California has an estimated 180,000 unhoused residents — most of whom are less likely to have access to proper medical care. Homeless people also have higher rates of illness and chronic health problems such as hypertension, heart conditions and diabetes.
But exercise programs for homeless residents can help participants boost their physical and mental health as they navigate life on the streets or attempt to find housing, reports CalMatters’ Marisa Kendall.
In Los Angeles a youth homelessness organization, Young People to the Front, found that young homeless people who picked up yoga increased their mindfulness and decreased the number of fights they were involved in.
Though yoga itself won’t directly help people find housing, the organization’s executive director said it could help participants practice better self control, decreasing their chances of getting kicked out of a shelter.
Father Joe’s Villages, a San Diego homeless services provider, has a biking program that gives unhoused riders a donated bike, helmet and lock to keep after they finish group rides that total 100 miles.
The program helped 59-year-old Robert Brown manage his pain stemming from a crushed disc and nerve damage to his thigh. Brown is an Army veteran who was homeless for decades. Since joining the program in 2022, he has logged nearly 2,000 miles.
- Brown: “I’m telling all my providers at La Jolla hospital I’m feeling better than I felt in a decade, and they all say it’s the bike.”
California’s housing crisis, explained: CalMatters has detailed looks at why housing is so expensive in California and why homelessness is so persistent. There’s a lesson-plan-ready version of these explainers and other information — especially made for teachers, libraries and community groups — as part of the CalMatters for Learning initiative, with Spanish translations.
Other Stories You Should Know
What CA Republicans and Democrats agree on
To examine the crucial role bipartisan support plays in some of California’s pressing issues, CalMatters’ Ryan Sabalow took a look at the more than 2,200 bills lawmakers introduced this session. He found that only 11 bills had Republicans and Democrats as joint lead authors — less than 1% of all the legislation submitted so far.
One bipartisan measure would expand Medi-Cal funding for training programs to help address physician shortages, while another would make impersonating a police officer or firefighter during a state or local emergency a felony.
Sen. Roger Niello is also resurrecting a previously failed bill that would have changed the requirements that enable law firms to aggressively sue businesses into complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Roseville Republican seeks to advance his pro-business bill to the finish line this time by having two Democratic legislators as fellow bill authors.
- Niello: “This has been affecting a lot of businesses in disadvantaged areas in Democrats’ districts.”
Lawmakers revisit state wildfire audit findings
Five years after COVID-19 prompted the Legislature to postpone a hearing about wildfire safety concerns, lawmakers finally met last week to deliberate on the issue.
As CalMatters’ Sameea Kamal explains, a December 2019 state audit found that the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and at least three California counties were unprepared to help vulnerable people during natural disasters.
In holding a hearing years after the audit concluded, Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom, the chairperson of the emergency management committee, said lawmakers’ goal was to go over what had changed since the audit and what shortcomings remained.
Some of the audit’s key findings include:
- During the 2018 Camp Fire and 2017 Sonoma Complex Fire, Butte and Sonoma counties, respectively, did not use available technology that was capable of sending warnings to all cell phones.
- The office of emergency services failed to provide necessary resources — some of which were required by law — to help counties with emergency response planning.
And lastly: Depleting CA’s wildfire fund?
Los Angeles County is suing Southern California Edison, alleging the utility company was responsible for the deadly Eaton Fire. But experts warn that damages from the January disaster could jeopardize a state wildfire fund that protects utilities from going bankrupt. Find out more from CalMatters’ Alejandro Lazo and Sergio Olmos.
California Voices
California Voices aims to broaden our understanding of the state by spotlighting those who are directly impacted by policy — or its absence. Give it a look.
Other things worth your time:
Former VP Harris gives herself deadline to decide whether to run for CA governor // Politico
Gov. Newsom stymies implementation of landmark CA plastic law, orders more talks // Los Angeles Times
CA’s resentencing program shows financial and social benefits, study finds // KQED
State Farm executive fired over comments about CA rate hikes // Los Angeles Times
Rebuilding LA is CA’s economic moment of truth // The Wall Street Journal
Advocates warn of worker exploitation in LA fire rebuilding effort // LAist
Why is LA Mayor Bass deleting her text messages? // Los Angeles Times
UC Berkeley is one of 10 schools Trump wants to cut funding for over antisemitism // San Francisco Chronicle
Hundreds rally in Sacramento against federal science cuts // The Sacramento Bee
Women’s March protests against Trump draw hundreds in SF, thousands nationwide // San Francisco Chronicle