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Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill that will raise California’s minimum wage to $10 an hour by 2016, a move celebrated by workers but criticized by many businesses.

“California is recovering from the worst recession since the Great Depression. But as a new report from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management points out, that recovery is slow and uneven.

Meanwhile, opinion polls have found that Californians remain very concerned about whether the recovery will be complete.

Gov. Jerry Brown and other politicians have been touting recovery of late, but they cannot ignore the public’s angst. Often, therefore, when bills were traveling through the legislative process this year, their economic effects — positive or negative — became debating points.”

Virginia and North Dakota top the list of the best states to do business in 2013, according to Forbes’ annual study. At the bottom is Maine, which has been at No. 50 for four straight years. California is ranked No. 39. The best ranked states tend to have a wealth of incentives for companies and also economies that are recovering more robustly from the Great Recession. Now in its eighth year, the annual ranking takes into account factors such as labor, supply costs, the regulatory environment and growth prospects.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s (BLS) August state employment report released last Friday, Texas’ entrepreneurs added more jobs over the last year than any other state in the nation. To further solidify the state’s job creation success, Texas’ unemployment rate has now been lower than the national average, and California’s, for 80 consecutive months — longer than President Obama has been in office (see below).

California uses more of it than any other state: Nearly 20% of all groundwater withdrawals in the United States occur in California. The importance of this underground water source to the socioeconomic and environmental health of our state cannot be overemphasized.

Those in the California transportation infrastructure game are becoming even more worried. The head of the transit advocacy group Transportation California told the Sacramento Business Journal (paywall) that funding the capital region’s transportation needs will be increasingly challenging with federal funds drying up and state infrastructure bonds running out soon.

Those in the California transportation infrastructure game are becoming even more worried. The head of the transit advocacy group Transportation California told the Sacramento Business Journal (paywall) that funding the capital region’s transportation needs will be increasingly challenging with federal funds drying up and state infrastructure bonds running out soon.

As part of its mission to provide leadership in jobs creation and strengthening the economy, the California Business Roundtable announced the launch of the California Center for Jobs and the Economy. The Center will provide a comprehensive view of California’s employment picture by region as well by demographics and industry sectors.

“California businesses, residents and elected officials are going to greatly benefit from the creation of the Center for Jobs and the Economy. The factual data that the Center distributes is going to give California the opportunity to assess a variety of aspects of the jobs environment and the economy, ultimately allowing for further understanding of California’s business climate,” stated Tom Conley, Chairman of the California Business Roundtable.

Google (GOOG) over the last few weeks has struck deals to rent or buy more than 1 million square feet of offices in Santa Clara County, including the purchase of several Mountain View buildings in recent days, extending a stunning expansion by the Internet giant.

“The giant lobbying group, which represents 13,500 large and small employers, posted a near-perfect score in efforts this year to defeat legislation it labeled “job killers.”

This year, the chamber went gunning for 38 such bills. Only one made it through both the Democratic Party-dominated Legislature and landed on the governor’s desk.”

Since just before the start of the 21st century, the Earth’s average global surface temperature has failed to rise despite soaring levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases and years of dire warnings from environmental advocates.

The Employment Development Department said today that statewide unemployment rose to 8.9 percent in August, up two-tenths of a point. But statewide payrolls grew by 29,100 – the second highest payroll growth in the nation.

Los Angeles County’s unemployment rate climbed back into double digits in August, reaching 10.1 percent, according to state figures released Friday.

“In many ways California’s economy these days resembles a Charles Dickens novel.

The state’s coastal areas are starting to resemble better times. Unemployment rates have plunged and housing prices have skyrocketed faster than anywhere in the country.

But inland areas can’t shake the worst of times. Unemployment remains in double digits. Central Valley farmers recently struggled through a bone-dry spring as state and federal authorities repeatedly cut their water deliveries. And incomes in the inland regions lag coastal parts of California.”

Citing the healthier housing market, improved state budget situation and the prospect of a new downtown NBA arena, UOP economist Jeff Michael said Thursday that Sacramento’s job market will pick up steam in 2014 and 2015.