Dear Atlas users,

The Bay Area Equity Atlas was developed to equip local leaders with data to advance racial and economic equity, which is especially important as the region and the nation continues to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic. As a recent report by the Othering and Belonging Institute finds, the Bay Area remains highly segregated despite some improvement since 2000. In the context of entrenched racial inequities and the emerging challenges of the economic recovery, the Bay Area Equity Atlas team is looking for a senior associate to lead our work supporting efforts to foster an equitable Bay Area for all.

Join the Bay Area Equity Atlas Team

The Bay Area Equity Atlas team is actively recruiting for a senior associate to lead the strategic planning and day-to-day management of the Bay Area Equity Atlas as well as the development of high-impact quantitative and mixed-methods analyses and data tools. We are looking for candidates who are passionate about racial equity, skilled in data analysis, and have experience working in and with communities of color. This position will be based in the Bay Area, working closely with local grassroots organizations and equity campaigns.

The National Equity Atlas team is also expanding. We’re looking for a director to lead the team, a senior associate to conduct research and analysis, and a senior communications associate to lead all of our media and dissemination activities. Learn more about these positions here and please share with your networks.

The California Immigrant Data Portal: A Powerful Tool to Advance Immigrant Integration

For a great resource and progress tracker for immigrants and those serving immigrant communities in California, check out the California Immigrant Data Portal (CIDP) developed by our partners at the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI). CIDP provides data and case studies to better understand and promote the well-being of immigrants, their families, and their communities, including indicators and insights not available in the Atlas, like Recency of Arrival, Linguistic Isolation by race, and immigration status, including Mixed-status Families. Current and historical disaggregated data is available for counties, sub-county areas, cities, and the state. Learn more about the California Immigrant Data Portal here.

Updated Data for Native American Populations Now Available on the Bay Area Equity Atlas

The Bay Area Equity Atlas recently released updated data and trends for California’s Tribal Nations reflecting the latest available data. Native Americans are a relatively small share of the Bay Area population (less than ½ percent) and the population varies in size across counties and cities within the region. Because data on the Atlas is limited for smaller populations, we’ve included an analysis of key trends for Native Americans so you can easily find this data. You can also review an updated table detailing data availability for Native American communities.

The Atlas Team Presents at the Northern California Grantmakers 2021 Corporate Philanthropy Institute

On October 13, the Atlas team presented the Bay Area Equity Atlas and National Equity Atlas tools at the 2021 Corporate Philanthropy Institute, a conference to help companies use their voice, leadership, philanthropy, and power to address racial inequalities and other long-term societal challenges. Atlas team members Jamila Henderson and Abbie Langston shared how companies and funders can leverage the Atlas tools to drive investments in communities across the Bay Area and nationally.

In the News

San Francisco Public Press covered our recent analysis of the diversity of Bay Area elected officials and lifted up our data illustrating that district-based elections can improve representation for communities of color. The article features an interview with Atlas team member Michelle Huang that aired on KSFP.

Thank you,

Bay Area Equity Atlas team

 

Dear Atlas users,

We are excited to announce that the National Equity Atlas team is expanding! While the movement for racial equity continues to gain momentum across the nation, it is critical to center people and communities of color in our economy’s recovery and in our systems and policy change efforts. This additional staffing will allow us to take on more data requests from community leaders and organizers, conduct more original analyses, build more responsive data tools, and dedicate more time to supporting equity advocates and campaigns.

The National Equity Atlas Team Is Growing

The Atlas team is actively recruiting for three new positions: a director to lead the team, a senior associate to conduct research and analysis, and a senior communications associate to lead all of our media & dissemination activities. These are dream jobs for people who love data, use mixed-methods approaches, and want to produce innovative research and partner with grassroots organizations advancing racial and economic equity. We have a preference for Bay Area-based candidates, but encourage applicants from anywhere in the US who are passionate about racial equity and have experience working in and with communities of color. Learn more about the positions here and please share with your networks!

Atlas Featured in “How to Build an Inclusive Economy”

PolicyLink CEO Michael McAfee was included in Freethink’s recent video series on how to build an inclusive economy and lifted up the role of the Atlas in advancing the equity movement by highlighting key data insights that validate the experiences of communities of color and providing fuel to advance equity campaigns. “The National Equity Atlas,” he explained, “will give you a sense of how much a region, a city, a county, a state, would benefit by closing gaps in racial disparities.” Watch the video.

