Image by PhonlamaiPhoto. OPINION – With workers facing such unprecedented disruption — on top of the Trump Administration’s proposed $1.6 billion in cuts to Department of Labor funding — it’s imperative that state lawmakers prioritize workforce development funding during final budget negotiations.
San Luis Obispo, CA. Image by Jim BrownOPINION – A new California Mobility Index (CMI) ranking the state’s four-year institutions did more than highlight the importance of the California State University (CSU) system to low- and moderate-income Californians and the state’s economic future. It said two things concurrently: investing in CSU is good for the California economy, and the CSU system must do better.
Image by Alexander SikovOPINION – In May of this year, Governor Newsom warned, “If we over-regulate, if we overindulge, if we chase the shiny object, we could put ourselves in a perilous position.” Sadly, Senator Scott Wiener’s SB 1047 bill falls into the trap Governor Newsom warned about.
Image by chayanupholOPINION – Carbon capture and storage is a process that captures CO2 that would otherwise be released from sources like industrial and power generation facilities and safely injected deep underground for storage. This helps to significantly reduce emissions from sectors like chemical production, steel manufacturing, and power generation.
The climate crisis, image by Marti Bug CatcherOPINION: Sound investment decisions depend on access to sound information, and when it comes to assessing the climate impacts associated with large companies’ activities and products, we are flying blind. That is why I ardently support California’s Senate Bill 253, the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act.
OPINION – The exclusive right to operate bank card games is constitutionally guaranteed to tribal nations as a path to re-establish our sovereignty and rebuild many of our tribal nations which were torn down by years of oppression and injustice. It is a right we take seriously, and a right we depend on to support our people.
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.