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The collapsing oil price that is reshaping the global economy could derail the green energy revolution by making renewable power sources prohibitively bad value, experts have warned.

The Pacific Coast represents the world’s fifth-largest economy, with a GDP of $2.8 trillion. By working together we are transforming our economies and influencing world markets for the better. Our regional model shows that it is possible to take serious action on climate change and simultaneously expand an economy with well-paying jobs. And we believe it can be a blueprint for other regions to take action.

A California law taking effect in January places new risks on companies that hire contracted labor through staffing agencies. Employers may wish to take extra steps to protect themselves from paying for wage theft or workers’ compensation violations made by that staffing agency, suggests a new report by the global insurance manufacturer Marsh. . . The Marsh report also notes California is a hotbed of alleged wage and hour violations — and employers may want to consider purchasing wage and hour insurance to protect against alleged violations.

Restaurants, charter schools and major projects costing $10 million or more would be eligible for a new case-management program, a single point of contact to guide such projects through the city’s sometimes-Byzantine process of applying for permits and approvals.

Small business owners are often left in the dark about the energy cost increases from environmental and climate change mandates. Latino-owned businesses are disproportionately impacted because many operate on a smaller profit margin, many don’t have as mu

Mar’s ordinance requires businesses to pay employees for four hours if an employee is either on-call or sent home early, and mandates businesses to offer extra hours to part-time workers before hiring new employees. Chiu’s legislation calls on formula retail stores to post employees’ schedules 14 days in advance, give workers extra pay for changing a schedule at the last minute, and allow the same access to requests for time off and particular work schedules to part-time workers that they do for full-time employees.

For large businesses operating in multiple states, Proposition 65 is a regulatory headache. But for local, family-owned businesses like mine, the law can mean bankruptcy. Ultimately, a well-intentioned public health initiative has been perverted into a trial lawyer’s dream and an entrepreneur’s worst nightmare.

The biennial survey, conducted by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, found that California’s workers’ compensation costs, $3.48 per $100 of payroll on average, are 188 percent of the national median among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Living costs in California are already much higher than those of other states, which is not only a factor in attracting job-creating investment but is the main reason California has, under an alternative Census Bureau measurement, the nation’s highest poverty rate.

If the dollars flow in the intended areas, the newly approved water bond and rainy-day fund both have the power to improve California’s economy, local business leaders said Wednesday.

In California’s continuing effort to attract new and expanding businesses, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) has launched a new web page titled “Breaking Through Barriers to Doing Business “that praises those streamlining permitting in the state.”

In a major victory for California labor unions, Gov. Jerry Brown announced Sunday that he has signed legislation that will hold businesses liable when subcontractors violate wage, workplace safety or workers’ compensation rules.

The Workers’ Compensation Premium Rate Ranking Summary from Oregon’s Department of Consumer and Business Services shows that California businesses spend $3.48 for every $100 of payroll issued.

That’s 188 percent of the median cost of $1.85 for all 50 states. California was the third most expensive state in 2012 and the fifth most expensive in 2010.

Kinkisharyo International of Osaka said it is now looking at factory sites outside California, saying pressure from organized labor has made it difficult to do business in the state. Union officials and activists, however, argue they are simply trying to hold the company to environmental rules it should be following.

Premium rate indices are calculated based on data from 51 jurisdictions, for rates in effect as of Jan. 1, 2014. The 2014 median value is $1.85, which is a drop of 2 percent from the $1.88 median of the 2012 study. Oregon’s premium rate index is $1.37 per $100 of payroll, or 74 percent of the national median. National premium rate indices range from a low of $0.88 in North Dakota, to a high of $3.48 in California.