Good morning, and happy Monday.
CHILDREN WILL BE WORSE OFF, CALIFORNIANS BELIEVE
Californians are pessimistic about their children’s financial prospects, according to a new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California.
More than six in ten Californians, 63%, believe that when today’s children grow up they will be financially worse off than their parents, while just over a third, 35%, believe children will be better off.
That outlook holds true across race and ethnicity, with 76% of whites, 67% of Asian Americans, 62% of African Americans and 47% of Latinos believing children will be worse off. It also holds across income groups.
The survey finds 69% of Californians believe the gap between rich and poor is widening, while just 6% believe the gap is narrowing.
About 83% say racism is a problem in the United States, with 72% believing racial or ethnic discrimination contributes to economic inequality.
“Overwhelming majorities of Californians, including nine in ten African Americans, say that racial and ethnic discrimination contributes to economic inequality in the US,” Baldassare said.
You can read the survey for yourself here.
HARRIS REPLACEMENT SHOULD SUPPORT GREEN NEW DEAL, GROUP SAYS
California Gov. Gavin Newsom should appoint a progressive to replace outgoing senator and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, says Sunrise Movement Sacramento. The climate advocacy group gathered to make the demand Sunday outside Harris’ district office in Sacramento.
The group was joined by Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Sac, Sac Tenants Union and the Wellstone Progressive Democrats.
“Newsom needs to appoint someone who will carry progressive policies into the Senate. At the very minimum, that means someone who supports Medicare for all and the Green New Deal as VP-elect Harris does,” said Sunrise Sacramento organizer Maddie Cole. “Anything less is a step backward and an insult to the base of the Democratic Party.”
Another branch of the group gathered outside Harris’ office in Los Angeles, and another plans to gather outside her San Francisco office Monday.
OOPS, PAY US BACK
Nancy Travis, 71, couldn’t risk driving for Uber and Lyft during the coronavirus pandemic.
So she applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a federal unemployment insurance program for self-employed, independent contractors and gig workers.
But after receiving $267 per week in aid for more than half a year, Travis might have to pay back $4,000 to California’s Employment Development Department.
Absent actions from the state or Congress, thousands like Travis in California may be on the hook to pay back parts of their unemployment aid because of how they reported their income to the state. At least 920,000 people got a letter from the EDD asking to verify their income, the department said in a statement.
Some federal legislators have proposed a bill to address the issue, but its passage isn’t certain. EDD can’t fix the problem itself under the terms of federal coronavirus bill that established the program, a department spokeswoman said in an email.
Meanwhile, workers like Travis are restless.
“That’s a disaster for much of the contractors,” said Travis, of Richmond.
Read the full story here.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Two things I didn’t think about much before the pandemic but have learned to hate during these work-home-times. Car Alarms and Leaf Blowers. What new irritant have you discovered?”
– Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
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Facing an economy ravaged by the coronavirus, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced he is bringing on Dee Dee Myers to serve as senior advisor and director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, also known as GO-Biz, a cabinet-level position, via Lara Korte.
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Two high-ranking officials in California’s prison system might have broken state rules so that one of them could work from home, make a 250-mile commute on state time and use a state vehicle for the drive, via Wes Venteicher.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday the appointment of Luis Céspedes to serve as his judicial appointments secretary, a seat previously held by current California Supreme Court Associate Judge Martin J. Jenkins, via Kim Bojórquez.
Andrew Sheeler covers California’s unique political climate for the Sacramento Bee. He has covered crime and politics from Interior Alaska to North Dakota’s oil patch to the rugged coast of southern Oregon. He attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks.