Fourteen Democratic presidential contenders blew into San Francisco last weekend to woo the delegates to the state Democratic Party convention and whisper sweet nothings to California voters. They promised to give us the time and attention we deserve, now that we’ve moved our primary up into early March. And then they were gone — headed […]
When the year began, the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom had just two must-do jobs – pass a state budget and do something meaningful about the state’s chronic and corrosive shortage of housing. The budget is a slam-dunk, thanks to the state’s fat treasury. Housing, however, is a smellier kettle of political fish. Midway through […]
Austin Yi said he couldn’t take it anymore. Noise from the tents along Shatto Place rose to his third-floor Koreatown apartment at night: yelling, screaming, the clanging of tools as people repaired bikes. When he couldn’t drown out the racket with white noise, the 27-year-old and his wife would drag blankets into the hallway to […]
In January, two of the biggest adversaries in California housing politics appeared on the verge of detente. California developers and the construction unions that build their homes were reportedly near a deal that both sides hoped would unleash a bounty of homebuilding across the state. Developers would agree to employ more unionized carpenters, plumbers and […]
California’s homeless population is going up despite billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded efforts, according to recently released data and officials. Homelessness jumped 12% and 16% from a year ago in the county and city of Los Angeles, respectively, according to figures released this week based on a count conducted in January. The tally showed 58,936 […]
Frustrated with a growing housing and jobs imbalance, two Menlo Park council members are proposing a citywide moratorium on all non-residential developments. If approved by a majority of council members, the moratorium could disrupt Facebook’s massive redevelopment plan, which is expected to add more than 6,000 employees to its Bayfront Expressway campus. City staff is […]
Throughout college, Atticus Reyes traveled an hour each way from his upper valley home in Ojai to Cal State Channel Islands a few miles off Ventura County’s expansive coastline. Reyes arranged his first two years of classes so he would only be on campus two days a week—a strategy that allowed him to avoid hundreds […]
In looking for a new name for California’s fledgling Online Community College, officials wanted something that would attract potential students to the promise of a better future in the Golden State. They also wanted a more widely encompassing moniker for an institution that won’t be only online, despite its original title. The somewhat surprising and […]
Unrelenting commutes. Lost construction jobs. A statewide economic shudder. Prepare for all three if California loses its clean air battle with the Trump administration. That’s the warning from state transportation planning agency officials, who say the ongoing fight over passenger vehicle standards might cause collateral damage to road and public transit projects. That could affect […]
After efforts to unite the West under a carbon-trading program stalled for nearly a decade, Oregon will decide this month whether it wants to follow in California’s footsteps. A bill winding its way through the Oregon legislature could finally give California a U.S. partner in the cap-and-trade program it shares with the Canadian province of […]
Economic activity in the Twelfth District continued to expand at a moderate pace during the reporting period of midNovember through December. Conditions in the labor market remained tight, and wage growth was moderate. Price inflation was flat. Sales of retail goods expanded moderately, while activity in consumer and business services was solid. Conditions in the […]
Employers tapped the brakes on hiring in May, signaling companies are taking a more cautious approach at a time of cooling global growth and trade tensions and adding to other signs of a spring slowdown in the decadelong U.S. economic expansion. The economy added 75,000 jobs in May, marking the 104th straight month of gains, […]
If your business is in California and you’re wondering if companies continue to leave the state, the answer is, “Yes, and anecdotal evidence is that the numbers are growing.” Before I identify the latest companies to depart California – 24 of them, which I’ve learned about only within the last three months – consider the […]
With the LA Chamber of Commerce leading the opposition – arguing that the revenue surge wouldn’t make it to the intended classroom cause — and the California Business Roundtable and real estate interests supplying funding for the “no” side. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association lobbed in a legal challenge. The two sides have raised more than $7 […]
Legislators from both parties introduce bills that reflect their priorities. These bills may respond to issues that have occurred in a district, be constituent ideas, bill proposals from advocacy groups, or author-sponsored legislation. Regardless of a bill’s origin, it seems reasonable to expect that each would be heard in a committee, supported or opposed by […]