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The Bottom Line

It's time to raise the baseline.

It's Time to Raise the Baseline

Our new name is a commitment to a higher starting point for everyone—and to the work it will take to get there. Californians are doing their part. It’s time our policies did theirs. It’s time to raise the baseline.

News

Baseline Invests in Grants for Bay Area Organizations Expanding Economic Opportunities for Low-Income Families

Baseline Invests $75,000 in Grants for Bay Area Organizations Expanding Economic Opportunities for Low-Income Families

Baseline, formerly known as Golden State Opportunity, announced that it has invested $75,000 in grants for partner organizations in the Bay Area for the 2027 tax season.

The Bottom Line

CalEITC and Tax Credits work, but the Baseline Is Still Too Low.

CalEITC and Tax Credits work, but the Baseline Is Still Too Low.

This is how California’s tax credits get built and get stronger. Working people show up and share their reality, and lawmakers listen.

The Bottom Line

Wilton Lemieux and the American Dream

The American Dream Isn’t Dead. The Baseline Is Too Low.

Here in California, the fourth-largest economy in the world, 6.7 million people lived below the poverty line in 2024. Without safety-net programs, many of which Washington is threatening right now, another 2.5 million would join them.

News

“The Poverty Line” puts faces to the numbers we talk about every day.

Jocelyn's story is far too common: 16 million people in our state can’t reliably cover the basics.

The Bottom Line

Senior Californians

A Lifetime of Work Should Add Up to Security, Not Scarcity

Rent, food, and medical bills keep climbing. All while Social Security and savings don’t keep up. In a state as expensive as California, official poverty measures miss how many older adults are struggling to cover the basics.

The Bottom Line

The Cost of Raising a Family in California

“No. Yes.” The Cost of Raising a Family in California

Nearly one in five children in California live in poverty, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. If we measured the true cost of living here, that number would be much higher.

The Bottom Line

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One Paycheck for Every Bill

Across California, women are carrying this economy on their own. Single moms. Grandmothers who worked for decades and now can’t make rent. Women living alone, with no one to call when unexpected costs surface.

The Bottom Line

Poverty responds to policy. We can choose differently.

Poverty responds to policy. We can choose differently.

Public policy choices shape whether people can meet their basic needs and, as the fourth largest economy in the world, the California workers powering that prosperity need to benefit from it as well.

Publications

Make a plan to vote

Your Voice Has Power: Make a Plan to Vote

California’s tax credits are shaped by decisions made through the state’s legislative and budget processes.

The Bottom Line

VITA at El Sol

A Tax Question, an Open Door, and a Community That Knows Where to Turn

At El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center, staff can do more than point families in the right direction—they can connect them directly to help.

Publications

2025 Impact Report

2025 Impact Report

The next ten years are about going bigger: reaching every eligible Californian, advancing policies that create real economic security, and building lasting power rooted in community voice. If the last decade has shown us anything, it’s this: when we combine community leadership, smart policy, and determination, we can change what’s possible.