The Eviction Moratorium Has Expired, Will Palo Alto Leaders Decide to Act?
byNearly three-fourths of households in Palo Alto that earn between $50,000 and $79,000 annually are rent-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent.
Politics
The GOP’s best bet to accelerate gains with Latinos? It may be more Trumpism
byTrump not only fared better with Latino voters in 2020 than he did in 2016, he also fared better than Romney did in 2012. Experts say two specific issues, the COVID lockdowns and the ‘defund the police’ movement, may have fueled the Latino shift.
Oil Drilling on California’s Federal Lands Set to Resume After 8 Years, Sets up Early Test of Biden Administration
byThe Trump administration had gone ahead with plans to approve new oil drilling leases on public lands in California. The decision opened more than 1.5 million acres to drilling and ended an eight-year moratorium on federal land leasing in the state. The first seven parcels, 35 miles outside Bakersfield total 4,333.58 acres and are slated to go on sale Dec. 10.
Good Sales Give California Turkey Farmers Something to be Thankful for
byUncertainty hangs over this year’s holiday preparations. Farmers and grocers were unsure what the demand for turkey and other Thanksgiving staples would look like given limits on indoor gatherings and the economic stress many Americans currently face.
U.S. Refusal to Join COVAX Puts World’s Poorest at Risk
byThe United States has refused to join COVAX, the global initiative to ensure widespread equitable access to a COVID-19 vaccine, a decision that has reduced funding and made it likely that millions of the world’s poorest won’t have access to a COVID-19 vaccine in 2021.
Newsom Wants Farmers to Help Fight Climate Change But Provides No New Funding for the Effort
byIn October, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order calling on the state’s agricultural players to join the fight against climate change by preserving California’s biodiversity and storing and removing carbon from the atmosphere – all with the goal of conserving 30% of the land by 2030.
NYC celebrates Biden-Harris Ticket Election Win
byResidents erupted into celebration as the results of the 2020 presidential election were announced: Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Senator Kamala Harris had beat out the divisive incumbent, President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Michael Pence.
Prop 22 Sets Precedent for Gig Workers as Independent Contractors
byCalifornia voters approved Proposition 22 this Election Day, cementing rideshare and delivery drivers’ status as independent contractors rather than as employees. Moving forward, drivers will be excluded from AB 5, a state law passed last year that made gig workers into employees who would have to receive associated benefits.
Four million Americans Couldn’t Vote for President. But Support for Puerto Rican Statehood, at Least, is Growing
byAt the end of a tumultuous election, nearly four million Americans were once again left out. That’s because Americans living in Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands do not have the right to vote for president.
Prop 23 Fails While Needs of Dialysis Patients Persist
byProposition 23, a California ballot measure that would have increased regulations on outpatient dialysis centers that serve nearly 80,000 patients in California, was overwhelmingly defeated by 63 percent of the electorate who voted against it.
‘It’s going to be earth-shattering’: What Amy Coney Barrett means for California Gun Laws
byWaiting periods. Magazine restrictions. Age limits. California gun owners are optimistic all of these state gun control laws — and more — could son be ruled unconstitutional.
Election Day, New York City
byAs the U.S. copes with economic strife, a global pandemic, and the products of an ideologically divided nation, the 2020 election is a reminder that our nation’s political landscape has markedly shaped individuals’ everyday reality.