SATURDAY | MAY 18, 2013
Advocating for Families: ‘The Power of Membership’ (video)
Caroline Topeé grew up in a financially stable family and took her financial security for granted. Then came the day when she realized that, to protect her daughter, she needed to leave her abusive marriage. Caroline took on several jobs just to stay afloat, which had repercussions for her daughter and their relationship. Parent Voices, [...] 
The patterns of racial inequality in San Francisco are unique among urban public school systems. Our school district has some of the highest overall scores and, at the same time, the lowest rates of success in the state for Black and Latino students. At Coleman, we believe this achievement gap runs counter to community [...]
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Walmart might have viewed their plans to open in an existing building in Los Angeles Chinatown as a bullet-proof strategy. The retail giant would open its new store in the Grand Plaza, an existing building, that unlike new construction, would allow the retailer to proceed without a public hearing. As the company worked on its [...]
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“It’s Time for Ten.” That simple message, easy to grasp and easy to repeat, was a critical detail in a successful grassroots campaign to raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour in San Jose, Calif. The idea for the campaign grew out of a sociology class at San Jose State University ‒ a volunteer [...]
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San Jose, Calif. saw the country’s largest minimum wage increase by percentage go into effect on March 11, growing from $8 to $10 per hour. The idea came in large part from Marisela Castro, who thought about the topic and helping at-risk youth during a class project at San Jose State University. Supporters say tens [...]
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The California Dream Act went into effect on Jan. 1, allowing thousands of immigrant students a chance for the first time to apply for state financial aid to help pay tuition at state colleges and universities. Within hours of going live, the online application system was overwhelmed by applicants and shut down. “It was the [...]
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The threat can be as straightforward as telling a worker he will be fired or as thinly veiled as a reminder that the worker is paid in cash and there’s no way to verify withheld wages. Whatever form it takes, immigrant workers across California’s Silicon Valley, and many other places, face retaliation from employers if [...]
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Last summer, just hours after the Oakland City Council approved an agreement to turn the former Army Base into a warehouse and shipping hub, promising thousands of new jobs, the telephone at the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy office began ringing. “We were inundated with calls. We were hearing from people who needed [...]
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The implosion of San Diego’s South Bay Power Plant on Feb. 2 was cause for great celebration. South Bay became a different place when the power plant was built and will be a different and better place when it’s removed. Its removal is a victory for community health, the environment, and quality economic development. The [...]
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Growing up, Norman Fong always saw his mother as a tough, no-nonsense woman, born and raised in San Francisco’s Chinatown. So, he has never forgotten the fear in her eyes the day she handed him the letter from the sheriff’s office and asked him to tell her what it meant. “It was an eviction notice. [...]
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