[Source: Los Angeles Times] Southern California smog worsened for a second straight year in the latest sign that progress in cleaning the nation’s most polluted air is faltering. The dive in air quality comes even though emissions are declining, forcing regulators to explain why returns are diminishing after years of progress battling smog. Ozone, the Read More…
Category: California News
What employers should know about emergencies and the workplace
[Source: CalChamber] In light of various emergencies and disasters throughout the state, the California Chamber of Commerce is educating employers about a few things they should know about paying employees, leaves of absences and planning ahead in emergencies. Paying Employees Even in an emergency, employers must be mindful of obligations under state employment laws and Read More…
New laws: Governor acts on employment-related bills
[Source: CalChamber] Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. has now signed or vetoed employment-related legislation passed by the California Legislature in 2017. Governor Brown did not finish acting on many of the bills until just before midnight Sunday night. As usual, labor matters were among the hardest fought issues on CalChamber’s agenda. A few of the Read More…
California lawmaker wants to ban gas car sales after 2040
[Source: Capitol Alert] Sales of new gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles would be banned in California after 2040 under a bill that Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, plans to introduce. France and the United Kingdom are doing it. So is India. And now one lawmaker would like California to follow their lead in phasing out gasoline- Read More…
The environmental consequences of your second car
[Source: Pacific Standard] New research finds Californians who buy a fuel-efficient car often purchase a bigger, less environmentally friendly second vehicle. Bad news for those of us who hoped the increasing popularity of hybrids and other high-mileage cars and trucks would be a game-changer in the fight against climate change. It seems we forgot about Read More…
Despite liberal California Legislature, Chamber of Commerce kills most ‘job-killer’ bills
[Source: The Mercury News] From all appearances, the California Legislature’s 2017 session was one of the most liberal – or progressive, as liberals prefer to say – in the state’s history. In fact, legislative leaders such as Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon are saying as much. However, despite the overall left-of-center tone to the session that ended last week, the California Chamber of Read More…
California’s growth slowdown continues in August as the state loses 8,200 job
[Source: Los Angeles Times] California’s slowing economic expansion was evident in August as the state lost 8,200 net jobs and the unemployment rate rose to 5.1%, from 4.8% a month earlier, according to data released Friday from the state’s Employment Development Department. The drop in employment follows a robust July in which the Golden State Read More…
California leads the way in growth of climate change lawsuits
[Source: Capitol Public Radio] Lawsuits will help drive how climate change policy evolves in the years to come. More of those lawsuits are originating in California than any other state, according to a new study out of George Washington University. Not only is there a growing number of climate-change related lawsuits, but roughly 25 percent of Read More…
High-speed rail in the Valley was once supposed to be done by Saturday… not even close
[Source: The Fresno Bee] In 2010, when the Obama administration started to pony up more than $2.5 billion in economic stimulus money for construction of California’s high-speed rail project, the funds came with three important conditions: That the money be used for construction in the San Joaquin Valley. That the money be completely spent by Read More…