Leafy green vegetables, Brussels sprouts, beets and leeks aren’t typically the kinds of foods available at food banks. Fresh foods are hard to salvage for people in need, even though perfectly edible produce that doesn’t meet grocery store standards is often left to rot in the fields. But a Salinas organization, Ag Against Hunger, has developed some innovative methods for distributing fresh produce to food banks.
Overall, California’s food stamp (now CalFresh) participation rate ranks next to last in the nation, but some California counties are taking steps to bring more low-income families into the program. To offer an inside view into one county’s efforts, calhealthreport.org partner Kate Karpilow of the California Center for Research on Women and Families interviewed Johnie Belford, who helps manage Fresno County’s CalFresh program.
Last month, when a new study came out raising doubts about whether people actually choose healthier options at fast food restaurants when menus show calorie counts, news reports were quick to call menu labeling laws a failure. And when research recently showed that a tax on sodas and other sugary drinks could translate to the weight-loss equivalent of less than a pound per person per year, critics called the impact “marginal” and suggested the strategy would be ineffective.
Five Senate Republicans have volunteered to be on the front lines of the initial budget battle this year, including weighing whether to put taxes before voters again. In doing so, those Republicans have jeopardized their political lives.
In September 2010, the California legislature passed a law requiring all students in grades seven through 12 who are in private and public schools to show proof they received the “Tdap” vaccine that protects against pertussis. How are school districts notifying parents about the new requirements? Rosa Ramirez reports from Richmond.
California’s community clinics are in an odd place. They’re reeling from state budget cuts, struggling to make ends meet, while at the same time preparing for what could be a major expansion as the federal health reform bill rolls out. The hundreds of clinics play a crucial role in providing health care for the uninsured and under-insured, in urban neighborhoods and rural outposts.
For the past two years Californians have paid more on April 15, at the cash register and to the DMV. How much more? About $260 each per year, or more than $1,000 for the average family of four.
The emotional cacophony that surrounds gang injunctions, though fueled by genuine concerns about crime, safety and civil rights, drowns out extended discussion about effectiveness. Do gang injunctions work? Do they reduce crime in the safety zone and make city streets safer?
Five Californians will receive the 2011 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards for successfully addressing some of the state’s most difficult problems. Now in its sixth year, the awards celebrate extraordinary leaders who are applying innovative and effective solutions to significant state issues. The awards, including $125,000 for each recipient, aim to publicize proven solutions that can inform policymaking and better the lives of more Californians.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve liked older people. I grew up in a large Irish Catholic family, and storytelling was like a competitive sport, played at the dinner table. Older people told better stories than younger people, so I ended up at that end of the table and I guess I never left.