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Morning Briefing: Child Care Workers Unionize
Children in a preschool class play while wearing facemasks. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
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Those of us with little kids at home know that nothing — nothing — can be accomplished without the help of child care. During the coronavirus, that has become even more painfully evident. To that end, a subset of child care workers voted this week to unionize, giving them a better chance to fight for the pay and benefits they so rightly deserve.
Ballots were mailed out over the past month to providers who work with low-income families and receive subsidies from the state. Of those returned, 97% were in favor of being represented by a union.
Most of the providers who fall into this category, reports Mariana Dale, are women of color, and a long, racist history exists in America of underpaying (or not paying at all) women of color to care for other people’s children. This may be a step towards righting that wrong — centuries later.
Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A. today, and stay safe.
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Coming Up Today, July 28
The Emmy nominations are out Tuesday morning. There will be a microscope on how TV Academy members are addressing calls for inclusion and diversity. John Horn will have the story.
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The Past 24 Hours In LA
Coronavirus Updates: L.A. County reported 2,039 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to at least 176,028 cases countywide. Coronavirus positivity rates in the state over the past 14 days are relatively stable, at 7.5%. Coachella Valley Congressman Raul Ruiz, who is a physician, recently requested that drug companies that are developing a coronavirus vaccine also propose a distribution plan.
Policing The Police: The LAPD will create a permanent bureau to make its community policing program citywide. Little has changed in law enforcement’s use of so-called less-lethal projectiles, despite urging from activists and civil libertarians.
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Money Matters: Child care providers in the state have overwhelmingly voted to be represented by a union over better pay and other benefits. Angelenos will find out this week whether they’ll get help from the city with their rent.
Here’s What To Do: Learn about the history of coffee, join a botany-inspired ice cream tasting, discuss Penelope Lowder's new play and more in this week’s best online and IRL events. Listen to Episode 4 of California City, in which host Emily Guerin tracks down the army of salespeople that sold Nat Mendelsohn's dream of a desert paradise.
Photo Of The Day
A woman wrapped in the Mexican flag attends a recent protest demanding justice for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and also in solidarity with Portland's protests, in front of L.A. City Hall.
(Photo by Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images)
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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