Racial Equity in Entrepreneurship Is Crucial for an Inclusive Recovery

At the recent Institute of Governmental Studies Research Symposium, Sarah Treuhaft joined a keynote panel to share key Atlas data and insights on the state of racial equity in entrepreneurship, noting that in the 10 most populous US cities African Americans remain underrepresented in business ownership. Removing barriers that prevent people of color from starting and growing successful businesses is a crucial inclusive growth strategy as entrepreneurship is an important pathway for building wealth and addressing the racial wealth gap and also creating jobs for workers of color.

In the News

This month, our Rent Debt Dashboard was covered by the Los Angeles Times, Cal Matters, Maryland Matters, CBS8, Mendocino Voice, and the Sahan Journal. Our study of California rideshare driver healthcare access under Prop 22 was covered by LawyersAndSettlements. You can find a complete list of news coverage here.

- The National Equity Atlas team at PolicyLink and the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)
 

Dear Atlas users,

As evidenced by our most recent rent debt analysis, low-income people of color in the Bay Area continue to suffer from the devastating impacts of the pandemic even as other aspects of the economy return to ‘normal.’ Local governments as well as the state government must do more to ensure these communities have access to stable housing and a just economy — through continued eviction moratorium and targeted economic recovery programs. The Atlas team is committed to supporting Bay Area residents to realize these policy wins through disaggregated equity data and research support. Here are some updates:

In Case You Missed It: Check Out Our Recent Conversation with Local Leaders on Fostering Increased Diversity Among Local Elected Officials

The Bay Area is one of the most diverse regions in the nation, but our recent analysis finds that while people of color make up 60 percent of the Bay Area region they are just 34 percent of top elected officials. In a September 9 webinar, we dug into these findings and pointed to potential pathways to increase representation — such as through district-based elections — with a great panel of local leaders. Clarissa Doutherd and Shanthi Gonzales shared their experiences as women of color running for Oakland Unified School District board. Other featured speakers include Bay Rising Executive Director Kimi Lee, Urban Habitat Executive Director Ellen Wu, and Atlas team member Michelle Huang. You can find a recording of the webinar here as well as our op-ed.

Our New Homeownership Indicator Reveals Persistent Racial Gaps in Access to Wealth-Building Opportunities

This month, we added Homeownership as the 22nd indicator on the Bay Area Equity Atlas to democratize data on homeownership rates by race, gender, nativity, ancestry, and geography between 2000 and 2019, the most recent year for which this data is available. We also highlight key insights from this data for the Great Recession through the long economic recovery until right before the Covid-19 pandemic. Find the analysis of the new homeownership indicator here.

Bay Area Renters Still Owe Millions in Pandemic-Related Rent Debt

Our updated Rent Debt Dashboard reveals that thousands of Bay Area renter households are behind on rent payments. In Santa Clara County alone, we found that 23,504 households owe rent, totaling more than $109 million dollars. Despite the need for immediate assistance, rent relief distribution lags behind in the region: just 6 percent of relief funds have been distributed in Santa Clara County. The Raise the Roof coalition and other community advocates cited data from the dashboard to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors September 21 in their fight to protect low-income tenants at risk of eviction, temporarily limit the scope of just cause evictions, and allocate county funds for expanded tenant legal services. The Atlas team also provided public comment and cited the dashboard during the Board of Supervisors meeting to make the case for stronger renter protections during the pandemic.

In the News

Our analysis on the diversity of Bay Area electeds was featured in the SF Chronicle, SF Gate, Post News Group, and the Daily Journal. Check out a complete list of our coverage here.

