Climate Change is Driving Up Food Prices
November 29, 2022
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Tip to journalists: COP27 and food price inflation are part of the same story.
Tip to journalists: COP27 and food price inflation are part of the same story.
As advocates and academics question the impact of flights over neighborhoods, police departments lack persuasive evidence of crime-fighting effectiveness.
The Union of Southern Service Workers is organizing food service, retail and health care workers through direct action against low wages and historical racism.
The aftereffects of the pandemic are likely to depress homeownership rates for Black and Latino households in California.
Laura Poitras’ documentary about Nan Goldin is more than just a snapshot of the photographer’s life.
But as California moves to decriminalize street vending, many wonder if aggressive policing will stop.
An International Space Station instrument looks for dust, finds methane vent in the Permian Basin.
The poor would likely bear the costs of energy transition, but benefit from cleaner air and less warming.
The newsroom drama chronicles the investigation that exposed a Hollywood producer and helped ignite the #MeToo movement.
Microsoft, Google, Centene, Koch Industries and others support committee that gave millions to elect Lake.
The governor may need his full second term to make real inroads toward ensuring that Californians have access to quality care.
Author Rick Wartzman’s new book examines how improvements in pay by the retail giant fall far short of what society owes workers.
Tips for covering the extremes driven by climate change, and the potential perils of biofuels.
Inside the latest, smallest group in the California Legislature.
Shapiro and Fetterman defeat pro-drilling candidates, but their policies on key issues remain uncertain.
48,000 underpaid student workers in the University of California system prepare to go on strike Nov. 14.
Some races with moderate Democrats backed by oil money running against progressives remain too close to call.
To do so he must transcend an office bound to the status quo, say his predecessors.
Kenneth Mejia won with a progressive mandate, but Laura Chick says the controller’s office has been weakened by factors beyond its power.
The organizer and scholar says the midterms affirmed the power of grassroots organizing — and of the Black and female vote.
The state faces devastating effects from climate change but voted against taking action.
The state’s majority Democrat Legislature has yet to fully fund enforcement of recently strengthened regulations.
For the first time, they could qualify as employees and enjoy benefits and rights that have been off-limits for years.
Pennsylvania’s far-right gubernatorial candidate has vowed to expand oil and gas production and roll back regulations.
Like the Tea Party before them, Freedom Caucus House members have been loud and divisive. Why haven’t they paid the same price?
With election deniers up and down the ballot, key voters don’t rank democracy as a big concern.
As the state’s top prosecutor, gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro promised Dimock residents justice for years of water pollution. Resolution has yet to come.
Their opposition to co-locating charters on traditional campuses reflects tensions throughout many schools and districts.
Measure ULA would fund affordable housing through a tax on real estate sales of more than $5 million.
In Michigan, those most affected by voting restrictions target DTE Energy and other corporations.
Republicans are seen as friends of oil and gas, but donations to powerful Democrats say they are, too.
Councilmembers blocked by the trio now see opportunity for housing reforms.
Billionaire Trump backer Peter Thiel leads the pack.
Voter suppression blocks calls by Texans of color for regulation and climate action.
Across the country, activists mobilize to make sure every vote counts.
The U.N. Climate Change Conference uses the same PR firm as oil companies under pressure to pay for global warming costs.
A guide to three key Golden State ballot proposals.
Westmoreland County used to have factories and elect Democrats. What happened?
A monopoly market drives inequality, a report from the California Community Foundation says.
The Democratic and Republican hopefuls diverge on most issues, though not on support of fracking.
Racism, not just poverty and access to care, makes Americans sicker.
A majority of Americans now think our democracy is at risk of total failure. Corporations can choose to be part of the problem, or part of the solution.
Fullerton Pacific Interiors was cited in 2018 for wage theft.
New Mexico’s oilfield jobs are legendary, but comparatively rare.
Law Group that includes Karl Rove, Bill Barr stirs unfounded doubts about integrity of election system, say critics.
A new report has the receipts on our overcompensated corporate titans.
As a warming planet brings economic tensions to a boil, following the money can reveal some critical stories.
The state’s fossil fuel industry spends millions more backing midterm candidates.
Deficits in technological skills and internet access has left millions of American seniors struggling to navigate the digital world.
Activists predict relying on state implementation will cause ‘a comprehensive total failure.’
The granddaughter of Disney’s co-founder imagines a more equitable America, starting with better pay for Disney park workers.
