Statewide Region Business, Economy & Jobs Digest

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.

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.

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.

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

A coalition of timber businesses filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the embattled Pacific Gas & Electric Co., alleging $225 million in damages caused by the 2021 Dixie Fire.

A California Republican’s bill would exempt low and middle income wildfire victims from solar panels requirements on rebuilt homes that didn’t have them when they burned down.

Anti-tax groups in California have qualified a measure for the November ballot that would make raising state and local taxes much more difficult. It’s a showdown that’s been building for nearly five decades.

Not filling open positions in state government, cutting a school facilities program and several climate initiatives, delaying funding for public transit — these are some of the first steps that California officials plan to take to deal with a looming multibillion-dollar budget deficit.

Captains of fishing boats on the California coast are bracing for salmon fishing to be severely restricted — or possibly canceled for a second year.

According to emails obtained by CalMatters Capitol reporter Jeanne Kuang in response to a public records request, a range of employers have been trying to figure out if they must pay $20 ever since the law was signed late last September.

The consumer price index shows services are mostly responsible for persistent inflation, but prices for food and other goods in California remain high.

Republicans want to scrap the law, accusing Gov. Gavin Newsom of corruption in dealings with a Panera Bread franchisee who is a major campaign donor. McDonald’s franchisees are funding a committee that is attacking Democrats who supported the law and are seeking local office in the primary.

On March 1, the California Public Utilities Commission gave approval for driverless taxi company Waymo to expand service into Los Angeles and San Mateo counties.

Students across 23 campuses voted to form one of the country's largest student worker organizations.

A business-backed ballot initiative would hurt workers, labor researchers say. But proponents say lawsuits don’t help workers and hurt small businesses and nonprofits.

Logistics has been an economic lifeline for the Inland Empire for decades. Now that the industry is hitting a downturn, the region is feeling the pain.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office projects the 2024-25 shortfall at $73 billion, putting more pressure on legislators and the governor to find savings.

San Mateo County and others want a say in regulating the operations of companies such as Waymo that deploy driverless cars.

California’s latest Master Plan for Aging underscores the need for policies to address the challenges aging populations face. But it fails to portray the realities for older adults in rural areas, who are at greater risk of poverty.

Abandoning potential “comebackers” has major implications, not just for them, but also for the state’s economy, says California Competes.

Members of the California Faculty Association approve a two-year agreement that the union and administration hammered out after a strike last month that lasted one day.

Los Angeles is among several cities nationwide that have adopted scheduling laws, part of a growing recognition that schedules are as important to well-being as wages and sick pay.

When and if California legalizes sports gambling, the policy should honor the laws established in partnership with tribes decades ago, says Assemblyman James Ramos.

For the first time in decades, California is tightening its rules on workplace exposure to lead, a poisonous metal that can wreak havoc throughout the body.

Coalitions on opposite sides put out competing studies on the little-known Private Attorneys General Act, which allows employees to file class-action lawsuits over some labor law violations.

The San Pedro ports had a busy January as they rebounded from last year’s labor troubles and picked up cargo redirected because of Suez and Panama canal troubles.

As agents hunt for business in Southern California's slow real estate market, some are trying out new ways of tracking down leads. Others are quitting the industry.

Nearly 2 million Medi-Cal enrollees can now accumulate savings and property without limitations and still qualify for the state's health insurance program for low-income residents.

Officials want to prepare more Californians for good jobs, and the state has spent roughly $370 million on workforce programs. But the results are mixed.