Bee Opinionated: California’s child care crisis + Newsom v. Weinstein + ‘Tis coyote season
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Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Joyeux Noël! This is Robin Epley from The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board coming in a day early.
Let’s keep it short this week so we can all get back to celebrating with friends and family.
I wrote for the Editorial Board last week about California’s worsening problem with child care affordability and availability. Rules for in-home child care providers and facilities are complicated and vary between jurisdictions.
“Child care workers are not mere babysitters; they are early childhood educators working with children during a pivotal period. Child care cannot and must not be simply a job; it must be a desirable career that attracts and retains workers the industry needs. But the state’s — and nation’s — issues with child care are complicated by problems with supply, demand and affordability on every level.”
Studies show that at least a third of California’s family child care providers have shut down since 2008. In 2020, a third of the state’s child care workforce reported using public assistance and experiencing food insecurity because of low wages.
California subsidizes some child care workers, albeit at a rate that advocates say is far too low. In addition, last year, a new union called Child Care Providers United reached a deal with state negotiators that included a 15% raise. The agreement also included $40 million for professional development and established a grievance process, both of which were lacking prior to the pandemic.
Still, it’s not enough: According to the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at UC Berkeley, the median hourly pay for a California child care worker in 2019 was $13.43, while preschool teachers earned $16.83 and kindergarten teachers earned $41.86.
“The Legislature and governor must find ways to further increase the desirability of the field and make high‑quality child care accessible for every family in California. The value of child care to parents is far greater than what we have assigned it, and the status quo is leaving California families, communities and children scrambling to cope.”
Ordinary Jane Doe
“I doubt that the former king of Hollywood was feeling quite so jolly on Monday evening, since after nine days of deliberations, the jury did find him guilty of rape. But it also found him not guilty of violating a second accuser, and couldn’t decide on two others, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, whose testimony about what he did to her during what was supposed to be a business meeting could not have been more raw.”
Metro columnist Melinda Henneberger wrapped up her coverage of the Harvey Weinstein trial in Los Angeles last week, in which California’s first partner was a high-profile plaintiff.
“What did she ever stand to gain from testifying? In one sense, exactly what she did get out of it, which was nothing. Well, except being called a bimbo and a liar who’d slept with Weinstein willingly — transactionally, Weinstein’s lawyers kept saying, during the two wrenching days she spent sobbing on the witness stand.”
“Three women came and publicly testified to the assault they said they suffered, and they were unable to get a guilty verdict,” said former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani.
“It’s a pretty big blow for those women. If the California governor’s wife can’t convince 12 jurors that someone who is already a convicted sex offender sexually assaulted her too, then what is an ordinary Jane Doe going to do?”
Opinion of the Week
“Are you a coyote living in California? Here’s what you should do if you see a person.” — Just another fantastic headline out of Deputy Opinion Editor Josh Gohlke.
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Have a merry eve,
Robin Epley
