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Pioneer Study Reveals Broken Promises of California’s Proposition 22

Dear Atlas users,

The Supreme Court’s rejection of the federal eviction moratorium threatens to push millions of renters out of their homes. As our Rent Debt Dashboard shows, over 6 million renters —  overwhelmingly low-income households of color who have recently lost employment — owe more than $21 billion in back rent, putting them at immediate risk of eviction. Just 10 percent of state rental assistance funds have been distributed, while many who have applied wait in limbo. The Atlas team continues to equip local advocates with data and research to make the case for robust renter protections. We’re currently analyzing the newest rent debt data and will release our findings and analysis on Monday, August 30. Here are some more updates: 

New Report: Most California Rideshare Drivers Are Not Receiving Health-Care Benefits under Prop 22

Nearly a year after tech industry giants won passage of a law that exempted them from classifying millions of their drivers as full-time employees, we produced a study in partnership with Rideshare Drivers United to analyze the impact of Prop 22 on rideshare and delivery drivers’ access to health care. Our survey of drivers found that just 10 percent of respondents are receiving health insurance stipends from Uber or Lyft, and 16 percent have no insurance — double the national uninsurance rate. We also found stark racial inequities: Latinx respondents are less likely to know about the stipends and are also more likely to be uninsured. With Prop 22 ruled unconstitutional last week, our research underscores the need to overturn this harmful legislation and prevent its spread to other states where Uber and Lyft are already campaigning for identical legislation. 

New Analysis Finds that Bay Area Residents of Color Remain Underrepresented in Elected Positions

Centering the experiences of the people most impacted by structural racism is an essential component of equitable policymaking. The Bay Area Equity Atlas team and Bay Rising are excited to share our latest analysis on the diversity of elected officials in the region, which shows that the region has seen steady growth in electeds of color, but people of color remain highly underrepresented. Strategies like campaign finance reform, leadership development programs, district-based elections, and expanded voter education and voting options can also foster a fairer and more inclusive Bay Area. Join us on September 9 for a webinar to learn more about this research and hear local leaders — like Shanthi Gonzales of Oakland Unified School District and Kimi Lee of Bay Rising — discuss strategies to build political power among communities of color in the region. You can register here. 

In the News

This month, our report on the impacts of California’s Prop 22 were featured in the SF Examiner, KQED, The American Prospect, Bloomberg Law, and Law360. Our rent debt analysis were featured on KMOV4, Multi-Housing News, Catholic Herald, BollyInside, WOSU Public Media, Northern Nevada Business Weekly, ABC Baltimore, PolitiFact, NBC5, Maryland Matters, Texas News Today, The Current, Market Watch, the Nevada Independent, and News Nation, among others. See the complete list of media coverage here.

- The National Equity Atlas team at PolicyLink and the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)
 

August 2021

Advocating For Equity in California’s Housing Crisis

Overview

In California, a statewide network of racial and economic justice organizations are placing the housing needs of low-income communities of color at the center of efforts to advance housing justice.

Read the profile to learn more about the experiences and impacts of this work from the perspectives of the community members, grassroots and community organizations, and funder partners involved.

August 2021

What Does Food Insecurity Look Like in Rural Kansas?

Overview

In rural Kansas, the Kansas Health Foundation is supporting five community coalitions to build more meaningful relationships with community residents across racial justice and economic lines in order to better identify and address community priorities and needs, and begin to develop resident-led food systems efforts.

Read the profile to learn more about the experiences and impacts of this work from the perspectives of the community members, grassroots and community organizations, and funder partners involved.

August 2021

Poverty, Policy, and Public Attitudes in Greater Kansas City

Overview

In Greater Kansas City, community organizers are engaging neighborhood residents to gather stories and policy priorities to shape the regional discourse around food access and food security while artists are creating works that challenge pervasive racialized narratives about government food programs.

Read the profile to learn more about the experiences and impacts of this work from the perspectives of the community members, grassroots and community organizations, and funder partners involved.

