By Saeed Villanueva |Staff Writer| San Bernardino fights scarcity by concentrating on homelessness and providing food for lower income families, but the numbers show the city still has a long way to go in their efforts against poverty. San Bernardino has been through a lot since the city filed for bankruptcy in 2012 and has made gradual improvements to rebuild its economy each year. The county has made strides to improve its homeless situations by creating programs that find shelter for them. The Stepup program has found shelter for plenty of homeless people within the last year. “There are 131 individuals who are chronically homeless and we’ve managed to find shelter for 50 … [Read more...] about SB efforts against poverty
poverty
Clean water a must for all
By Rachel Rundengan |Staff Writer| Water is of major importance to all living things. Seventy percent of the human body is made up of water. So you can imagine just how important water is not only for our health, but also our overall well-being. Some of you might read this and think that these facts are common knowledge—facts we should have known in grade school. However, the crisis in Flint, Mich. has shown just how incapable Michigan officials were in understanding the importance of water. Residents of Flint drank, cooked, and bathed with lead-contaminated water for the past two years. For months, citizens of Flint could not get anyone to pay attention to the problems … [Read more...] about Clean water a must for all
Environmental injustice: Low-income targets
By Marlyn Rodriguez |Managing Editor| People with lower economic status are exposed to different environmental surroundings that may be hazardous to their health. Cities surrounding the Interstate 710 freeway in Los Angeles are some of the most polluted cities in the nation with over a million residents who are low income minorities. Among the cities surrounding the I-710 lie the cities of Bell, Cudahy and Maywood, which are the most populated cities in Los Angeles County. These cities are also primarily made up of low-income Latino communities. There are about 2,000 deaths in the Los Angeles area as a result of high diesel emissions. The Natural Resources Defense Council … [Read more...] about Environmental injustice: Low-income targets
Obama urges Congress to raise minimum wage
Marysol Guzman |Staff Writer| During this year’s State of the Union address, President Barack Obama urged Congress to raise the minimum wage to $9 in hopes of leading Americans away from poverty and help stimulate the economy. Obama believes people who are working full time with minimum wage pay shouldn’t have to live under the poverty threshold. He believes that raising the minimum wage would help make a difference. “[This] could mean the difference between groceries and the food bank, rent or eviction, scraping by or finally getting ahead,” said Obama. His goal will be to reach $9 an hour by the end of 2015 and indexing the minimum wage, as the cost of living rises as … [Read more...] about Obama urges Congress to raise minimum wage