Sacramento County Business, Economy & Jobs Digest

Lawsuits from six California cities and counties seeking to hold major oil and gas companies—including ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron, and Shell—accountable for the cost of climate damages should proceed in state court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled.

Franchises that make it tend to go through a period of explosive growth, followed by a contraction. The contraction can become an eventual withering. Eventually, just a few lonely outposts are left standing.

Workers today are subject to more monitoring and tracking on the job—often without their knowledge—than ever before, advocates say. Assemblymember Ash Kalra has proposed a bill to provide workers with some protection from off-duty employer surveillance and retaliation.

The owner of a local home service company is lending his heating and air conditioning expertise to a new reality show called “Beyond the Close.” It features 10 real estate agents from across the country competing to show their skill in the real estate market.

The city of Galt held its inaugural Saturday Market on April 2, with activities, performances and vendors drawing a large crowd. It will continue on the first Saturday of the month through October.

Rite Aid Corp. confirmed the closure of two more local stores as part of a corporate closure plan announced last year. The latest Rite Aid stores to shutter include the East Sacramento location and the Cameron Park store.

California state departments are requiring employees who have been working remotely to return to their offices. Some employees are resisting going back to the office, saying they have performed at least as efficiently working from home.

The sale of a Midtown Sacramento office property could lead to the first example of a potential trend for urban office space.

The 10-month-old Chant’el Cafe is a hit at 1750 Prairie City Road in Folsom Corners shopping center, yet owner Nina Getman isn’t basking in Chant’el Cafe’s success. These days, Getman’s mind is on the family and country she left behind when she immigrated from Ukraine.

Gov. Gavin Newsom released a proposal to help Californians dealing with high gas prices, while also lowering the cost of public transit. Under the $11 billion proposal, California car owners would get a debit card worth $400 for each car (a limit of two vehicles, but no income cap).

Capital Region organizations like Saint John’s Program for Real Change and My Sister’s House are lifelines for thousands of vulnerable women and their children, providing crisis counseling, housing, supportive services and hands-on employment training.

A growing meal delivery company has purchased a 1.7-acre property that is home to its headquarters, amid plans to expand operations. MealPro announced acquisition of the building last week for $3.2 million.

Carmichael attorney Catherine Corfee of the Corfee Stone Law Corp. is cautioning local businesses in Sacramento County to be alert to an individual who is known throughout California for filing frequent ADA lawsuits.

A Sacramento County Superior Court judge has issued a restraining order against the president of California’s largest state employee union. Judge Steven Gevercer instructed SEIU Local 1000 president Richard Louis Brown to stay out of the union’s headquarters and stop exercising powers of the union presidency.

The $1.5 trillion federal spending bill President Joe Biden signed into law will fund specific projects in the Sacramento area. These used to be called “earmarks,” and were often criticized. They’ve since been rebranded as “community project funding.”

Placer County was ground zero for the COVID culture wars. The Sacramento Bee examines how the county’s approach worked out.

Gov. Gavin Newsom says he’s working on a plan to help Californians cope with rising gasoline prices. The Democratic governor said during his State of the State speech that he will work with the Legislature to provide relief for drivers.

Every metropolitan region in California has shattered gas price records, with pumps rising by as much as 50 cents per gallon in a single week, and most topping out at around $5 per gallon across the entire state.

Funded by the State of California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate, a new microgrant program is available for small businesses. Businesses with less than $50,000 in revenue and fewer than five full-time employees can apply for up to $2,500.

Lake Tahoe has always had two big tourism booms, but the spring and fall were when locals could enjoy a breather from the crowds. With housing expanding and climate changing, Lake Tahoe locals are beginning to experience a different rhythm.

The city of Citrus Heights is considering a draft ordinance to regulate and collect occupancy tax from short-term rentals, including Airbnb or VRBO bookings. A 12% tax rate is being proposed, along with new required business licenses.

With her ag tech startup, FarmX, Maria Fernanda Reyes wants to empower growers. FarmX is a cloud-based e-commerce platform that lets farmers to sell their products directly to grocery chains, restaurants and other buyers.

Impossible and Beyond burgers have become commonplace not just at all-vegan restaurants. In fact, chain restaurants saved more than 700,000 animal lives in 2021 by adding fake meat to their menus. The Better Meat Co. is part of that process.

Sacramento’s vegan scene is expanding across the region, with many more plant-based options becoming available at both established restaurants and new eateries focused on the lifestyle.

Ground has been broken on Rancho Cordova Fiber City, a citywide, ultra-high-speed fiber network in partnership with SiFi Networks and GigabitNow. “As we have witnessed first-hand during the pandemic, high speed internet is no longer a luxury, but a necessity,” Rancho Cordova Mayor Donald Terry said.

Sacramento City College is one of several Central Valley educational institutions to partner with Amazon’s Career Choice program, which will pay full tuition for hourly Amazon employees.

Business owners and members of the Auburn Boulevard Business Association heard from city officials about Auburn Boulevard revitalization plans, and both the positives and negatives of the corridor's future. Mayor Porsche Middleton expressed a desire on behalf of the city of Citrus Heights to see the area become a destination rather than just a commuter route.

The Sacramento region’s forgotten second city is having a moment. Hundreds of homes have replaced rice mills and empty lots along the Sacramento River, with many more about to be built.

The aptly named Flock has pizza connoisseurs flocking in Folsom. The artisan pizzeria is located in the same retail center as Mikuni, Hampton Inn and other familiar local establishments.

UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and other community leaders attended the Aggie Square groundbreaking on Feb. 16. The project is expected to bring in $5 billion annually to the region and add close to 25,000 jobs.

‘Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg shared his vision of a downtown with office buildings converted to apartment towers as remote work continues to keep employees at home.

CalPERS has selected a new chief investment officer, filling an 18-month void since the last chief’s abrupt resignation. New hire Nicole Musicco leads a team at New York private investment firm RedBird Capital Partners and previously worked for public firms in Canada.