Tahoe Truckee Region Business, Economy & Jobs Digest

PG&E bills have risen substantially in recent years and are likely to go up again in January 2024. But opposition from lawmakers and others could be mounting.

The California Department of Finance notes that the state collected $18 billion in tax revenues in October 2023, after projecting as much as $42 billion. It could mean a wider budget gap than anticipated, with state leaders already acknowledging a looming $14 billion deficit.

After years of isolation and virtual classes, young professionals in California’s workforce are reportedly struggling with greater mental health challenges and burnout. If colleges and companies don’t pay more attention, there could be economic consequences.

After years of planning a broadband system to bridge California’s digital divide, officials deprioritized some low-income areas due to unexpected costs. Gov. Gavin Newsom says he’s committed to funding the entire network, but advocates are skeptical.

Unions at Kaiser Permanente put pressure on the health care giant to raise pay and address what they called understaffing during two strikes over the past year. The results reflected labor’s power in California.

With the growing use of AI, campus officials are trying to set clear guidelines for college application essays.

The governor signed two other bills that strengthen protections for grocery workers during grocery store mergers and acquisitions.

A new California law will ban over two dozen chemicals from fragrances and cosmetics. It’s another first-in-the-nation law—and another instance of California following European Union regulators.

If California’s new U.S. senator runs in the 2024 election, she would likely have to court labor unions’ support, quickly. But with three other labor-friendly Democrats already winning union backing, time and resources are running out.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky seems to have found himself in a Catch-22, caught between the conflicting demands of guests and hosts.

Newsom rejected Senate Bill 799, which would have paid striking workers California unemployment benefits after two weeks, and SB 686, which would have extended workplace safety protections to domestic workers, such as housekeepers and nannies.

The $700 million price tag sets a $7 billion mark that would make the Warriors one of the world’s most valuable sports teams.

A patchwork of bills are giving housing developers and local governments more options to reduce red tape for housing projects.

Locals for Affordable Housing aims to place a voter initiative on the November 2024 ballot modeled after Berkeley’s vacancy tax, which requires owners of homes that sit vacant more than six months to pay $3,000 for the first year and $6,000 every year after.

Unions won major victories this session on pay for fast food and health care workers, benefits for strikers and bargaining rights. Business groups say that labor has too much power at the Capitol.

Hydrogen fueling stations will get 15 percent of funds in a state program — even though Californians own only about 12,000 hydrogen cars. The funds come from fees paid by drivers.

A last-minute legislative deal would raise pay for California health care workers while giving medical providers a guarantee that they won’t have to battle local measures on employee compensation.

Under the executive order signed Sept. 6, state agencies and departments are mandated to analyze potential threats to California’s energy infrastructure through generative artificial intelligence.

No. 2 was Oregon, then New York, Washington, and Massachusetts. Worst place? North Carolina.

Many farmworkers in Coachella Valley lack legal status as citizens and don't qualify for most federal and state disaster aid. Even a new $95 million storm assistance program for immigrants that Governor Gavin Newsom recently touted is out of reach because it pertains to the winter and spring storms and floods.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has closed two state prisons and he has plans to shut two more by 2025. A new contract for correctional officers offers new perks to the guards who stay.

The federal student loan payment pause is coming to an end. Here’s how to get ready to make payments again.

With only 12,000 hydrogen cars on the road, and just two models for sale, California lawmakers are debating how much state money should support them.

San Francisco isn’t going to take last week’s robotaxi decision by the California Public Utilities Commission lying down. Joined by the city's transit authority board, fire department and board of supervisors, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed motions on Wednesday to halt the unrestricted expansion of autonomous vehicles for commercial use.

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants counties to spend some revenue from California’s so-called “millionaire’s tax” on the state’s homeless crisis. That alarms advocates for programs that are getting that money today.

Gov. Gavin Newsom promised $95 million would help undocumented workers rebuild after winter storms and floods. Months later, $18 million is being doled out and there are translation issues with the state’s website.

Many local governments see voter majorities approve bond measures without reaching the two-thirds required. A new effort to reform that system would drastically improve the ability of local governments to fund housing and infrastructure projects.

How bad is California hunger? A lot depends on your access to food aid, which expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic but is being reduced.

The Biden administration’s app rule makes it harder for migrants to assert a right to asylum, advocates say. Lawsuits are sparking debate about immigration control, safety.

Local governments account for about 10 percent of total spending on lobbying state lawmakers and agencies. Often, they’re seeking state money. Sometimes, they’re trying to get a say on specific bills.

Frustration runs deep among medical cannabis patients and advocates who say the commercial market created by Proposition 64 in 2016 isn’t meeting their needs.

Some hospitals in Southern California have a nurse vacancy rate of 30 percent, stressing overworked staff and causing some to leave the industry earlier than they planned.