Latest news with #CaliforniaAssembly
Fox News
an hour ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump's immigration reset is lifting wages and forcing real economic reform
It's illuminating when politicians speak the truth accidentally, letting voters know what they only say in private to their colleagues or big donors. A video recently resurfaced of New York Democratic Rep. Yvette Clarke saying that her Brooklyn district could "absorb a significant number of these (Haitian) migrants," because, she continued, "I need more people in my district, just for redistricting purposes…" This was about the time that former President Joe Biden's open border policies led to a humanitarian crisis with 11,000 migrants crowding under a bridge connecting Texas with Mexico in the Lone Star town of Del Rio. Ironically, Rep. Clarke's desire for noncitizens to bolster Democrats' political power echoes arguments made during the 1787 Constitutional Convention, when Southern delegates wanted slaves to count as a full person for purposes of representation in the U.S. House, while delegates from the North argued for slaves to not count at all. They compromised on three-fifths. Meanwhile, former community organizer, former California Assembly member, former member of Congress, and current Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass views federal enforcement of immigration laws as an existential threat to L.A. She called on ICE to end their enforcement of federal immigration law in Los Angeles. Bass is correct in one aspect of her fears—that President Donald J. Trump's enforcement of U.S. laws will cause a drop in L.A.'s population. During the first Trump administration, California's population declined due to increased immigration enforcement and the state's draconian COVID-19 lockdown policies under Gov. Gavin Newsom. For more than 20 years, California's high taxes and high cost of living have pushed Californians to leave the Golden State, resulting in domestic net outmigration. But California grew by a bit because there were more foreigners—legal and illegal—moving in than Californians moving out. Bass, and others, argue that illegal immigrants do the jobs that Americans won't do, but recent employment data says otherwise. After five years of foreign-born employment growth while the native-born lost ground, the data since Trump took office shows a reversal. The annual increase in employment among native-born Americans shot up to over 1.7 million last month. Conversely, the number of foreign-born workers with jobs has risen less than 400,000 over that same period. This is a stark contrast to the situation when Trump was inaugurated. In January of this year, annual job growth among foreign-born workers was almost 1.2 million higher than job growth among native-born Americans. Fast-forward to June and the situation completely reversed, with native-born Americans seeing annual employment gains of almost 1.4 million more jobs than foreign-born workers. The better labor market for Americans, combined with low inflation, has also been driving up real wages, meaning wages adjusted for price changes. Under Biden, the average American's weekly paycheck did rise substantially, by almost 20 percent, but prices spiked even faster. During Biden's four years in office, real weekly paychecks bought about 4 percent less in purchasing power. In less than half a year, Trump's economic and immigration policies have reversed that slide, and the average American's real weekly paycheck has risen about 1 percent. The progress is even better when looking at the real median weekly paycheck, which is higher now than at any point in the Biden administration. For blue-collar workers who suffered so much from Bidenflation and were forced to go into debt to make ends meet, the real wage growth under Trump is a welcomed change, though it hasn't completely erased the damage of the prior four years, as evidenced by the fact that households are still in $1.2 trillion of credit card debt. Yet there's more good news on the horizon, despite the doomsday predictions from today's Democrats, who assert crops won't be picked if illegal aliens are deported. Ironically, Democrats made a similar assertion regarding emancipation, asserting cotton wouldn't be picked if slaves were freed. Of course, agriculture will adapt as necessary just as it did in the nineteenth century, with automation and productivity enhancements. Indeed, industries flooded with low-skill labor have suffered from a lack of investment, which will reverse as that artificially cheap labor is removed. Ultimately, investment, especially in the age of AI, will lead to increased efficiency and lower prices for consumers. E.J. Antoni, Ph.D., is Chief Economist and the Richard F. Aster fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a senior fellow at Unleash Prosperity.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kern County's 2026 primary candidates: One-on-one interview with AD-35 hopeful Andrae Gonzales
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The 2026 Election is already underway, as candidates throw their names in the ring for local, state and federal offices. Wednesday morning, Bakersfield Ward 2 City Councilmember Andrae Gonzales announced his run for California's 35th Assembly District. 17 Political Reporter Jenny Huh sat down with Gonzales for a candidate profile. It's a political domino effect or ladder, if you will. Gonzales announced Thursday morning he's running to replace Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains in the 35th Assembly District, who, one day prior, announced she's running for Congress. 'My goal is to know the district as well as I know Ward 2, and to be as involved, as engaged as I can,' said Gonzales. The 43-year-old has represented Bakersfield's Ward 2 since 2016, prior to that serving as a board trustee on the Bakersfield City School District. An east Bakersfield native and current Eastchester resident, the Democrat is eyeing the step up to Sacramento, saying the state must do more for cities. 