San Joaquin County Community Service & Support Digest

There are a few times a year that the Ripon Police Department will deploy drone technology.

All but two California counties are delaying their implementation of a new law that makes it easier for a court to place someone in involuntary confinement if they can’t care for their own medical needs or personal safety.

Organizers of Sacramento County’s next Point-In-Time Count say they need at least 500 volunteers to help survey the region’s homeless population in January. Survey results are used to determine state and federal funding for homeless services.

The California Faculty Association is seeking a 12 percent pay increase, while university officials counter with 5 percent in each of the next three years.

In 2020, the state agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit that claimed too many students were not learning to read. As part of that agreement, the state spent over $50 million on 75 schools with the lowest reading scores.

San Diego-area nonprofits and faith organizations struggle to provide for tens of thousands of migrants border agents have released on San Diego streets.

The 40 Acre Conservation League has recently acquired hundreds of acres of land in Placer County, 70 miles northeast of Sacramento—a significant step toward making outdoor experiences more inclusive.

On Nov. 18, the NAACP Stockton Branch will hold the Freedom Fund Gala. Among the honorees are Tracy native Gary Cooper, recognized for his work with volunteer organizations, and the San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury.

State law requires community colleges to spend at least half their general fund on instructors. But administrators say they want more flexibility to pay for the growing need for student services.

The Chest of Hope gave away a brand-new 2024 Honda Pilot in a raffle at its biannual gala at Garré Vineyard and Winery in Livermore.

Volunteers gathered at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church to learn about opportunities to help with the 47th year of Brighter Christmas.

Tiny homes are increasingly California cities’ shelter option of choice — but how far they go in solving homelessness is a contentious question.

After years of planning a broadband system to bridge California’s digital divide, officials deprioritized some low-income areas due to unexpected costs. Gov. Gavin Newsom says he’s committed to funding the entire network, but advocates are skeptical.

Despite an influx of money to counter learning loss during the pandemic, English language arts and math test scores remain low.

Toni McNeil recalls growing up on the south side of Stockton, where a sign outside the housing project where she lived read, “Stockton, Someplace Special.” She says, “Right under the sign folks were selling dope, smoking dope and banging.”

The nonprofit group A New Lodi is hoping to bring cultures from around the world to the city through the power of food.

With the growing use of AI, campus officials are trying to set clear guidelines for college application essays.

The facts of climate change can lead to feelings of hopelessness and despair. Some California activists are creating communities for people to talk about those feelings.

The CPUC is considering a rule that would gut the payments that solar panels on apartment buildings receive, and many housing groups are blazing mad about it.

Dan Bledsaw, a pastor at Providence Baptist Church and the chaplain of American Legion Post 172 in Tracy, has a four-legged partner in his outreach to those in need.

After a historic decline in community college enrollment during the pandemic, students are returning to school again, according to the state’s most recent data. But students between the ages of 20 and 30 are lagging behind.

The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors seeks members to serve on various boards, commissions, and committees. The deadline to apply is Oct. 6.

Several anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers are advertising abortion pill reversal. California Attorney General Rob Bonta calls the claims false advertising that mislead vulnerable patients.

St. Mary’s Dining Room is set to receive nearly $11 million from the city of Stockton and San Joaquin County to help run the former Stockton Shelter for the Homeless, which transferred its operations over to St. Mary’s earlier this month.

The city of Sacramento is encouraging residents to celebrate 916 Day by volunteering at park events.

A last-minute legislative deal would raise pay for California health care workers while giving medical providers a guarantee that they won’t have to battle local measures on employee compensation.

Now community workers with the Neighborhood Wellness Foundation are testing out new approaches to lower drug-related deaths in the area.

Tracy Earth Project, a nonprofit of community volunteers advocating for sustainability, is looking for volunteers who are passionate about the environment to fill permanent positions.

Board members from the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless, a nonprofit that was close to shutting down in August, were recognized at a San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors meeting.

Chabad of Tracy Jewish Center founder Rabbi Levi Meijers says, “it’s almost hard to believe this but there are people that deny the Holocaust and where we’re heading, in a direction of hate and anti-semitism.”

CapRadio’s Mike Hagerty spoke with Brian Ferguson, deputy director with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, to learn more about the state’s response.

Construction is under way at On Broadway, a new community in North Land Park that promises to add to Sacramento’s affordable housing stock and provide homes for people afflicted with serious mental illness.