California Asset Building: Latest Articles

California first lady Maria Shriver, John Edwards and other political luminaries have converged on Los Angeles for a summit on California poverty. The organizers asked speakers to present ways to help California's poor that are "innovative, practical and achievable."

That's a tall order, but it's a timely one. California is at a crossroads in how it assists its less fortunate residents. We can limit ourselves to the old tools and policies. Or California can lead the country in the democratization… more

In each era of modern American history, California has been at the forefront. It emerged from the Depression and World War II as the nation's archetype of the suburban middle class. It marked the end of government expansion with Ronald Reagan and Proposition 13. And it ushered in the age of technology, as the birthplace of Apple, Intel and Hewlett-Packard.

Californians are still willing to push the envelope, as they demonstrated with the unprecedented recall of a governor in 2003… more

The working poor face a huge disadvantage because they lack a basic financial tool -- a bank account. Anne Stuhldreher comments. (more)

The bad news first. California now ranks last nationally in home ownership. It also has the fourth worst "asset poverty" rate in the nation, meaning that nearly a third of the state's households are on such a financial brink that they'd fall below the poverty level within three months after an unexpected hardship like a job loss or medical emergency.

California's future economy depends on more people gaining access to home ownership and higher education. But it's difficult enough to… more

Cesilia Bueso, a San Francisco teacher and single mother, won't attend the public hearing in San Francisco Thursday on reforming the tax code to make it "simpler, fairer, and more pro-growth." But the panelists have much to learn from her -- and from a San Francisco effort to help low-income people receive larger tax refunds and then save some.

Tax refunds provide most Americans with their best shot to save. By April 15, more than 100 million Americans will have… more