost of caring for aging family members.",
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"title": "Middle-Class Californians: Here’s What’s in Gov. Newsom’s Budget for You | KQED",
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"headline": "Middle-Class Californians: Here’s What’s in Gov. Newsom’s Budget for You",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California’s middle class is reaching a breaking point. Especially when it comes to the high cost of housing. So says the state’s new governor, Gavin Newsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Housing. This is the issue,” Newsom said at a press conference earlier this month, unveiling his \u003ca href=\"http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/FullBudgetSummary.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">first budget proposal as governor\u003c/a>. “Unless we get serious about it, this state will continue to lose its middle class, and the dream will be limited to fewer and fewer people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Middle-class Californians could find some relief under Newsom’s $209 billion budget, which includes new spending aimed at getting cities to approve more housing. Other proposals could bring down the cost of health care and higher education for Californians who currently make too much to qualify for state help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But middle-class California families won’t find much help shouldering other expenses, like the looming cost of caring for aging family members.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What does “middle-class” even mean in California?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a state where families of four earning up to $117,400 meet the federal government’s definition of “low-income” in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/30/us/bay-area-housing-market.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">certain regions\u003c/a>, there may be no definitive answer on what qualifies as “middle-class.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But according to a recent \u003ca href=\"http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/06/the-american-middle-class-is-stable-in-size-but-losing-ground-financially-to-upper-income-families/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pew Research Center analysis\u003c/a> of government wage data, families of four in California can be considered middle-class if they make anywhere between $59,702 and $179,105 per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Direct subsidies in the governor’s budget tend to go toward Californians making less. Newsom noted that no state has a higher \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/2018/09/12/california_still_has_the_nations_highest_poverty_rate_blame_housing_costs.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">poverty rate\u003c/a> than California. He wants to try to lower it by giving higher tax refunds to full-time workers earning up to $15 an hour through an expanded version of the state’s earned income tax credit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s also proposing a large boost in spending to subsidize the development of affordable housing for low-income residents. His budget calls for increasing the state’s low-income housing tax credit from $80 million to $500 million per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The budget also includes a $500-million bump to the California Housing Finance Agency’s mixed‑income loan program, which finances developments that include units for moderate-income residents.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/SrWC9XnKPKI?start=3865'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/SrWC9XnKPKI?start=3865'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch3>Housing\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The governor’s budget doesn’t propose similar housing subsidies for most middle-class Californians. Matthew Lewis, director of communications for the pro-housing group \u003ca href=\"https://cayimby.org/about/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California YIMBY\u003c/a>, said that approach makes sense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As a matter of policy, you don’t provide subsidies to people who are making over $80,000 a year,” said Lewis. “But in California, that’s the middle class.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lewis doesn’t think Newsom can subsidize his way toward a solution to the state’s housing crisis. Instead, he and other housing advocates like what Newsom’s budget does to push local governments to approve more housing in general.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It appears that Governor Newsom is himself a YIMBY,” said Lewis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under Newsom’s budget, cities that meet housing goals set by the state would be rewarded with money from a $500 million state fund, and they could use that money for whatever they want.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11719937/controversial-bay-area-housing-plan-heads-to-state-legislature\">Controversial Bay Area Housing Plan Heads to State Legislature\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11719937/controversial-bay-area-housing-plan-heads-to-state-legislature\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/GettyImages-1046169802-1020x680.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“In other words, he’s starting to build funds that would actually financially encourage cities to build more housing,” said \u003ca href=\"https://beaconecon.com/people/bio/christopher_thornberg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chris Thornberg of Beacon Economics\u003c/a>. He said that should help address California’s housing supply problems. “That’s really helpful for California’s middle class.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom has also discussed punishing cities that fail to meet their housing goals by withholding transit funding. It’s an idea that has not gone over well with local governments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"http://www.cacities.org/Top/News/Press-Releases/2019/League-of-California-Cities-Issues-Statement-on-Go\">a statement\u003c/a> on the governor’s budget, League of California Cities executive director Carolyn Coleman said her organization was concerned about proposals “that would raid local transportation funds that voters have repeatedly dedicated to local communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Health Care\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The words “middle-class” only appear once in Newsom’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/FullBudgetSummary.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">280-page budget proposal\u003c/a>. They show up under his plan to expand health care subsidies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One Californian encouraged by that move is Heather Altman. She works as an environmental consultant out of her home in Long Beach. She gets to be her own boss, and she makes decent money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I guess I do consider myself middle class,” Altman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She would not have started her business back in 2014 without Obamacare. It meant she could finally afford her own health insurance. She no longer needed to get it through an employer. She has asthma, a pre-existing condition that made individual coverage unaffordable in the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in 2014, “My premium was $356 for a platinum plan,” Altman said. “I thought that was super affordable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11716531/newsoms-first-act-as-governor-expanding-health-coverage\">Newsom’s First Act as Governor? Expanding Health Coverage\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11716531/newsoms-first-act-as-governor-expanding-health-coverage\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/NewsomInaugWaving-1020x691.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Premiums for the same plan have more than doubled, to $761 per month. Altman has switched to a plan with a lower premium. But add in the routine costs of treating her asthma, and she’s spending more than $800 a month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s very difficult to budget,” Altman said. “And it certainly isn’t sustainable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, individuals who earn up to $48,560 a year are eligible for \u003ca href=\"https://www.healthforcalifornia.com/covered-california/income-limits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">subsidized premiums\u003c/a> through Covered California. Altman makes too much to qualify. But Newsom’s budget calls for raising annual income limits for individuals to $72,840 and for families of four to $150,600.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Had that subsidy bracket been in place when I started my business, there would have been years that I would have qualified,” Altman said. “I’m hopeful that some of these changes may make a meaningful difference in my financial bottom line.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-11721624\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/Healthcare-Subsidies-chart-800x618.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"618\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/Healthcare-Subsidies-chart-800x618.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/Healthcare-Subsidies-chart-160x124.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/Healthcare-Subsidies-chart-1020x788.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/Healthcare-Subsidies-chart-1200x927.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/Healthcare-Subsidies-chart.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Altman has shared her story with the advocacy organization \u003ca href=\"https://health-access.org/about-us/staff/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Health Access California\u003c/a>. Executive director Anthony Wright said Newsom’s budget is promising for Californians like her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Current law has cliffs where the assistance runs out,” Wright said. “The extra help will allow some families to get coverage that otherwise couldn’t afford it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom plans to pay for the expanded subsidies by creating a state version of the Affordable Care Act’s federal mandate to either buy health insurance or pay a tax penalty (which has gone to $0 under the Trump administration).