School police forces used to watch out for burglars. Now they keep an eye on students. After a school police shooting in Oakland, some parents are asking – does the force make their kids safer?
Month: November 2011
Richmond’s innovations in environmental programs are often overshadowed by the city’s reputation for heavy industry and site of Northern California’s biggest refinery. Recently, the city hosted an EPA conference, and the agency selected the city as its site to highlight Richmond’s accomplishments.
Chevron has a long history in Richmond – one that’s fraught with frustration and anger. The company recently announced they would flare at their Richmond refinery, a process that releases potential toxins into the air. The announcement is the latest development in an ongoing battle that involves residents of a city both blessed with natural beauty and strained by high poverty and crime rates, local politicians that fall either on the side of the environment of business, local and national environmental groups, and the multinational corporate giant.
St. John’s Clinic in Los Angeles formed a committee of former and current patients to advocate for better healthcare.
A new program aimed at recipients of food stamps helps low-income families make healthier choices – even on a limited budget.
Business profits and social justice are slowly merging in the harsh agricultural fields of California, as progressive new company-sponsored clinics emerge to provide direct healthcare to farm workers – including undocumented immigrants. Agribusiness owners are opening the clinics to provide no-hassle health access to a population who often avoid seeking healthcare even when covered by insurance.
A pawnshop in a San Francisco-area town offers a glimpse into how the recession is hurting people who were once middle class.
At “meet the pharmacist” events, seniors get a chance to review their medications in a welcoming setting. The demand for such assistance – the event is free – is on the rise, organizers say.
Richmond has the lowest per-capita income in the Bay Area and one of the highest unemployment rates. The city is also home to one of the biggest populations of people newly released from prison in Contra Costa County. Ex-cons already vie for services with other needy people in the city, and more ex-offenders are expected in Richmond as prison realignment rolls out. Who is going to make sure they get services like housing, rehab and employment assistance – the kind of help prison realignment suggests is going to keep them from re-offending?
VoiceWaves, a new website, features the work of young people trained as journalists, a group that brings relevant news to their underserved community.