AN OVERVIEW OF ECONOMIC & SOCIAL
DISPARITIES IN VENTURA COUNTY:
FOCUSING ON CHILDREN, HOUSING,
EMPLOYMENT & INCOME
by Jamshid Damooei, PhD
Professor & Chair
Department of Economics, Finance & Accounting
School of Management
CONTENTS OF PRESENTATION
I. An Overview
II. State of Children
III. Housing Affordability
IV. Income & Employment
V. Conclusion and Ideas for Further Reflection
2
AN OVERVIEW
The Core of Economic and Social Disparities in Our Society
• Poverty is the core of disparity in every community.
• Poverty in a society can be viewed as denial of opportunities to those in poverty to improve their
economic & social status and living condition.
• Despite some unexamined ideas poverty is not an inherent part of development of a person or an
intrinsic characteristic of a group
• Poverty is the direct product of the working of an economic system and social setting which themselves
are impacted by the system.
• Poverty among children and our inability to intervene through relevant and appropriate public policies
will allow such condition to continue beyond current generation. That is why social mobility in the US is
among the worst among developed countries (the irony of not being able to have American Dream)
• The key in understanding and helping to meet such essential needs depends on activism and social
movement to bring a change of heart and mind in our societies for design and execution of relevant
public policies in all levels of government.This is the true promotion of social democracy in USA.
3
AN OVERVIEW
Purpose of this Presentation
This presentation has the explicit aim of helping us to understand some of the prevailing
realities of our communities in Ventura County.
The hope is to serve as a reference to bring our focus on various themes of this conference
and hopefully along the way for creation of relevant public policies to reduce the negative
impacts on our families who have been struggling to make the ends meet despite of living in
one of the most affluent communities of Southern California.
4
STATE OF THE CHILDREN IN
VENTURA COUNTY
Nurturing our children will prepare them for a much better life.
A better life of individuals is the key for building better societies,
avoiding poverty and increasing quality of life in our
communities.
5
STATE OF THE CHILDREN IN VENTURA COUNTY
In this section we used Misery Index to present the state of our children with particular emphasis on
early childhood development.
What is Misery Index
It is an index which was created in a study for the First Five of Ventura County (thanks to Claudia
Harrison) some five years ago with the aim of depicting the socio-economic condition of children in
Ventura County.
The idea at the time was to use it for assessing the extent of the needs for NfL (Neighborhood for
Learning) within the county for a better allocations of the scarce funds of the First Five.
We have made some changes since that time with regard to both collection of various indicators to
reduce interdependence among the factors used in its construction and change of geographic locations
from NfL to School Districts within the county. The latter one was to allow us conduct California wide
research and not just for Ventura County.
6
BUILDING BLOCK OF THE MISERY INDEX
It is an index
presenting the
Existing
disparities in
socioeconomic
conditions of
children in a
community.
Its value
provides an
expression of
the living
condition of
children and it
varies
adversely with
the wellbeing
of children.
INCLUDES SIX INDICATORS:
• Percentage of Poverty Among Children 5 Years
and Under
• Percentage of Female Households Below
Poverty with Related Children at Age of 5 and
Under
• Percentage of Population 25 Years and Above
without High School Diploma
• Percentage of People at Age of 5 and Above who
Speak English "Less than very Well"
• Free and Reduced Meals
• Percentage of English Language Learners
7
MISERY INDEX IN VENTURA
COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS
“Every child is an artist.The problem is how
to remain an artist once we grow up”
Pablo Picasso
8
Source: Center for Leadership and Values
9
Source: Center for Leadership and Values
10
G E OGR APH IC DI ST R I B UT ION OF CH I L DR EN FACE D W I T H MI SE RY OR COMFORT
W I T H I N E ACH COUNT Y ( V E NT UR A)
Source: Center for Leadership and Values
HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
12
Hourly Wage Required to Afford 2 Bedroom Apartment in Ventura County, California, United
States, 2011 - 2015
$35.00
$30.00
$29.37
$26.17
$27.62
$26.02
$28.83
$29.90
$28.44
$26.04
$25.78
$26.65
Hourly Wage
$25.00
$20.00
$18.46
$19.35
$18.92
$18.79
$18.25
$15.00
$10.00
$5.00
$2011
2012
Ventura County
2013
California
2014
United States
Source: National Low Income Coalition, Out of Reach Report
2015
H OUSI NG AFFOR DAB I L I TY I N V E NT UR A COUNT Y, 2 0 1 4
• Have to Work more Than 40 Hours per Week to Afford 2 Bedroom Apartment – 76% (225,885 employees).