August 2021

Community First and Forever in the San Joaquin Valley

Overview

In California’s San Joaquin Valley, over 150 community partners and funders are working together to build and advance a racial and health equity agenda based on the priorities of community members.

Read the profile to learn more about the experiences and impacts of this work from the perspectives of the community members, grassroots and community organizations, and funder partners involved.

August 2021

Lifting Up Community in Chicago

Overview

In Chicago, a network of neighborhood groups is challenging the combined forces of neglect and gentrification pressuring Black and Brown communities to leave valuable neighborhoods near transit hubs.

Read the profile to learn more about the experiences and impacts of this work from the perspectives of the community members, grassroots and community organizations, and funder partners involved.

August 2021

Getting Ahead of Lead in Western New York

Overview

The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo is working alongside their grassroots partners to apply a racial equity analysis and support community organizing to elevate the voices and experiences of community residents of color and address lead in housing.

Read the profile to learn more about the experiences and impacts of this work from the perspectives of the community members, grassroots and community organizations, and funder partners involved.

Despite Recent Progress, Elected Officials Still Don’t Reflect the Bay Area’s Diversity

Dear Atlas users,

As recent weeks have shown, the Bay Area’s struggle to recover from the Covid-19 crisis is far from over. The Bay Area Equity Atlas and our community partners are equipping equity advocates with data and research to support an equitable recovery and build back a more just economy. Here are some updates:

New Analysis Finds that People of Color Remain Underrepresented in Elected Positions

Centering the experiences of the people most impacted by structural racism is an essential component of equitable policymaking. The Bay Area Equity Atlas team and Bay Rising are excited to share our latest analysis on the diversity of elected officials in the region, which shows that the region has seen steady growth in electeds of color, but people of color remain highly underrepresented. For the first time, we also examined how the switch to district-based elections may increase the diversity of candidate pools. Other strategies like campaign finance reform, leadership development programs, and expanded voter education and voting options can also foster a fairer and more inclusive Bay Area. You can find the analysis here.

You’re Invited to "Rep the Bay": A Conversation on Diversity in Bay Area Politics

Join us on September 9 at 11am PT / 2 pm ET for a webinar to learn more about this research and hear local leaders discuss strategies to build political power among communities of color in the region. Speakers include Shanthi Gonzales (Oakland Unified School District), Kimi Lee (Bay Rising), Ellen Wu (Urban Habitat), and Michelle Huang (Bay Area Equity Atlas). Register for the webinar here.

New Homeownership Indicator: White Households Are 28 Percent More Likely than Households of Color to Own Their Homes

Homeownership remains one of the most widely available and effective ways to increase wealth over generations — yet Bay Area residents of color remain far less likely to own a home than their White counterparts. We added the Homeownership indicator to the Atlas to better understand inequities in ownership by race, nativity, ancestry, geography, and gender, and how homeownership rates are changing over time.

Updated Data Now Available for 14 Indicators

We have also updated the following indicators to reflect the most recent available data: Nativity and ancestry, Educational attainment, Disconnected youth, Median earnings, Income growth, Police use of force, Extreme commuting, Housing burden, Gentrification risk, Diversity of electeds, Voting, Linguistic isolation, Economic gains: eliminate rent burden, and Economic gains: racial equity in income. Stay tuned for more data updates coming soon!

Fact Sheet: Rent Debt in Unincorporated Alameda County

Analyzing rent debt in unincorporated communities in Alameda County. We found that 2,200 renter households—13 percent of renter households— across Ashland, Cherryland, Fairview, Castro Valley, and San Lorenzo are behind on rent and at risk of eviction when the statewide eviction moratorium expires, currently set for September 30. This amounts to an estimated $12 million in rent debt or about $5,500 per household. In addition to eviction protections and debt relief at the state and federal level, local policymakers should protect these renters by passing just cause eviction protections, rent stabilization, proactive rental inspections, and a fair chance ordinance. Find the analysis here.

In the News

Last month, the San Francisco Chronicle cited our data in a story on reparations and jury reform.

Thank you,

Bay Area Equity Atlas team

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