'We know and I know that Sacramento can do so much more to help us address some of the most chronic pressing issues that are facing our neighborhoods for too long,' Gonzales said. 'Kern County has got the short end of the stick. We have our older brothers, the Bay Area and in the L.A. Southern California area, our big brothers who seem to have a seat at the table and kind of nudge us out.' 17's Jenny Huh: 'How do you, amid all the other state legislators and senators that are working to do the same thing for their community, how do you prioritize Kern?' Andrae Gonzales: 'I grew up in a family with five siblings, and I know a thing or two about nudging my way in. I was a middle child.' On his priorities at the state level, Gonzales said, 'Number one is to grow and diversify our local economy. We know that we're facing so many challenges when it comes to with respect to our region and in good paying jobs.' Gonzales has long focused on issues like homelessness, housing affordability and support for small local businesses, all of which he says his 'Downtown Ward' feels especially hard. 'The issues compound themselves, everything from chronic poverty to disinvestment in some of our oldest neighborhoods to homelessness, to a decline in the downtown area and a lack of investment over a period of 30, 40 years,' the assemblymember hopeful explained. AD-35 is a seat Gonzales has eyed before, in the 2024 cycle, though he ultimately bowed out. 'This opportunity with Dr. Bains running for Congress has opened the seat up. And it's an open seat, I want to give it a shot,' Gonzales answered, when asked about his first go at the seat. The work has already started. 17 News joined Gonzales Wednesday evening in Delano, as he met with community leaders. Delano is the second largest city in kern but is also where the incumbent Bains' roots lie. Gonzales said when it comes to his ability to transition to state leadership, he hopes the proof is in the pudding. He highlighted various accomplishments at the city level, especially in helping hundreds of small businesses, including through the B3K Initiative, the Bakersfield College Launch Pad Initiative, and the Prosperity Neighborhood Initiative. Gonzales also highlighted his role in the launching of the Bakersfield community land trust, which offers affordable housing opportunities to those low to moderate income. He credited his late father, who served as a counselor at Bakersfield College — for his public servant mindset, which Gonzales said began at the young age of six. 'I am very serious about getting to work and just focusing on the issues and being very pragmatic and practical in getting things done for people,' Gonzales said. Click here for the full interview with Andrae Gonzales. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
San Francisco Chronicle
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Roy Wood Jr. says Willie Brown crashed his show and walked off with merch
Comedian Roy Wood Jr. shared a distinctly San Francisco story this week: a surprise encounter with former Mayor Willie Brown that ended with a free ticket, a handshake — and a missing CD. Posting on X Wednesday, July 16, Wood described how Brown appeared unannounced at one of his stand-up sets in San Francisco. 'Willie Brown showed up to my sold out San Francisco shows once & told the door man 'Willie Brown on every list' (he was NOT on my list),' Wood wrote. 'Still they gave him a free ticket.' The comedian, a veteran of 'The Daily Show' and a regular at Cobb's Comedy Club and the Bay Area's comedy festivals, said Brown didn't stop at the velvet rope. Willie Brown showed up to my sold out San Francisco shows once & told the door man "Willie Brown on every list" (he was NOT on my list) still they gave him a free ticket. THEN after the show, he came up to my merch table, took a CD w/o paying, then shook my hand and said "You… — Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) July 16, 2025 After the show, he approached Wood's merchandise table and picked up a CD without paying. 'You just met Willie Brown, You want a picture?' Brown reportedly said, before disappearing 'into the night.' 'No date, no homeboys, no security detail,' Wood continued. 'Just the mayor out by himself showing up to yo show for free and stealing yo sh–. He was so charming I couldn't even be mad.' For many San Franciscans, the anecdote fits Brown's well-known persona. Now 91, he remains a towering figure in California politics — the city's first Black mayor and the longest-serving Speaker of the California Assembly — renowned as much for his political clout as his social style. Even in retirement, Brown is a fixture in the city, often spotted dining alone or holding court at longtime haunts.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A new student loan program emerges: no interest, no fees, 'pay-it-forward'
Joshua Alferos was two semesters away from a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering when he ran out of money. He was about to change his major or drop out. Then he heard of a new, experimental program run by philanthropies and private businesses that would loan him what he needed to finish college — at zero interest and with no fees. The debt wouldn't come due until he earned a minimum salary, and his employer would probably help him pay it off. One of the best parts, to Alferos: The repayment goes into a pool to provide the same help for other young, low-income Hawaiians who come after him. 'It's pretty empowering, because you can help future students,' said Alferos, who has continued his studies with the loan program. This pay-it-forward approach to covering the cost of college multiplies the number of students who can benefit from a fixed supply of financial aid and can help fill shortages of workers in critical industries. California will soon join the effort. A San Diego county-run program will begin in the fall. And while a bill introduced in the California Assembly by Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) to create a pay-it-forward fund for some students in the University of California and California State University systems did not advance this session, it will be heard again in January. The San Diego program will target majors in behavioral health, including clinicians, practitioners and psychiatric nurses — professions with a collective 8,000-worker shortfall in San Diego. Those loans will be entirely forgiven for graduates who work in behavioral health for five years or more. 'What you need to be looking at is where there is enduring demand for particular credentials or degrees,' said Kirstin Hill, president and chief operating officer at Social Finance, a nonprofit that designed and helps to manage pay-it-forward funds around the country. At a time when millions of people have defaulted on their student loans and face aggressive renewed enforcement measures by the federal government to collect payments, the pilot programs are intended to spur momentum, their backers say. "It's a new way of thinking about scholarship support that lets you extend your dollars' further than by simply giving away money, said Alex Harris, vice president at the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, the lead donor of the Hawaiʻi Renewable Learning Fund. That's because once it's paid back, it can be loaned again. This feature resonates in Hawaii, which has a tradition of mutual support called 'kokua.' 'There is that long cultural history that when one person succeeds, everyone is raised up,' Harris said. Under the pilot, Hawaiian engineering students from families with low incomes can borrow from a $2.5-million revolving fund underwritten by the Castle Foundation and other donors. Repayments don't start until the students graduate and earn $50,000 or more. Some of the state's biggest engineering firms have agreed to help their new employees pay off the loans to boost recruitment. The university helps to promote the program. The pilot in Hawaii began with engineering majors because the state is heavily dependent on engineers in its key defense, construction and tourism industries — but has a chronic shortage of them. In addition to Hawaii and San Diego, pay-it-forward programs have been started or will launch in the fall in Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Miami. Each is focused on a field with high demand but short supply — healthcare and information technology in Colorado and New Jersey and climate careers in Massachusetts. In 24 states with shortages or projected shortages of registered nurses, a pay-it-forward fund has been set up to help residents study nursing at the national, online Western Governors University. Google is doing something similar for students pursuing certificates in data analytics, digital marketing and e-commerce, IT support, project management and other fields. Massachusetts and New Jersey have put public money behind these efforts, but in collaboration with private sources. Massachusetts and New Jersey have put public money behind these efforts in collaboration with private sources. There are obstacles. At least 24 states have considered such programs, but high startup costs and other issues prevented the launch. In Illinois, for example, a proposal for a universal pay-it-forward loan fund got as far as a feasibility study. But researchers calculated that it would take billions of dollars in startup money and decades to pay for itself. This isn't the only problem, according to the study, done by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Giving students loans at zero interest might encourage colleges and universities to raise their prices, it speculated. Also, because the programs are so far focused on higher-paying jobs, students might be nudged away from important but less-well-compensated fields such as teaching and social work. And sorting details about taxes or what would happen in bankruptcy is complex. But advocates argue that paying for college now is also complicated and expensive, and discourages many Americans from going. The interest rate for undergraduate federal-government-subsidized student loans is 6.53%, and Americans hold more than $1.7 trillion in student loan debt. Another unexpected issue: Students are surprisingly suspicious of the programs. Many have experienced misleading promises of financial aid from universities and colleges, the changing rules for federal loans and slow and unresponsive loan servicers. No students responded to an initial email he sent out announcing the fund, said Brennon Morioka, dean of the University of Hawai'i College of Engineering — and their program is small. Since it began in the fall, 17 engineering majors have signed up, according to Harris at the Castle Foundation, fewer takers than anticipated. 'I thought it was too good to be true, but I took a chance,' said one, Melanie Habon, whose immigrant parents from the Philippines encouraged her to become a structural engineer. Habon said she worked on new graduate housing going up on campus, a project she joined as an intern for one of the firms that's part of the program. 'I like that there's a direct line from being a student to working in your industry,' she said. 'And I like that I know where my money will be going.' This article was written by the Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
13-06-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
A new student loan program emerges: no interest, no fees, ‘pay-it-forward'
Joshua Alferos was two semesters away from a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering when he ran out of money. He was about to change his major or drop out. Then he heard of a new, experimental program run by philanthropies and private businesses that would loan him what he needed to finish college — at zero interest and with no fees. The debt wouldn't come due until he earned a minimum salary, and his employer would probably help him pay it off. One of the best parts, to Alferos: The repayment goes into a pool to provide the same help for other young, low-income Hawaiians who come after him. 'It's pretty empowering, because you can help future students,' said Alferos, who has continued his studies with the loan program. This pay-it-forward approach to covering the cost of college multiplies the number of students who can benefit from a fixed supply of financial aid and can help fill shortages of workers in critical industries. California will soon join the effort. A San Diego county-run program will begin in the fall. And while a bill introduced in the California Assembly by Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) to create a pay-it-forward fund for some students in the University of California and California State University systems did not advance this session, it will be heard again in January. The San Diego program will target majors in behavioral health, including clinicians, practitioners and psychiatric nurses — professions with a collective 8,000-worker shortfall in San Diego. Those loans will be entirely forgiven for graduates who work in behavioral health for five years or more. 'What you need to be looking at is where there is enduring demand for particular credentials or degrees,' said Kirstin Hill, president and chief operating officer at Social Finance, a nonprofit that designed and helps to manage pay-it-forward funds around the country. At a time when millions of people have defaulted on their student loans and face aggressive renewed enforcement measures by the federal government to collect payments, the pilot programs are intended to spur momentum, their backers say. 'It's a new way of thinking about scholarship support that lets you extend your dollars' further than by simply giving away money, said Alex Harris, vice president at the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, the lead donor of the Hawaiʻi Renewable Learning Fund. That's because once it's paid back, it can be loaned again. This feature resonates in Hawaii, which has a tradition of mutual support called 'kokua.' 'There is that long cultural history that when one person succeeds, everyone is raised up,' Harris said. Under the pilot, Hawaiian engineering students from families with low incomes can borrow from a $2.5-million revolving fund underwritten by the Castle Foundation and other donors. Repayments don't start until the students graduate and earn $50,000 or more. Some of the state's biggest engineering firms have agreed to help their new employees pay off the loans to boost recruitment. The university helps to promote the program. The pilot in Hawaii began with engineering majors because the state is heavily dependent on engineers in its key defense, construction and tourism industries — but has a chronic shortage of them. In addition to Hawaii and San Diego, pay-it-forward programs have been started or will launch in the fall in Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Miami. Each is focused on a field with high demand but short supply — healthcare and information technology in Colorado and New Jersey and climate careers in Massachusetts. In 24 states with shortages or projected shortages of registered nurses, a pay-it-forward fund has been set up to help residents study nursing at the national, online Western Governors University. Google is doing something similar for students pursuing certificates in data analytics, digital marketing and e-commerce, IT support, project management and other fields. Massachusetts and New Jersey have put public money behind these efforts, but in collaboration with private sources. Massachusetts and New Jersey have put public money behind these efforts in collaboration with private sources. There are obstacles. At least 24 states have considered such programs, but high startup costs and other issues prevented the launch. In Illinois, for example, a proposal for a universal pay-it-forward loan fund got as far as a feasibility study. But researchers calculated that it would take billions of dollars in startup money and decades to pay for itself. This isn't the only problem, according to the study, done by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Giving students loans at zero interest might encourage colleges and universities to raise their prices, it speculated. Also, because the programs are so far focused on higher-paying jobs, students might be nudged away from important but less-well-compensated fields such as teaching and social work. And sorting details about taxes or what would happen in bankruptcy is complex. But advocates argue that paying for college now is also complicated and expensive, and discourages many Americans from going. The interest rate for undergraduate federal-government-subsidized student loans is 6.53%, and Americans hold more than $1.7 trillion in student loan debt. Another unexpected issue: Students are surprisingly suspicious of the programs. Many have experienced misleading promises of financial aid from universities and colleges, the changing rules for federal loans and slow and unresponsive loan servicers. No students responded to an initial email he sent out announcing the fund, said Brennon Morioka, dean of the University of Hawai'i College of Engineering — and their program is small. Since it began in the fall, 17 engineering majors have signed up, according to Harris at the Castle Foundation, fewer takers than anticipated. 'I thought it was too good to be true, but I took a chance,' said one, Melanie Habon, whose immigrant parents from the Philippines encouraged her to become a structural engineer. Habon said she worked on new graduate housing going up on campus, a project she joined as an intern for one of the firms that's part of the program. 'I like that there's a direct line from being a student to working in your industry,' she said. 'And I like that I know where my money will be going.' This article was written by the Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.
