Corona Summer Street Fair set to return in July
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Local. Relevant. Trusted.
VOL. 7,
NO. 126
California's homelessness crisis: The precarious poverty of the working poor and seniors By HeyWire AI
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University of California, San Francisco study released Tuesday—the largest and most comprehensive investigation of the causes and consequences of homelessness in California since the mid-1990s—found that, for most of the study participants, the cost of housing had simply become unsustainable, especially for Black and brown seniors. Dr. Margot Kushel, director of the University of California, San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative and the lead researcher of the study, said that many Californians were working and living in poverty until they lost their homes. “Something goes wrong, and then everything else falls apart,” she said. Researchers looked at eight California counties,
including Los Angeles, to study both rural and urban homelessness, surveyed nearly 3,200 people and conducted 365 in-depth interviews. They found that the state’s homeless population is aging, with 47% of all adults aged 50 or older, and that Black and Native Americans are dramatically overrepresented. Contrary to myths of homeless migration, most were Californians: 90% of participants lost their last housing in California and 75% of participants live in the same county as where they were last housed. Nine out of 10 spent time unsheltered since they became homeless. The median length of homelessness was 22 months. Furthermore, one in five of those surveyed entered homelessness from an insti-
tution. Of those who hadn’t been in an institution, the majority (60%) had attempted to forestall homelessness by doubling up with family or friends. Participants were disconnected from the job market and services, but almost half were looking for work. When asked about help sought to avoid homelessness, “People were like, ‘What? What help?’” Kushel said. Participants had also experienced multiple forms of trauma throughout their life, increasing their vulnerability to homelessness and contributing to their mental health and substance use challenges. Two-thirds reported current mental health symptoms and more than a third experienced physical or sexual violence during this episode of home-
Prosecution rests in trial of man accused in decade-old SJ murder By City News Service
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he prosecution rested Tuesday and defense testimony began in the trial of a man accused of gunning down a San Jacinto resident in an ambush-style revenge attack. Abram Daniel Palacios, 35, of San Jacinto, is charged with first- degree murder, a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait and sentence- enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations for the 2013 slaying of 23-year-old Ivan Ibarra Carrillo. The defendant's half-brother, 50-year-old Juan Javier Mejia of Palm Springs, was convicted in 2016 of identical charges and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Following nearly a week of testimony, prosecutors called their final witness Tuesday, after which the defense opened its case. Riverside County Superior Court Judge F. Paul Dickerson ordered jurors to return to the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta Wednesday morning to hear additional evidence. Closing arguments are expected by Friday. See SJ murder Page 28
A homeless encampment with the top of LA City Hall in the background. | Photo by Russ Allison Loar (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
lessness. More than a third had visited an Emergency Department in the prior six months. One in five who used substances reported that they wanted substance use treatment—but couldn’t get it. Substance use is also more complicated than
some might think. "The participants described how heavy substance use contributed to losing their homes, but also how methamphetamine usage allowed them to stay alert to protect themselves from assault or theft," wrote LA Times columnist Anita Chabria.
The study authors made several recommendations for easing homelessness, including increasing access to affordable housing and to access to low barrier mental health, substance use, and harm reduction services during episodes of homelessness.
AG Bonta announces $3.8M settlement against Riverside nursing facility accused of paying illegal kickbacks to doctors
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By Staff
alifornia Attorney General Rob Bonta, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, announced Wednesday a $3.8 million settlement with a Riverside skilled nursing facility, Alta Vista Healthcare & Wellness Centre (Alta Vista), and its management company, Rockport Healthcare Services (Rockport), to resolve allegations of Medi-Cal fraud. The defendants are accused of violating the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act, as well as the California False Claims Act, by paying illegal kickbacks to doctors to encourage them to refer Medicaid and Medi-Cal patients to Alta Vista. As part of this settlement, the United States will receive $2.8 million and California will receive $596,700, based on the proportion of losses to state and federal funds. “Decisions that affect patient health should be made solely on the basis of a patient’s best interest,” said Bonta. “When a healthcare company cheats and offers kickbacks to See Illegal kickbacks Page 28