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3916?utm_source=laowww&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=3916\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a report\u003c/a> on the governor’s budget, the California Legislative Analyst’s Office notes that this approach could create a funding conflict. If the state tax penalty works, it should drive more people to buy insurance. But then, “less funding would be available for premium subsidies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>College\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Higher education is another big drain on middle-class budgets. Newsom’s budget calls for a tuition freeze at state universities, earmarking $300 million for the California State University system and $240 million for the University of California system each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>University of Southern California professor of sociology \u003ca href=\"https://dornsife.usc.edu/pere/pastor/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Manuel Pastor\u003c/a> said middle-class families could also get a break under Newsom’s $40 million plan to make a second year of community college tuition-free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you can make the first and second year free, you’re lowering the cost for a lot of middle class parents of a four-year education,” Pastor said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The Cost of Caring for Family Members, Young and Old\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Universal preschool and six months of paid family leave for parents are still on Newsom’s agenda. But this budget won’t pay for those goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford University assistant professor of health research and policy \u003ca href=\"https://web.stanford.edu/~mrossin/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Maya Rossin-Slater\u003c/a> said California’s existing paid family leave law could be strengthened. Right now, many parents don’t use it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her research \u003ca href=\"https://web.stanford.edu/~mrossin/AKMdraft_Oct2018.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shows California workers\u003c/a> at smaller, lower-paying companies are less likely to take paid family leave than higher-paid workers. That could be, in part, because workers fear that under existing law, their jobs won’t be protected while they’re out.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11708405/pricey-real-estate-prompts-scammers-to-target-senior-homeowners\">Pricey Real Estate Prompts Scammers to Target Senior Homeowners\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11708405/pricey-real-estate-prompts-scammers-to-target-senior-homeowners\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/Homes-1038x576.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“Job protection, I think, is crucial,” Rossin-Slater said, “Especially for middle-class families that might worry about not having a job to return to after the leave.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Longer paid family leave could help alleviate some of the high cost of child care, which often costs middle-class parents more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.scpr.org/news/2016/04/13/59477/childcare-costs-more-than-college-tuition-in-calif/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">college tuition\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s population is aging. With more and more baby boomers retiring, the cost of caring for elderly parents will also start to stack up for more middle class families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The governor’s budget includes a 15.2 percent increase in general fund spending for in-home supportive services. But USC gerontology professor \u003ca href=\"http://gero.usc.edu/faculty/donna-benton-ph-d/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donna Benton\u003c/a> said most Californians don’t qualify for the low-income program. So they’re stuck spending thousands of dollars a year on caregiving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Out-of-pocket costs eat up 20 percent of caregivers’ income, on average. Some caregivers have to quit their jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Family members in general sacrifice a lot,” said Benton. “And then when they go to look for services for themselves, usually they’re not going to qualify.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benton was part of a state task force that issued a \u003ca href=\"http://tffc.usc.edu/2018/07/02/final-report-from-the-california-task-force-on-family-caregiving-2/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">number of recommendations\u003c/a> to help ease the cost. Among their ideas was a tax credit for caregiving expenses, as well as more funding for resource centers throughout the state that serve caregivers regardless of income level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Benton looked through Newsom’s budget, she said, “I didn’t see anything that, I would say, touched on any of the recommendations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long Beach environmental consultant Heather Altman lives near her parents, who are now in their 70s. She said they’re in a good financial position right now. But she wonders if they’ll end up needing her help in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Should it come to that time, then yeah, that responsibility falls to me,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The same will be true for millions of middle-class Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/series/californiadream/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The California Dream series\u003c/a> is a statewide media collaboration of CALmatters, KPBS, KPCC, KQED and Capital Public Radio with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the James Irvine Foundation and the College Futures Foundation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11660142\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner.jpg%20https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1867\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner.jpg 1867w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-160x44.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-800x219.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-1020x280.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-1180x324.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-960x263.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-240x66.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-375x103.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/04/CADreamBanner-520x143.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1867px) 100vw, 1867px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "Police Unions Fight to Block Public From Officer Records - California Newsrooms Fight Back",
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"content": "\u003cp>Up until Jan. 1, California was known for being one of the \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/2018/06/20/california_is_one_of_the_most_secre.php\">most secretive states\u003c/a> in the nation when it came to access to police records. That was supposed to change with a new law that paved the way for access to records long out of public view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as SB 1421 went into effect, a law firm representing police unions quietly mounted a coordinated challenge. Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver has been arguing in various courts across the state that the law does not apply retroactively.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/police-records\">Police Secrets Revealed\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Records of police misconduct and use of deadly force have been kept secret in California for decades. That changed Jan. 1.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/police-records\">\u003cimg src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS27057_20170927_Uc-Berkeley-Free-Speech_Credit_Adam-Grossberg-9-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>\"The law is not clear,\" Tom Dominguez, the president of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs told KPCC/LAist. His group is among those in court to prevent the release of records that predate Jan. 1 of this year. \"We are making sure our members rights are protected.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attorneys for Orange County had signaled they intended to release records regardless of when the records were created.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, California newsrooms are banding together to fight for public access.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>In Orange County, KPCC/LAist, \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-police-misconduct-records-20190117-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles Times\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://voiceofoc.org/2019/01/santana-sheriffs-union-seeks-to-block-public-access-to-misconduct-records/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Voice of OC\u003c/a> are seeking to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>In Los Angeles, the Times has taken similar steps in a case brought by the Los Angeles Police Protective League.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>And in a case brought by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Employee Benefits Association, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11714941/kqed-joins-state-supreme-court-case-fighting-for-access-to-police-misconduct-shooting-records\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KQED\u003c/a> joined the California News Publishers Association, the First Amendment Coalition and the Times to make their voices heard.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>In each case, the positions remain the same. The unions contend the law does not apply retroactively. The publishers and their advocates argue it does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/2019/01/18/police_records_transparency_california_sb1421.php\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>Read the full story via KPCC/LAist\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "California has been known as one of the nation's most secretive states when it comes to access to police records. That was supposed to change on Jan. 1.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Up until Jan. 1, California was known for being one of the \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/2018/06/20/california_is_one_of_the_most_secre.php\">most secretive states\u003c/a> in the nation when it came to access to police records. That was supposed to change with a new law that paved the way for access to records long out of public view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as SB 1421 went into effect, a law firm representing police unions quietly mounted a coordinated challenge. Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver has been arguing in various courts across the state that the law does not apply retroactively.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/police-records\">Police Secrets Revealed\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Records of police misconduct and use of deadly force have been kept secret in California for decades. That changed Jan. 1.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/police-records\">\u003cimg src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS27057_20170927_Uc-Berkeley-Free-Speech_Credit_Adam-Grossberg-9-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>\"The law is not clear,\" Tom Dominguez, the president of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs told KPCC/LAist. His group is among those in court to prevent the release of records that predate Jan. 1 of this year. \"We are making sure our members rights are protected.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attorneys for Orange County had signaled they intended to release records regardless of when the records were created.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, California newsrooms are banding together to fight for public access.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>In Orange County, KPCC/LAist, \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-police-misconduct-records-20190117-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles Times\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://voiceofoc.org/2019/01/santana-sheriffs-union-seeks-to-block-public-access-to-misconduct-records/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Voice of OC\u003c/a> are seeking to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>In Los Angeles, the Times has taken similar steps in a case brought by the Los Angeles Police Protective League.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>And in a case brought by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Employee Benefits Association, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11714941/kqed-joins-state-supreme-court-case-fighting-for-access-to-police-misconduct-shooting-records\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KQED\u003c/a> joined the California News Publishers Association, the First Amendment Coalition and the Times to make their voices heard.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>In each case, the positions remain the same. The unions contend the law does not apply retroactively. The publishers and their advocates argue it does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/2019/01/18/police_records_transparency_california_sb1421.php\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>Read the full story via KPCC/LAist\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "Asylum-Seekers in California Wait for Their Day in Immigration Court",
"title": "Asylum-Seekers in California Wait for Their Day in Immigration Court",
"headTitle": "The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>In recent months, thousands of migrants have gathered in Tijuana, hoping for asylum in the United States. Some will be deported before ever stepping foot in the U.S. Others will be detained by U.S. immigration authorities as they wait for their hearings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some will be allowed to live in the U.S. while their cases wind through the system. Legal experts say if they stay in California, they'll be lucky. The state has a cadre of pro bono attorneys eager to help them navigate the complicated asylum process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2017, California lawmakers approved a state budget that included $45 million in funding for immigrant legal services. With that increased funding, the state's Department of Social Services has contracted dozens of nonprofits to offer legal help to \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/Immigration/ISF%20Fact%20Sheet%20May%202018.pdf?ver=2018-05-11-135436-710\">thousands of immigrants\u003c/a> every year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state money is spread to organizations throughout California. But \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/Immigration/FY%202017-18%20Immigration%20Services%20Funding%20Award%20Announcement.pdf?ver=2017-10-31-092359-893\">regional breakdowns\u003c/a> show that nonprofits in Los Angeles and the Bay Area have received the largest chunks of money. These areas may be expensive for migrants, but the data show that having access to legal aid makes a huge difference in asylum cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still California's high cost of living continues to push families out of the very places offering the most help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"A lot of our immigrant community are finding themselves having to move outside of Los Angeles so that they can afford to live,\" said \u003ca href=\"https://www.esperanza-la.org/patricia-ortiz\">Patricia Ortiz\u003c/a>, a lawyer with the Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"But once they're there, there is not quite the same amount of resources or support that they would have here,\" she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11710236/bay-area-asylum-seeker-anxious-as-grandmother-escorts-teen-son-to-border\">Bay Area Asylum-Seeker Anxious as Her Teen Son Is Escorted to Border by His Grandmother\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11710236/bay-area-asylum-seeker-anxious-as-grandmother-escorts-teen-son-to-border\">\u003cimg src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/RS34304_alt_806-1-1180x885.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rosa\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of Ortiz's clients, Rosa, has been in Los Angeles for about two months. She fled gang violence in El Salvador with her two children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before Rosa arrived, she pictured Los Angeles as a place full of luxury and natural beauty. Some areas of the city are like that, Rosa said. But her corner of Los Angeles looks and feels like the place she escaped from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I sometimes feel as if I were in the capital of El Salvador,\" said Rosa, who requested that her last name be withheld because her asylum case is ongoing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She was surprised by how much housing costs here. During their first month in Los Angeles, Rosa and her family lived in cramped quarters with another family sleeping right next to the bathroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We chose to move because we could not access the bathroom,\" she said. \"We did not feel comfortable entering it.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since then, Rosa has found a studio apartment near downtown LA that rents for $800 per month. But even coming up with that amount will be a struggle. Asylum-seekers are not eligible for a work permit until at least six months into their cases. Many work under the table to get by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite these hurdles, Rosa said California provides what she didn't have in El Salvador: Safety, and the chance of a better life for her kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There is opportunity here,\" she said. \"Here, you can realize any dream you want.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ortiz said even though it is an expensive place to live, asylum-seekers in Los Angeles have access to people who want to help. For instance, she said, \"Getting our clients connected to mental health resources outside of the LA region is very difficult. It's something that we are always struggling with.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe src=\"https://www.npr.org/player/embed/683328305/683501501\" width=\"100%\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"NPR embedded audio player\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/biography/jenna-gilbert\">Jenna Gilbert\u003c/a>, a pro bono asylum attorney at Human Rights First, said it's heartbreaking to get calls from clients who plan to leave California months into their case, because they can't afford to stay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She tells them they're not just losing their lawyer. They're leaving behind California's Ninth Circuit for courts that may be more likely to deny asylum claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If you move to a small town in Texas, housing is going to be much cheaper,\" Gilbert said. \"But you probably won't have the legal resources. And you also will be in a circuit that is much less favorable to asylum-seekers.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Finding a lawyer is powerfully associated with positive outcomes,\" said \u003ca href=\"https://law.ucla.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/ingrid-v-eagly/\">UCLA law professor Ingrid Eagly\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"http://www.californialawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/4-Eagly_Shafer_Whalley.pdf\">a study\u003c/a> that tracked outcomes for families after being released from detention, Eagly and her colleagues found that between 2001 and 2016, released families that did not have a lawyer were only allowed to stay in the country 7 percent of the time. Those who had a lawyer increased their odds to 49 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They're more likely to be able to gather evidence, to work collaboratively with their lawyer and to otherwise prepare and find witnesses who can testify in their case,\" Eagly said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The data from Eagly's study does not include cases since President Trump took office. Under his administration, \u003ca href=\"http://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/539/\">asylum denial rates have been increasing\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lizeth\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even on a day off from her job at an El Pollo Loco, Lizeth finds herself cooking. While her kids are at school, she stirs a big pot of \u003cem>caldo de res\u003c/em>, or beef soup.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I've always cooked,\" she said. \"I like it.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11717076\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 695px\">\u003cimg src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/5c199117948d9c000a5a3dd8-eight-39d9b6c2f21337f6a9d2b760bd30aa547c0afb9c.jpg\" alt=\"Lizeth, an immigrant from Honduras, looks out the window of her studio apartment in Los Angeles.