Tahoe Truckee Region Business, Economy & Jobs Digest

It’s hard to find the disciplinary history of for-profit colleges regulated by California. CalMatters is making it easier.

Rural counties are some of the most reliant on federal funding and federal workers. But some still welcome Trump’s upcoming cuts to forestry and other departments

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has regularly worked side jobs at Bay Area nonprofits to earn extra income because he says the state pay is insufficient.

Thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers seek back pay, damages in wage claims they filed with California before industry-backed gig worker law took effect.

As businesses like SpaceX and Amazon seek to undo the National Labor Relations Board, California unions are trying a novel tactic to preserve labor organizing rights.

When Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara testified about California’s property insurance market before the Assembly’s insurance committee this week, he mentioned a recent trip to Bermuda — somewhat defensively.

In a March 21 statement, California Attorney General Rob Bonta reminded customers of struggling genetic testing corporation 23andMe of their right to demand the company delete their data to prevent it being sold.

The permit lays the groundwork toward a driverless taxi service. Tesla has said it will launch such a service in Austin, Texas in June.

Billions of state and federal dollars are spent on Lake Tahoe. But is all this attention actually protecting this unique treasure? Pollutants pour in, while development continues. Funding has shifted in focus to tourism and traffic projects, while money spent directly on fixing the lake has declined.

AI can help businesses charge you more based on how it evaluates your personal history and desires. California lawmakers want to end that price discrimination.

California Assembly Bill 247 would significantly raise the hourly wage of inmate firefighters. Read on to learn more.

The governor’s announcement affects most of the state workforce and will take effect on July 1.

Read on for details about a report on the 2-year Yolo County Basic Income Program which ended in April 2024.

California’s new Low Carbon Fuel Standard has been stalled because it lacks ”clarity.” The new standard, which offers incentives for cleaner fuels, is highly controversial because it would raise gas prices.

The timing could not have been better — or worse.

California lawmakers are rushing to fix last year’s controversial changes to the state’s lemon law, which critics say weakened protections for car buyers.

A spate of new bills in California and other states would protect consumers from electricity rate hikes that subsidize data centers.

Against the recommendation of his staff experts, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara denied a request from State Farm to green light “emergency” rate increases for insurance policy holders.

After a 2022 CalMatters series documenting long waits and low payouts for workers who claim their employers have shorted them on wages, California lawmakers have now proposed bills to try to ease the backlogs.

CHRIS BENNER AND MANUEL PASTOR have had front row seats to the changes taking place in the so-called Lithium Valley, the region around the Salton Sea, where a network of companies have hatched a plan for local and state government entities to mine vast quantities of lithium to use in the batteries that power electric vehicles.

Energy demands from big tech, including for AI, has elected officials giving an old power source a second look.

In 2018, Newsom promised to add 500,000 new apprenticeships in the decade after taking office. The state is making progress, but how much depends on the definition of “apprenticeship.”

The LA fires have left domestic workers and day laborers jobless. They may soon be hired for wildfire cleanup work, where they can be exposed to ash and other toxins.

Describing the active wildfires in Southern California as a “catastrophe at an unprecedented scale,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas of Salinas gathered with dozens of Assemblymembers on Thursday in Los Angeles to introduce new bills that seek to quicken rebuilding efforts and lift development restrictions.

Three days after immensely destructive and deadly wildfires broke out in and around Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a $322.3 billion state budget with a positive revenue forecast “based on an assumption of continued but slowing economic growth.”

“If this is the new normal, this is absolute economic devastation,” says one local economist.

Nearly a half-century ago, during Jerry Brown’s first stint as governor, he and state legislators became embroiled in an extremely complex political squabble over taxing the incomes of multinational corporations.

The legislative analyst has a plan to fix the “structural insolvency” of the unemployment benefits fund — but businesses aren’t happy and it’s unclear if lawmakers will get on board.

Those in California who’d like a latte with a side of weed have gotten their wish now that a new law goes into effect that permits licensed cannabis dispensaries to add sit-in cafes to their sites.  

After winning a costly legislative battle last year, California’s casino-owning tribes have sued their rivals in the gambling business. Cities could lose money if the tribes prevail in court.

The increase in lobbyists means there’s now at least one lobbyist for every legislative staff member.

Californians accused of certain drug and retail theft crimes may already be facing stiffer penalties under an initiative voters passed this year, alongside related bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law.