Monterey County Local News: Business, Economy & Jobs


All Local Business, Economy & Jobs News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: Long-duration energy storage, such as this thermal energy storage facility, allows renewable energy sources to operate at full capacity without overloading the power grid.
How California Leads the Race For Long Duration Energy Storage

Long-duration energy storage is essential if renewables are to become the basis for a future, carbon-neutral power grid. Here's how California is leading the race to store energy from solar, wind, and other clean sources for use whenever it's needed.

Image caption: How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland

California has used reclamation districts to turn millions of acres of unusable swamps into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush. Here’s how it happened.

Image caption: Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society

Zoning laws determine what can be built and where. These laws have shaped California, but are they really just tools for social engineering? The history of zoning is closely tied to racial segregation, as well as the state's shortage of …

Image caption: They help feed the whole country, but life for California’s farm workers remains a struggle.
How California Feeds the Country

California stands as America’s agricultural powerhouse, growing half of its fruits and vegetables. Here’s how California farming has shaped the state, from the early missions to today’s “factories in the field.”

Image caption: Though life expectancy has declined in recent years, Californians still live longer than most Americans.
Want to Live a Long, Healthy Life? Move to California

Life expectancy in California exceeds all but three other states, but how long you live depends on which county you live in. They're not all equal. Why? The answer may lie in political policies.

Image caption: Owning homes is the primary way the middle class builds wealth, and an option no longer available to most Californians.
Is California’s Housing Crisis Making Inequality Worse?

California has some of the worst economic inequality in the United States. Is the housing crisis a cause?

Image caption: Moss Landing in Monterey Bay is the world’s largest battery storage facility for solar and other renewable energy.
Solar Power and California’s Clean Energy Goals

Solar power, and a network of giant battery storage facilities, are playing an essential role in moving California toward its goal of exclusive reliance on renewable energy sources.

Image caption: Thousands of homeowners have been kicked off their fire insurance policies.
California Fire Insurance Crisis: How the State Helps Homeowners

As California insurance companies have revoked the fire policies of thousands of homeowners, the state has taken steps to get them covered again.

Image caption: The cycle of crime and homelessness is escalating, but it doesn't have to be that way.
Homelessness and Crime in California: Even More Complex Than You Think

The links between homelessness and crime are complex, and the idea that unhoused individuals present a danger to their community seems to be exaggerated.

Image caption: Water is a human right under California law, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
Agriculture and Water Shortages in the State’s Breadbasket, Explained

Residential wells are drying up in the state’s main agricultural region at the same time that agricultural businesses consume almost 90 percent of the water there.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/18/2024
The California Public Utilities Commission will consider on May 9 a new proposal that would change how Californians pay for electricity.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

04/16/2024
Image for display with article titled San Ardo Taps Into Fiber Internet, With More Areas to Soon Get Connected.

Piece by piece, the County of Monterey is closing the yawning digital divide, recently connecting San Ardo and areas of Prunedale to the fiber network.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

04/14/2024
A coalition of timber businesses filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the embattled Pacific Gas & Electric Co., alleging $225 million in damages caused by the 2021 Dixie Fire.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

04/12/2024
Image for display with article titled Coastal Commission Votes 9-1 in Favor of American Tin Cannery Hotel Project.

The California Coastal Commission voted 9-1 on Thursday, April 11 in favor of a revised plan to build a luxury hotel at the American Tin Cannery site in Pacific Grove, two years after a P.G. City Council approval was appealed…

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

04/11/2024
Image for display with article titled County of Monterey Planning Commission Deadlocks on Pajaro Farmworker Housing Project.

A shorthanded County of Monterey Planning Commission was split on its decision over a proposed farmworker housing project in Pajaro on Wednesday, April 10.

King City Rustler logo From King City Rustler...

04/11/2024
Image for display with article titled Scheid Family Wines Enters 7th Year of 100% Wind-Powered Wines

This Earth Month, Scheid Family Wines celebrates nearly seven years of being 100% powered by renewable wind energy.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

04/11/2024
The Carmel Chamber of Commerce announced Kati Enea has been appointed as the new executive director.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/11/2024
A California Republican’s bill would exempt low and middle income wildfire victims from solar panels requirements on rebuilt homes that didn’t have them when they burned down.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

04/10/2024
Image for display with article titled Marina’s Downtown Plan Envisions Changes in Density, Traffic Flow and Landscaping.

The City of Marina is known for its coastal access, diverse community and an array of international food options, but it’s missing a well-defined downtown area.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/08/2024
Anti-tax groups in California have qualified a measure for the November ballot that would make raising state and local taxes much more difficult. It’s a showdown that’s been building for nearly five decades.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/05/2024
Not filling open positions in state government, cutting a school facilities program and several climate initiatives, delaying funding for public transit — these are some of the first steps that California officials plan to take to deal with a looming multibillion-dollar budget deficit.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

04/03/2024
Image for display with article titled Los Coches Animal Hospital Closes in Soledad, Leaving Fewer Health Options for Pet Owners.

After 90 years of operation, Los Coches Animal Hospital in Soledad closed effective Monday, April 1. Services for its customers and pet patients are continuing at its sister location, Romie Lane Pet Hospital, in Salinas.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

04/03/2024
Image for display with article titled A Contentious P.G. Luxury Hotel Proposal Goes to the Coastal Commission With Changes.

For years, opponents of a proposed luxury resort hotel to replace the American Tin Cannery contended the project was too large and not properly vetted by the City of Pacific Grove.

Salinas Valley Tribune logo From Salinas Valley Tribune...

04/01/2024
Image for display with article titled Monterey County Business Council Secures Contract to Manage SBA’s Small Business Development Centers

Monterey County Business Council (MCBC) has been awarded the contract to manage the Small Business Administration’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Monterey and San Benito counties.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

03/30/2024
Captains of fishing boats on the California coast are bracing for salmon fishing to be severely restricted — or possibly canceled for a second year.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/29/2024
According to emails obtained by CalMatters Capitol reporter Jeanne Kuang in response to a public records request, a range of employers have been trying to figure out if they must pay $20 ever since the law was signed late last September.

Salinas Valley Tribune logo From Salinas Valley Tribune...

03/28/2024
Image for display with article titled Monterey County Supervisors Spare Sputtering Cannabis Equity Grant Program

A Monterey County program to ensure equity in the local commercial cannabis market is sputtering but will continue on a smaller scale.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

03/28/2024
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials ordered an April 8 close to the commercial season to citing the risk of fishing gear entanglement by migrating humpback whales.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

03/26/2024
Image for display with article titled Pajaro Assistance Center Will Open on March 27.

The Pajaro Assistance Center to aid people who were affected by the winter storms in 2023 will open on Wednesday, March 27 at Pajaro Park.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

03/22/2024
The Highway 68 Coalition suit against the County of Monterey over operation of the Laguna Seca Raceway has been settled.
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