Monterey County Business, Economy & Jobs Articles

As the state battles climate change and Californians drive fewer gas-powered cars, tax revenue will drop substantially, according to a new state analysis. EV fees will make up only part of the transportation shortfall so lawmakers need new funding options.

Between 2000 and 2010, on the heels of the closure of Fort Ord, Marina’s population dropped by 21 percent, bottoming out at 19,714 residents. During that same time, the city’s downtown, if one can call it that, flagged.

California’s rent cap doesn’t apply to some kinds of low-income housing, which has its own rules. But with inflation, some tenants have gotten much higher rent increases, even though affordable units were built with taxpayer subsidies.

After months of failed negotiations that culminated in an impasse necessitating the help of an outside mediator, the Hartnell Community College District and Hartnell College Faculty Association have tentatively agreed to a three-year contract. Negotiations on Thursday, Dec. 7, began…

End Poverty in California, a nonprofit founded by former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, has been on a listening tour of the Golden State since early 2022.

Poverty in California was reduced by record levels during the COVID pandemic, but now those economic support programs have come to an end and poverty is on the rise again.

It was a simple idea by a teacher in Germany in 1909 looking for low-cost accommodations to take students on trips into nature: Why not rent out beds in shared quarters instead of private hotel rooms? Richard Schirrmann opened the…

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a long-term recovery plan for the North County community of Pajaro on Wednesday, Dec. 6, distributing $20 million in state funds.

The first big industry in Monterey Bay was whaling. Then came fishing, and in recent decades, tourism. But the local fishing industry has hung on, if only by a thread. That thread is starting to fray.

Earlier this year, the state created a loan program meant to help struggling hospitals stay afloat and to help reopen Madera County’s only hospital. Almost a year after its closure, Madera continues its search for a buyer or partner.

More than 70,000 households who needed and applied for state aid to pay their rent during the COVID-19 pandemic by the March 2022 deadline still have their applications listed as "pending." Now they could be evicted from their homes.

Mildred García, the new Cal State chancellor, is earning a total compensation of nearly $1 million. Meanwhile, university president pay has increased at a greater rate than that of faculty, who are preparing to strike in early December, and the …

Cal State officials offered a 5 percent increase for each of the next 3 years, though the raises are not guaranteed. The union plans strikes at four campuses.

By day, the derelict San Xavier Fish Reduction plant at 484 Cannery Row looks exactly like what it is: ruins of a bygone era when sardine fishing was king on the Monterey Peninsula.

Only a few small demonstration projects off the West Coast have harnessed the power of waves and tides. Costs are high and hurdles are challenging.

The utilities commission reduced payments to apartments, schools and businesses selling solar power to the grid despite a barrage of criticism. Commissioners say it reverses unfair subsidies.

The city councils of Monterey and Pacific Grove have each approved ordinances allowing retail cannabis in the past few weeks, with Monterey best poised to issue business licenses on a faster timeline than its neighbor. Monterey could begin reviewing cannabis…

California ranks among the top states suffering economic damage from climate-related disasters. The report describes food shortages, floods, droughts, wildfires, pollution, disease—all linked to climate change.

The United Farm Workers, which represents nearly 7,000 workers, won a unionization vote in Stanislaus County. It’s the first such win in six years and first under a law that went into effect in May.

The city councils of Monterey and neighboring Pacific Grove have each approved ordinances allowing retail cannabis, with Monterey best poised to issue business licenses on a faster timeline than P.G. Monterey could be reviewing license applications as early as Nov.…