03/29/2024

News

Straws. Bottle caps. Polyester. These are the new targets of California’s environmental movement

“What we do has not just national, but international implications. We’re the fifth-largest economy in the world,” said Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon (D-Whittier), who introduced a bill this year that bars sit-down restaurants from providing plastic straws unless a customer requests one. “You better believe that if we do something and it works here, […]

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L.A. region’s ‘creative economy’ produced 457,400 jobs in 2016, driven by Hollywood rebound

The creative economy of the Los Angeles region saw significant job growth between 2011 and 2016, with statewide creative employment now exceeding the pre-recession highs observed more than 10 years ago, according to a new study. The annual Otis Report on the Creative Economy, which was released Tuesday, noted that direct employment in the Los […]

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What happened to the ‘affordable’ $35,000 Tesla Model 3?

It’s March 2016. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk is on stage for the dramatic unveiling of the Tesla Model 3. Tesla will make hundreds of thousands a year, he said. It will be fun to drive. It will be affordable. “In terms of price, of course, it’ll be $35,000,” he beamed, awash in thunderous applause. […]

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Stalls, stops and breakdowns: Problems plague push for electric buses

When Chinese battery maker BYD Ltd. approached Southern California officials in 2008 touting ambitious plans to build electric cars, local politicians jumped at the promise of thousands of jobs and cleaner air. In the nine years since, agencies have awarded BYD grants, subsidies and public contracts worth more than $330 million for its battery-powered buses, […]

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California gains nearly 40,000 jobs, and unemployment falls to record low

California added 39,300 net new jobs in April, as the unemployment rate fell from 4.3% to a new record low of 4.2%, according to data released Friday by the state Employment Development Department. The report indicates that the California economy remains robust despite some fears job growth was tapering off. April showed marked improvement compared […]

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California’s top court makes it more difficult for employers to classify workers as independent contractors

In a ruling that could change the workplace status of people across the state, the California Supreme Court made it harder Monday for employers to classify their workers as independent contractors. The unanimous decision has implications for the growing gig economy, such as Uber, Lyft and other app-driven services — but it could extend to […]

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Slowdown in emissions reductions could explain stalled progress on smog, study finds

After decades of improvement, reductions in smog-forming emissions have slowed dramatically, according to new nationwide study based on satellite measurements. The findings could explain why progress cleaning air pollution in California and other parts of the country is faltering at a time when official estimates show pollution should be steadily declining. Emissions of smog-forming nitrogen […]

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Commuters who drive alone in zero-emission cars will no longer get free trips in L.A.’s toll lanes

In a bid to reduce congestion in toll lanes on the 110 and 10 freeways, Los Angeles County transportation officials on Thursday opted to end a program granting solo drivers of zero-emission vehicles free access to the lanes. Drivers with state-issued clean-air stickers will be charged a toll starting in November or December of this […]

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L.A. ends its frequently porous economic boycott of Arizona

Los Angeles is ending its economic boycott of Arizona, which was launched eight years ago to protest a hotly contested law targeting illegal immigration and then repeatedly lifted as the city continued buying products from that state. The restrictions, backed by lawmakers in 2010, were supposed to curb purchases from Arizona and largely stop city […]

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Cal State leader shelves proposed tuition hike: ‘It’s the right thing to do, but it’s not without risk’

Cal State, the nation’s largest public university system, will no longer consider a plan to raise tuition for the 2018-19 academic year, Chancellor Timothy P. White announced Friday. The decision is a bet that Sacramento will come through in the end. If Cal State loses that bet, it could mean cuts to campus programs. White […]

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Qualcomm slashes 1,500 jobs in California, and its NXP bid faces objections in China

Qualcomm Inc. is slashing at least 1,500 jobs in California, trying to cut costs, at the same time its $44-billion bid to acquire NXP Semiconductors is running into problems getting antitrust clearance from China. The San Diego company, a leading provider of chips for mobile phones, said the layoffs included permanent and temporary workers. The […]

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California’s largest pension fund sends next year’s invoice to state government: $6.3 billion

As part of a shift toward less optimistic expectations for investment returns to pay for government worker pensions, board members of the California Public Employees Retirement System voted Tuesday to require an almost $6.3-billion payment from the state budget in the fiscal year that begins on July 1. The action, which could receive final approval […]

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Six years after the state came in to save Inglewood Unified, the district faces a budget crisis, buildings in disrepair and lack of steady leadership

When the California Department of Education stepped in to save Inglewood’s schools after decades of mismanagement, it had a mandate to bring financial stability. Instead, the district has cycled through three leaders — not including interim appointees — chosen by Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. None has stayed long. The chaos of constant turnover […]

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California loses jobs in March, though unemployment stays at a record low

In a signal that California’s economic engine could be slowing after a remarkable run, the state lost 7,200 net jobs last month and increases in February were far less than originally estimated, according to data released Friday by the Employment Development Department. The decline was the first in nearly two years and follows a disappointing […]

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In California, national test scores show enduring achievement gaps

California was one of just 10 states to post statistically significant increases in eighth-grade reading. In 2015, the average reading score for California eighth-graders was 259 on the 500-point test. In 2017, the average was 263. . . . Otherwise, the state’s scores on the test were flat, which the state Dept. of Education downplayed.

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