\" width=\"695\" height=\"521\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11717076\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/5c199117948d9c000a5a3dd8-eight-39d9b6c2f21337f6a9d2b760bd30aa547c0afb9c.jpg 695w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/5c199117948d9c000a5a3dd8-eight-39d9b6c2f21337f6a9d2b760bd30aa547c0afb9c-160x120.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 695px) 100vw, 695px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lizeth, an immigrant from Honduras, looks out the window of her studio apartment in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(David Wagner/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lizeth, who only wants to use her middle name, had a small business selling food out of her home in Honduras. But she said gangs threatened her for refusing to pay a \"war tax,\" a local form of extortion. She fled with her husband and two of her children, now aged 6 and 14.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They've been living in Los Angeles for more than two years, and they're still awaiting a decision in their asylum case. By now, they've settled into a routine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"At six o'clock, we get up and get ready,\" Lizeth said. They need to be out the door by 7:20 a.m., so Lizeth can get to work by 8:30 a.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It took Lizeth a year and a half to get her work permit. Her husband just received his. Like other asylum-seekers, they started off renting rooms in houses crammed with other occupants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, they can afford the $1,000 rent for their own studio apartment in the San Fernando Valley. It doesn't offer much privacy, Lizeth said. A simple room divider separates the living room from the bedroom. But their home is decked out with festive Christmas decorations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's 1,000 percent better,\" than anything she expected to have, Lizeth said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I have dreams. I have goals. And I know I can achieve them. In my country, you have goals. You have hope. But everything remains a dream,\" she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two years may sound like a long time to wait for an asylum decision. But Lizeth's attorney Jenna Gilbert said these days \"two years is on the shorter end.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As years go by, Gilbert worries that judges may start to think her clients no longer have a credible fear of gang members in their home country. She says a claim that may have been strong a few years ago, \"maybe today isn't so strong.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Things are changing so rapidly, there's really no way to provide your clients with any kind of comfort, any kind of understanding of what the road ahead might look like,\" Gilbert said.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'I have dreams. I have goals. And I know I can achieve them. In my country, you have goals. You have hope. But everything remains a dream.'\u003ccite>Lizeth, immigrant from Honduras living in L.A.\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>At this point, Gilbert is hoping that a decision in Lizeth's case is delayed until 2020 or later, when there could be a new president in the White House with more favorable asylum policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Now that we're kind of at the halfway point, I'm hoping that cases slow down as much as possible until we can see the end of this administration,\" Gilbert said. \"Hopefully.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, Lizeth and her family grow more comfortable in California every day. They've put a down payment on a car. Their kids are picking up English in school. Lizeth worries what would happen if they were deported back to Honduras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They think those of us coming from the United States are carrying a lot of money,\" she said. \"There are many cases of people who went back to Honduras and didn't live more than a month.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for now, Lizeth said, the future is bright. In Honduras, holidays were hard. She could afford to give her kids gifts or a nice meal, but never both. This year, in the U.S., she was able to make a big Christmas dinner and give her children new clothes and shoes. A nice Christmas, she said, like she hadn't had in a long time.\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Immigrants who manage to make it to cities in California face a high cost of living, but they also have access to legal aid which makes a huge difference in asylum cases.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In recent months, thousands of migrants have gathered in Tijuana, hoping for asylum in the United States. Some will be deported before ever stepping foot in the U.S. Others will be detained by U.S. immigration authorities as they wait for their hearings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some will be allowed to live in the U.S. while their cases wind through the system. Legal experts say if they stay in California, they'll be lucky. The state has a cadre of pro bono attorneys eager to help them navigate the complicated asylum process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2017, California lawmakers approved a state budget that included $45 million in funding for immigrant legal services. With that increased funding, the state's Department of Social Services has contracted dozens of nonprofits to offer legal help to \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/Immigration/ISF%20Fact%20Sheet%20May%202018.pdf?ver=2018-05-11-135436-710\">thousands of immigrants\u003c/a> every year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state money is spread to organizations throughout California. But \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/Immigration/FY%202017-18%20Immigration%20Services%20Funding%20Award%20Announcement.pdf?ver=2017-10-31-092359-893\">regional breakdowns\u003c/a> show that nonprofits in Los Angeles and the Bay Area have received the largest chunks of money. These areas may be expensive for migrants, but the data show that having access to legal aid makes a huge difference in asylum cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still California's high cost of living continues to push families out of the very places offering the most help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"A lot of our immigrant community are finding themselves having to move outside of Los Angeles so that they can afford to live,\" said \u003ca href=\"https://www.esperanza-la.org/patricia-ortiz\">Patricia Ortiz\u003c/a>, a lawyer with the Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"But once they're there, there is not quite the same amount of resources or support that they would have here,\" she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11710236/bay-area-asylum-seeker-anxious-as-grandmother-escorts-teen-son-to-border\">Bay Area Asylum-Seeker Anxious as Her Teen Son Is Escorted to Border by His Grandmother\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11710236/bay-area-asylum-seeker-anxious-as-grandmother-escorts-teen-son-to-border\">\u003cimg src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/12/RS34304_alt_806-1-1180x885.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rosa\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of Ortiz's clients, Rosa, has been in Los Angeles for about two months. She fled gang violence in El Salvador with her two children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before Rosa arrived, she pictured Los Angeles as a place full of luxury and natural beauty. Some areas of the city are like that, Rosa said. But her corner of Los Angeles looks and feels like the place she escaped from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I sometimes feel as if I were in the capital of El Salvador,\" said Rosa, who requested that her last name be withheld because her asylum case is ongoing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She was surprised by how much housing costs here. During their first month in Los Angeles, Rosa and her family lived in cramped quarters with another family sleeping right next to the bathroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We chose to move because we could not access the bathroom,\" she said. \"We did not feel comfortable entering it.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since then, Rosa has found a studio apartment near downtown LA that rents for $800 per month. But even coming up with that amount will be a struggle. Asylum-seekers are not eligible for a work permit until at least six months into their cases. Many work under the table to get by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite these hurdles, Rosa said California provides what she didn't have in El Salvador: Safety, and the chance of a better life for her kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There is opportunity here,\" she said. \"Here, you can realize any dream you want.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ortiz said even though it is an expensive place to live, asylum-seekers in Los Angeles have access to people who want to help. For instance, she said, \"Getting our clients connected to mental health resources outside of the LA region is very difficult. It's something that we are always struggling with.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe src=\"https://www.npr.org/player/embed/683328305/683501501\" width=\"100%\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"NPR embedded audio player\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/biography/jenna-gilbert\">Jenna Gilbert\u003c/a>, a pro bono asylum attorney at Human Rights First, said it's heartbreaking to get calls from clients who plan to leave California months into their case, because they can't afford to stay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She tells them they're not just losing their lawyer. They're leaving behind California's Ninth Circuit for courts that may be more likely to deny asylum claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If you move to a small town in Texas, housing is going to be much cheaper,\" Gilbert said. \"But you probably won't have the legal resources. And you also will be in a circuit that is much less favorable to asylum-seekers.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Finding a lawyer is powerfully associated with positive outcomes,\" said \u003ca href=\"https://law.ucla.