Sacramento County Business, Economy & Jobs Digest

As agents hunt for business in Southern California's slow real estate market, some are trying out new ways of tracking down leads. Others are quitting the industry.

Nearly 2 million Medi-Cal enrollees can now accumulate savings and property without limitations and still qualify for the state's health insurance program for low-income residents.

Officials want to prepare more Californians for good jobs, and the state has spent roughly $370 million on workforce programs. But the results are mixed.

When Gov. Gavin Newsom launched his landmark effort to shelter homeless residents in hotels during COVID, the state and local governments were relying on FEMA to foot much of the bill.

The closure of Madera Community Hospital created a new health care desert in a community that already had fewer doctors per capita than other parts of the state. UCSF and Adventist have a plan to reopen it.

The funds would help California ports expand to handle giant wind turbines and other equipment. California’s first offshore wind farms are on a fast track off Humboldt County and Morro Bay.

A state tax agency wants to use generative AI to give business owners tax advice. The state of California calls it an opportunity. Risk assessments are forthcoming.

State lawmakers grill Cal/OSHA officials, with allegations that employers get tipped off to inspections. The chairperson of the Assembly Labor Committee is seeking an audit.

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced consumer tools to help tenants and landlords understand how much rent can rise under a state law.

Progress on Citrus Heights’ plan for the second phase of revitalizing Auburn Boulevard have hit another bump in the road.

The term “unsubsidized 100% affordable project” was once an oxymoron. Under Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles is now approving them by the hundreds.

California’s utility regulators are exploring energy bill reforms that would structure charges based on household income. If done correctly, the change shift the cost for maintaining the grid to higher earners who can afford it.

California voters this spring are considering a $6.4 billion bond to house people with serious mental health conditions. A similar 2018 ballot measure offers lessons about the obstacles that stand in the way of construction.

If educator candidates are paid a living wage and receive plenty of support, they are more likely to remain in the profession.

Access to capital is the biggest hurdle for Black-owned businesses. Now, a new partnership between the United States Black Chamber and Lendistry may be just the tool to help.

While promising to boost local health care and tech economies, UC Davis’s Aggie Square project raises concerns for Oak Park community.

Downtown Sacramento faces many challenges, but the growing number of small businesses, hotels, homes and other major developments signal its transformation, says the city’s mayor.

States are plowing billions of dollars into a high-stakes health care experiment that’s exploding around the country: using scarce public health insurance money to provide housing for the poorest and sickest Americans.

The financial aid expansion is aimed at making good on a pledge last fall when trustees approve a tuition hike.

San Francisco is coping with a “doom loop” of declining employment and business activity in its downtown core, but a new study suggests Sacramento may be in worse shape.

Five former California superintendents shared potential solutions for reducing the increasing turnover rate in their profession.

California is removing degree requirements from jobs, but state leaders differ about the right approach.

A Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University study has found that in 2022, a record half of renters in the country were paying more than 30% of their income toward rent and utilities.

State Sen. Scott Wiener wants to allow California cities and counties to designate “entertainment zones” where bars and restaurants could serve alcoholic drinks that people can consume on public streets and sidewalks.

Golden 1 Credit Union celebrated the grand opening of its first financial resource center in the area, which will serve as a resource for financial empowerment and education.

Crystal Nugs is Sacramento’s first Black and women-owned cannabis dispensary, and one of four new stores assisted by Sacramento’s Cannabis Opportunity and Racial Equity program.

A first-in-the-nation council will set work rules in the state’s fast food industry, but can labor and business agree?

Renovation work at the 150,000-square-foot Sunrise Village shopping center continues, with the coming addition of a new fitness club.

Disneyland’s plan to reimagine the theme park into a more “immersive” experience may require up to $2.5 billion and a plan to privatize some Anaheim streets.

A combination of tax credits, revenue sharing and coupons could bring stability, writes Steven Waldman, president of Rebuild Local News.

The University of California suspended for a year its plan to allow undocumented students to acquire campus jobs, crushing a student-led movement more than a year in the making.

Sacramento County Consolidated Utilities Billing & Service is making it easier for customers to view and manage their utilities accounts online with MyUtilities.