Placer 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.

Sierra Sun logo From Sierra Sun...

03/08/2025
Image for display with article titled Alpenglow Sports Meets Tahoe Fund Match During Winter Speaker Series

Alpenglow Sports raised an additional $38k for the five nonprofit beneficiaries of the annual Winter Speaker Series, thanks to a generous match from the Tahoe Fund. 

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/03/2025
The governor’s announcement affects most of the state workforce and will take effect on July 1.

California Local Pin Marker From The Sacramento Bee...

02/26/2025
Read on for details about a report on the 2-year Yolo County Basic Income Program which ended in April 2024.

Auburn Journal logo From Auburn Journal...

02/25/2025
Image for display with article titled Staying Power: Auburn's Old Town Farmer's Market Still Going Strong Every Saturday

Get fresh, buy local.
The Auburn Old Town Farmer’s Market is using those four words to describe its year-round gathering that takes place every Saturday, rain or shine, from 7:30 a.m. until noon at 150 Auburn Folsom Road.

Placer Herald logo From Placer Herald...

02/20/2025
Image for display with article titled Rocklin BARRO Zone Aimed at Revitalization

The Rocklin City Council approved modifications Jan. 14 to the Business Attraction, Retention and Revitalization Overlay, or "BARRO" zone, to revitalize older city business zones.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

02/20/2025
California’s new Low Carbon Fuel Standard has been stalled because it lacks ”clarity.” The new standard, which offers incentives for cleaner fuels, is highly controversial because it would raise gas prices.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

02/19/2025
California lawmakers are rushing to fix last year’s controversial changes to the state’s lemon law, which critics say weakened protections for car buyers.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

02/17/2025
Against the recommendation of his staff experts, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara denied a request from State Farm to green light “emergency” rate increases for insurance policy holders.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

02/17/2025
A spate of new bills in California and other states would protect consumers from electricity rate hikes that subsidize data centers.

Lincoln News Messenger logo From Lincoln News Messenger...

02/13/2025
Image for display with article titled Lincoln's Business Best Recognized at Chamber Event

Representatives of more than 60 businesses gathered at McBean Pavilion last Friday, Feb. 7, to mingle and applaud their friends and competitors at the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Business Excellence Award Installation and Banquet.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

02/12/2025
After a 2022 CalMatters series documenting long waits and low payouts for workers who claim their employers have shorted them on wages, California lawmakers have now proposed bills to try to ease the backlogs.

Sierra Sun logo From Sierra Sun...

02/08/2025
Image for display with article titled 43rd annual SNOWFEST Returns to North Lake Tahoe

Get ready for the ultimate winter celebration as North Lake Tahoe SNOWFEST returns February 26 – March 9, 2025. As the largest winter mountain festival on the West Coast, SNOWFEST promises over 50 incredible events, community fun, and the only fireworks display in North Lake Tahoe.

Tahoe Guide logo From Tahoe Guide...

02/01/2025
Image for display with article titled No Clear Answers on When Homewood Mountain Resort Will Open

New rendering of the gondola terminal facing West from fall 2024. | Homewood Mountain Resort
There’s no answer yet on when Homewood Mountain Resort will reopen, despite an email update the resort sent on Jan. 31 titled “Path to Reopening.”

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

01/31/2025
CHRIS BENNER AND MANUEL PASTOR have had front row seats to the changes taking place in the so-called Lithium Valley, the region around the Salton Sea, where a network of companies have hatched a plan for local and state government entities to mine vast quantities of lithium to use in the batteries that power electric vehicles.

Auburn Journal logo From Auburn Journal...

01/30/2025
Image for display with article titled Loomis Basin Chamber to Host Boots & Bling Awards Feb. 20

With a "Boots & Bling" country-western theme, the Loomis Basin Chamber of Commerce will host its annual awards on Thursday, Feb. 20, at the Blue Goose Event Center.

Auburn Journal logo From Auburn Journal...

01/28/2025
Image for display with article titled New Chamber of Commerce President Aims to  'Keep Auburn Turning'

Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce installs officers for 2025, recognizes 2024 awardees.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/20/2025
In 2018, Newsom promised to add 500,000 new apprenticeships in the decade after taking office. The state is making progress, but how much depends on the definition of “apprenticeship.”