The state’s powerful oil and gas industry wields influence in ways that could blunt the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act.
As calls for the resignation of three Los Angeles city councilmembers mount, Weingart Foundation CEO Miguel Santana says Latino officials must show they represent everyone.
Building and construction trade unions would benefit from industrial green policy, but critics warn of fossil fuel subsidies.
Biden’s methane reduction plan relies on historically weak enforcement.
Texas, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and California, among others, will drive its success or failure.
Experts hope new universal basic income programs and an innovative maternal center will help protect Black infants and mothers.
A new poll of teachers sounds a red alert for public education in the state.
Links between environmental exposures and maternal health outcomes remain underexplored, despite recent efforts to catch up.
A pledge to sharply reduce infant mortality by 2023 faces daunting obstacles.
With more progressives likely to join her on L.A.’s City Council, Nithya Raman talks about the prospects for breaking the ‘culture of unanimity’ at City Hall.
Political giving by the Los Angeles mayoral candidate tops $1 million since 2020.
Legislators struggle to make good intentions mean something in the face of lax enforcement.
The 2021 Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance lacks staff, money and will to enforce.
A law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Labor Day faces a referendum driven by corporate franchisors.
Hospital groups, drug manufacturers and insurance companies are some of the largest donors to anti-abortion candidates.
Oil and gas money papers the state with industry messages.
In the second month of the Bay Area strike, HMO says a majority of union clinicians have returned to work.
Without public support, workers are quitting, and parents and providers are desperate.
A quarter of 1,500 Kaiser clinicians surveyed in California said they had patients who could not access care in their primary language.
20 years after creating the country’s first paid family leave program, California ponders how to make it useful to those who need it most.
New laws would fight abuse by prohibiting recruiters from charging fees and better informing workers of their rights.
What could go wrong when internet hawks watch the digital henhouse?
SB 106 could put the right to an abortion up to voters. It may also limit the power of the governor to fight GOP attacks on his environmental orders.
Major corporations gave more than $6 million to state lawmakers who support voter suppression legislation.
Former officials push strategies on behalf of fossil fuel clients, threatening climate and communities, say critics.
‘Mark my words,’ says environment secretary, this will lead to increased air pollution.
The author leveraged her success to fight for both struggling writers and struggling workers. Alissa Quart reflects on her late mentor’s mind, heart and soul.
Using federal funds to shine a light on an intractable problem.
The secret to diminishing economic inequality: Government aid matters.
As they battle the double threat of attack and criminalization, street vendors report chronic stress and trauma.
The governor’s stated opposition is based on a procedural point that is moot, bill supporters say.
The power and corruption of big institutions was once far greater, says Robert Gottlieb, a historian of the L.A. Times. Then, as now, social movements are our best defense.
A barista talks about why he is part of the nationwide effort to unionize Starbucks workers.
Elections expert Richard Hasen says there’s ‘no magic bullet that would make this go away’ — but there are still ways to protect American democracy.
The Department of Labor is scrambling to craft proposals that avoid the fate of Obama’s failed effort in 2016.
A handful of legislators could decide measures for tougher statewide emissions goals.
Labor opposition could diminish Gov. Newsom’s climate package.
Striking Kaiser Permanente mental health workers say children may suffer even more than adults from delays in treatment.
Economists say fines are far cheaper than hiring staff. Kaiser says the union creates crises.
With Newsom’s environmental legacy in the balance, legislators are intensely pushing bills that advance the governor’s priorities.
COVID-19 ravaged Indigenous tribes in New Mexico. State and federal data reveal how a long legacy of uranium exposure may have made them uniquely vulnerable.
A state bill is poised to improve pay and conditions for more than 550,000 California workers. But is Gov. Newsom lovin’ it?
Democratic activists say they must flip state houses to block rogue actors.
Historian Timothy Shenk talks about dynamic ‘realigners’ who combine passion, discipline and vision to mobilize masses.
Critics say the lessons of COVID-19 have not been heeded in the U.S. response to the latest viral threat.
The HMO needs to hire more clinicians to ensure that patients wait no more than the legally mandated 10 days between appointments, says veteran therapist.
Striking Kaiser therapist says patients stuck without appointments ‘don’t have that backup.’
Her patients are waiting months for therapy. ‘This strike is not about money,’ says Sacramento therapist Jane Kostka.
Resolutions calling for companies to align their political spending with stated values gain ground.
