[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6585808,"mediaKeyId","5590913-b7000afc64f6777d6698fa2aba1d67ea","parentId",5590913,"title","UCLA labor researchers tell Assembly student workers face deep financial strain; propose expanded work‑study, internship tax credit","audioSeconds",4383,"startMs",2409000,"endMs",6792000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5590913-b7000afc64f6777d6698fa2aba1d67ea&start=2409&end=6792","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5590913-b7000afc64f6777d6698fa2aba1d67ea/thumbnail_2409000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6585808/California/UCLA-labor-researchers-tell-Assembly-student-workers-face-deep-financial-strain-propose-expanded-workstudy-internship-tax-credit","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6585808-515fba42a0dd066abf2fffdf5f35978b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770430704&Signature=oYF9hmoIFbzwrflsLtYo9TFbX7S1DZBF4p34jAIeKeKqYpsxTFIug026V7uiUjhC~aMtK0vws4IM59Iqi-ia7YK0XS7bGoqOqEMDOcDml2KKMe5Iuu0MhxZvAUjhgITNEI~9bZtn8ueUkU~gTiyyrM6Aigb7R~wwx5Yk3UNr-f69YK5hx06YwJtl~7-gRivGkLXHoXTc4E9JQRRM5pqY8~TNAlZatxGDXqvrRGVjUzsgraiGPzzxNRO7EPAMTXZ5c4B430PuXX5f3cXuUh7U5MrBVx~SDiI1B36zrRX7gDMnARVEBI99qdK8sc0ngN-PZxhQtEa-xPvxtGjj~OYQBg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","California State Assembly","date","2025-08-15T00:00:00Z","article","UCLA Labor Center researchers told the California State Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth and Household Impact on a stop of its “pocketbook” tour in Paramount that many college students who also work face chronic financial insecurity and health impacts that threaten graduation and the state’s future workforce.

The research — presented by Saba Wahid, director of the UCLA Labor Center, and former student researcher Hina Malik — drew on 139 survey responses and 26 in‑depth interviews of students attending public colleges and universities across Los Angeles County. The presenters said the data show a majority of student workers earn little, lack benefits, and work hours that interfere with coursework.

The findings matter because, the UCLA researchers said, students who must work long hours to survive are less likely to complete degrees or secure career‑aligned experience — a result with implications for California’s labor pipeline and economic competitiveness.

Wahid said the Labor Center’s shift to focus on “workers and learners” reflects concern that early‑career work and working while studying shape lifetime earnings. “Early career work impacts your entire lifetime of earnings,” she said, describing the project’s research‑justice approach that centers student researchers in study design and outreach.

Hina Malik, who worked on the summer research program, summarized the project’s core results: 65 percent of survey respondents reported annual earnings under $15,000; 63 percent of students who receive financial aid said it is insufficient; about one‑third borrowed money for essentials; 43 percent cannot cover all expenses; and 71 percent reported working while sick because they could not miss a shift. Malik said many students hold full‑time course loads while working more than 15 hours weekly — “working 20 hours, 25, 30 and so on,” she said — which the researchers linked to worse academic outcomes and higher anxiety.

The presenters also described mismatch between jobs and career goals: roughly half of surveyed students said their paid jobs are not related to their intended field. Malik said the group found that only about one in five students had jobs aligned with social science or STEM majors, and that 55 percent of student workers received no workplace benefits.

Panel recommendations delivered to the committee included: expanding state‑funded work‑study eligibility and capacity; a statewide internship tax credit to incentivize small businesses to hire paid interns in career‑aligned positions; adjusting financial‑aid formulas to reflect regional cost‑of‑living differences; expanding workers’ rights education (the UCLA team referenced AB 800 as an example of early education about worker rights); and boosting paid, career‑aligned internship opportunities and mentoring programs.

Hina Malik framed the policy ask as coming directly from students: “If you had a magic wand, what would you change?” she said the students asked for expanded work‑study, internship incentives, and aid adjustments to reflect local costs.

Assemblymember Mike Gibson, who attended the hearing and chairs the Assembly revenue and taxation committee, told the panel that the recommendations align with his committee’s jurisdiction. “So all three of those, they will fall under my committee because I chair the revenue and taxation committee,” Gibson said.

Public commenters at the hearing included Jimmy Mancilla, a former student researcher who worked on the same project, who said the study’s numbers reflected his lived experience: “If I take a sick day, I can’t pay rent, but if I don’t, my grades suffer.”

The committee did not take formal votes at the Paramount hearing. Members thanked presenters and said the research would inform future budget and legislative discussions on financial aid and internship policy.

Looking ahead, UCLA’s Labor Center urged legislative action to expand paid work‑study and to create incentives for paid, career‑relevant internships so students can gain experience without sacrificing financial stability or academic progress. The committee indicated interest in those ideas but made no commitments at the hearing.