Thank you,

Bay Area Equity Atlas team

Dear Atlas users,

The Supreme Court’s rejection of the federal eviction moratorium threatens to push millions of renters out of their homes. As our Rent Debt Dashboard shows, over 6 million renters —  overwhelmingly low-income households of color who have recently lost employment — owe more than $21 billion in back rent, putting them at immediate risk of eviction. Just 10 percent of state rental assistance funds have been distributed, while many who have applied wait in limbo. The Atlas team continues to equip local advocates with data and research to make the case for robust renter protections. We’re currently analyzing the newest rent debt data and will release our findings and analysis on Monday, August 30. Here are some more updates: 

New Report: Most California Rideshare Drivers Are Not Receiving Health-Care Benefits under Prop 22

Nearly a year after tech industry giants won passage of a law that exempted them from classifying millions of their drivers as full-time employees, we produced a study in partnership with Rideshare Drivers United to analyze the impact of Prop 22 on rideshare and delivery drivers’ access to health care. Our survey of drivers found that just 10 percent of respondents are receiving health insurance stipends from Uber or Lyft, and 16 percent have no insurance — double the national uninsurance rate. We also found stark racial inequities: Latinx respondents are less likely to know about the stipends and are also more likely to be uninsured. With Prop 22 ruled unconstitutional last week, our research underscores the need to overturn this harmful legislation and prevent its spread to other states where Uber and Lyft are already campaigning for identical legislation. 

New Analysis Finds that Bay Area Residents of Color Remain Underrepresented in Elected Positions

Centering the experiences of the people most impacted by structural racism is an essential component of equitable policymaking. The Bay Area Equity Atlas team and Bay Rising are excited to share our latest analysis on the diversity of elected officials in the region, which shows that the region has seen steady growth in electeds of color, but people of color remain highly underrepresented. Strategies like campaign finance reform, leadership development programs, district-based elections, and expanded voter education and voting options can also foster a fairer and more inclusive Bay Area. Join us on September 9 for a webinar to learn more about this research and hear local leaders — like Shanthi Gonzales of Oakland Unified School District and Kimi Lee of Bay Rising — discuss strategies to build political power among communities of color in the region. You can register here. 

In the News

This month, our report on the impacts of California’s Prop 22 were featured in the SF Examiner, KQED, The American Prospect, Bloomberg Law, and Law360. Our rent debt analysis were featured on KMOV4, Multi-Housing News, Catholic Herald, BollyInside, WOSU Public Media, Northern Nevada Business Weekly, ABC Baltimore, PolitiFact, NBC5, Maryland Matters, Texas News Today, The Current, Market Watch, the Nevada Independent, and News Nation, among others. See the complete list of media coverage here.

- The National Equity Atlas team at PolicyLink and the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)
 

Dear Atlas users,

As recent weeks have shown, the Bay Area’s struggle to recover from the Covid-19 crisis is far from over. The Bay Area Equity Atlas and our community partners are equipping equity advocates with data and research to support an equitable recovery and build back a more just economy. Here are some updates:

New Analysis Finds that People of Color Remain Underrepresented in Elected Positions

Centering the experiences of the people most impacted by structural racism is an essential component of equitable policymaking. The Bay Area Equity Atlas team and Bay Rising are excited to share our latest analysis on the diversity of elected officials in the region, which shows that the region has seen steady growth in electeds of color, but people of color remain highly underrepresented. For the first time, we also examined how the switch to district-based elections may increase the diversity of candidate pools. Other strategies like campaign finance reform, leadership development programs, and expanded voter education and voting options can also foster a fairer and more inclusive Bay Area. You can find the analysis here.

You’re Invited to "Rep the Bay": A Conversation on Diversity in Bay Area Politics

Join us on September 9 at 11am PT / 2 pm ET for a webinar to learn more about this research and hear local leaders discuss strategies to build political power among communities of color in the region. Speakers include Shanthi Gonzales (Oakland Unified School District), Kimi Lee (Bay Rising), Ellen Wu (Urban Habitat), and Michelle Huang (Bay Area Equity Atlas). Register for the webinar here.

New Homeownership Indicator: White Households Are 28 Percent More Likely than Households of Color to Own Their Homes

Homeownership remains one of the most widely available and effective ways to increase wealth over generations — yet Bay Area residents of color remain far less likely to own a home than their White counterparts. We added the Homeownership indicator to the Atlas to better understand inequities in ownership by race, nativity, ancestry, geography, and gender, and how homeownership rates are changing over time.

