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
Los Angeles Times, March 30, 2012: New program offers breakfast in L.A. classrooms
"Children from low-income families -- who make up about 80% of L.A. Unified students -- are less likely to eat breakfast, according to the California Food Policy Advocates. Some parents may not be able to afford the food; others may leave for work too early to make breakfast for their children."
Sacramento Bee, March 30, 2012: Sacramento youth services center teaches nutrition
"If you're a kid on the streets, jumping from shelter to couch to doorway each night, a square meal isn't likely a part of your regular diet. That's exactly why the young leaders at Wind Youth Services all of them formerly homeless put nutrition at the top of their list of health topics to teach the vulnerable teens who spend their days there."
The San Luis Obispo Tribune, March 29, 2012: Minorities and the poor struggling in local schools
"Meeting the needs of minorities and students in poverty who are not reaching the same academic targets as their peers remains the chief challenge facing San Luis Obispo County school districts."
Sacramento Bee, March 27, 2012: Nonprofit Teach for America to open Sacramento regional office
"Scroggins said the nonprofit received a record high 48,000 applicants this year for 5,800 positions. Teach for America recruits commit two years to teach at schools that serve impoverished students."
The San Luis Obispo Tribune, March 24, 2012: Two Central Coast school districts fight achievement gap
"Two local school districts are missing the mark when it comes to meeting the achievement needs of low-income and minority students, according to a report issued by an education advocacy group this week. San Luis Coastal Unified and Lucia Mar Unified were the only two local school districts ranked in the study by the Oakland-based Education Trust-West."
Contra Costa Times, March 18, 2012: (Editorial) California universities need to be more cost effective
"There are several causes for the rapid rise in the cost of an education at California's public universities. The state has cut back dramatically its share of the costs. Also, cutting fees for low-income students, which we support, means that middle-income families that do not qualify for financial help must take on more of the burden."