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Palestinian Advocates Praise New Fact Sheet on Religious Discrimination Groups fighting for Palestinian rights are praising a new fact sheet on religious discrimination from the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, because of what it left out. The document does not include a definition of antisemitism written by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. ...(Read More)

Conteo invernal de mariposa monarca muestra mejoría significativa Este invierno, los voluntarios contaron más de 335,000 mariposas monarca occidentales en el estudio anual, lo que supone una gran mejora respecto a los últimos años, pero sigue estando muy por debajo de las cifras históricas. Los observadores solo contaron dos mil de estas icónicas mariposas negras y naranjas en 2020, y 250,000 en 2021. Rebeca Quiñonez-Piñón, estratega de recuperación de la mariposa monarca para National Wildlife Federation, dice que todavía representa una disminución del 90 por ciento en los números en las últimas décadas. ...(Read More)

Monarch Butterfly Winter Count Shows Significant Improvement This winter, volunteers counted more than 335,000 Western monarch butterflies in an annual survey, a big improvement over the last few years, but still far short of historical numbers. Observers only counted 2,000 of the iconic black-and-orange butterflies in 2020, and then 250,000 in 2021. Rebeca Quiñonez-Piñón, senior manager of the Climate-Resilient Habitat Program, and monarch recovery strategist with the National Wildlife Federation, said it still represents a 90% decline in numbers over the past few decades. ...(Read More)

Tips for Student Loan Borrowers Waiting for Answers on Debt Relief Millions of Americans with student loans are anxious to hear if the Supreme Court will uphold President Joe Biden's plan to offer up to $20,000 in student debt relief. Conservative groups are challenging the program, claiming it unfairly favors people who went to college, and arguing the president cannot offer debt relief without the consent of Congress. In the meantime, financial experts have some tips on what to do while waiting for a ruling. ...(Read More)

CA 'Just Safe' Campaign Aims to Redefine Public Safety Social justice advocates have just launched a new public education campaign. It's called "Just Safe," and it's aimed at changing the conversation about crime, especially in the wake of the recent mass shootings. The group Californians for Safety and Justice has released a commercial, narrated by actress Jennifer Lewis, making the point that safety isn't just the absence of crime - it is the presence of well-being. ...(Read More)

La campaña “Just Safe” de California tiene como objetivo redefinir la seguridad pública Defensores de la justicia social acaban de lanzar una nueva campaña de educación pública. Se llama "Just Safe" y tiene como objetivo cambiar la conversación sobre el crimen, especialmente a raíz de los recientes tiroteos masivos. El grupo Californians for Safety and Justice ha lanzado un comercial, narrado por la actriz Jennifer Lewis, que destaca cómo la seguridad no es solo la ausencia de delincuencia, sino la presencia del bienestar. ...(Read More)

Scorecard CA Shows Kids Still Struggling, Post-Pandemic Many of California's 13.5 million children and teens have not bounced back after the pandemic, especially children of color, according to the just-released 2023 California County Scorecard of Children's Well-Being. The report showcases data from all 58 counties and shows wide disparities in indicators of health, education and more. Kelly Hardy, senior managing director of health and research at Children Now, said anti-poverty measures during COVID helped a lot, but they were just temporary. ...(Read More)

$100K Grant Will Fund CA Food-Box Program to Fight Child Hunger San Diego may seem like a wealthy area, but the mountain communities in the eastern part of the county still struggle with hunger and poverty. Now, a new $100,000 grant from Save the Children's Innovation Lab will fund the development of a program to mailboxes of shelf-stable food to low-income rural families, starting next year. Anahid Brakke, president and CEO of the San Diego Hunger Coalition, said the program has been a big hit in other communities. ...(Read More)

Hypertension: A Silent Killer in Communities of Color About 45% of Black Americans have hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, compared to 31% of white Americans. Now, a new program in Southern California is working to lower the numbers. The American Heart Association is teaming up with the health care company Providence on a three-year program to narrow the disparities affecting Black and Latino Californians in the Los Angeles area. ...(Read More)

