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Monterey County Families & Children Articles



Image caption: More and more Californians are forced to rely on food banks as the federal government ends a policy that helps hungry people eat.
How This Government Policy is Making Food Insecurity Worse

The California food banks association warns of rising food insecurity, but its pleas for more state aid face a tough slog next year due to the projected budget deficit, as a federal program to help people get enough food is …

Image caption: An EPIC listening session in Humboldt County. The organization plans to conduct similar events in all 58 California counties.
An EPIC Mission: End Poverty in California

End Poverty in California, a nonprofit founded by former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, has been on a listening tour of the Golden State since early 2022.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Gonzales Youth Council shows the power of intergenerational collaboration.

Celia Jiménez here, thinking about intergenerational collaboration and how working with and trusting youth can create transformative change in our communities. For this week’s cover story, I spoke with several teenagers about the work they’ve done in their communities and…

Image caption: Second Harvest CEO Erica Padilla-Chavez (at right) with a group of local Rotary members who helped wrap Holiday Food & Fund Drive barrels.
Setting the Table for Social Change

Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County CEO Erica Padilla-Chavez looks at food insecurity as a symptom of an underlying disorder—one that can be cured.

Image caption: It's becoming more difficult to have a healthy childbirth in California as maternity wards close at an alarming rate.
California Hospitals Closed 46 Maternity Wards Since 2012

Hospitals all over California are closing their maternity wards, including in dense cities like Los Angeles and in more remote communities in the Sierra Nevada.

Image caption:
What Reparations Could Look Like in California

KQED has spent more than three years reporting on how reparations could work in California. This series looks at the nuanced work that could be needed.

Image caption: Only 17 percent of California hospitals comply with a state law requiring racial bias training for maternity staff.
Hospitals Ignore Bias Training as Black Maternal Deaths Remain High

Black women are three times more likely than any other women to die during or immediately after pregnancy. California passed a 2019 law requiring hospitals to train labor and delivery staff on bias in medicine.

Image caption: As the pandemic safety net is pulled back, poverty among California construction workers is up 14 percent.
Expiring COVID Aid Sending California Workers into Poverty

California’s poverty rate climbed and its working poor grew this spring, says the Public Policy Institute of California. Safety net programs played a major role in poverty rate changes.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
The lights are on at a park in Soledad, the latest development in a city committed to recreation and youth programs.

Celia Jiménez here, thinking about how much a simple facilities upgrade can mean. Specifically, in the case of Blas Santana Park in Soledad, new lights were on over the sports field for the first time last week.

Image caption: Research shows kids with hearing loss suffer developmental setbacks if they cannot use hearing aids.
Newsom Vetoes Hearing Aid Coverage for Kids—Again

More than 30 states require insurers to provide some level of coverage for kids’ hearing aids. California isn’t one of them, and Gov. Newsom for the second time has vetoed a bill to close that gap.

KSQD logo LOCAL NEWS
Shuman Hearthouse Shelter in Monterey Opens Doors

This episode of Talk of the Bay included Megan Whilden, Development Director for Community Human Services who spoke about the overwhelming response the organization has had to the opening of 35 new shelter beds for women and their children. Monterey’s …

Image caption: To pay for the cost of foster child care, counties routinely appropriate Social Security benefits meant for orphans and disabled kids.
Newsom Vetoes Bill to Stop Counties Swiping Foster Kids Benefits

States across the United States are banning the practice of billing kids for the cost of their foster care. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar effort in California, citing costs to the state.

Salinas Valley Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
Family Resource Center opens in Soledad

SOLEDAD — A little bit of old was transformed on the inside as Soledad Unified School District’s (SUSD) former Main Street Middle School Library reopened its doors as the Soledad Family Resource Center, following a ribbon cutting and celebration Saturday …

Image caption: A victory by McDonald's workers at a Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, location was a rarity among retaliation cases.
Workers Suffering Increased Retaliation for On-Job Complaints

More workers are filing claims with the state alleging employers are retaliating against them for engaging in legally protected activities, such as seeking overtime pay or reporting wage theft or discrimination.

Image caption: Protests have erupted statewide in response to right-wing activists in California school districts who are trying to put anti-LGBTQ+ policies in place.
State Moves to Stop Anti-LGBTQ+ Local School Board Policies

Under a system that has long prioritized local control for school districts. state officials now are fighting some recent board decisions regarding LGBTQ students.

Image caption: Data shows that homelessness immediately decreased once renter protections were put in place.
Here's How California Policy Makes Homelessness Worse

Renter protections and eviction bans put in place for the COVID-19 pandemic have expired. By keeping them in place, California could slow the spread of homelessness. But that's not happening.

Image caption: School board meetings about educating children have deteriorated into battles over hot-button culture war issues in some districts.
State Moves to Stop Culture Wars Upending California School Boards

California grants school boards much local control, but recent events have pushed the state to take steps to stop local school board meetings from turning into potentially dangerous culture war battlegrounds.

Image caption: In 2001, Barbie faced her first real competition when MGA’s Bratz hit the market.
Ten Trendsetting Toys

Barbie is the most famous California-born toy. But there are other iconic playthings that were created or brought to market here.

Image caption: Barbie is suddenly a movie star, but the toy has long played a big role in one of Southern California’s major industries.
Barbie, Mattel, and California’s Toy Empire

Here's how the iconic Barbie doll and its manufacturer, toy giant Mattel, built an industry in Southern California that pours billions into the state’s economy.

Salinas Valley Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
Sun Street completes new youth center for South Monterey County

SALINAS VALLEY — Sun Street Centers recently celebrated the completion of its Darlene Acosta Youth Center in King City with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and an open house. The June 28 celebration marked the final construction phase of Sun Street’s King …

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