Monterey County Business, Economy & Jobs Digest

Four technology companies, including Google, have announced they're laying off close to 1,700 workers in California. This follows tech layoffs that have been underway since last year.

The acquisition includes the Daou brand, Daou Mountain Estate, four luxury wineries, and around 400 acres of vineyards in Adelaida District of Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County.

The San Diego Union-Tribune, which has operated for 154 years, sold to controversial Alden Global Capital last year. It’s not looking great for the paper’s future.

PG&E bills have risen substantially in recent years and are likely to go up again in January 2024. But opposition from lawmakers and others could be mounting.

The California Department of Finance notes that the state collected $18 billion in tax revenues in October 2023, after projecting as much as $42 billion. It could mean a wider budget gap than anticipated, with state leaders already acknowledging a looming $14 billion deficit.

After years of isolation and virtual classes, young professionals in California’s workforce are reportedly struggling with greater mental health challenges and burnout. If colleges and companies don’t pay more attention, there could be economic consequences.

After years of planning a broadband system to bridge California’s digital divide, officials deprioritized some low-income areas due to unexpected costs. Gov. Gavin Newsom says he’s committed to funding the entire network, but advocates are skeptical.

A congressional bill would double the current capital gains exclusion. Some say this will help boost the inventory of homes for sale.

Unions at Kaiser Permanente put pressure on the health care giant to raise pay and address what they called understaffing during two strikes over the past year. The results reflected labor’s power in California.

“Setting up our earliest learners for academic success is critical to their educational foundation and our preschool teachers set the stage for them to thrive,” said district superintendent PK Diffenbaugh.

With the growing use of AI, campus officials are trying to set clear guidelines for college application essays.

The governor signed two other bills that strengthen protections for grocery workers during grocery store mergers and acquisitions.

Drumroll, please … Butte is California’s bargain county. The least affordable counties were Santa Cruz, Monterey, Orange, San Diego and Alameda.

A new California law will ban over two dozen chemicals from fragrances and cosmetics. It’s another first-in-the-nation law—and another instance of California following European Union regulators.

If California’s new U.S. senator runs in the 2024 election, she would likely have to court labor unions’ support, quickly. But with three other labor-friendly Democrats already winning union backing, time and resources are running out.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky seems to have found himself in a Catch-22, caught between the conflicting demands of guests and hosts.

Newsom rejected Senate Bill 799, which would have paid striking workers California unemployment benefits after two weeks, and SB 686, which would have extended workplace safety protections to domestic workers, such as housekeepers and nannies.

Consumer confidence took a U-turn in September, falling to a four-month low by one index’s tally.

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to bring the ordinance restricting single-use plastics back on Oct. 10, where they signaled they would support passing the county law.

The loss is larger than the combined tax collections of 16 states—and 46% of the $66 billion decline of all states combined.

The city of Marina is supporting Joby Aviation’s submittal of a grant to expand its mid-range production capacity at the Marina airport.

The $700 million price tag sets a $7 billion mark that would make the Warriors one of the world’s most valuable sports teams.

A patchwork of bills are giving housing developers and local governments more options to reduce red tape for housing projects.

Unions won major victories this session on pay for fast food and health care workers, benefits for strikers and bargaining rights. Business groups say that labor has too much power at the Capitol.

PG&E customers, already battered by big increases in recent years, face a fresh round of price hikes.

Hydrogen fueling stations will get 15 percent of funds in a state program — even though Californians own only about 12,000 hydrogen cars. The funds come from fees paid by drivers.

Despite pushback from students, teachers and others, the California State University system will see tuition hikes.

A last-minute legislative deal would raise pay for California health care workers while giving medical providers a guarantee that they won’t have to battle local measures on employee compensation.

Under the executive order signed Sept. 6, state agencies and departments are mandated to analyze potential threats to California’s energy infrastructure through generative artificial intelligence.

The Monterey Conference Center in downtown Monterey is seeing a resurgence of business stronger than pre-pandemic levels at the 40,000-square-foot facility.

No. 2 was Oregon, then New York, Washington, and Massachusetts. Worst place? North Carolina.

Women continue to make up the majority of low-wage workers in the Golden State, while roughly half of all Latino, Black and Native American workers earned $32,329 or less in 2021.