Updated Data Now Available for 14 Indicators

We have also updated the following indicators to reflect the most recent available data: Nativity and ancestry, Educational attainment, Disconnected youth, Median earnings, Income growth, Police use of force, Extreme commuting, Housing burden, Gentrification risk, Diversity of electeds, Voting, Linguistic isolation, Economic gains: eliminate rent burden, and Economic gains: racial equity in income. Stay tuned for more data updates coming soon!

Fact Sheet: Rent Debt in Unincorporated Alameda County

Analyzing rent debt in unincorporated communities in Alameda County. We found that 2,200 renter households—13 percent of renter households— across Ashland, Cherryland, Fairview, Castro Valley, and San Lorenzo are behind on rent and at risk of eviction when the statewide eviction moratorium expires, currently set for September 30. This amounts to an estimated $12 million in rent debt or about $5,500 per household. In addition to eviction protections and debt relief at the state and federal level, local policymakers should protect these renters by passing just cause eviction protections, rent stabilization, proactive rental inspections, and a fair chance ordinance. Find the analysis here.

In the News

Last month, the San Francisco Chronicle cited our data in a story on reparations and jury reform.

Thank you,

Bay Area Equity Atlas team

Dear Atlas users,

Even as stay-at-home ordinances end and businesses reopen, communities across the country continue to struggle with the health and economic impacts of Covid-19. With nearly 9.5 million people still unemployed, targeted solutions for those most impacted by the pandemic are as crucial as ever. The Atlas team is focused on supporting advocates to advance an equitable recovery and shared prosperity. Here are a few updates:

New Ready-to-use Tableau Workbooks on the Racial Equity Data Lab

We’re excited to announce the addition of four new Tableau-ready datasets on the Racial Equity Data Lab: Poverty, Car Access, Working Poor, and Educational Attainment. Each workbook has built-in features that allow you to access and explore Atlas data in Tableau Public, customize your own data charts, and create a Tableau dashboard or factsheet for your community. Visit the Lab to learn how to access Tableau Public for free, check out our gallery, and explore resources to help you craft your own equity data visualizations. Stay tuned for additional tools and updates from the Lab!

Updated Rent Debt Dashboard Supports State and Local Efforts to Protect Covid Impacted Renters

Last week, we released new national and local data on our Rent Debt Dashboard, produced in partnership with with Right to the City Alliance. As of the beginning of June, 5.8 million renters — overwhelmingly low-income households of color who have recently lost employment — owe more than $20 billion in back rent. With the federal eviction moratorium scheduled to expire at the end of July, clearing this debt is urgently needed to prevent an eviction crisis and make equitable recovery possible. See the data for your community on the dashboard and check out our updated analysis.

In the News

Dozens of news sources covered our Rent Debt Dashboard this month, including San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, ABC News, NBC News, Mercury News, BET, KQED, and more. Augusta Chronicle, Journal of Olympia, Lacet, and Tumwater, and St. Louis American lifted up findings from Atlas indicators. Finally, SF Public Press highlighted findings from our report on California rental assistance, produced in partnership with BARHII and Housing Now. See a full list of media coverage here.

- The National Equity Atlas team at PolicyLink and the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)

Dear Atlas users,

The Atlas team has had an exciting month of sharing our data tools and analysis with community partners throughout the Bay Area. As local restrictions loosen and businesses begin to ramp back up, we will continue to equip equity advocates with the research necessary to ensure a just economic recovery. Here are some updates:

New Blog: Economic Recovery Begins by Prioritizing Racial Equity

The Covid-19 pandemic and economic shutdown brought about an unprecedented rise in unemployment in the Bay Area and across the country, particularly for low-income people of color and immigrants. Our new analysis highlights how these communities not only suffered the greatest job losses but were also less likely to receive PPP loans early on and more likely to work in essential jobs than their White counterparts. For the region to recover and thrive, policymakers should prioritize investments in historically underserved communities, connect unemployed and low-wage workers with good jobs, and support businesses owned by people of color and immigrants. Find the analysis here.

Atlas Team Presents Data to Spur an Equitable Recovery to The Commonwealth Club of California

The Commonwealth Club hosted a webinar on May 18, "Building an Inclusive Recovery Across the Bay Area," led by Fred Blackwell, CEO of the San Francisco Foundation. Panelists included Jamila Henderson from the Atlas team who shared findings on how Covid-19 has impacted people of color and low-income communities. Experts and advocates, Chris Iglesias of Unity Council and Tomiquia Moss of All Home, shared their perspectives on what is needed to ensure an equitable recovery for all Bay Area residents. Check out the webinar recording here.