Weeks before the California Legislature considers a bill to end the prison-to-deportation pipeline, You was sent to the country his family fled when he was 4.
In praise of writer Mike Davis: prophet, burr, spellbinder and friend.
‘People’s lives haven’t really changed much. In fact, they’ve worsened around us.’
Supporters say the legislation would protect farmworkers from employer intimidation.
The state risks health and highway funding if it doesn’t pass regulations on oil and gas pollution.
The South Coast air district is investigating dozens of complaints about toxic emissions seen in the ‘shocking’ footage.
If baseball is America’s pastime, unions are Hollywood’s. Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully symbolized both.
School districts are struggling to address the ‘homework gap’ faced by students without adequate web access.
Oilman Simon Kukes has more risky idle wells under a state waiver than anyone else.
The best option for many overloaded borrowers may be to just say no, argues an organizer in the debt strike movement.
Gloves off, departing L.A. Councilmember Mike Bonin says that’s what voters demand to know about homelessness, climate, policing and other crises.
The shipment of materials from one toxic disaster to another has prompted outcry from activists and politicians alike.
Long waits for care, understaffing lead 2,000 workers to give walkout notice.
Major overhaul of labor laws circumvented by employers, say workers and advocates.
But where they don’t, millions of workers are stuck at the record-low federal floor.
Lifting the minimum wage to $18 would elevate the earnings of 26% of the state’s workforce. What will lawmakers do?
With the health giant again under scrutiny by California regulators for alleged denial of care, many therapists are leaving for private practice.
Brian Lilla’s Children of the Vine examines the herbicide’s legacy in wine country.
Building digital infrastructure paves the way for jobs for those who need them most.
As the migrant population swells in Northern Mexico, expectant mothers there are being denied care and falling prey to horrific violence, according to our two-year investigation. (In partnership with Rolling Stone)
In the Central Valley, poverty and an OB-GYN shortage put some mothers and children at risk.
Oil group eyes strategy to promote in-state drilling as climate-friendly.
After a lifetime in the U.S., a Cambodian-born parolee faces imminent expulsion unless California’s governor grants him clemency.
Lawsuit details about ‘an uncorrected culture of sexual assault and harassment’ are set to be revealed, per a recent agreement.
The industry-backed bill proposes to freeze the bond amounts that fossil fuel companies are required to put up.
The L.A. City Council’s recent approval of a hotel worker protection measure is part of a growing trend.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León discusses new gains for some of the most invisible workers in town.
Resignations follow stories from Capital & Main and Type Investigations on faulty permitting system and under-monitoring.
When it comes to wages, baseball’s billionaires give stadium workers peanuts.
A patchwork of regulations is out of sync with the urgency of the climate crisis, experts say.
Residents challenge regulators’ claims that they can’t account for toxic oil and gas emissions in the San Joaquin Valley.
Economists caution the billion-dollar tax windfall is the boom portion of a boom-bust resource cycle.
The rise of telehealth can either make health care more accessible or divide more communities. Which will it be in L.A. County?
While state coffers overflow, some California families must make hard choices about how they survive.
SoCal’s massive economic engine serves global shipping interests, but a study finds some residents and workers are being left behind.
An interview with Roy Bahat, the renegade venture capitalist who believes in labor unions.
A new report from the Forest Service blames climate change for record-setting fires, but fails to mention the fossil fuel industry.
Sen. Lena Gonzalez says the state Legislature can sometimes stymie the democratic process.
A giant federal contractor’s failure to abide by a settlement is building pressure for Biden to take action.
The uneven impact of the pandemic has fallen heaviest on the most vulnerable students in the state.
If the Legislature does not approve the bill by Thursday, a similar initiative will proceed to the November ballot.
With knowledge of personal details, ICE imposters have coaxed thousands of dollars from fearful relatives of detainees.
The Los Angeles Press Club honored Capital & Main with 16 prizes in the annual journalism contest.
Advocates say big telecom proposals could water down the state’s ambitious effort to connect 98% of residents by 2026.
As Roe v. Wade falls, a new podcast immerses listeners in the harrowing experiences of those seeking abortion, and the network of doctors, nurses and clergy helping them.
Medical professionals are tackling health care disparities affecting Black men by providing services at barbershops.
Psychotherapist Stuart Perlman’s portraits capture the humanity of those living on the streets.
Opponents say the plan would worsen pollution and build momentum for more industrial projects near the fragile coastline.
