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PPIC’s newest poll offers a new but familiar glimpse of just how crestfallen Californians seem when it comes to the road ahead. Only 40 percent of likely voters think the state is headed in the right direction, a 9-point decline since March and 4 points lower than all adults who were surveyed this same time in 2014. When the poll is broadened to all adults, it’s more of a split decision; but here, too, PPIC finds a decline in optimism about the direction of California.

For workers, it’s become easier and less risky to go solo. Affordable health insurance plans, which kept many workers shackled to traditional jobs, are more accessible because of the Affordable Care Act. . . In 2013, 23 million people were self-employed, according the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s up 1.2 percent from the year before and up about 24 percent from 2003. That number doesn’t count self-employed people who may also hire employees.

Growth was characterized as “moderate” in the Chicago, Richmond, Minneapolis and San Francisco districts; “modest” in New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis regions; mixed in the Boston district; “slight” in Cleveland and Kansas City; holding steady in Atlanta; and slowing “slightly” in Dallas. The latter could be associated with falling business spending in the energy sector.

The losses will be uneven, said Richard Howitt, an agricultural economist at UC Davis and a co-author of the report. Regions with a reliable supply of groundwater will do best. He cited Tulare, Kings and Kern counties as areas with poor groundwater supplies that could struggle this year.

U.S. consumer spending unexpectedly stalled in April as households cut back on purchases of automobiles and continued to boost savings, suggesting the economy was struggling to gain momentum early in the second quarter.

More than likely, therefore, the EITC will evolve into an “entitlement” that will expand to ever-more recipients. That’s been the history of such benefits, even those deemed to be temporary or non-entitlements when first implemented.

The revision, which was near economists’ latest estimate of a 1% contraction, showed how the world’s largest economy remains vulnerable to shocks as it struggles to regain its vigor. The dip, expected to be short-lived, marked the third quarterly contraction since the economy emerged from recession in mid-2009.

The percentage of voters who believe the state is on the right track is down 10 percentage points from February, even as its fiscal outlook continues to improve with revenue running billions of dollars ahead of estimates.

Even as many farmers cut back their planting, California’s farm economy overall has been surprisingly resilient. Farm employment increased by more than 1 percent last year. Gross farm revenue from crop production actually increased by two-tenths of 1 percent last year, to $33.09 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The revenue figures don’t take into account animal agriculture, such as beef and dairy production.

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.

During the recession, welfare programs in California lost about $15 billion according to Peter Woiwode of the California Partnership, a group that advocates for the state’s poor.

The loudest demand is expanding early childhood services, particularly subsidized child care for the working poor. It might be said that Democrats are drawing a line in the sandbox on the issue and may make it the stickiest issue in final budget negotiations.

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.

The administration estimated the average household benefit at $460 per year, with a maximum credit of $2,653.

With one in three Californians — more than 12 million — now covered by Medi-Cal, payment reform is a huge issue. Medi-Cal rates rank 48th in the nation. It pays about half what Medicare does for primary care. Supporters say a hike in rates would stabilize provider networks and boost access to care for people on the Medi-Cal program.