From CalMatters...
Why CalPERS Is Being Pushed to Divest From Tesla
10/17/2024Elon Musk, the tech mogul who runs Tesla, said in December that diversity, equity and inclusion efforts “must die.” Now, two civil rights groups are calling for the nation’s largest public pension fund to divest from the electric vehicle maker.
From CalMatters...
CA Ride-Hailing Drivers Could Get Back Pay
10/16/2024Tens of thousands of California ride-hailing drivers, and possibly more, could eventually get back pay after a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that clears the way for the state and some cities to proceed with their lawsuits against Uber and Lyft.
From CalMatters...
California Collects Millions in Stolen Wages, but Can’t Find Many Workers to Pay Them
10/02/2024The state Labor Commissioner sometimes struggles to get back pay to workers when it reaches wage theft settlements. It tries social media, TV and hotlines. But money owed to employees is still sitting in state accounts.
From CalMatters...
Newsom’s Gas Price Bill Passes Assembly, but Senate Plan Still Uncertain
10/01/2024The Assembly approves Gov. Newsom’s bill on oil refineries on a 44-17 vote. But the state Senate will have its say during the special session.
From CalMatters...
A Minimum Wage Increase for California Health Care Workers Is Finally Kicking In
10/01/2024A California minimum wage law that was delayed amid budget troubles is now set to go into effect Oct. 16. It’s expected to benefit hundreds of thousands of workers.
From CalMatters...
Newsom Plan on Gas Prices Clears First Hurdle
09/27/2024Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to combat gasoline price spikes appears headed to a long-awaited Assembly floor vote next week after passing out of committee on September 26.
From CalMatters...
Economists Like Newsom’s Plan to Help Control Gas Prices. Refiners Don’t.
09/26/2024The governor wants new gas reserves to dampen seasonal price spikes. Refiners say the move would raise prices and require new storage tanks.
From CalMatters...
Will New Laws Improve Housing for CA Farmworkers?
09/25/2024Many California farmworkers have long lacked safe and affordable places to sleep — an issue thrown into sharp relief after last year’s mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, which left seven agricultural workers dead.
From CalMatters...
A New California Law Will Scrub Most Medical Debt From Credit Reports
09/24/2024About 4 in 10 Californians are believed to be carrying medical debt, which can harm their chances of landing a mortgage or an apartment if it shows up on credit reports.
From CalMatters...
Nonprofits Seek to Get More Women Into Construction Trades
09/22/2024Jessica Alvarez Castañeda was sick of low-paying jobs. For years, the 39-year-old mother of four had been “breaking her back for almost nothing” as a cashier, nursing assistant, babysitter, house cleaner and cook.
From CalMatters...
Are CA Gig Workers Getting Promised Pay and Benefits?
09/04/2024California voters passed Proposition 22 four years ago. The ballot initiative, backed by Uber, Lyft and other gig companies, promised the state’s more than 1 million gig workers new benefits, such as guaranteed minimum earnings, health care stipends, occupational accident insurance and accidental death insurance.
From CalMatters...
California’s Economy Lags Behind Other States, Here’s Why It’s So Sluggish
09/02/2024California’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.
From CalMatters...
Californians Will Vote on a $18 Minimum Wage. Workers Already Want $25 and More
08/13/2024Proposition 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.
From CalMatters...
CA Democrats Push Retail Theft Bills
08/07/2024Legislators 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.
From CalMatters...
Newsom Set an Ambitious Goal to Launch 500,000 Californians Into New Careers. Many Are Firefighters
07/25/2024In 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.
From CalMatters...
CA Indoor Heat Rule Put on Fast Track
07/25/2024After years of delay, a new California regulation to protect indoor workers from extreme heat is now in effect.
From Local News Matters...
California Forever abandons ballot measure in face of growing opposition, looks to 2026
07/24/2024California 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.
From SF Gate...
California Forever Takes Initiative Off November Ballot
07/22/2024On 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.
From CalMatters...
A California Court Just Granted an Ag Giant a Win. It Could Jeopardize New Farm Union Law
07/19/2024A 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.
From CalMatters...
If Californians Vote to Ban Slavery This Fall, Will Prisoners Get a Raise?
07/16/2024California 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.
From CalMatters...
Guaranteed Basic Income Programs Proliferate Across CA
07/12/2024A mother picks up her son from daycare in Richmond on Sept. 26, 2022. Photo by Marissa Leshnov for CalMatters
From CalMatters...
California Boosts Spending to Help Students Earn Math and Science Degrees
07/08/2024A program for low-income, first-generation STEM students at community colleges is receiving millions of dollars to expand across the state.
From CalMatters...
California’s ‘Weak’ Job Market Propped Up by Public Money as Private Sector Sheds Jobs
07/08/2024Private-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.
From The Mercury News...
YIMBYs Endorse California Forever
06/20/2024On June 19, California YIMBY announced support for the California Forever project going to the Solano County ballot in November.
From CapPublicRadio...
California Forever Ballot Measure Qualifies for Solano Ballot
06/11/2024On 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.
From CalMatters...
The Future for California Workers Is Apprenticeships
06/06/2024A 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.
From CalMatters...
California Wants to Be Carbon-Neutral by 2045. What Does That Mean for Its Big Economic Drivers?
05/27/2024California’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.
From CalMatters...
California’s Lagging Economy Hinders Efforts to Close State Budget Deficit
05/16/2024As 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.
From CalMatters...
How Congress Is Letting Die an Internet Connectivity Lifeline for Millions
05/04/2024More than half of the U.S. House supports a bill to extend the funds, but it can’t get out of committee.
From Los Angeles Times...
California's Population Increased Last Year for First Time Since 2020
04/29/2024During 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.
From CalMatters...
Who Killed CA Utility Bill Legislation?
04/26/2024A 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.
From CalMatters...
A Plan to Change Your Utility Rates Is Dividing California Environmentalists. Here’s Why
04/18/2024The California Public Utilities Commission will consider on May 9 a new proposal that would change how Californians pay for electricity.