Wildland firefighters have been sounding the alarm on a lack of accessible housing. Is anyone listening?
Wildfires loom all over, but the rural counties with poor and elderly residents face the greatest threats.
A new California initiative may make a real difference in reducing the mountain of plastic refuse.
In-home care is a growing necessity across the state. When will counties treat it that way?
The legislation would increase fines for violations at long last, but is getting heavy pushback.
Immigrant youth activist Juliana Macedo do Nascimento on the good and bad about DACA.
The planes reconfigure from “ultra-luxurious” aircraft for athletes to mass deportation machines for migrants.
The proposed legislation would direct the state’s public pension funds to cease investment in oil, gas and coal companies.
A store in Anaheim, California becomes the latest to organize amid a national wave of dissent against the java giant.
Like its founder, the Capitol Hill Citizen pulls no punches exposing a body politic feeding off corporate donors.
The telecom company has also given hundreds of thousands of dollars to legislators supporting voter suppression laws.
A Los Angeles-area air quality board faces questions over grant spending amid some of the worst pollution in the nation.
For some of California’s most vulnerable renters, a lack of internet access may lead to eviction.
Economist Valerie Wilson discusses neoliberalism’s impact on racial disparities in wealth and income.
Districts struggle to fill open positions and see new waves of teacher departures this summer.
David Bacon spent three decades capturing the experiences of laborers, their treatment and where they came from.
With community schools, acting locally is proving a winning idea.
Gov. Newsom’s revised budget includes money for a one-time drinking water crisis program, but advocates are hoping for more.
Has Martin’s Potato Roll Become the MAGA Burger Bun?
Franchises are increasingly hiring teens but may be doing so at the expense of their health and safety.
How economic policies in the ’80s and ’90s destabilized American democracy today.
In Chinatown, renters champion use of eminent domain to rekindle the fight for truly public housing.
The state asked for federal help to find oil field emissions; the EPA found dozens — but in three years it has issued only two fines.
A move by the Valencia County Commission surprises the public and helps a major donor.
Author David Pepper argues that state governments have become a key reason for the erosion of rights and America’s drift from democracy.
“We just don’t have the luxury to be despondent.”
A three-part series of interviews about the influence of neoliberalism on our politics and economics.
California looks to ease the strain put on its vulnerable undocumented workforce.
The view from Lemon Hill, a working-class community where stress and anxiety rule the day.
Divisions deepen as America waits for the official Supreme Court ruling.
‘Here’s the core of it. There ain’t going to be any jobs on a dead planet.’
Striking down ‘Roe v. Wade’ will lead to further health inequities.
A patchwork of different rules decide which workers earn time and a half around the country.
How employers get away with denying workers income they used to earn.
Here is why a full-time employee is four times less likely to earn time-and-a-half income than in the 1970s.
To do so, he will need to learn from the failures of Obama and Carter.
Many people work more than full time, but few earn extra money anymore. A labor-friendly president promises to change that.
Michael Tubbs, who launched Stockton’s famous universal basic income experiment, discusses his EPIC project with Manuel Pastor, director of USC’s Equity Research Institute.
Fossil fuel interest groups are telling New Mexicans: let us keep drilling or the state’s education system will collapse.
The oil and gas industry could jeopardize federal funding to clean up the state’s thousands of abandoned and leaking wells.
They can leave patients with crippling medical bills. Why are high-deductible insurance plans becoming so popular with employers?
23 California legislators who failed to support clean energy bills have taken a combined $1.58 million from the oil and gas industry.
Some powerful business interests oppose government efforts to ensure free broadband for low-income communities.
What a night it was. On April 21, 300 people gathered at Seventh/Place in downtown Los Angeles to celebrate excellence in social impact journalism and media.
Community-based organizations on the front lines take the brunt of health and racial disparities. Will California do something about it?
More than 60 million U.S. workers have been shut out of the court system by companies that mandate arbitration in the event of a dispute.
‘Life-changing’ apprenticeship moves low-wage workers into high-paying careers.
Will Gov. Gavin Newsom expand food aid to help those he touted during the pandemic?
Labor and environmentalists seek skill standards to ensure safety, high road jobs.
Proterra picks up riders on the high road to a zero emission future.
A three-part series examines the quality of clean energy jobs, and who gets them, in the Golden State.
The improbable labor win is raising comparisons to thwarted efforts to organize workers in the early 2000s.