San Joaquin County Business, Economy & Jobs Digest

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.

A new committee tasked with reviewing and determining supervisor salaries won’t be formed for at least another year, as the Board of Supervisors has tabled any action on a salary review committee until 2025.

Families have a lot of questions right now about how much help they’ll get paying for college—questions that financial aid offices can’t yet answer.

For months, the California Department of Food and Agriculture has been waging war on the oriental fruit fly, a voracious pest that can attack hundreds of types of fruits and vegetables.

Fast food lives in a consumer sweet spot: demand, convenience and relative affordability. And this pay hike—equal to minimum wage increases during the past five years—will create grand economic unknowns.

The swing from a $100 billion surplus to a deficit somewhere between $38 and $68 billion in just two years illustrates the volatility of California’s tax system.

Sending mail will get more expensive next week.

Agtech is not just redefining farming in the San Joaquin Valley, it’s reshaping our approach to the land. Drones, sensors, and data analytics have become indispensable, driving efficiency and economic vitality across the fields.

We need to have a serious discussion about supporting our education investments with stable revenue.

Bucking the “doom loop” narrative, many tech entrepreneurs say San Francisco is still the “it city” for innovation—especially with the rise of AI.

Even though Tracy’s second retail cannabis storefront had been open for a couple of weeks, a grand opening celebration at Embarc Tracy on Pavilion Parkway drew a large crowd.

The Tracy Planning Commission agreed to extend a conditional use permit for a downtown cannabis dispensary until March 3.

One of the oldest restaurants in Lodi took its first step toward moving into new digs.

California’s projected budget deficit of close to $38 billion likely means some cuts are coming. Among them, Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed ending the California State Park Adventure Pass, which offers free access to some state parks for fourth graders.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed that lawmakers tap a rainy day reserve and that a minimum wage increase for health care workers be delayed to help the state fight a $37.9 billion deficit. This projection is more than double what Newsom and other officials had anticipated last year.

Pea Soup Andersen’s, a Buellton, Calif., restaurant just shy of its 100th birthday, closed suddenly. The restaurant's other location, near Interstate 5 in Santa Nella, remains open.

Caltrans has set a Jan. 25 deadline for tech companies to show how generative artificial intelligence might reduce traffic congestion in the state. This follows an executive order that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in September related to this type of AI.

Philadelphia-based Audacy, which has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with $1.9 billion in debts, owns six radio stations in the Bay Area. These include 95.7 The Game, KCBS and 102.1 Jams.

San Diego Unified School District has received more than $700 million in federal and state relief funds since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with these funds ending, some schools could be facing serious deficits.

Sean Loloee, a first-term Sacramento councilmember, has resigned from office—a move that came weeks after he was federally indicted on charges related to his business Viva Supermarkets.

Faraday Future, the luxury electric vehicle company that has a manufacturing plant in Hanford, could soon be off the Nasdaq exchange.

The move aims to reduce the waste generated from the coffee chain’s disposable cups.

High prices at hospitals in Monterey County are “an anomaly even among the most expensive” communities in California. One insurance plan there saves money by paying for members’ travel to other counties for procedures.

The dawn of 2024 meant that California’s minimum wage rose from $15.50 to $16 an hour. That puts the Golden State at the second-highest minimum wage for a U.S. state, trailing only Washington state at $16.28 an hour.

A 2021 law passed by the California legislature went into effect Jan. 1, requiring major retailers to maintain an aisle of toys marketed to people of either gender. The bill’s author, Evan Low, said the legislation will help kids “express themselves freely and without bias.”

Despite losing money, the Galt Saturday Market will remain along the 4th Street Promenade in 2024.

Just as you might intend to change your diet or workout plan, resolve to make changes that will allow you to meet financial goals.

Under two new laws, employers in California can’t ask workers about their use of cannabis outside the workplace and can’t use hair or urine tests. Employees in construction are excluded, as are applicants for federal jobs with background checks.

Under a new law, employees in California are guaranteed five paid sick days a year, two days more than previously. Worker advocacy groups say the benefit is needed, but business groups warn of additional costs.

A tribe’s bid for federal recognition is getting a boost from a member of Congress who introduced legislation to extend acknowledgement status to the Gabrielino/Tongva Nation and create a reservation within Los Angeles County.

Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden and members of the Police Department visited businesses on Miracle Mile as part of their end-of-the year community walk event.

A name that surfaced almost as often as the word “cannabis” as a Manteca City Council public hearing vetted the three applicants being allowed to pursue a permit for retail marijuana operations was that of Nick Obligacion—a retired Manteca police chief.