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/ingrid-v-eagly/\">UCLA law professor Ingrid Eagly\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"http://www.californialawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/4-Eagly_Shafer_Whalley.pdf\">a study\u003c/a> that tracked outcomes for families after being released from detention, Eagly and her colleagues found that between 2001 and 2016, released families that did not have a lawyer were only allowed to stay in the country 7 percent of the time. Those who had a lawyer increased their odds to 49 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They're more likely to be able to gather evidence, to work collaboratively with their lawyer and to otherwise prepare and find witnesses who can testify in their case,\" Eagly said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The data from Eagly's study does not include cases since President Trump took office. Under his administration, \u003ca href=\"http://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/539/\">asylum denial rates have been increasing\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lizeth\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even on a day off from her job at an El Pollo Loco, Lizeth finds herself cooking. While her kids are at school, she stirs a big pot of \u003cem>caldo de res\u003c/em>, or beef soup.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I've always cooked,\" she said. \"I like it.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11717076\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 695px\">\u003cimg src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/5c199117948d9c000a5a3dd8-eight-39d9b6c2f21337f6a9d2b760bd30aa547c0afb9c.jpg\" alt=\"Lizeth, an immigrant from Honduras, looks out the window of her studio apartment in Los Angeles.\" width=\"695\" height=\"521\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11717076\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/5c199117948d9c000a5a3dd8-eight-39d9b6c2f21337f6a9d2b760bd30aa547c0afb9c.jpg 695w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/5c199117948d9c000a5a3dd8-eight-39d9b6c2f21337f6a9d2b760bd30aa547c0afb9c-160x120.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 695px) 100vw, 695px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lizeth, an immigrant from Honduras, looks out the window of her studio apartment in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(David Wagner/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lizeth, who only wants to use her middle name, had a small business selling food out of her home in Honduras. But she said gangs threatened her for refusing to pay a \"war tax,\" a local form of extortion. She fled with her husband and two of her children, now aged 6 and 14.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They've been living in Los Angeles for more than two years, and they're still awaiting a decision in their asylum case. By now, they've settled into a routine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"At six o'clock, we get up and get ready,\" Lizeth said. They need to be out the door by 7:20 a.m., so Lizeth can get to work by 8:30 a.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It took Lizeth a year and a half to get her work permit. Her husband just received his. Like other asylum-seekers, they started off renting rooms in houses crammed with other occupants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, they can afford the $1,000 rent for their own studio apartment in the San Fernando Valley. It doesn't offer much privacy, Lizeth said. A simple room divider separates the living room from the bedroom. But their home is decked out with festive Christmas decorations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's 1,000 percent better,\" than anything she expected to have, Lizeth said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I have dreams. I have goals. And I know I can achieve them. In my country, you have goals. You have hope. But everything remains a dream,\" she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two years may sound like a long time to wait for an asylum decision. But Lizeth's attorney Jenna Gilbert said these days \"two years is on the shorter end.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As years go by, Gilbert worries that judges may start to think her clients no longer have a credible fear of gang members in their home country. She says a claim that may have been strong a few years ago, \"maybe today isn't so strong.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Things are changing so rapidly, there's really no way to provide your clients with any kind of comfort, any kind of understanding of what the road ahead might look like,\" Gilbert said.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'I have dreams. I have goals. And I know I can achieve them. In my country, you have goals. You have hope. But everything remains a dream.'\u003ccite>Lizeth, immigrant from Honduras living in L.A.\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>At this point, Gilbert is hoping that a decision in Lizeth's case is delayed until 2020 or later, when there could be a new president in the White House with more favorable asylum policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Now that we're kind of at the halfway point, I'm hoping that cases slow down as much as possible until we can see the end of this administration,\" Gilbert said. \"Hopefully.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, Lizeth and her family grow more comfortable in California every day. They've put a down payment on a car. Their kids are picking up English in school. Lizeth worries what would happen if they were deported back to Honduras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They think those of us coming from the United States are carrying a lot of money,\" she said. \"There are many cases of people who went back to Honduras and didn't live more than a month.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for now, Lizeth said, the future is bright. In Honduras, holidays were hard. She could afford to give her kids gifts or a nice meal, but never both. This year, in the U.S., she was able to make a big Christmas dinner and give her children new clothes and shoes. A nice Christmas, she said, like she hadn't had in a long time.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>He was a fit 28-year-old who studied athletic training at Cal State Northridge after serving in the Marines. Not long ago, he was often the subject of his mother’s proud Facebook posts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ian David Long was a decorated veteran who served a tour in Afghanistan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Wednesday night, Long walked into the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks armed with a handgun shortly after 11:20 p.m., \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704856/12-victims-killed-in-shooting-at-country-music-bar-in-thousand-oaks-california\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">and started shooting\u003c/a>. The bullets ended when, according to authorities, Long took his own life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By then, 12 people were dead, including a Ventura County sheriff’s sergeant who’d been on the phone with his wife when the call for help came. Authorities said he and another deputy exchanged gunfire with Long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At least 23 more were injured.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704856/12-victims-killed-in-shooting-at-country-music-bar-in-thousand-oaks-california\">Gunman Kills 12 at Bar in Thousand Oaks, Former Napa Student Among Victims\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704856/12-victims-killed-in-shooting-at-country-music-bar-in-thousand-oaks-california\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/ap_18312390586056_wide-fa327f2c2b2e8cb9b8c335cd5ce8ae23c1961bf3-1038x576.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>What drew Long to turn the weapon on a crowd who came to listen to country music and dance — a typical college night at a local hangout — remains unknown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He didn’t seem like the kind of person who would snap,” said Blake Winnett, Long’s college roommate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Winnett said he met Long through Craigslist. He described his former roommate as quiet, paying rent and keeping to himself and his studies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, he said, it wasn’t all smooth. Winnett said Long’s girlfriends expressed concerns to him about Long’s mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long joined the Marine Corps when he was 18 and married less than a year later. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 and stayed seven months, according to Marine Corps officials. Little information was available about his marriage other than the couple separated in 2011, according to court records. They filed for divorce in May 2013, a couple of months after he left the service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/JohnLGC/status/1060587739412742144\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That same year, Long enrolled in college. Cal State Northridge enrolls a large number of veterans and has a resource center to serve them. School officials were unable to say if Long had ever used those services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Veterans are not 18-year-olds fresh out of high school,” said spokesperson Carmen Ramos Chandler. “They have experienced life in a way that so many of our traditional students have not. So we wanted to provide a place where they felt welcomed, warmly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Thursday afternoon, half a dozen young men were on laptops, chatting, with a television on in the background. None of them knew Ian David Long from his time at the school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a hard thing to hear anytime there is a mass shooting. But when it affects young people, it gets personal. We’re a university, that’s who we are,” Chandler said. “People know people who are impacted by this. Our hearts go out to them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Winnett, Long’s former roommate, said he was concerned that Long might have suffered from PTSD, based on conversations he said Long’s girlfriends had with him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts caution, however, about tying possible PTSD to acts of violence.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704939/bay-area-reps-with-democrats-in-control-of-house-its-time-for-a-gun-control-bill\">Bay Area Reps: With Democrats in Control of House, It’s Time for a Gun Control Bill\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704939/bay-area-reps-with-democrats-in-control-of-house-its-time-for-a-gun-control-bill\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/FriendsHug-1180x835.