“Small businesses took a breather from hiring last month after a string of five solid, positive months,” said NFIB Chief Economist William Dunkelberg. “Growth in the first few months of the year was lousy and big firms are beginning to show signs of wear and tear, layoffs are being announced and profits are fading.”
The business portal, a tool from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, provides companies with a map to navigate state and federal regulations, and access state assistance in areas like finding a site and accessing agencies that train workers.
California created nearly 2,000 clean energy and clean transportation jobs in the first quarter, to rank second in the nation behind Georgia, according to a report made public Tuesday.
People who work for cities, counties, school districts and other public agencies in the four-county Sacramento region face an average HMO premium increase next year of 12.2 percent. Amounts vary by health plan from a low of 5.17 percent for Kaiser Permanente to 18.76 percent for the Blue Shield NetValue plan. Anthem Blue Cross charges more here than in any other region, including the Bay Area.
California reported the largest increase in claims of 10,917. The state attributed the change to layoffs in the service industry.
Gov. Jerry Brown apparently has liberated himself from the self-imposed pledge to ask voters to approve new state taxes.
“We can’t let communities fall behind. We can’t create a situation in which only the wealthy take advantage of subsidy programs,” said Assemblyman Henry Perea, a Fresno Democrat.
Kish Rajan has stepped down as director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, the agency said Thursday. He’s taking a job as president of the Southern California Leadership Council, a nonprofit focused on economic policy issues.
The governor immediately mentioned his reservations around a proposal by Sen. Bob Hertzberg to impose a sales tax on professional services such as accounting and advertising.
With one in three Californians — more than 12 million — now covered by Medi-Cal, payment reform is a huge issue. Medi-Cal rates rank 48th in the nation. It pays about half what Medicare does for primary care. Supporters say a hike in rates would stabilize provider networks and boost access to care for people on the Medi-Cal program.
The windfall is driven by a jolt of personal income taxes, as California bounds through its economic recovery. Income taxes have come in $2.7 billion above projections.
California reported a decrease in new claims of 4,218. The state attributed the change to fewer layoffs in the service industry as well as in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting.
Due to problems with refineries in California, gas prices rose sharply in the state and in the Sacramento region. The average price of a gallon of regular gas is $3.257 compared to $2.974 a week ago, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report.
On the heels of a bill to impose new taxes on professional services, the California Board of Equalization estimates that such a law would generate some $123 billion for the state, with revenue roughly split between state and local government.
The legislation from Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, a Los Angeles Democrat, would increase the paid family leave program up to 10 weeks instead of the current maximum of six weeks, and would increase wages earned during that time on a new formula based on a worker’s regular wages.