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
Visalia Times-Delta, June 30, 2012: Bridging the gap: Summer school programs being pared back
"Low-income students and students who lag behind academically comprise the largest portion of students enrolled in summer school classes. These students are often hardest hit by scaled-back or eliminated summer-school programs. They may also struggle to make up the for the time lost over the summer, educators say."
Sacramento Bee, June 27, 2012: California budget deal would create board to oversee in-home care wages
"In-home care workers serve low-income disabled or elderly residents who need help bathing, cooking or cleaning, at rates that range from $8 to $14.78 per hour depending on the county, according to the Legislative Analyst's Office. An estimated 72 percent of IHSS recipients receive care from a relative."
Sacramento Bee, June 27, 2012: California budget cuts Cal Grants at most private schools
"State officials, grappling with several years of budget deficits, have been searching for a way to rein in the ballooning Cal Grant program that gives scholarships to low-income students. In 2003, the state spent $460 million to give out 147,000 Cal Grants."
Fresno Bee, June 8, 2012: Fresno County after-school programs in jeopardy
"The California Department of Education denied grant applications from about 60% of Fresno County high schools wanting to continue or expand after-school programs. No school in Central Unified, Sanger Unified or Clovis Unified got new funding for the 21st Century programs, a federally funded program for high-poverty, low-performing schools."
The San Francisco Chronicle, May 23, 2012: High suspension, absentee rates make black Oakland males high dropout risks
"More than half the district's black males, 55 percent, had one or more of those red flags, according to the researchers at Urban Strategies Council, an Oakland-based nonprofit that focuses on improving conditions in low-income communities."
The San Francisco Chronicle, April 26, 2012: Free Muni for kids broached to transit panel
"Backers of the proposal to give free Muni passes to San Francisco kids have said for months that they expect to get money from the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission to help pay for the program, which was downsized to a free Muni for low-income youth plan last week."