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Research on links between mental health disorders associated with military service and violent acts leaves an incomplete picture. Impulsive aggression, like getting into fistfights, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=teten%20al%2C%20miller%20la%2C%20stanford%20ms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">has been tied to PTSD\u003c/a>. But there was no higher likelihood for premeditated aggression in veterans suffering from PTSD.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The stigma will only alienate them further,” said Dr. Susan Michael with \u003ca href=\"https://ndvets.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New Directions for Veterans\u003c/a>, a nonprofit that provides bridge housing and services to veterans in Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long didn’t say much about his military experience, Winnett said. Though he was an experienced machine gunner, he didn’t come off as particularly interested in weapons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He [had] one handgun,” Winnett said. “I’m a gun nut. He wasn’t.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At some point, Long’s college plans began to unravel. University officials said he ended up leaving in 2016 without a degree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was a motorcycle accident sometime in 2015 or 2016, Winnett said, that resulted in Long’s mom having to care for him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Man, I feel bad for her,” Winnett said. “She is the nicest person. She doesn’t deserve it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long moved in with his mother, Colleen Long, in Newbury Park, a middle-class community of ranch-style homes near Thousand Oaks and a short drive up the rocky coast from Los Angeles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colleen Long used to frequently post photos of her son in uniform on Facebook. One of the last mentions of his name took place on his birthday on March 27, 2016, when she wrote:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>26 years ago my sun was brighten by the birth of my son! Feels like yesterday, Happy Birthday Ian! 😘🍰👏👏\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>A few months later, she thanks him for a Swiss army knife he appears to have given her as a gift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he’s scarcely mentioned among her posts from the last two years, which are filled with photos of dogs, hikes and baseball.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long didn’t draw much attention from Ventura County law enforcement in recent years either. There’d been “minor interactions,” including for a traffic collision and once when Long was the victim of battery at a local bar, according to officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neighbors described him as quiet until an incident last April that rattled residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I remember hearing a lot of banging noises … someone pounding,” said Tim Tanner. Someone called the cops and officers swarmed in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Long] was just sitting out there talking to an officer,” Tanner recalled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean described Long during the incident as “somewhat irate, acting a little irrationally.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They called out our crisis intervention team, our mental health specialists, who met with him, talked to him,” Dean said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they didn’t feel it warranted taking him in on a 5150, the code used for involuntary psychiatric commitment of someone deemed a danger to themselves or others. Long had been cleared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>He was a fit 28-year-old who studied athletic training at Cal State Northridge after serving in the Marines. Not long ago, he was often the subject of his mother’s proud Facebook posts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ian David Long was a decorated veteran who served a tour in Afghanistan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Wednesday night, Long walked into the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks armed with a handgun shortly after 11:20 p.m., \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704856/12-victims-killed-in-shooting-at-country-music-bar-in-thousand-oaks-california\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">and started shooting\u003c/a>. The bullets ended when, according to authorities, Long took his own life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By then, 12 people were dead, including a Ventura County sheriff’s sergeant who’d been on the phone with his wife when the call for help came. Authorities said he and another deputy exchanged gunfire with Long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At least 23 more were injured.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704856/12-victims-killed-in-shooting-at-country-music-bar-in-thousand-oaks-california\">Gunman Kills 12 at Bar in Thousand Oaks, Former Napa Student Among Victims\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704856/12-victims-killed-in-shooting-at-country-music-bar-in-thousand-oaks-california\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/ap_18312390586056_wide-fa327f2c2b2e8cb9b8c335cd5ce8ae23c1961bf3-1038x576.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>What drew Long to turn the weapon on a crowd who came to listen to country music and dance — a typical college night at a local hangout — remains unknown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He didn’t seem like the kind of person who would snap,” said Blake Winnett, Long’s college roommate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Winnett said he met Long through Craigslist. He described his former roommate as quiet, paying rent and keeping to himself and his studies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, he said, it wasn’t all smooth. Winnett said Long’s girlfriends expressed concerns to him about Long’s mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long joined the Marine Corps when he was 18 and married less than a year later. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 and stayed seven months, according to Marine Corps officials. Little information was available about his marriage other than the couple separated in 2011, according to court records. They filed for divorce in May 2013, a couple of months after he left the service.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>That same year, Long enrolled in college. Cal State Northridge enrolls a large number of veterans and has a resource center to serve them. School officials were unable to say if Long had ever used those services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Veterans are not 18-year-olds fresh out of high school,” said spokesperson Carmen Ramos Chandler. “They have experienced life in a way that so many of our traditional students have not. So we wanted to provide a place where they felt welcomed, warmly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Thursday afternoon, half a dozen young men were on laptops, chatting, with a television on in the background. None of them knew Ian David Long from his time at the school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a hard thing to hear anytime there is a mass shooting. But when it affects young people, it gets personal. We’re a university, that’s who we are,” Chandler said. “People know people who are impacted by this. Our hearts go out to them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Winnett, Long’s former roommate, said he was concerned that Long might have suffered from PTSD, based on conversations he said Long’s girlfriends had with him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts caution, however, about tying possible PTSD to acts of violence.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704939/bay-area-reps-with-democrats-in-control-of-house-its-time-for-a-gun-control-bill\">Bay Area Reps: With Democrats in Control of House, It’s Time for a Gun Control Bill\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704939/bay-area-reps-with-democrats-in-control-of-house-its-time-for-a-gun-control-bill\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/FriendsHug-1180x835.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Research on links between mental health disorders associated with military service and violent acts leaves an incomplete picture. Impulsive aggression, like getting into fistfights, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=teten%20al%2C%20miller%20la%2C%20stanford%20ms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">has been tied to PTSD\u003c/a>. But there was no higher likelihood for premeditated aggression in veterans suffering from PTSD.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The stigma will only alienate them further,” said Dr. Susan Michael with \u003ca href=\"https://ndvets.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New Directions for Veterans\u003c/a>, a nonprofit that provides bridge housing and services to veterans in Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long didn’t say much about his military experience, Winnett said. Though he was an experienced machine gunner, he didn’t come off as particularly interested in weapons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He [had] one handgun,” Winnett said. “I’m a gun nut. He wasn’t.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At some point, Long’s college plans began to unravel. University officials said he ended up leaving in 2016 without a degree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was a motorcycle accident sometime in 2015 or 2016, Winnett said, that resulted in Long’s mom having to care for him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Man, I feel bad for her,” Winnett said. “She is the nicest person. She doesn’t deserve it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long moved in with his mother, Colleen Long, in Newbury Park, a middle-class community of ranch-style homes near Thousand Oaks and a short drive up the rocky coast from Los Angeles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colleen Long used to frequently post photos of her son in uniform on Facebook. One of the last mentions of his name took place on his birthday on March 27, 2016, when she wrote:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>26 years ago my sun was brighten by the birth of my son! Feels like yesterday, Happy Birthday Ian! 