SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California State Assembly Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review held hearings in December 2011 on the problem of inequality and the potential role of state government. Center for Poverty Research Director Ann Huff Stevens testified, along with researchers from a variety of universities and institutes throughout the state.

Stevens’ comments focused on the low wage growth and standards of living at the bottom of the earnings distribution, and discussed tax policies and educational investments that can assist low-wage workers. “At current levels of wage inequality,” Stevens noted, “it is simply not possible for a large fraction of US earners to support themselves and their family even if everything goes right, even in a strong economy with no illness and no lack of employment opportunities.”