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Posted inHealth

Legislature passes Newsom’s proposal to retool Mental Health Services Act

by Molly Castle Work

The California Legislature passed a pair of bills greenlighting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s campaign to build 10,000 new beds and housing units and increase drug addiction treatment as part of his response to the state’s homelessness and drug crises. The Democratic governor is expected to sign the bills, which received bipartisan support. Newsom will now ask voters to approve the changes on the March primary ballot.

Posted inUncategorized

As personal medical debt in Los Angeles County tops $2.6 Billion, Latinos and Blacks most harmed

by Molly Castle Work

About 810,000, or 1 in 10, Los Angeles County adults together owe more than $2.6 billion in medical debt as of 2021, a new analysis has found — a staggering sum that suggests extending health coverage to more people doesn’t necessarily protect them from burdensome debt. medical debt disproportionately affects the uninsured and underinsured, low-income residents, and Black and Latino populations. It said the consequences are alarming, noting that debt negatively impacts factors that determine future health outcomes, such as housing, employment, food security, and access to prescriptions and health care.

Posted inEducation

Disparities in ‘unexcused’ absences deepen California education inequities, harming Latinos and others

by Hedy Chang, Clea McNeely and Kevin Gee

Although students don’t face punitive consequences for excused absences, unexcused absences can lead to students being denied credit for missed work, excluded from extracurricular activities, and eventually taken to court and fined. Socioeconomically disadvantaged students are much more likely to have their absences labeled unexcused. This is also true for Black, Native American, Latino and Pacific Islander students relative to white, Asian American and Filipino students. Black students experience the largest disparity.

Posted inRepresentation

Brookings Institution report on Black and Latino-majority cities in the U.S.

by Jasmine Contreras

In a Brookings Institution report released on in January, titled “Recognizing Black and Latino-majority cities is the first step to finding a real world Wakanda,” authors Andre M. Perry and Manann Donoghoe of Brookings Metro made a connection between the film and ways Black and Brown people socialize and build community. Perry and Donoghoe wanted the report to reveal how there are cities where the majority of the population are Black and Latinos, it can signify cooperation between the marginalized groups. However, the report stated how it has not always been easy for racial coalitions to occur, and refers to the Los Angeles City Council scandal.

Posted inUncategorized

COMMENTARY: Third-generation son of Cuban immigrants still fights drug war 

by Juan Carlos Gonzalez Jr.

The criminal justice system in the United States is in dire need of reform – for many reasons – but mental health remains among the top. Understanding the relationship between mental health and the criminal justice system is key to driving equitable policy practices that can improve health outcomes and reduce inequities faced by so many. Prisons and jails in the United States incarcerate a disproportionate number of people, including Latinos and Black people, with a current or past mental health problem. Many facilities are not equipped to treat these conditions.

Posted inOpinion

COMMENTARY: Don’t allow Gov. DeSantis to define Western Civilization

by José Juan Villagrana

Under the guise of promoting academic freedom and civil discourse, Ron DeSantis’ administration is suppressing drag shows, purging library books, and censoring content in AP African American Studies. Now, Florida’s self-styled “education governor” is promoting legislation to ensure “Florida’s public universities and colleges are grounded in the history and philosophy of Western Civilization” while banning critical race studies and courses dealing with gender and LGBTQ identities. Cuban Americans and Puerto Rican Floridians who handed Mr. DeSantis a landslide electoral victory for governor may want to think twice about whether their culture, their lives, and their experience counts as part of “Western Civilization.”

Posted inEducation

Are young boys of color set up to fail in early education?

by Karen D'Souza, EdSource Staff

Toddlers are famous for throwing tantrums, stomping their feet and screaming as tears roll down their chubby cheeks. It’s par for the course of life as a preschool teacher, child care worker or parent that you will have to cope with your fair share of developmentally-appropriate misbehavior, including hitting and biting. And yet not all small children get the benefit of the doubt when they act up in class or on the playground. Some of them get kicked out of school, perhaps derailing their education.

Posted inJustice

Anti-Hate Project: LA County Hate Crime Report shows violence is on the rise

by Brenda Fernanda Verano

The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations released its annual LA County Hate Crime Report last month on December 7. As the new year begins, the high level of hate crimes portrayed in the report brings heavy concern about the state of the city. The report shows the number of hate crimes in LA County has reached the highest number in the last 19 years. Reported hate crimes in LA County grew 23% from 641 in 2020 to 786 in 2021. This is the largest number recorded since 2002. The Latino community was also a prime target in 2021. They were the second-largest group of victims.