In April, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that allows young people in foster care who are turning 21 to remain in the system through June 30.
But some advocates and legislators worry that won’t be long enough and want the governor to continue allowing young adults on the brink of aging out to stay in foster care until the pandemic is over.
Meeting the needs of foster youth is also a racial justice issue. A disproportionate percentage of foster youth are Black or Native American, largely due to structural inequality and racism. Black and Native children are more than three times as likely as white and Latinx children to be in foster care in California.