A relaxing nap can be a good way to spend the holiday which honors workers.
We give thanks to all the people who worked over the three day weekend taking care of the rest of us loafers.
And special thanks to organized labor, which has brought us the five day work-week, safer workplaces, fair pay and continues to fight for worker rights in general. Their work is never done.
In this week's newsletter we're also taking a break, and will be back in action next week with a look at the unusual number of city council elections being cancelled for want of candidates running against incumbents, and a reflection on how California is burning oil to make water.
In the meantime, enjoy the recipe of the week and catch up on all the news and government announcements from last week, below.
• Palo Alto Grapples With Retail
The City of Palo Alto is considering how best to manage the abundance of shopping areas mixed with the abundance of empty store fronts, especially on California and University Avenues.
(08/30/2024) → Palo Alto Online
• California’s Economy Lags Behind Other States, Here’s Why It’s So Sluggish
California’s unemployment rate, 5.2% of its labor force in July, is no longer the nation’s highest after months of having that dubious distinction.
(09/02/2024) → CalMatters
• Gavin Newsom Calls Special Session on Gas Prices
Unable to jam through bills he says will lower California gas prices, Gov. Newsom calls the Legislature back into session.
(08/31/2024) → CalMatters
• More Affordable Housing Funds Could Come With New Labor Requirements
The Legislature is willing to guarantee $500 million annually to affordable housing developers, but with a caveat.
(08/30/2024) → CalMatters
• California’s Inequality Hotspots
A large apartment complex in San Rafael’s majority-Latino Canal neighborhood. Latino families in Marin County are far more likely than white families to have trouble making ends meet, a new report finds.
(08/30/2024) → CalMatters
• California Emergency Alerts Warn You About Fires and Extreme Weather. How to Sign Up in Your County
Early warning systems save lives during disasters, but a recent FEMA survey found that only a third of people are signed up. Use this resource to find your county’s emergency alert sign-up page.
(08/29/2024) → CalMatters
• From Inmate Release to Immigrant Housing Aid, California Bills Spur End-of-Session Fireworks
Some Democrats are pushing bills that could put their colleagues on the hot seat in an election year. The authors say they’re representing their constituents and there’s never a perfect time for votes.
(08/28/2024) → CalMatters
• 1 in 6 CHP Jobs Are Vacant — Despite Historic Raises and Newsom’s Hiring Campaign
California Highway Patrol officers received historically high raises in 2022 and 2023, but it continues to face a high vacancy rate of 16%.
(08/28/2024) → CalMatters
• These Middlemen Say They Keep Drug Prices Low. California Lawmakers Don’t Buy It
Pharmacy benefit managers attempt to negotiate cost savings for insurers. California is considering new rules that would require them to pass their discounts on to consumers.
(08/27/2024) → CalMatters
• Lawmakers Say Newsom Staff ‘Inflated’ Cost of Failed Health Care Bills
A trio of California Democratic lawmakers say they’re frustrated by high cost estimates that helped kill their health care legislation. Did the Newsom administration inflate the numbers to quietly kill the bills?
(08/26/2024) → CalMatters
• Millions of Californians Have Medical Debt. It Wouldn’t Hurt Your Credit Under Proposed Rules
About 4 in 10 Californians are carrying medical debt. Lawmakers are advancing a bill that would prevent that debt from affecting credit scores.
(08/26/2024) → CalMatters
A relaxing nap can be a good way to spend the holiday which honors workers.
