It found an “economic tale of two regions.” In Los Angeles, the base of private, non-farm jobs shrank between 1990 and 2013 before growing slightly last year, and came nowhere close to keeping up with population growth. In the Bay Area, growth rates in those jobs topped 20 percent.
Despite plunging prices in the last seven years, rooftop solar arrays remain an expensive home improvement, costing $15,000 or more. A 2013 study by the liberal research and advocacy group Center for American Progress found that 67 percent of solar arrays installed in California went to ZIP codes with a median household income between $40,000 and $90,000. Wealthier areas accounted for almost all of the rest.
But where it really gets interesting is the rankings measuring cities’ potential to be booming in 2024. And that’s where San Francisco comes out on top. Take that London, Boston and New York! (Nos. 2, 3 and 4.) And Beat L.A.? No problem. Those Dodgers lovers are at a mere No. 21.
The requirement aims to ensure that wages keep pace with cost-of-living increases, but business advocates say it could cripple entrepreneurs’ ability to adjust wages to unpredictable economic conditions — effectively enshrining automatic annual layoffs when times get tough.
With avian flu devastating a significant portion of the nation’s egg-laying hens, major food companies and restaurant chains are bracing for shortages and scouting the country to find alternative supply sources.
With little fanfare, the president in March scaled back the ambitious goals laid out in 2009 that sought the million units on the road by 2015 as it became clear that technology and consumer interest were not keeping pace with his ideals. Sales and government purchases have failed to meet even lowered expectations, government sales data and U.S. sales data show.
Calling California’s cap-and-trade emissions auctions a form of extortion, the National Federal of Independent Business’ Small Business Legal Center has filed a brief in the Third District California Court of Appeals, saying the auctions are a burden to small business and that the California Air Resources Board lacks the legal authority to sell emission allowances.
The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday voted 14-1 to support creating a citywide minimum wage, which will rise from the current statewide minimum of $9 an hour today to $15 an hour over the next five years.
“Today, many jobs that used to be considered non-tradable services are now tradable services. Back-office accounting functions can be done anywhere, as can legal research or title research. Just about any job that is done at a computer is now a tradable service. Unless they have a monopoly, tradable goods and tradable service providers face relentless price competition. California’s high-cost environment is forcing them to relocate to lower-cost communities to survive. Tradable producers won’t be providing 21st Century California jobs.”
As millions of California students tackle new assessments aligned with the Common Core, Gov. Jerry Brown in one of his more expansive comments on testing and measurements last week called for a “balanced” approach to testing, and expressed skepticism about pressures to hold schools more accountable for achieving results, and on students to show constant improvement.
Economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco argue in a new paper that issues with seasonal adjustments in the official growth statistics are depressing winter figures.
While two-thirds of Los Angeles County employers expect business conditions to improve this year, they have serious concerns about governmental impediments, such as high taxes and fees, increased regulation and cumbersome permitting processes.
The stark challenge that confronts this state is putting a spotlight on a father and son who, as much as any two people, define modern-day California. They are strikingly different symbols of different eras, with divergent styles and distinct views of government, growth and the nature of California itself.
In the past five years, roughly a dozen states have enacted laws barring local governments from requiring businesses to provide paid sick leave to employees. The number of states banning local minimum wages has grown to 15. And while oil-rich states such as Texas and Oklahoma are pursuing bills banning local restrictions on drilling, other states where agriculture is big business have been banning local limitations on the types of seeds sown for crops.
A reduced supply from dams forces the grid operator to turn to more expensive sources of power, such as natural gas, which also enlarges the state’s carbon footprint.