California Tenants Face Barriers in Accessing Rent Relief, Survey Finds

In partnership with Housing NOW and BARHII, PolicyLink surveyed 177 workers conducting intake and outreach for California’s emergency rental assistance programs. We found that tenants are facing numerous challenges accessing relief, including technological and language barriers, difficulty supplying the necessary documentation of income losses, and fear of landlord harassment/retaliation or immigration enforcement. The analysis also includes the latest data from our Rent Debt Dashboard, which shows that Californian renter households owe an average of $4700 in back rent. Check out the findings here.

The Cost of Being Californian: New Data on Economic Security from the Insight Center

Through their Family Needs Calculator, the Insight Center found that the hourly wage needed for a family with one parent, one preschooler, and one school-age child to meet basic needs is over $70 an hour in some Bay Area counties. In addition, the percentage of Black households struggling to make ends meet in Marin County increased from 56 percentage in 2018 to 95 percentage in 2021. The Atlas team regularly uses the Family Needs Calculator in our work and are thrilled to have this updated dataset. You can access the report here.

Create Your Own Factsheets on the Racial Equity Data Lab

Last month, we launched the Racial Equity Data Lab, a new space on the National Equity Atlas where you can create unique data displays, dashboards, and maps. The Lab has everything you need to tell your community’s equity story using Atlas data: ready-to-use datasets, data visualization basics, and a step-by-step guide to get you started. We held a webinar for the Lab release on May 6th where our Atlas team members Selena Tan and Sarah Treuhaft were joined by USC Equity Research Institute Director Manuel Pastor. Check out the webinar recording here.

In the News

This month, The Business Journal and Pacific Sun covered our findings on household rental debt in the Bay Area. New Hope Network cited our data on Bay Area indigenous communities.

Thank you,

Bay Area Equity Atlas team

April 30, 2021

Dear Atlas users,

As the Bay Area’s vaccination campaign and re-opening plans continue to ramp up, the Atlas team is working to share timely data and analyses to support an equitable recovery that centers the needs of low-income residents and people of color. Here are some updates:

You’re Invited: Introducing the Racial Equity Data Lab

The National Equity Atlas is America’s most detailed report card on racial and economic equity – and now we’re democratizing our data even further to help you build your own custom Atlas-powered data dashboards. Join us on May 6 at 12 pm PT / 3 pm ET for the launch of the Racial Equity Data Lab, a new space on the Atlas where you can create unique data displays, dashboards, and maps. The Lab has everything you need to tell your community’s equity story using Atlas data: ready-to-use datasets, data visualization basics, and a step-by-step guide to get you started. We’ll also share a starter dashboard focused on the importance of closing racial wage gaps: just six in 10 Latinx immigrant workers in the Bay Area earn at least $15/hour, compared to more than nine in 10 White workers. Join this webinar to hear more about the Lab, how we’re using it to support equity campaigns, and how to create custom data visualizations for your community. Register now!

Our New Dashboard Tracks Covid Impacts to Support Strong Renter Protections

This month we released a new data dashboard, produced in partnership with the Right to the City Alliance, to equip equity advocates and policymakers with regularly updated local data on the extent of rent debt and the characteristics of renters affected by it. In the five-county Bay Area, 58,000 households owe an average of $5,300 each in rent. About 88 percent of those behind on rent are people of color, and nine in 10 lost employment income during the pandemic. See our accompanying analysis for more insights into the data and the policy solutions that can protect impacted renters.

Sharing the Power of Equity Data and Framing with Tableau Users

We were excited to share our Equity Data Hub and Rent Debt dashboards with the San Francisco Tableau User Group this past month. We presented a live demo of the Bay Area Equity Atlas, and our partners at Tableau Foundation and Lovelytics presented on the Equity Data Hub and the development of Tableau dashboards using Atlas data. You can find a recording of the meeting here.