😘🍰👏👏\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>A few months later, she thanks him for a Swiss army knife he appears to have given her as a gift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he’s scarcely mentioned among her posts from the last two years, which are filled with photos of dogs, hikes and baseball.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long didn’t draw much attention from Ventura County law enforcement in recent years either. There’d been “minor interactions,” including for a traffic collision and once when Long was the victim of battery at a local bar, according to officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neighbors described him as quiet until an incident last April that rattled residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I remember hearing a lot of banging noises … someone pounding,” said Tim Tanner. Someone called the cops and officers swarmed in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Long] was just sitting out there talking to an officer,” Tanner recalled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean described Long during the incident as “somewhat irate, acting a little irrationally.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They called out our crisis intervention team, our mental health specialists, who met with him, talked to him,” Dean said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they didn’t feel it warranted taking him in on a 5150, the code used for involuntary psychiatric commitment of someone deemed a danger to themselves or others. Long had been cleared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "How California Initiatives Went From 'Power to the People' to a Big Money Game",
"title": "How California Initiatives Went From 'Power to the People' to a Big Money Game",
"headTitle": "The California Dream | The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>Californians will vote on 11 statewide initiatives when they go to the polls Tuesday. The state has one of the strongest direct democracies in the world — established more than a century ago in response to powerful railroad interests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in \u003ca href=\"http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/atissue/AI_1013MBAI.pdf\">recent decades \u003c/a>the initiative process has come to be dominated by the very forces it was invented to avoid: special interests with lots of money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The realities of the initiative process today are that if you don't have money, you won't be able to get a statute or a constitutional amendment through,” said Mary-Beth Moylan, a professor at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. “It really is so expensive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Moylan, it typically costs about $2 million — and in recent years as much as $7 million — to get an initiative on the ballot. It starts with a $2,000 filing fee and costs for lawyers, but by far the hardest, most expensive part is getting the requisite signatures to qualify.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A simple initiative requires 5 percent of the votes cast in the last election. With California’s massive population, that equals almost 400,000 signatures in just six months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That's a lot of signatures for just a grassroots organization to collect out of just the goodwill of their base,” said Moylan.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">\"You can kind of lean in and kind of just place the board with the petition in front of them, take your pen and kind of lead it to that empty spot so that they can just reach for it and finish.\"\u003ccite>Scott Schultz, part-time professional signature gatherer\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>This year’s ballot features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11696966/should-california-expand-tax-breaks-for-older-homeowners-proposition-5-1-and-2-explained\">proposition campaigns\u003c/a> bankrolled by the deep pockets of a powerful union, the Realtors Association, and Silicon Valley billionaires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The money helps pay for guys like Scott Schultz, who works part-time as a professional signature gatherer, making up to $25 an hour during the peak season for circulating petitions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He deploys all kinds of strategies to get as many signatures he can, as quickly as he can: He carefully chooses the geographic location and the type of retail to stake out according to the political leaning of the petitions, and uses fast-talking people skills to engage passers-by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can kind of lean in and kind of just place the board with the petition in front of them, take your pen and kind of lead it to that empty spot so that they can just reach for it and finish,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s a quick study at sizing people up, then throwing out a key word to hook them in: “Governor Moonbeam” for a suspected conservative, or “ACLU” for the liberals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11702924\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/210703-full.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11702924\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/210703-full.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/210703-full.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/210703-full-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/210703-full-240x160.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/210703-full-375x250.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/210703-full-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A California signature gathering firm teamed up with a lottery supply company to pass a 1984 lottery initiative. \u003ccite>(Susanica Tam/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He’s part of a whole cottage industry that has grown up around the initiative process. And there may be no better example of how it functions than the \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/reports/1984/proposition_37_the_california_state_lottery_initiative.pdf\">1984 lottery initiative\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That's one in which the initiative industry itself created a measure,” said Joe Mathews, a journalist who wrote the book “California Crackup.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He tells a story about a California signature gathering firm, Kimball Petition Management, that was looking to gin up some business for itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mathews wrote that after some polling, the firm determined a lottery initiative was likely to pass. So it pitched the idea to a company that makes lottery supplies. The idea was the company would hire Kimball’s firm to collect signatures and, if the initiative passed, it could sell lottery equipment to the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plan was a success — Kimball got new signature-gathering business, the voters passed the initiative, and the state contracted with the company to run the lottery.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">\"It's a drag that it's a money game. But at the same time, I think that it's the best process that there is and I love being part of the political process.\"\u003ccite>Scott Schultz\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Proceeds from the lottery do benefit California schools, but they only make up about \u003ca href=\"https://www.calottery.com/giving-back/education/where-money-goes\">1.5 percent\u003c/a> of the public education budget. So who were the real beneficiaries of this experiment in direct democracy?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It doesn't look very direct, right?” said Mathews. “It's very much just buying and selling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a far cry from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.scpr.org/news/2018/10/31/86882/who-to-thank-or-blame-for-california-s-version-of/\">vision conceived more than a century ago\u003c/a> by leaders who started the initiative system to take back power from special interests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are ideas to reform the process: There have been legislative attempts to limit how signature gatherers get paid, but those have been vetoed by the governor. And Mathews suggests allowing more time to gather signatures would cut down on the cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of those ideas would also cut down on Schultz’s income. “It's a drag that it's a money game,” he said. “But at the same time, I think that it's the best process that there is, and I love being part of the political process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/series/californiadream/\">The California Dream series\u003c/a> is a statewide media collaboration of CALmatters, KPBS, KPCC, KQED and Capital Public Radio with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the James Irvine Foundation and the College Futures Foundation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-11702931\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-800x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"219\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-800x219.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-160x44.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-1020x280.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-1200x329.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-1180x324.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-960x263.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-240x66.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-375x103.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-520x143.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner.jpg 1867w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Californians will vote on 11 statewide initiatives when they go to the polls Tuesday. The state has one of the strongest direct democracies in the world — established more than a century ago in response to powerful railroad interests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in \u003ca href=\"http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/atissue/AI_1013MBAI.pdf\">recent decades \u003c/a>the initiative process has come to be dominated by the very forces it was invented to avoid: special interests with lots of money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The realities of the initiative process today are that if you don't have money, you won't be able to get a statute or a constitutional amendment through,” said Mary-Beth Moylan, a professor at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. “It really is so expensive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Moylan, it typically costs about $2 million — and in recent years as much as $7 million — to get an initiative on the ballot. It starts with a $2,000 filing fee and costs for lawyers, but by far the hardest, most expensive part is getting the requisite signatures to qualify.