• Have to Work more Than 60 Hours per Week to Afford 2 Bedroom Apartment – 48.9% (145,339 employees).
• Have to Work more Than 80 Hours per Week to Afford 2 Bedroom Apartment – 15.3% (45,474 employees).
Approximate Hours a Week to Work to Afford a 2 Bedroom Apartment in Ventura County, 2014
Farming, fishing, and forestry
Food preparation and serving related
Personal care and service
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance
Healthcare support
Transportation and material moving
Production
Office and administrative support
Sales and related
Installation, maintenance, and repair
Community and social services
Construction and extraction
Education, training, and library
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media
Protective service
Business and financial operations
Life, physical, and social science
Computer and mathematical
Healthcare practitioner and technical
Architecture and engineering
Management
Legal
20.3
20.2
0.0
10.0
20.0
31.7
28.6
26.9
26.7
26.2
30.0
49.8
47.5
46.8
44.2
41.5
39.5
40.0
50.0
61.1
57.9
60.0
Hours per Week
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
70.9
67.4
70.0
75.2
79.5
80.0
103.5
103.0
84.1
90.0
100.0
110.0
H OME L ESS PUB L I C SCH OOL ST UDE NT S I N C AL I FOR NI A, V E NT UR A COUNT Y AN D
V E NT UR A COUNT Y Z I P CODE S, 2 0 1 4
• Percentage of Homeless Public School Students in 2014:
Ventura County – 4.6%
California – 4.8%
15
Source: A Program of Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health
INCOME & EMPLOYMENT
16
E MP L OY MENT STAT US B Y R ACE AND E T H NI CIT Y I N V E NT UR A COUNT Y, 2 0 1 4
Employment Status by Race in Ventura County, 2014
Employment Status by Ethnicity in
Ventura County, 2014
70.0%
60.0%
68.0%
66.8%
60.3%
56.1%
68.4%
66.7%
65.6%
64.0%
61.1%
57.5%
72.0%
59.6%
66.5%
57.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
14.6%
9.1%
10.5%
7.7%
10.8%
12.5%
5.6%
Percentage of Population 16 Years and Over
Percentage of Population 16 Years and Over
80.0%
0.0%
White
Black or American
African Indian and
American
Alaska
Native
In Labor Force
Asian
Employed
Native
Hawaiian
and Other
Pacific
Islander
Some
Other
Races
Two or
More Races
Unemployed
Source: American Fact Finder, S2301
80.0%
71.4%
70.0%
64.4%
63.8%
58.2%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.4%
10.0%
8.7%
0.0%
Hispanic or Latino Origin
(of any Race)
In Labor Force
Employed
White Alone, not
Hispanic or Latino
Unemployed
E AR NI NGS AND UNE MPL OY MENT R AT E BY E DUC AT I ONAL AT TAI NME NT I N UNI T E D
STAT E S, 2 0 1 4
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
ME DI AN I NCOME B Y CI T I E S OF V E NT UR A COUNT Y, 2 0 1 3
Source: American Fact Finder, S1901
UNE MPL OY MENT R ATE I N CI T I ES OF V E NT UR A COUNT Y, V E NT UR A COUNT Y,
C AL I FOR NI A AND UNI T E D STAT E S, 2 0 1 4
• Unemployment Rate in 2014:
Ventura County – 9.4%
California – 11%
Source: American Fact Finder, S2301
United States – 9.2%
ME DI AN I NCOME B Y R ACE AND E T H NI CIT Y, 2 0 1 3
Annual Median Income
Median Income by Race in Ventura County, 2013
$120,000
$100,000
$80,000
$101,746
$77,342
$94,602
$71,987
$70,962
$57,273
$60,000
$56,887
$40,000
$20,000
$0
White
Black or African
American
American Indian and
Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian and Some Other Races Two or More Races
Other Pacific
Islander
Annual Median Income
Median Income by Ethnicity in Ventura County, 2013
$100,000
$85,776
$80,000
$60,000
$57,231
$40,000
$20,000
$0
Hispanic or Latino Origin (of any Race)
White Alone, not Hispanic or Latino
Source: American Fact Finder, S1903
OTHER SELECTED INDICATORS OF
DISPARITY IN VENTURA COUNTY
22
Academic Performance Index (API) by Ventura
County School Districts, 2013
Santa Clara Elementary
Oak Park Unified
Conejo Valley Unified
Pleasant Valley Elementary