Equity Data On the Road

We continue to share the Atlas to advance equity across the region. On March 25, we conducted a joint training with the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of the San Francisco Bay Area and the Junior League of Oakland-East Bay, and on April 8 we led a training for UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program students. On April 28, the Atlas Team also presented equity data to inform the recovery efforts of the Contra Costa County Measure X Community Advisory Board, which is developing a list of county needs and priorities for Measure X, the half-cent, general countywide sales tax passed by voters last November.

Atlas Data Informs Efforts to Build an Inclusive Recovery in the Bay

On May 18, the Commonwealth Club will host a virtual event on Building an Inclusive Recovery Across the Bay Area. The Atlas team will share data on the state of equity in the region, and Fred Blackwell of the San Francisco Foundation will moderate a panel with Tomiquia Moss from All Home and Chris Iglesias from the Unity Council. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting event, which is free and open to the public.

In the News

This month, USA Today cited the Atlas in a story on the impacts of Covid-19 in Native American communities. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on our data on low-income and very-low income families in the Bay Area. Mercury News and The Press Democrat both highlighted our rent debt analysis in their coverage of Bay Area rental assistance programs. Finally, The Daily Journal shared insights from our work on the diversity of Bay Area elected officials.

Thank you,

Bay Area Equity Atlas team

March 15, 2021

Dear Atlas users,

As we mark a full year since the beginning of the Bay’s shelter-in-place ordinance, our neighbors who already faced the burdens of structural racism and extreme inequality have been most impacted by the pandemic’s health and economic impacts. The Atlas team continues to partner with local advocates and policy leaders to bring equity to the forefront of our region’s recovery. Here are a few highlights:

Bay Area Renters Face Mounting Debt
Following up on our eviction risk analyses for Bay Area counties, today we released a new analysis and fact sheet describing rent debt and eviction risk in the Bay Area region. Using Census Household Pulse Survey data for the region from late January, we find that 137,500 renter households are experiencing rent shortfall and potentially face eviction if not covered by an effective eviction moratorium. We estimate that they owe about $488 million in debt.

Racial Equity Data Hub Analyzes Black Prosperity in the Bay Area
Last month, the Tableau Foundation launched its Racial Equity Data Hub, in partnership with the National Equity Atlas. The Hub is designed to provide data and tools needed to understand racism in all of its forms, and to enable movement leaders to effectively use data to advocate for change. The Atlas team worked with Tableau expert Chantilly Jaggernauth of Lovelytics to produce two visualizations for the Hub. Our visualization “How is the Black population doing in the Bay Area?” presents indicators of economic and political inclusion, education, and justice for the region’s Black population. Tableau invites community members to participate in shaping the Hub’s future growth through this forum.

Atlas Findings Power Policy Change in Contra Costa County
We were happy to participate in the Contra Costa Budget Justice Coalition’s presentation to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on equity and racial justice issues with the pandemic on February 9. Contra Costa County has the most households that are behind on their water bills of all counties in the region: about 30,595 households have water debt. The presentation prompted local officials to begin plans to allocate aid to households with water arrearages.

New California Eviction Risk Data Released
In partnership with Housing Now!, the Atlas team released an updated analysis of rent debt in California. We found that over 814,000 households were behind on rent in January, or 14 percent of all renter households. Renters owe an estimated $2.4 billion in rent debt — or $2,900 per household. Immediate action, including debt forgiveness and stronger eviction protections, is crucial to ensure renters with low income and renters of color are included in an equitable recovery. Find the analysis here.

Sharing Atlas Research at UC Berkeley Housing Solutions Event
On March 12, the Berkeley Opportunity Lab hosted an afternoon of talks with Bay Area housing experts aimed at generating new insights and solutions to the challenges of housing supply and affordability, homelessness and displacement, and the question of how to ensure broad and equitable economic development. Sarah Treuhaft, Vice President of Research at PolicyLink, shared our rent debt research at the event alongside Senator Scott Weiner, and panelists from SPUR, TechEquity Collaborative, and UC Berkeley.

Atlas in the News
Media outlets continue to cover our rent debt and eviction risk research, including San Jose Spotlight, CBS San Francisco, San Luis Obispo Tribune, KSRO, and KFBK. Find a full list of our media coverage here.

Thank you,

Bay Area Equity Atlas team