Tahoe Truckee Region Business, Economy & Jobs Articles

Long-duration energy storage is essential if renewables are to become the basis for a future, carbon-neutral power grid. Here's how California is leading the race to store energy from solar, wind, and other clean sources for use whenever it's needed.

An investigative report shows how California companies and governments avoid the Golden State’s strict environmental regulations by shipping toxic waste across state borders. New reporting shows how California exports the risk to Mexico.

Two-thirds of the bills opposed by the oil industry this year were killed, thanks in part to an alliance with the building trades union, forcing Democrats to sometimes choose between jobs and the environment.

As the state battles climate change and Californians drive fewer gas-powered cars, tax revenue will drop substantially, according to a new state analysis. EV fees will make up only part of the transportation shortfall so lawmakers need new funding options.

California’s rent cap doesn’t apply to some kinds of low-income housing, which has its own rules. But with inflation, some tenants have gotten much higher rent increases, even though affordable units were built with taxpayer subsidies.

End Poverty in California, a nonprofit founded by former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, has been on a listening tour of the Golden State since early 2022.

Poverty in California was reduced by record levels during the COVID pandemic, but now those economic support programs have come to an end and poverty is on the rise again.

Earlier this year, the state created a loan program meant to help struggling hospitals stay afloat and to help reopen Madera County’s only hospital. Almost a year after its closure, Madera continues its search for a buyer or partner.

More than 70,000 households who needed and applied for state aid to pay their rent during the COVID-19 pandemic by the March 2022 deadline still have their applications listed as "pending." Now they could be evicted from their homes.

Mildred García, the new Cal State chancellor, is earning a total compensation of nearly $1 million. Meanwhile, university president pay has increased at a greater rate than that of faculty, who are preparing to strike in early December, and the …

Cal State officials offered a 5 percent increase for each of the next 3 years, though the raises are not guaranteed. The union plans strikes at four campuses.

Only a few small demonstration projects off the West Coast have harnessed the power of waves and tides. Costs are high and hurdles are challenging.

The fact that housing costs in Lake Tahoe and Truckee are untenable for front-line ski resort employees is as well known as the 10-minute rule about changing weather patterns in Northern Nevada.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – It was a brisk cold morning, evidenced by the breath seen from the chanting strikers. Many were outfitted in beanies and gloves, holding signs on Lake Tahoe Boulevard on Nov. 17, 2023.

The utilities commission reduced payments to apartments, schools and businesses selling solar power to the grid despite a barrage of criticism. Commissioners say it reverses unfair subsidies.

California ranks among the top states suffering economic damage from climate-related disasters. The report describes food shortages, floods, droughts, wildfires, pollution, disease—all linked to climate change.

Jen Gurecki with Coalition Skis. | Coalition Snow
Is another epic season in store for Tahoe? According to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center, the coming winter has a 75 percent chance of a strong El Niño (read Mark McLaughlin’s story …

Fresh produce at the indoor Tahoe Farmers Market at Boatworks Mall. | Katherine E. Hill
I recently ran into a local store to purchase organic chard. The leafy greens were limp, a clear sign that the vegetables were past their …

The United Farm Workers, which represents nearly 7,000 workers, won a unionization vote in Stanislaus County. It’s the first such win in six years and first under a law that went into effect in May.

By the end of September 2023, more than $358 million had been spent this year on lobbying California’s Legislature, agencies, and Public Utilities Commission.