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A simple initiative requires 5 percent of the votes cast in the last election. With California’s massive population, that equals almost 400,000 signatures in just six months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That's a lot of signatures for just a grassroots organization to collect out of just the goodwill of their base,” said Moylan.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">\"You can kind of lean in and kind of just place the board with the petition in front of them, take your pen and kind of lead it to that empty spot so that they can just reach for it and finish.\"\u003ccite>Scott Schultz, part-time professional signature gatherer\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>This year’s ballot features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11696966/should-california-expand-tax-breaks-for-older-homeowners-proposition-5-1-and-2-explained\">proposition campaigns\u003c/a> bankrolled by the deep pockets of a powerful union, the Realtors Association, and Silicon Valley billionaires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The money helps pay for guys like Scott Schultz, who works part-time as a professional signature gatherer, making up to $25 an hour during the peak season for circulating petitions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He deploys all kinds of strategies to get as many signatures he can, as quickly as he can: He carefully chooses the geographic location and the type of retail to stake out according to the political leaning of the petitions, and uses fast-talking people skills to engage passers-by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can kind of lean in and kind of just place the board with the petition in front of them, take your pen and kind of lead it to that empty spot so that they can just reach for it and finish,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s a quick study at sizing people up, then throwing out a key word to hook them in: “Governor Moonbeam” for a suspected conservative, or “ACLU” for the liberals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11702924\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/210703-full.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11702924\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/210703-full.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/210703-full.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/210703-full-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/210703-full-240x160.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/210703-full-375x250.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/210703-full-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A California signature gathering firm teamed up with a lottery supply company to pass a 1984 lottery initiative. \u003ccite>(Susanica Tam/KPCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He’s part of a whole cottage industry that has grown up around the initiative process. And there may be no better example of how it functions than the \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/reports/1984/proposition_37_the_california_state_lottery_initiative.pdf\">1984 lottery initiative\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That's one in which the initiative industry itself created a measure,” said Joe Mathews, a journalist who wrote the book “California Crackup.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He tells a story about a California signature gathering firm, Kimball Petition Management, that was looking to gin up some business for itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mathews wrote that after some polling, the firm determined a lottery initiative was likely to pass. So it pitched the idea to a company that makes lottery supplies. The idea was the company would hire Kimball’s firm to collect signatures and, if the initiative passed, it could sell lottery equipment to the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plan was a success — Kimball got new signature-gathering business, the voters passed the initiative, and the state contracted with the company to run the lottery.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">\"It's a drag that it's a money game. But at the same time, I think that it's the best process that there is and I love being part of the political process.\"\u003ccite>Scott Schultz\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Proceeds from the lottery do benefit California schools, but they only make up about \u003ca href=\"https://www.calottery.com/giving-back/education/where-money-goes\">1.5 percent\u003c/a> of the public education budget. So who were the real beneficiaries of this experiment in direct democracy?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It doesn't look very direct, right?” said Mathews. “It's very much just buying and selling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a far cry from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.scpr.org/news/2018/10/31/86882/who-to-thank-or-blame-for-california-s-version-of/\">vision conceived more than a century ago\u003c/a> by leaders who started the initiative system to take back power from special interests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are ideas to reform the process: There have been legislative attempts to limit how signature gatherers get paid, but those have been vetoed by the governor. And Mathews suggests allowing more time to gather signatures would cut down on the cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of those ideas would also cut down on Schultz’s income. “It's a drag that it's a money game,” he said. “But at the same time, I think that it's the best process that there is, and I love being part of the political process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/series/californiadream/\">The California Dream series\u003c/a> is a statewide media collaboration of CALmatters, KPBS, KPCC, KQED and Capital Public Radio with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the James Irvine Foundation and the College Futures Foundation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-11702931\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-800x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"219\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-800x219.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-160x44.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-1020x280.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-1200x329.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-1180x324.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-960x263.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-240x66.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-375x103.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner-520x143.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/CADreamBanner.jpg 1867w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
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}
},
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"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
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"order": 10
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
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"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": {
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"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"order": 1
},
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"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 />",
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"meta": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
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"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",
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"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",
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}
},
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"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",
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"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"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": {
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"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"
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},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
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"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.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"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.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
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"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": {
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"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",
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},
"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
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"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
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},
"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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}
},
"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": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"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",
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"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)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
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"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": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
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}
},
"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/",
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"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",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
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"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",
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"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.",
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