This report estimates the impact of the informal penalty, that is, the cost of exclusion from the mainstream economy, for various stakeholders in the Angeleno ecosystem, from local businesses to neighborhood residents. We investigate three research questions: 1. What is the economic cost of...

Most California school employees in classified positions such as teacher assistants, childcare workers, janitors, and office clerks struggle to support their families with incomes that are often inadequate to pay for food, housing and health care. The median annual earnings of classified workers...

An analysis of California's construction industry found that 143,900 construction workers were employed in the informal economy in 2011. This was comprised of 104,100 construction workers who were not reported by their employers and 39,800 who were misclassified as independent...

For many, Los Angeles evokes images of year-round sunshine and celebrity, a dream city of wealth and possibility. Yet in reality, half of L.A. residents living in poverty are employed, showing that low wages drive poverty as much as unemployment does. The benefits and consequences of raising Los...