California
State Government
Governor
Gavin Newsom (D)
State Senate
32
Democrats,
8
Republicans
State House
62
Democrats,
17
Republicans
Economic well-being - California
Extreme poverty rate
0.1
Food insecurity
0.1
Minimum wage
16.5
Percent of working families under 200% of the poverty line
0.3
Poverty rate
11.8%
Unemployment rate
5.5
Number of Black or African American children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Number of Hispanic or Latino children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Percent of individuals who are uninsured
5.9
Housing - California
Home foreclosure rate
1 in 3407
People experiencing homelessness
187,084.0
Households paying more than 50% of income on housing
1,633,600.0
Percent renters
0.4
Poverty by demographic - California
Child poverty rate
0.2
Number of Asian and Pacific Islander children below 200% poverty
251000
Number of Black or African American children below 200% poverty
192000
Number of Hispanic or Latino children below 200% poverty
1981000
Senior poverty rate
12.0 %
Women in poverty
19,461,027
The Christian Science Monitor, August 31, 2012: Laura and Shawn Sears give inner-city kids an educational camp experience
"Located on northern California's spectacular coast between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, this free camp for children from low-income families has served more than 7,000 kids from the inner cities of Oakland, East Palo Alto, San Francisco, and San Jose."
San Francisco Chronicle, August 26, 2012: Low-income seniors struggle in S.F.
"About 13,000 of these low-income elders in San Francisco get help from federal and local government housing programs, either living in subsidized units or using special low-income vouchers to meet the rent. And nearly half of low-income seniors get government-subsidized In Home Supportive Services to help with cleaning, bathing and the like. But that still means there are thousands of San Francisco's poor elderly getting by somehow on their own - and according to the city's periodic homeless count, only about 500 of those are on the streets. This means a lot of seniors are finding alternatives such as moving in with relatives, receiving family financial help to live in assisted-living facilities or simply aging, off the radar, in whatever homes they've had for decades."
Contra Costa Times, August 23, 2012: Donors rescue Tri-Valley Haven school supply giveaway
"A school supply giveaway in danger of an incomplete' grade was bolstered by Bay Area News Group readers who came to the rescue with generous donations of new backpacks, paper, pencils and cash. The yearly event organized by Tri-Valley Haven routinely draws more than 400 children from low-income families -- kindergartners through high schoolers -- in need of basic school supplies."
The San Diego Union-Tribune, August 23, 2012: Low-Income Seniors Have New Center To Use
"A free and all-inclusive program for low-income seniors recently launched in the South Bay. St. Paul's PACE opened its doors in Chula Vista on Aug. 1 to provide daytime living assistance for frail and low-income people 55 and older. The main goal of the state and federally funded program is to help seniors continue to live in their own homes for as long as possible, said Marketing Director Amanda Gois."
The San Diego Union-Tribune, August 17, 2012: Plenty To Consider With Tech Devices
"Connect2Compete: An effort aimed at closing the digital divide for low-income students, Connect2Compete offers low-cost computers and inexpensive broadband Internet access to families with children in the federal school lunch program in San Diego."
Sacramento Bee, August 10, 2012: (Op-Ed) State must change way schools are financed
"Educators closest to the classroom, in partnership with their local community, are best able to determine how to educate all students and reduce the achievement gap that now threatens the futures of English learners and students who live in poverty. When designing a weighted pupil formula, it's important that the weights given to students challenged by poverty or English learning be large enough to make a difference."