In order to empower survivors of workplace harassment or discrimination, the California State Senate last Thursday passed important legislation authored by Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) that would expand current protections against secret settlements to now cover settlement agreements involving all forms of harassment or discrimination.

In order to empower survivors of workplace harassment or discrimination, the California State Senate today passed important legislation authored by Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) that would expand current protections against secret settlements to now cover settlement agreements involving all forms of harassment or discrimination. 

Incremental gains in the economic indicators for people with and without disabilities are positive signs of economic recovery, according to today's National Trends in Disability Employment - Monthly Update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). 

Alameda County is violating the U.S. Constitution by “unnecessarily institutionalizing” people with mental health needs and by subjecting them to prolonged solitary confinement in the county jail, the Justice Department concluded after a five-year investigation.

Around the world, more than 1 billion people live with some form of disability, and they are disproportionately at risk from the COVID-19 pandemic. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias looks at what’s being done in the U.S. to improve their situation.

Alameda County is violating the U.S. Constitution by “unnecessarily institutionalizing” people with mental health needs and by subjecting them to “prolonged” solitary confinement in the county jail, the Justice Department concluded after a five-year investigation.

The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department has released body camera footage of the March 31 encounter that left 25-year-old Isaias Cervantes shot and critically injured. But the video leaves a number of questions unanswered, since both deputies’ cameras were reportedly knocked off during the struggle that preceded one of them shooting Cervantes.

In California, home to $14 an hour minimum wage, thousands of workers are being paid as little as $2 an hour. 

And it’s completely legal.

For the past two decades, I have worked as an attorney at Disability Rights California, investigating abuse against people with disabilities in every conceivable setting, from sexual assaults by staff members against residents in nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals, to physical abuse against special education students.

In April 2017, authorities discovered the body of Carl DeBrodie encased in concrete at a Fulton, Missouri storage facility. DeBrodie, who had developmental disabilities, died after months of abuse and neglect at the hand of his caregivers. 

National attention has recently been given to whether the federal minimum wage should be raised to $15/hour. But few may be aware that, since 1938, some employers (primarily sheltered workshops), including those in California, have been allowed to pay employees with disabilities far less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. SB 639 (Durazo), co-sponsored by Disability Rights California and the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, would phase out sheltered workshops and end the practice of paying people with disabilities less than the California minimum wage.

While California started vaccinating health care workers and other high-risk residents in December, there are still a lot of questions about who will get vaccinated when as the state's rollout continues to expand. 

The L.A. County Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a measure that will increase funding for a program that works to reduce the population of people with mental illness in county jails.

This comes at a time when Sacramento County says vaccine supply is still very limited and they do not have an increase in supply, despite the new qualifications.

California on Monday began a new phase of its COVID-19 vaccine rollout, making nearly half of all residents eligible for a shot — and relying more than ever on public trust and honesty to make sure the doses get to those who need them most.

California’s Democratic-controlled Legislature is considering whether to make it more difficult for local election officials to reject ballots because a voter’s signature doesn’t exactly match what’s on file.

While California started vaccinating health care workers and other high-risk residents in December, there are still a lot of questions about who will get vaccinated when as the state's rollout continues to expand. 

Starting Monday, the long-awaited day, people with disabilities will be eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine in California.

Starting Monday, March 15, California will make a new group eligible for vaccines: those aged 16 to 64 with disabilities or preexisting conditions, including severe obesity.

A new vaccine tier opens up on Monday: people with preexisting conditions and disabilities will be eligible for the shot. But it’s unclear what sort of proof – if any – they will need.