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Statewide Region Business, Economy & Jobs Digest



California Adding Apprenticeships to Teacher Recruitment Toolbox

02/08/2024

California teacher apprenticeship program will allow candidates to earn while they learn.

Bankrupt California Hospital Left a Health Care Desert. Two Medical Groups Move to Reopen It

02/08/2024

The closure of Madera Community Hospital created a new health care desert in a community that already had fewer doctors per capita than other parts of the state. UCSF and Adventist have a plan to reopen it.

Legislators Unveil Measure to Ask Voters for $1 billion Offshore Wind Bond

02/08/2024

The funds would help California ports expand to handle giant wind turbines and other equipment. California’s first offshore wind farms are on a fast track off Humboldt County and Morro Bay.

Why Is It OK for Rich Guys to Steal My Work?

02/07/2024

As the news media continues to spiral under financial pressures, the obvious solution—preventing internet platforms from profiting from news content without payment—lacks public support.

California Plans to Use AI to Answer Your Tax Questions

02/07/2024

A state tax agency wants to use generative AI to give business owners tax advice. The state of California calls it an opportunity. Risk assessments are forthcoming.

Residents See New Life in the Fast Lane as High-Speed Rail Comes to Central Valley

02/07/2024

For Central Valley residents, high-speed rail will be a reality in just a few years. Construction of the rail line is transforming local economies.

Is California’s Workplace Safety Agency Protecting Farmworkers? Legislators Want to Know

02/07/2024

State lawmakers grill Cal/OSHA officials, with allegations that employers get tipped off to inspections. The chairperson of the Assembly Labor Committee is seeking an audit.

How Much Can Your Rent Go Up in California? Check This Website

02/07/2024

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced consumer tools to help tenants and landlords understand how much rent can rise under a state law.

If Done Correctly, Californians Can Save on Utility Bills by Creating Income-Based Charges

02/06/2024

California’s utility regulators are exploring energy bill reforms that would structure charges based on household income. If done correctly, the change shift the cost for maintaining the grid to higher earners who can afford it.

An Initiative Promised 20,000 Homes for Mentally Ill Californians. It Delivered Far Less

02/06/2024

California voters this spring are considering a $6.4 billion bond to house people with serious mental health conditions. A similar 2018 ballot measure offers lessons about the obstacles that stand in the way of construction.

Strategic, Sustainable Residencies Can Help Solve the Teacher Shortage

02/06/2024

If educator candidates are paid a living wage and receive plenty of support, they are more likely to remain in the profession.

Darrell Steinberg: Return of State Workers Helps, But Sacramento’s Transformation is Well Underway

02/05/2024

Downtown Sacramento faces many challenges, but the growing number of small businesses, hotels, homes and other major developments signal its transformation, says the city’s mayor.

Is Housing Health Care? State Medicaid Programs Increasingly Say ‘Yes’

02/05/2024

States are plowing billions of dollars into a high-stakes health care experiment that’s exploding around the country: using scarce public health insurance money to provide housing for the poorest and sickest Americans.

CSU Plans to Expand Student Grants to Cover Full Tuition and Living Expenses

01/31/2024

The financial aid expansion is aimed at making good on a pledge last fall when trustees approve a tuition hike.

Advice From Former Superintendents on Retaining Those Still on the Job

01/30/2024

Five former California superintendents shared potential solutions for reducing the increasing turnover rate in their profession.

Should State Government Jobs Require a College Degree? Why California Is Rethinking Its Rules

01/30/2024

California is removing degree requirements from jobs, but state leaders differ about the right approach.

Will More Outdoor Drinking Give CA Economy a Buzz?

01/29/2024

State Sen. Scott Wiener wants to allow California cities and counties to designate “entertainment zones” where bars and restaurants could serve alcoholic drinks that people can consume on public streets and sidewalks.

California Gave Fast Food Workers a Seat at the Table. What Comes Next?

01/28/2024

A first-in-the-nation council will set work rules in the state’s fast food industry, but can labor and business agree?

