Posts Tagged: economy

Opinion

Carbon capture and storage can help California reach climate goals

Image by chayanuphol

OPINION – 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.

Opinion

To solve the climate crisis, we need the full picture

The climate crisis, image by Marti Bug Catcher

OPINION: 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

Federal Ag Department’s climate-smart funding fails the grade

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.

News

California’s jobless rate up to 4.1% amid mixed economic signals

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.

News

PPIC survey: Economy, inflation, jobs are top concerns

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.

Opinion

Food hubs offer answer to a disrupted supply chain

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.

News

Recall election a stew of politics, absurdity and uncertainty

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?

Opinion

We must invest in ‘reskilling’ workers for higher-wage jobs

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.

Support for Capitol Weekly is Provided by: