Economy

Murray’s Bill Looks To Make Childcare More Affordable

THE SEATTLE MEDIUM — The rising costs of childcare is a growing concern in Seattle and throughout the country, especially African American and other marginalized communities. To address the issue, Sen. Parry Murray has re-introduced the Childcare For Working Families Act, a bold, comprehensive plan to make child care more affordable for low and middle-income families and strengthen federal investments in the child care industry to ensure everyone has access to high-quality, affordable child care in their area.

Published

6 years ago

March 30, 2019

Oakland Post

By Aaron Allen

The rising costs of childcare is a growing concern in Seattle and throughout the country, especially African American and other marginalized communities.

To address the issue, Sen. Parry Murray has re-introduced the Childcare For Working Families Act, a bold, comprehensive plan to make child care more affordable for low and middle-income families and strengthen federal investments in the child care industry to ensure everyone has access to high-quality, affordable child care in their area.

Murray, who visited the Voices of tomorrow, and early childhood development center in Seattle, to discuss her legislation and its unique impact on families of color, believes the rising cost of childcare has put an undue burden on too many working-class families.

“I talked to people today that pay more than half their income for childcare and we want to make sure that every child not getting a good education isn’t because their family can’t afford it,” said Murray during her visit. “[This] bill really focuses on making sure that we have affordable childcare so that no family in America pays more than seven percent of their income.”

Voices of Tomorrow’s co-founder and CEO ZamZam Mohamed says she started the center to help children of color and refugee children get an early start in preparing them to navigate and succeed in education.

According to Mohamed, she and her staff have worked diligently to supporting families, particularly migrant families, adjust to their new surroundings. In addition, they have helped educate children of all cultural backgrounds to prepare them for school and life.

“What we are trying to achieve is really a cultural responsive program that supports children at an early age to get them ready for school, for life and just for them to really navigate the system successfully,” says Mohamed.

“The way we are doing that is through the dual language preschool program and also building the capacity for our family childcare providers, parents and community members that work with children zero to 5 because we know that we can’t do the work ourselves,” Mohamed continued.

During the intimate meeting with Murray, children, parents and childcare providers described the challenges families face with the rising costs of childcare and education and inequality in pay for teachers and providers.

“I am really impressed with the work that Voices of Tomorrow is doing and I am going to take these families stories back to Washington D.C. and make sure that we provide these types of cultural centers, early childhood centers for every young person in America,” says Murray.

In this economic environment teachers and childcare providers are struggling due to low paying wages forcing the high cost of childcare and education and Murray’s bill looks to address this issue.

“The bill also focuses on development and pay for our early childhood education and childcare workers because we have very high turnover rates because they just don’t get paid enough to stay in the positions, that’s important for them and it’s also important for our children,” said Murray.

According to the staff at Voices of Tomorrow, affordability and accessibility is the key to the success of early childhood development, and that they are living proof that under the right circumstances all children can be successful.

Murray seconds this notion and believes that the passage of the Childcare For Working Families Act will make sure that children and their families across the country will get the support that they need to succeed.

This article originally appeared in The Seattle Medium.

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Activism

LIVE! — TOWN HALL ON RACISM AND ITS IMPACT — THURS. 11.14.24 5PM PST

Join us for a LIVE Virtual Town Hall on the Impact of Racism hosted by Post News Group Journalist Carla Thomas and featuring Oakland, CA NAACP President Cynthia Adams & other Special Guests.
Thursday, November 14, 2024, 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. PST

Published

1 week ago

November 12, 2024

Oakland Post

Discussion Topics:
• Since the pandemic, what battles have the NAACP fought nationally, and how have they impacted us locally?
• What trends are you seeing concerning Racism? Is it more covert or overt?
• What are the top 5 issues resulting from racism in our communities?
• How do racial and other types of discrimination impact local communities?
• What are the most effective ways our community can combat racism and hate?

Your questions and comments will be shared LIVE with the moderators and viewers during the broadcast.

STREAMED LIVE!
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Business

With Immigration Reform on the Table, Advocates Put Human Face on Calif’s Migrant Farmworkers

About 99% of the commercially grown crops consumed by people across the United States come from California, according to data compiled by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Between half and one-third of the farmworkers who help to grow, tend, harvest and package these crops live in the Golden State. That’s about 500,000 to 800,000 workers. Astonishingly, 75% of them are undocumented.

Published

2 weeks ago

November 6, 2024

Oakland Post

Shutterstock.

By Edward Henderson

California Black Media

About 99% of the commercially grown crops consumed by people across the United States come from California, according to data compiled by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).

Between half and one-third of the farmworkers who help to grow, tend, harvest and package these crops live in the Golden State. That’s about 500,000 to 800,000 workers.

Astonishingly, 75% of them are undocumented.

“People are very afraid,” said Manuel Ortiz Escámez, a sociologist, audio-visual journalist, and co-founder of Peninsula 360, a news organization based in Redwood City.

“I hold interviews with people who later call and say, ‘Please do not publish anything, because I’m afraid of what could happen,’” he added.

Escámez spoke last month during a news briefing organized by Ethnic Media Services (EMS) that addressed the plight of migrant workers in California, particularly those who live in the United States without legal status.

During an election year when immigration is a polarizing issue with strong opinions on all sides, Escámez says the lives and critical contributions of farmworkers have been reduced to soundbites or barbs in Left vs. Right talking points.

The fervent anti-immigration rhetoric these debates generate can brew hate and motivate hate crimes and hate incidents against migrants, creating an atmosphere of fear and danger among California’s farmworkers, advocates warn.

In these situations, the debate shifts from the virtues of legal vs. illegal immigration to politicians scoring political points by finding a group to blame for the country’s problems.

“Power in politics needs to invent a physically and morally repugnant enemy who wants to take what’s yours because the feeling of emergency creates unity and the need of a savior,” said Escámez. “That’s why migrants have always been the ideal enemy of some U.S. political campaigns … and the data shows that it works.”

No matter where Californians stand on immigration, the contributions migrant farmworkers make to California’s economy and the country’s food supply are undeniable.

In February 2024, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) calculated that immigration will generate a $7 trillion boost to gross domestic product over the next decade. A vast majority of these contributions come from immigrants like California’s farmworkers who perform jobs and endure conditions many Americans choose not to.

“I’m undocumented with a sliver of privilege. I’m still in a precarious position, but millions of people would love to be in my shoes,” said Gustavo Gasca Gomez, immigration outreach specialist and a Stop the Hate coordinator at the Fresno-based Education and Leadership Foundation.

“I can work, and I have social security. But I can’t vote or leave the country and return without express permission. And before I was a DACA recipient in 2012 I was a farmworker right out of high school,” said Gomez. “The work is difficult. It’s hot, dirty and tedious. It makes your mind numb in many ways. But it’s a job that the entire country depends on.”

This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate. 

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Business

Gov. Newsom Issues Executive Order to Tackle Rising Electric Bills

Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued an executive order to help alleviate the financial burden of skyrocketing electric bills on residents. This directive instructs the state’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and Energy Commission to identify strategies to lower electricity costs and prevent rapid increases in the future.

Published

2 weeks ago

November 6, 2024

Oakland Post

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Among the key actions proposed, the governor emphasized a closer examination of utility expenditures related to wildfire mitigation, which accounts for about 13% of residential electric bills.

Newsom underscored the state’s commitment to balancing affordability with environmental goals.

“We’re taking action to address rising electricity costs and save consumers money on their bills,” said Newsom. “California is proving that we can address affordability concerns as we continue our world-leading efforts to combat the climate crisis.”

California now has the second-highest electric rates in the country, trailing only Hawaii, with residential bills having surged as much as 110% over the past decade. The largest utilities, including Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric, have seen rate hikes of 20% to 50% in just the last three years, approved by the state’s regulatory bodies.

The executive order also directs the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to explore increasing the California Climate Credit, which provides some relief on energy costs for residents. Additionally, the PUC is urged to pursue federal funding opportunities to further reduce electric expenses.

While consumer advocates welcomed the governor’s focus on lowering costs, concerns were raised regarding potential cuts to essential clean energy programs. CALPIRG, a consumer group, pointed out that the real issue behind high utility bills is wasteful spending by utilities and urged greater accountability.