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By Not So Golden, February 2020 There are lots of reasons to love the Golden State — from its stunning beaches and picturesque mountains to its entrepreneurial spirit, trailblazing laws and incredible diversity. But at what cost? For many young adults, living in the country’s most expensive state is not easy. California’s economy may be booming, but college students are facing rising tuition and struggling to find affordable housing. Teen suicide rates are up and lack of employment...

By Mike Duffy, ABC 10, February 5, 2020 There is a growing problem on the streets of California, and it could be the canary in the coal mine for the rest of the country. Seniors are increasingly finding themselves homeless, priced out of highly competitive housing and rental markets. After working for years, many are living on fixed incomes that simply cannot compete with the rise in the cost of living. Without adequate familial and community support, some of these individuals are finding...

By Will Carruthers, Pacific Sun, February 5, 2020 North Bay residents don’t appreciate the scale of a crime happening all around them, despite an increased effort at public outreach over the past decade, according to a local nonprofit director. “Human trafficking happens every single day,” says Christine Castillo, the executive director of Verity, a Sonoma County nonprofit that offers services and support to trafficking victims and sometimes coordinates with law-enforcement agencies...

By YourCentralValley.com Staff, February 5, 2020 Merced College celebrated the grand opening on Wednesday of the NextUp Center to support current and former foster youth under the age of 26. Merced College says it was one of 45 community colleges to receive a NextUp grant from California Community Colleges in the amount of $643,840 to establish the program which offers support and resources including academic and vocational counseling, meal and gas cards, educational supplies, and more.

By Vanessa Vasconcelos, ABC 30, February 5, 2020 "I don't think when you sign up for this job that you realize the things that you're going to see," says Cal Fire Fresno Co. Battalion Chief Josh Campbell. Campbell has spent the last 23 years putting service above self and has been on the front lines of seven of the 10 most destructive wildfires in state history. "I always thought the Cedar fire would be the biggest fire in my career that I'd ever go on," Campbell said. "I wasn't even close."...

By Reggie Ellis, The Sun-Gazette, February 5, 2020 Visalia has the highest percentage of homeless people with highest need in the entire country. The Sun-Gazette reported last week that Tulare and Kings County, where most of the homeless population lives in Visalia, had the highest percentage nationwide of unsheltered, chronically homeless people, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress. Nearly one-third of the...

By Maya Trabulsi, KPBS, February 5, 2020 KPBS Evening Edition anchor Maya Trabulsi talked with Erin Hogeboom, the director of San Diego For Every Child, about a new initiative launched to end child poverty in San Diego County. Q: Research is showing that San Diego families are struggling and, more specifically, the basic needs of some children are not being met. Can you talk to us about what the current state of child poverty is here in San Diego County? A: Yes. So, in San Diego County, 40%...

By Nicholas Slayton, Los Angeles Downtown News, February 5, 2020 Homelessness among women has increased in the last year, with 10,845 women experiencing homelessness in the City of Los Angeles, and more women experiencing homelessness for the first time, according to a new report from the Downtown Women’s Center. The Downtown Women’s Center, in partnership with the University of Southern California, unveiled the 2019 Los Angeles City Women’s Needs Assessment on Thursday, Jan. 30 at its...

By John Fensterwald, EdSource, February 6, 2020 In a preview of what it will recommend this spring, the California Department of Education is siding with ethnic studies advocates who argue that courses should focus on four ethnic and racial groups whose histories have been largely overlooked in the high school curriculum: African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicanos and Latinos, and Native Americans. Ethnic studies examines the social justice struggles and the political and historical forces...

#MyAmericanDream

By the Public Broadcasting System, February 2020 BROKEN PLACES Monday, April 6, 2020, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET Explore why some children are severely damaged by early adversity while others are able to thrive. Revisit children profiled decades ago to see how early trauma shaped their lives as adults. A presentation of Public Policy Productions in association with WNET's CHASING THE DREAM. [ Please click here to read more .]

By Natalie Hanson, December 23, 2019 Chico Enterprise Record CHICO — In 2019, treating mental health is still one of Butte County’s biggest concerns, along with higher rates of drug-induced deaths and adverse childhood experiences, than in many other areas in California. The Butty County Public Health Department’s report for 2019 has been released as a result collaboration with Enloe Medical Center, Feather River Hospital and Orchard Hospital beginning in 2018. The Camp Fire led to an...