San Benito County Business, Economy & Jobs Digest

Photos spotlight the beauty of the Big Sur community.

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, flew more 6,000 miles to Rome this month to deliver a brief speech on climate change at a Vatican-sponsored conference.

As Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators spend the next few weeks fashioning a state budget that’s plagued by a multibillion-dollar deficit, they can’t count on a booming economy to make their task easier.

More than half of the U.S. House supports a bill to extend the funds, but it can’t get out of committee.

During the much-ballyhooed “California exodus” amid the pandemic, remote workers moved to other states where they could live for a fraction of the cost compared to cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco.

A bill to rein in a proposed monthly fee on California electric bills would let California’s largest for-profit utility companies charge customers $24 per month — with fees as low as $6 for lower-income customers — as a kind of membership fee for the power grid.

The number of organizations submitting proposals for the management or ownership of Hazel Hawkins dropped down to three before the April 29 deadline.

The City of Hollister Planning Commission considered a new Starbucks at Fourth Street and Westside Boulevard in its April 25 meeting.

The California Public Utilities Commission will consider on May 9 a new proposal that would change how Californians pay for electricity.

Applications are open for the San Benito Leadership Institute program, designed to cultivate emerging community leaders.

A coalition of timber businesses filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the embattled Pacific Gas & Electric Co., alleging $225 million in damages caused by the 2021 Dixie Fire.

A California Republican’s bill would exempt low and middle income wildfire victims from solar panels requirements on rebuilt homes that didn’t have them when they burned down.

San Benito Health Care District intends to appeal.

Anti-tax groups in California have qualified a measure for the November ballot that would make raising state and local taxes much more difficult. It’s a showdown that’s been building for nearly five decades.

Not filling open positions in state government, cutting a school facilities program and several climate initiatives, delaying funding for public transit — these are some of the first steps that California officials plan to take to deal with a looming multibillion-dollar budget deficit.

The union representing Hazel Hawkins nurses organized a rally, calling for hospital management to drop its bankruptcy appeal and focus on services.

The San Juan Bautista City Council considered a draft ordinance reducing restrictions on food trucks operating in the city.

Captains of fishing boats on the California coast are bracing for salmon fishing to be severely restricted — or possibly canceled for a second year.

According to emails obtained by CalMatters Capitol reporter Jeanne Kuang in response to a public records request, a range of employers have been trying to figure out if they must pay $20 ever since the law was signed late last September.

Local activist Andy Hsia-Coron announced he is preparing to start the signature gathering phase for a new slow-growth initiative titled "Empower Voters to Make Land Use Decisions Initiative."

The developer of the Lands of Lee project to develop housing on Fairview Road has sued San Benito County for denial a permit to proceed, citing process violations of various laws.

The petition for bankruptcy filed by the San Benito Health Care District was dismissed with the finding that Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital was unable to prove insolvency.

The reaction from the California Nurses Association to the ruling of Judge Stephen Johnson of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern California District of California that the hospital did not satisfy one of the statutory requirements to remain in Chapter 9 Bankruptcy.

The Uplift Central Coast Coalition which works to attract investment and expand opportunities for Central Coast residents has been awarded $14 million from the California Regional Investment Initiative of the California Jobs First program.

Planned Highway 101/25 interchange sound wall will cut off access to popular destination.

The consumer price index shows services are mostly responsible for persistent inflation, but prices for food and other goods in California remain high.

The Business Council takes over management of the Monterey and San Benito Small Business Administration Centers from previous contract holder Cal Coastal on April 1.

Republicans want to scrap the law, accusing Gov. Gavin Newsom of corruption in dealings with a Panera Bread franchisee who is a major campaign donor. McDonald’s franchisees are funding a committee that is attacking Democrats who supported the law and are seeking local office in the primary.

On March 1, the California Public Utilities Commission gave approval for driverless taxi company Waymo to expand service into Los Angeles and San Mateo counties.

The San Juan Bautista City Council debated possible changes to the city’s business district regulations and whether to reopen discussion on instituting a parking plan.

A sizable number of crew members are working to recast locations near the Mission Plaza as a “Southwestern Town” for the “DL Project,” an as-yet-named film by Paul Thomas Anderson, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Logistics has been an economic lifeline for the Inland Empire for decades. Now that the industry is hitting a downturn, the region is feeling the pain.