Category: Valleys

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

California Birth Rate Falls Below “Replacement Level”

California’s birth rate has fallen to its lowest level on record, dropping well below the threshold needed to maintain population growth and signaling a major demographic shift that could reshape the state’s economy, schools, workforce and political influence in the decades ahead.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Museum Display Asks California to See Black Women “in Full”

In Los Angeles, visitors attending a Juneteenth weekend event at the A.C. Bilbrew Library were welcomed by a museum exhibit featuring a wall of faces — filmmakers and freedom fighters, Olympians and lawmakers — honoring Black women’s achievement and leadership.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Opinion: Our Urban Hospitals Are at Risk. Billionaire Tax Cuts Are to Blame

As a frontline healthcare worker, I know what happens when hospitals are stretched too thin: people wait for hours in crowded emergency rooms, nurses try to care for too many patients at once, families delay treatment because they’re afraid of the bill. In many Black and working-class neighborhoods, this isn’t a temporary crisis, it’s a daily reality, and without intervention, it’s about to get much, much worse. 

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Gov. Newsom Signs Election Security Bill; Asm. Bryan Praises Move

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation on May 29 aimed at strengthening protections for California elections, arguing that the measure is necessary to guard against voter intimidation, election interference and unauthorized access to voting systems.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Doctors Seeing More Cases of Preventable Childhood Illnesses

Doctors across the United States say they are treating children for illnesses that routine vaccinations once made increasingly uncommon, raising concerns that years of declining immunization rates are beginning to reverse decades of public health progress.

Los Angeles
Kathleen Untalan

Clippers Have Lottery Chance, Lakers Seek Value as NBA Draft Nears

The 2026 NBA Draft will be held over two nights, with the first round set for June 23 on ABC and ESPN and the second round scheduled for June 24 on ESPN. The Washington Wizards hold the No. 1 overall pick after winning the draft lottery. 

Los Angeles
Kathleen Untalan

Dodgers Find Their Edge in a Tight, Testing Week

The Dodgers’ past week offered a little bit of everything: late-inning stress, uneven pitching, missed opportunities, and enough star power to steady the club as it moved through a demanding June stretch.

Features & Profiles
Kathleen Untalan

Are We Giving Enough Attention to the People Around Us Who Quietly Influence Lives Every Day?

Before spending another hour immersed in the lives of strangers online, look around. Call the friend you have not spoken to in years. Check on a family member. Reach out to a colleague who seems withdrawn. Communities are not built by algorithms or celebrities. They are built by ordinary people who choose, day after day, to care for those within their reach.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

COMMENTARY: Our Voices — When Armed Power Appears at the Ballot Box

There are sounds you never forget once you have heard them. The slow crunch of gravel beneath a sheriff’s boots outside a voting station. The sound of a shotgun being cocked. The silence of Black citizens standing in line, afraid to make eye contact. The sound of a church mother whispering, “Baby, if I don’t come home tonight, tell your daddy I tried.”