The problem with inclusionary policies and other coercive approaches to housing, such as rent control ordinances, is that while they may be politically gratifying, they divert attention from the real problem of housing in California, which is that we have way too little of it.
In another sign that a once-promising El Niño weather pattern is proving to be no drought-buster, California officials say an unseasonably warm and dry February shrunk the Sierra snowpack to below average depths.
California lawmakers approved a health plan tax package Monday designed to continue pulling in more than a billion dollars in matching federal money, while committing several hundred million dollars to services for the developmentally disabled, debt relief and other programs.
The Department of Water Resources announced Wednesday that the State Water Project will increase its allocation to an estimated 30 percent of what’s been requested by the project’s customers. A month ago, the allocation was pegged at 15 percent.
Between the two sources, spending in the coming fiscal year would total $167.6 billion, or about $4,200 for each Californian. That’s two-thirds higher than he was 40 years ago, after adjusting for inflation.
The California New Car Dealers Association said Monday that vehicle sales rose to 2.05 million in 2015, up from 1.85 million the year before. The growth rate in California compared with 5.2 percent growth nationally.
But as the ranks of those workers swell, generating billions of dollars in revenue for their parent companies, legal and political disputes about the nature of gig work have proliferated. Lawsuits have challenged the notion that gig workers aren’t entitled to wage guarantees or benefits. A new California bill allowing gig workers to organize mirrors a national debate about whether and how to allow workers to pursue the types of employment benefits attached to traditional jobs.
The value of California merchandise exports fell 5 percent in 2015, the first annual decline since 2009.
Preliminary tax revenue for January stands at a net $167 million less than estimates in Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget, according to a report Wednesday by the Legislature’s non-partisan fiscal analyst.
A small group of electric vehicle companies fall under the provisions of Senate Bill 680 – primarily Tesla, which is in Wieckowski’s district and sponsored the legislation.
The farmers and cities that rely on the California State Water Project got some slightly encouraging news Tuesday – the state is raising their water allocation to 15 percent of what they requested.
Businesses and nonprofit groups have been adjusting to the state’s new $10 minimum wage since it superseded the old minimum wage of $9 an hour on Jan. 1. Some have raised prices or fees. Others have cut back hours. And many are thinking about the increases still to come.
Since 2007, for instance, the San Francisco Bay Area, with 20 percent of the state’s population, has generated well over half of the state’s employment growth. Conversely, Los Angeles County, with a 25 percent of the population, has produced less than 10 percent of the new jobs.
Were politicians willing to seriously address California’s housing crisis, rather than make token gestures, they’d reform CEQA and take other steps to encourage supply.
The commission said Friday that it has reduced estimated funding available for the state’s transportation program by $754 million over the next five years.