According to a statewide survey from the Public Policy Institute of California, 69 percent of those polled – 71 percent of likely voters – say bad times lie ahead. That represents a pessimism jump of 17 points from November of 2021.
Friendly cows say hello at sunset on a northern California ranch. (Photo: Jeffrey Schwartz, via Shutterstock)OPINION: President Biden’s Department of Agriculture surprised everyone this week by announcing it would triple expectations for funding the Partnerships for the Climate-Smart Commodities Program. But without evidence of a science-driven review process, it’s not clear how smart the “climate-smart” plan really is.
A worker makes repairs to an electric rotor turbine unit at a geothermal plant. (Photo: VG Photo, via Shutterstock)One month does not equal a trend, but can be a cause for concern. For instance, employers in California added 19,900 nonfarm payroll jobs in August after registering 84,800 new hires in July. Meanwhile, the Golden State’s unemployment rate rose to 4.1% in August from July’s 3.9%, according to the state Employment Development Department.
The state Capitol in Sacramento. (Photo: PPIC)The midterm campaign season enters its final stretch after Labor Day — in the context of rising consumer prices and higher interest rates that have created financial turbulence and uncertainty about job growth. Meanwhile, Californians are feeling the impact of climate change: severe drought, heat waves, and wildfires. Recently passed federal and state legislation aims to address these issues ahead of the highly consequential Nov. 8 election.
Harvesting and collecting grapes in August in Kern County. (Photo: Richard Thornton, via Shutteratock)OPINION: Food hubs could be a supply chain solution for California produce. Instead of languishing in a warehouse waiting for truck chassis or open cargo containers to ship it around the world, our bountiful California produce could feed into a local supply chain that could go straight to our schools and feed California’s children.
A sign in Yorba Linda advocating Gov. Gavin Newsom's recall. (Photo: Matt Gush.)Deeply divided California voters will go to the polls on Sept. 14 — earlier, if they vote by mail — to decide whether Gov. Gavin Newsom should be recalled and who should replace him. The polls are tight. A July 24-27 poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies has 47 percent of those most likely to vote wanting to boot Newsom out of office, while 50 percent want to retain him. So what helps Newsom and what doesn’t?
Cash register workers and their customers in area in a South San Francisco store. (Photo: Sundry Photography, via Shutterstock)The California Employment Development Department recently issued its monthly employment report showing unemployment held steady at 8.3 percent in April as the state’s employers added 101,800 jobs. EDD also trumpeted that California regained almost 48 percent of the 2,714,800 total nonfarm jobs lost in March and April 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
An artist's rendering of California's bullet train. (Image: High-Speed Rail Authority)State rail officials are taking the glass-half-full view. Rather than lamenting the fact High Speed Rail is absent from the president’s infrastructure plan, they’re pointing to supportive statements from Biden and his team, and insisting there’s time before Congress irons out a final deal to claim a share for California’s fast train.
Industrial propane tanks. (Photo: RazorbackAlum, via Shutterstock)ANALYSIS: Among the numerous advocates for a wider range of lower-carbon options in the U.S. is one group who’ve not received much attention: the propane industry. Given the trends on propane usage and production, that may very well change in 2021. Propane advocates think that their fuel is not getting the kind of attention that it deserves from policy-makers, regulators, and environmental lobbyists.
A woman factory worker on the job. (Photo: SritanaN, via Shutterstock)OPINION: In America, the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing shutdowns set back years of progress women have made to be recognized as equals in the workforce. March is Women’s History Month and as we honor the women who stood up for our rights and freedoms, we must reflect on how the pandemic has disproportionately impacted women.