A worker unloads cargo at an outlet in LA's Chinatown district.(Photo: Matt Gush, via Shutterstock)OPINION: There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all of us. Brick and mortar small businesses have been forced to quickly adapt or face the very real possibility of shutting their doors. On top of that, consumers are paying more for everything while backordered goods have become the new normal.
Photo illustration, political cash on the move: IQoncept, via ShutterstockThe Disclose Act, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed earlier this month, passed the Legislature after years of negotiations with labor unions and other interest groups. Supporters call it the strongest campaign money transparency law in the nation, but others say interest groups had too much sway over the bill.
A sugar factory , Puunene, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo: Mike Brake)Hawaii last month became the first state to establish a goal of relying 100 percent on renewable energy, setting 2045 as the year to reach this ambitious target. Meanwhile, legislation moved forward in California that would significantly expand its pioneering efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. The Golden State has an economy larger than all but six nations in the world, and almost anything it does has the potential of having global impact.
California Gov. Jerry Brown at a public event. His wife, Anne Gust Brown, is in the background. (Photo: Randy Miramontez)A little-known panel of Gov. Brown’s top administration officials is poised to play a critical role in his fourth and final term as governor. The newly funded Strategic Growth Council, or SGC, is a cabinet-level body with a portfolio that cuts across virtually all aspects of California government.