Advancing Equity

For years, First Beach served as a makeshift gathering place for Needles residents. But with no shade, restrooms, or trash bins — and plenty of litter — it was often more of a hazard than a haven. The newly revamped riverfront has changed how both the town and residents see themselves. 

For years, athletes with disabilities in Burbank faced steep hurdles: limited programs, high equipment costs, and social stigma. For families, this meant long drives to other cities or going without entirely. That changed in 2024, when the city’s Parks and Recreation Department launched the Burbank Adaptive Sports Expo.

“When I started development at Berkeley 35 years ago, I would go to public meetings and be compared to Hitler, Attila the Hun — I’m not exaggerating,” says Patrick Kennedy, a longtime local developer. “The local paper called [an eight-story building I built] a Stalinist monstrosity and monument to civic corruption.” 

California city officials say the surprise immigration sweeps that started earlier this year have eroded public trust, strained local economies, and revived old fears. And although there are limited ways to respond, they are determined to take care of their residents.

“Displacement can happen across any income group,” says planner Karen Chapple, “and it can happen with benefits or with losses. The policy issue is, is the diversity of the neighborhood that you had before as sustained as the new transit improvement comes in?”

Incivility has become normalized at the local level. But these incidents don’t affect everyone equally. A study of local elected officials in San Diego, Riverside, and Imperial Counties gives us a clearer picture of who gets harassed in Southern California and why. 

When it comes to improving career readiness, West Sacramento is knocking it out of the park. A paid internship program has placed over 200 high school students in local internships that equip students with industry-specific and transferable skills.

Toxic waste from the Tijuana River has created a public health, economic, and environmental nightmare for cities in San Diego County. The ongoing crisis is a classic example of a local issue that requires a bipartisan regional, state, and federal response.

It’s easy to think of anti-Asian hate as a red or purple state problem. But most incidents occur here in California. Even though anti-Asian hate decreased in 2022, experts are warning this could be an aberration. Here’s what cities can do to mitigate the next wave of hate.