The state would exempt Tesla Motors Inc. from some of its toughest environmental regulations as part of an incentive package being discussed with the automaker to build a massive battery factory in California, a key state senator said..
The governing board of the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau, comprised mostly of insurance industry representatives, voted to file an advisory rate of $2.86 per $100 of payroll, 11 percent more than the industry’s premium average as of July 1.
The Golden State sets the gold standard for innovation and access to capital, and its economy is turning around. But “golden” could also describe the state’s costs of living and doing business.
The Thumbtack.com Small Business Friendliness Survey is an annual, nationwide survey that asks ownerCoperators of small businesses about what it’s like to do business where they live. The survey aims to learn what creates a healthy, vibrant local business environment by asking the ownerCoperators of small businesses themselves about these issues. This year we use the survey data to grade 38 states and 82 metropolitan regions according to their performance along various metrics.
Local business owners and statewide business organizations are stepping up opposition to a state bill that would allow workers to file liens against their employers over claims of unpaid wages.
California’s highways are in dreadful shape and need hundreds of billions of dollars in maintenance and reconstruction. Boosting motorists’ costs by more than $2 billion a year without the money being used for highway work would make financing vital repairs even less likely.
Given the heavy financial impact of placing fuel under the cap-and-trade program, it should face legislative scrutiny and direct up-or-down votes, rather than being imposed by an unelected board.
Nearly four-fifths of the state rebates went to households earning $100,000 or more, according to a state survey of buyers. Nearly half of those getting rebates for Tesla’s premium electric sedan earned at least $300,000.
Sacramento is still getting a bad rap for business friendliness. An annual Thumbtack.com survey ranked Sacramento at the very bottom of 82 major metros for support from local government. Shocker: California didn’t fare well, either.
Permits issued for X-rated productions have fallen by 90% since 2012, when Los Angeles County voters passed Measure B in November of that year after a campaign contending that the law would protect performers from outbreaks of sexually transmitted diseases. The porn industry had opposed the measure, asserting that mandatory testing of actors for HIV was effective.
McDonald’s Corp. could be treated as a joint employer with its franchisees in labor complaints, according to a National Labor Relations Board legal determination that could have far-reaching implications for how restaurant companies deal with their workers.
According to law firm Davis Polk, 208 (52%) of the 398 total rulemaking requirements have been met so far. It’s an improvement from 2012, when just 31% of the Dodd-Frank rules were in force, but still lacking.
In a vote that could highlight the difficulty in implementing additional measures to reduce carbon emissions ahead of global climate talks next year in Paris, Australia’s Senate on Thursday voted 39-32 to repeal a politically divisive carbon emissions price that contributed to the fall from power of three Australian leaders since it was first suggested in 2007.
Absent changes, gasoline and diesel fuel beginning in January will be covered under a state auction program that requires petroleum companies to obtain carbon emission credits in order to continue to operate as they gradually choke off their greenhouse gases. The minimum cost of those credits, or allowances, is unknown, but experts believe they may be in the range of $12-to-$13 each, with each credit covering a ton of carbon emissions. Millions of credits may be sold and that cost is likely to be passed on at the pump. During a recent sale, emission allowances were selling at $11.34.
California’s high energy costs and environmental initiatives pushing green energy are making it more expensive for businesses to operate in the state, a new report finds, exacting a significant toll on low- and middle-class communities.
Nine Assembly and Senate members, led by Assemblyman Henry T. Perea (D-Fresno), want to delay putting motor vehicle fuels under the state’s system for buying and selling the right to release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.