Albertsons-Kroger Merger Raises Concerns for Rural CA The proposed merger between supermarket giants Albertsons and Kroger is raising alarm bells in rural communities worried about the impact on consumers, farmers, and workers. Together, the companies own 734 Albertsons, Safeway, Vons and Ralphs stores in the state, and have indicated that between 100 and 350 could be sold off. Stacy Mitchell, co-director of the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance, said consolidation among grocery chains allows them to squeeze more profit on both ends - by lowballing farmers and raising prices for customers. ...(Read More)

Conservation Groups Criticize State Water Board's Side Deals for Delta Water The State Water Board now says it will take another two years to finalize the San Francisco-San Joaquin Delta water management plan, and it is proceeding with voluntary agreements with water agencies in the meantime. Conservation groups spoke out at a workshop held by the board late last week - and some are asking the board to scrap the voluntary agreements. Ashley Overhouse - California water policy advisor with Defenders of Wildlife - said a new plan to put more water into the estuary is crucial since four species of native fish have made the federal endangered species list since 1992, bringing the total to 6. ...(Read More)

California 4th in Nation for Green Buildings California ranked fourth in the nation for green buildings for 2022 and has made the top 10 states for the tenth year in a row. The U.S. Green Building Council tracks the square footage in green buildings per capita, according to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standard. ...(Read More)

State Projects Millions Could Lose Medi-Cal as Renewals Start Back Up Starting in April, an estimated 2-3 million people could be dropped from Medi-Cal, the state's health insurance program for low-income people. For three years during COVID, terminations were halted, but Congress recently voted to de-link the program from the Public Health Emergency. So California will have 14 months to re-evaluate eligibility for almost 15 million people. ...(Read More)

Encuesta sobre educación evidencia que padres rechazan guerra cultural El congresista Kevin McCarthy de Bakersfield anunció en su primer discurso como presidente de la Cámara de Representantes de EE. UU. que quiere combatir lo que describe como "adoctrinamiento woke" en las escuelas. ...(Read More)

Education Poll: Parents Reject Culture War; Want to Get Back to Basics Congressman Kevin McCarthy from Bakersfield announced in his first address as U.S. House Speaker that he wants to combat what he describes as "woke indoctrination" in public schools. But a new poll shows very few voters consider that to be an urgent priority. ...(Read More)

Events Across CA, U.S. to Celebrate National Day of Racial Healing Tomorrow is the 7th Annual National Day of Racial Healing, which is commemorated every year, always on the day after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. The W.K. ...(Read More)

Vehicle Electrification Creates Job Opportunities for Disadvantaged Workers By Larry Buhl for Capital and Main.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for California News Service reporting for the Capital and Main-Public News Service Collaboration Last year Armando (who requested that his last name not be used) was working as an addiction counselor when a parole officer came to his office with a flyer announcing a new nine-week training course in electric bus manufacturing technology. The company promised not to discriminate against the formerly incarcerated, among whom are some of his clients. “I wanted to see the class so I could explain it to my clients and maybe recommend it, and make sure they understood the opportunity,” Armando told Capital & Main. ...(Read More)

Rise in Evictions Expected Feb. 1 as L.A. Protections Expire By Jaisal Noor for Yes! Magazine.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration Erica Jackson grows palm, pothos, and aloe plants at the entrance to her South Central Los Angeles apartment to create a “safe haven” in a neighborhood marked by addiction, poverty, and violence. The 33-year-old dreams of one day owning her own house, in a neighborhood like Leimert Park, where she grew up and where it’s safe for her children to play outside. ...(Read More)

Lowering Your Dog's Carbon Pawprint with Insect-based Food By Claire Elise Thompson for Grist.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Grist-Public News Service Collaboration Cats and dogs eat a lot of meat. In the U.S., they gobble up about a quarter of the calories derived from livestock. If they were counted as a country, America’s pets would rank fifth in global meat consumption. ...(Read More)

CA Anti-Hunger Groups Slam Governor’s Proposed Budget Groups that fight hunger say they're "deeply disappointed" in the new budget proposal released Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Last year, the Legislature approved $40 million to expand food assistance to low-income people over age 55, regardless of immigration status. ...(Read More)