Disneyland’s New Vision Includes Up to $2.5-billion Investment and Plan to Take Over City Streets

01/26/2024

Disneyland’s plan to reimagine the theme park into a more “immersive” experience may require up to $2.5 billion and a plan to privatize some Anaheim streets.

Collapse of California’s News Industry Is So Severe It’ll Require Taxpayer Support to Rebuild

01/25/2024

A combination of tax credits, revenue sharing and coupons could bring stability, writes Steven Waldman, president of Rebuild Local News.

Education Department Says It Will Fix Its $1.8 Billion FAFSA Mistake

01/24/2024

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.

Invasive Flies Are Inching Closer Toward Ruining California’s Economy

01/24/2024

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.

Approaching Bay Area Deadline a ‘Test Case’ for California’s Housing Crisis

01/24/2024

On Jan. 31, dozens of cities and counties are expected to convert thousands of suburban-style tracts into apartment-ready parcels. Will the state hold them to it?

Will $20 Minimum Wage Crush Fast Food in California?

01/22/2024

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.

Cal State Faculty Strike Ends With Tentative Contract Agreement

01/22/2024

A Cal State systemwide strike secured what more than half a year of negotiations and partial strikes couldn’t: a deal.

Newsom’s $8 Billion Fix to Spare Cuts to Schools, Community Colleges May Face Tough Sell

01/22/2024

The key to not cutting education funding under the proposed budget is finding $8 billion in reductions outside of education in the future.

350,000 Californians Are on the FAIR Plan, the Last Resort for Fire Insurance. Now What?

01/22/2024

As the FAIR Plan writes more fire-insurance policies, homeowners complain about poor service, rising costs and threats of getting kicked off.

As California Closes Prisons, State Spending Per Inmate Hits a New Record

01/22/2024

Locking up a California state prisoner for one year costs nearly twice as much as tuition at the state’s top private universities—due to inmate medical costs and pay boosts for prison guards and other workers.

How California Budget Rules Can Prevent Saving for a Rainy Day—and Why Newsom Wants to Change That

01/21/2024

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.

Down Payment Assistance for First-Time California Homebuyers Relaunches with New Lottery

01/18/2024

State officials hope a lottery and an emphasis on first-generation homebuyers will make California’s most generous down payment assistance program more equitable.

Deficit Déjà Vu: Structural Problems of California School Finance

01/15/2024

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

With AI, a ‘Spirit of Optimism’ Returns to San Francisco Start-Ups

01/15/2024

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

Featured

Water is a human right under California law, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
Agriculture and Water Shortages in the State’s Breadbasket, Explained
There are many causes contributing to this crisis. And as you may already know, this situation really is nuts.
The cycle of crime and homelessness is escalating, but it doesn't have to be that way.
Homelessness and Crime in California: Even More Complex Than You Think
What causes the cycle of homelessness and crime, and how to stop it.
Thousands of homeowners have been kicked off their fire insurance policies.
California Fire Insurance Crisis: How the State Helps Homeowners
The state tries persuading insurance companies to cover homes in fire zones.
Moss Landing in Monterey Bay is the world’s largest battery storage facility for solar and other renewable energy.
Solar Power and California’s Clean Energy Goals
How the sun is helping push the state toward 100 percent renewable energy.
Owning homes is the primary way the middle class builds wealth, and an option no longer available to most Californians.
Is California’s Housing Crisis Making Inequality Worse?
California has some of the worst economic inequality in the United States. Is housing a cause? Could it be a cure?
Though life expectancy has declined in recent years, Californians still live longer than most Americans.
Want to Live a Long, Healthy Life? Move to California
Californians live longer than people in all but three states, but not all counties are equal.
They help feed the whole country, but life for California’s farm workers remains a struggle.
How California Feeds the Country
California, a state known for high-tech and show business glitz, is also America’s farming powerhouse.
Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society
Zoning is everywhere, but is it a way to regulate development or a tool for social engineering?
How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Long-duration energy storage, such as this thermal energy storage facility, allows renewable energy sources to operate at full capacity without overloading the power grid.
How California Leads the Race For Long Duration Energy Storage
For renewable energy sources such as solar and wind to be viable, ways to store the power they create are essential.
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