Using new statistics available last fall, The Center for the
Next Generation, a non-profit think tank, found that 23 percent
of California's kids are living at or below the poverty level
and nearly one out of three Hispanic children are living in
poverty. "We can't honestly separate our state's economic future
from current poverty rates among our kids," said Ann O'Leary,
vice president and director of the Children and Families Program
at the Center for Next Generation and co-author of a study
released Monday. The group is calling for a series of programs
to create expanded safety net programs to help children
nationwide. Jose Z. Calderon, a professor emeritus of sociology
and Chino studies at Pitzer College in Pomona, said the study
comes at a time when there is a growing tension in Washington
between programs for seniors, which are largely white, and
economically disadvantaged children, which are primarily from
minority groups. In California, white children account for about
27 percent of children and their