Mesa Union
Moorpark Unified
Mupu Elementary
Simi Valley Unified
Somis Union
Ventura Unified
Ojai Unified
Santa Paula Unified
Briggs Elementary
Hueneme Elementary
Ocean View
Rio
Oxnard Elementary
Fillmore Unified
947
929
884
866
863
841
834
830
814
811
800
790
763
734
731
727
727
724
0
100
200
300
400
Source: California Department of Education
500
API
600
700
800
900
1000
L I F E E X P E C TA N C Y A N D O B E S I T Y B Y R AC E A N D G E N D E R I N C A L I F O R N I A , 2 0 1 0 A N D 2 0 1 2
Obesity by Race and Gender in
California , 2012
Life Expectancy by Race and Gender in California,
2010
45.0%
100.0%
90.0%
Life Expectancy
80.0%
70.0%
76.4%
70.2%
85.8%
80.3%
79.9%
75.0%
88.6%
83.3%
41.6%
40.0%
81.7%
76.9%
35.0%
30.0%
60.0%
25.0%
50.0%
20.0%
40.0%
35.9%
33.2%
28.2%
23.3%
21.6%
15.9%
15.0%
30.0%
8.8%
10.0%
20.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
0.0%
Afrian
American
Latino
Male
Native
American
Asian
Female
Source: California Pan-Ethnic Health Network
White
Afrian
American
Latino
Male
Asian
White
Female
Source: California Department of Public Health
Public Health & Income Inequality By Ventura County Zip Codes (2010)
Life Expectancy (2010)
Households Mean Income (5-year estimates) (2011)
90
$180,000
88
$160,000
$120,000
Ages
84
$100,000
82
$80,000
80
$60,000
78
$40,000
76
$20,000
74
$-
Source:Ventura County Health Care Agency
U.S. Dollars
$140,000
86
UNINSURED POPULATION IN CITIES OF VENTURA COUNTY, 2013
Source: American Fact Finder, S2701
Pay for Work by Sex, Median Earnings in the past 12 Months for Ventura County
(2014 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars)
$90,000
$80,000
$70,000
$60,000
$81,352
$78,080
$77,215
$67,360
$60,913
$67,351
$64,734
$58,976
$56,338
$50,722
$50,000
$52,592
$41,946
$40,000
$51,388
$56,065
$50,194
$41,706
$45,719
$35,857
$30,000
$20,000
$10,000
$-
Local
government
workers
Federal
government
workers
Self-employed in
own
incorporated
business
workers
State
government
workers
Private not-for- Private for-profit Employee of Self-employed in
profit wage and wage and salary private company
own not
salary workers
workers
workers
incorporated
business
workers and
unpaid family
workers
Male Female
Source: American Fact Finder, B24092
Average
CONCLUSION AND POSSIBLE
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
“
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POLICY INITIATIVES FOR VENTURA COUNTY
• Poverty is the core and the most important cause of
the problem
• Better utilization of existing resources with a focused
attention on improving the performance of schools and their
districts.
• Increasing the degree of diversity in our schools through
meaningful and applicable means.
• Increasing investment in early childhood development
through sustainable means and in various youth development
Programs.
• Focusing on what can be done to reduce the negative
impacts of families in poverty and low income (food,
healthcare, housing, education and safety).
• Placing family as the centerpiece of any positive development
that can occur.
• Developing community based programs for any intervention
that might be needed.
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POLICY INITIATIVES FOR VENTURA COUNTY
• Fostering greater partnership between local government and private sector for establishing high quality
day care and early childhood centers for all working parents and particularly low income families
Looking into secondary and post-secondary education with the idea of creating functional pathways into
establishment viable training for skill-sets needed for high paying jobs in the emerging 21st century job
markets within Ventura County.
• Putting the highest emphasis on Human Capital Development from early childhood.
•
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THANK YOU!