Sacramento County Business, Economy & Jobs Digest

The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board voted to end the rule in part because it has become harder to enforce. Only people who caught the virus on the job are eligible to keep getting paid, but it is so widespread that it's hard to tell where someone got sick.

Next fall, tens of thousands more California 4-year-olds will be able to attend class through a phased expansion of the state’s transitional kindergarten program. By fall 2025, all 4-year-olds will be eligible.

Mayor of Sacramento Darrell Steinberg will negotiate between the University of California and two United Auto Workers units representing 36,000 striking academic workers. Steinberg was a former staff attorney for CSEA/SEIU Local 1000.

The controversial Tesla/Twitter tycoon is now $3.2 billion behind Bernard Arnault, French CEO of Louis Vuitton, Hennessy and other big-ticket brands. The “dramatic collapse of Tesla’s shares” is cited as the reason for Musk’s demotion.

Intel is laying off 111 Folsom-based employees. Some 90 more layoffs are anticipated statewide.

Sacramento restaurants are included in the new California Michelin Guide. Two—Localis and The Kitchen—have a coveted starred rating.

Broadband access in the Sacramento region has increased rapidly during the last few years, making the area a leader in internet connectivity. About 93.5% of local households used broadband in 2021, up from 82.3% in 2015.

Reviver, a tech company founded by Black entrepreneur Neville Boston and based in Granite Bay, is the creator of the world’s first digital license plate. About 10,000 California drivers bought digital plates during the pilot program.

After first opening three years ago in a portion of the former Kmart building on Auburn Boulevard, Big Lots will reportedly be closing its Citrus Heights store in January.

Black Americans are more likely to have higher student loan payments and interest rates, which can hinder their ability to buy a home and trap them in a cycle of inequity.

To help patients who are financially strapped, California lawmakers decided to stiffen state requirements for hospitals to offer free or discounted care.

New U.S. Census Bureau data shows a large segment of Californians are working from home for part or all of the week. Researchers say the shift will ripple through the broader economy in ways big and small.

The bill, which takes effect in July, was sponsored by the California Labor Federation, California Teamsters Public Affairs Council, and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.

Walt’s Auto Service on Auburn Boulevard is under new ownership after three decades of operation.

California will likely have a $25 billion budget deficit next year, state officials announced—a warning to other states about a potential recession.

A key part of Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights has a new owner, just as plans are moving along to redevelop the aging shopping center into housing, retail, restaurants and an entertainment center.

The San Juan Unified School District is seeking to fill dozens of job vacancies, according to postings at a popular education job listing website. Available positions include everything from substitute instructional assistants to database administrators.

The Kroeger-Albertson merger could close between 100 and 650 grocery stores. The Bee interviews lifelong grocer Gary Renner, laid off when Albertsons bought Safeway in 2015.

The starter house is all but extinct in Sacramento—only a small percentage can afford to buy houses in a market that has become as expensive as Boston or Portland, and now mortgage rates are at 7 percent.

Plans have been submitted to renovate the former Malabar site that will make way for a new sit-down restaurant in Natomas. Public records show the city received an application for an expedited restaurant permit.

Black women, out in force at California Black Chamber of Commerce Summit, are starting businesses in significant numbers.

The Sacramento Region scored $5 million from the Community Economic Resilience Fund program, to be put toward a regional economic development plan.

Kaiser healthcare workers voted to approve a new contract after 10 long weeks on the picket line.

The state is a national leader in labor law, experts say, but its agency enforcing wage theft rules in California still struggles to staff up.

UC Davis is set to build a center focused on agricultural innovation and research after Beverly Hills billionaires Lynda and Stewart Resnick gave the university $50 million, the largest donation it has received from individual donors.

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, trying to ease an insurance crisis that’s hurt rural California, has announced that all carriers active in fire-prone communities must incorporate his “Safer from Wildfires” program into their premiums.

The first steps have been taken for a proposed hotel as part of the redevelopment of Sunrise Mall; developers are linked to the Presidio Companies, whose projects include Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott hotels.

Low wages, high interest rates, and soaring prices make area homes affordable for only a fraction of workers, a study shows.

Over the next two weeks, tens of thousands will descend on Discovery Park for two big music events. The festivals are part of a concerted effort to boost tourism, to the tune of $1.5 million approved this year by the Sacramento City Council to support festivals and events.

California will become the first state in the nation to phase out single-use plastic produce bags in supermarkets. The receptacles must be replaced no later than Jan. 1, 2025 with bags made of recycled paper or compostable plastic.

Shari Wilson hired graduates of high-profile cosmetology schools to work at her salon, only to find they had limited exposure to textured hair. This led her and three other salons to open a cosmetology school in South Sacramento: the Mixed Institute of Cosmetology and Barber.

A new report from cannabis website Leafly found that more than half of all cannabis sales in the state (55%) are in the illegal market. Leafly found that states like California that allow municipalities to opt out of cannabis sales saw an increase in illicit commerce. States without the opt out did not.