Do you or your clients have retirement accounts and charitable intent? If they are 70 ½ or older, they can easily make a qualified charitable distribution and get a tax break. For 2023, donors can transfer up to $100,000 directly from their traditional IRA(s) to charity.
People power is one of the most effective tools low-wage workers have in the face of stagnating wages, increasing rents and a crushing cost of living in one of the most expensive cities in the country. Worker activism is not new for the City of Angels. Los Angeles has a history of major wins for disenfranchised workers, including the historic El Monte Thai Garment Slavery Case of 1995. This case was led by garment workers trafficked from Thailand like Rotchana Sussman who worked around the clock and slept in a crowded sweatshop surrounded by barbed wire and paved the path to the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA).
On my first day as President and CEO of the California Community Foundation (CCF) I reflect on the difficult times we are in as our world confronts complex and somber challenges. Indeed, we live in a time when our collective resilience and humanity are being tested.
On September 8, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Morocco in the High Atlas Mountains, about 45 miles from the city of Marrakech. The earthquake devastated towns and villages in the isolated mountain areas and injured thousands of people, leaving many without shelter and basic infrastructure. As one of the strongest earthquakes the country has experienced in over a century, there have been over 2,500 deaths reported.
Los Angeles County continues to be home to refugees and asylum seekers fleeing political, civil, and economic unrest. Together, government, philanthropy and community-based organizations can meaningfully and effectively support refugees and asylum seekers and sustain a coordinated resettlement process for the region.
On August 8, a devastating fire quickly spread in western Maui, taking many residents by surprise. Thousands have been forced to flee their homes and over 270 building structures were damaged or destroyed, including in the historic town of Lahaina. Maui County officials have reported over 50 deaths with dozens more injured. The President has declared a national emergency to expand federal aid to support the community.