San Joaquin County Business, Economy & Jobs Digest

Proposition 32 to increase the minimum wage from $16 isn’t as far-reaching as when it was first proposed. Fast food workers are already making more, and health care employees are on track. But worker groups are already pushing for more.

A survey undertaken in May and June indicated an overall surplus of parking in downtown Manteca, leading to discussions of future infill project parking requirements.

Legislators are pushing ahead with a retail theft bill package in their continued opposition of Proposition 36 — a November ballot measure backed by law enforcement groups and Republicans (and some Democrats) that would roll back parts of 2014’s Prop. 47.

In his 2018 campaign, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would create 500,000 new apprenticeships in the decade after taking office. So far, the state has registered more than 180,000 new apprenticeships. Many of them are firefighters.

After years of delay, a new California regulation to protect indoor workers from extreme heat is now in effect.

California Forever’s announcement July 22 that it has decided to pull a ballot measure that would have let voters decide on a controversial planned city in rural Solano County drew swift reaction from political leaders and opponents.

On July 22, California Forever announced it was withdrawing its initiative to amend the Solano County General Plan off the November ballot and would instead begin working with the county through the normal, though less expeditious, process.

A judge has halted a union effort at the Wonderful Company, throwing into question a new state law designed to make it easier for agricultural workers to organize.

A new City of Lodi business license registration and renewal portal is available online.

California courts have long upheld below-minimum wage pay for prison inmates working a wide range of jobs. A 2024 ballot measure that would ban forced labor could alter those decisions.

A proposal for a truck and freight terminal to be located on Highway 120 has been submitted to San Joaquin County.

A mother picks up her son from daycare in Richmond on Sept. 26, 2022. Photo by Marissa Leshnov for CalMatters

A program for low-income, first-generation STEM students at community colleges is receiving millions of dollars to expand across the state.

Private-sector jobs in California have declined since their post-pandemic peak, while public-sector employment has shown gains, the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office says.

TNT Fireworks donated $15,000 to six Lodi nonprofits who had been unable to operate firework stands because of a clerical error.

On June 19, California YIMBY announced support for the California Forever project going to the Solano County ballot in November.

On June 11, Solano County elections officials announced the verification of necessary signatures for the California Forever sponsored initiative to amend the county General Plan to be on the November ballot.

A panel of labor experts at the CalMatters Ideas Festival say California workers should have more access to more apprenticeships that pay more. Barriers still exist, especially for women and low-income Californians.

In a June 4 vote of 111 downtown Manteca parcel owners, 62% voted in favor of forming a Property and Business Improvement District.

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.

The April 27 Love Lodi event saw a turnout of nearly 1,000 volunteers completing 60 projects throughout the city.

Calivirgin of Lodi was awarded the 2024 Olive Oil Producer of the Year for the second year in a row.

The Ripon Farmers Market season is open again, Thursdays starting at 5PM from May through September at 929 West Main Street.

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.

Dozens of members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, including vocational nurses, social workers, kitchen and janitorial staff, picketed outside the Sutter Center for Psychiatry

Teachers from the Stockton Unified School District demonstrated and spoke out over ongoing labor negotiations at the April 23 board meeting.

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

A report on the locations of three newly approved marijuana dispensaries in the City of Manteca.

In their April 16 meeting, the Manteca City Council approved a development project at corner of Lathrop and Union roads which will include a gas station, auto part store and new EV chargers.