Sources: testimony by Saba Wahid and Hina Malik, UCLA Labor Center; public comment by Jimmy Mancilla; committee remarks by Assemblymember Mike Gibson.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact","oneSentenceSummary","UCLA Labor Center researchers told the California State Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth and Household Impact on a stop of its “pocketbook” tour in Paramount that many college students who also work face chronic financial insecurity and health impacts that threaten graduation and the state’s future workforce.","taxTitle","California State Assembly, House, Legislative, California","taxId",17099,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6585804,"Small‑business owners, SBDC and workforce board tell Assembly tariffs, rents and supply shocks are squeezing margins; call for more technical assistance and tax",3006,4431000,7437000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5590913-b7000afc64f6777d6698fa2aba1d67ea&start=4431&end=7437","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5590913-b7000afc64f6777d6698fa2aba1d67ea/thumbnail_4431000.jpg","/articles/6585804/California/Smallbusiness-owners-SBDC-and-workforce-board-tell-Assembly-tariffs-rents-and-supply-shocks-are-squeezing-margins-call-for-more-technical-assistance-and-tax","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6585804-060ca5ace8723e68dea0209a42528584/orig.mp4?Expires=1770430704&Signature=LJvMCJnXEUiE6nCzjg7DDSL2K4anJ8RM8VjDjv6EKG254o~pSbGIFnRQlLGGOnnQ0H-w4EjtmJSSpyyarUICCHZEFdb5aKRu6B8t1l1-neMU8JJXDN1F7D1mXR4ielNjylYXY00qXypwLyBG5TY2Pk0L74dMBq-2j677NZSdcIh-2e5mh4dJbDdGcbANvrakfvmmpnZbOTRdgY~o9UuI8umdnRhKEKcxnVchVQso9uMg~UuPbPUxnGcj~7BEbF7Qxv0UxGu5ne-y9o-iUgfKO~z1~Rti36bz6qz0b4B99dodNBGT~vwRHAD8MachMLdkgLPURLXaeez1BmVr6e8p1A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Owners of microenterprises, representatives of the Los Angeles Regional Small Business Development Center network (LASBDC), and the Southeast Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board (Celico) told the Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth and Household Impact in Paramount that rising input and operating costs are squeezing margins and that state action should prioritize technical assistance, disaster readiness, and incentives to hire locally.

Panelists described a mix of long‑running and recent pressures: higher commercial rents, tariff‑driven increases in the cost of imported materials, rising insurance and utility costs, and supply chain disruptions. They said those layers of cost are especially harmful to microbusinesses, single‑person operations and small local suppliers who lack bulk‑buying power.

Pat Nye, leader of the Los Angeles Regional Small Business Development Center Network, told the committee “small businesses are being hit from all sides,” citing rent spikes, higher labor and input costs, and increased unpredictability from natural‑disaster exposure. Nye urged more state funding for small‑business technical assistance programs, including the TAP grants administered by the Office of the Small Business Advocate, which he said are “wildly oversubscribed.”

Sandra Michel, deputy director of the Southeast LA County Workforce Development Board (Celico), described workforce board priorities and results in the region of Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, Norwalk and Paramount. Michel said Celico places residents into higher‑wage jobs, provides wraparound supports, and partners with employers on sector pathways; she reported that Celico placed “over 800 residents into quality jobs averaging more than $26 an hour” in the past year and provided more than 300 youth with work experience.

Microenterprise speakers offered practical, on‑the‑ground examples. Alma Marquez, founder and CEO of El Sol Group, highlighted programs that train community residents as promotora‑style economic outreach workers and recommended that government contractors be required to include microenterprise support in procurement strategies for large events (the panel noted opportunities tied to upcoming international events). Marquez also urged “community‑informed outreach” that meets entrepreneurs where they are rather than relying on newsletters.

Jennifer Cox, owner of Mama Osa (a tie‑dye and craft events business), recounted how tariff‑driven and supply‑chain cost increases compressed margins: she said some material costs “doubled,” priced smaller competitors out of importing, and forced smaller suppliers to absorb higher shipping fees. Cox described relying on the SBDC for operations and marketing help and said the network’s support was instrumental when demand and costs surged.

Ariel (Ari) Pei, owner of LabWorks and a part‑time SBDC consultant, urged expanded access to low‑interest financing targeted at cash‑flow gaps, support for local supply‑chain development to reduce dependence on costly imports, and workforce training aligned to small‑business needs. He also emphasized that marketing and operations assistance are needed alongside capital.

Panelists suggested specific policy changes the Assembly could pursue: increasing state technical‑assistance funding to SBDCs and similar providers; creating incentives for local hiring (one committee member referenced a 2022 proposal, AB 1864, that would have provided small local hiring tax credits); authorizing or streamlining eligible training provider list (ETPL) processes so community college and adult school programs are more quickly available to workforce board customers; and offering disaster‑preparedness incentives tied to insurance or premium reductions.

Public commenters reinforced those themes. Adrian Landa, representing a renewable‑energy company in the region, described internship and K‑12 outreach programs at his facility and asked the state to support alternative‑fuel projects that create jobs and training. A nonprofit speaker urged continued state support for children’s mental health programs that the panelists said are part of the broader local economic ecosystem.

Assemblymembers in attendance expressed interest in supporting technical assistance and localized hiring incentives; Chair Gibson indicated precedent for tax‑credit ideas and asked for follow‑up. No formal legislative action was taken at the hearing.

Sources: testimony by Pat Nye (LASBDC), Sandra Michel (Celico), Alma Marquez (El Sol Group), Jennifer Cox (Mama Osa), Ariel Pei (LabWorks); public comment by Adrian Landa.","Owners of microenterprises, the Los Angeles Regional SBDC network and the Southeast Los Angeles County workforce board told the California State Assembly in Paramount that tariff‑driven price increases, rising rents and insurance costs are squeezing small businesses and recommended expanded state technical assistance, disaster support and hiring incentives.","actionData","errors"]

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UCLA labor researchers tell Assembly student workers face deep financial strain; propose expanded work‑study, internship tax credit

Small‑business owners, SBDC and workforce board tell Assembly tariffs, rents and supply shocks are squeezing margins; call for more technical assistance and tax