A woman checks her plans at a construction project. (Photo: Serhii Krot, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Historically, the industry has been dominated by males, and while that is still true today, we are slowly challenging this reality as the number of women in construction is steadily increasing. In 2021, women made up 10.9% of the United States construction industry which is up from 9.9% in 2018.
Metal and plastic household appliances, including electronic gear, ready for recycling. (Photo: akiyoka, via Shutterstock)OPINION: The term “environmental justice” — or EJ, for short — has recently gained widespread usage among the general public. Do you know what it means? At the heart of it is that our most disadvantaged communities and neighborhoods have historically been disproportionately impacted by industrial pollution, toxic waste and air emissions that adversely affect the health and well-being of residents in those areas.
A tossed plastic bottle ends up in the ocean off Santa Monica. (Photo: Danila Delimont, via Shutterstock)California’s inability to meet its long-stated goal of cutting solid waste by 75 percent by 2020 prompted environmentalists to craft a ballot initiative aimed at November targeting single-use single-use plastic products – including a sharp limit on their production.
Roof top solar panels on rooftops in a Southern California neighborhood. (Photo: Simone Hogan, via Shutterstock)Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger championed an effort to install a million solar energy systems throughout the state. Fifteen years later, lured by incentives, there are more than 1.3 million solar rooftops that produce enough electricity for millions of homes across California. But a sharp debate is brewing among energy experts, the utilities, consumers and labor interests about fairness of the original program, called “net metering.”
Marijuana, cannabis, flowering plant as medicinal medicine, grass in sunset sunlightOPINION; California cannabis regulations are taking one step forward and two steps back. Two landmark – and at times polarizing – pieces of legislation for California’s cannabis market are currently making waves: The state is set to raise the cannabis cultivation tax while regulators have announced plans to standardize cannabis testing.
Pre-pandemic customers at a restaurant in LA's Famers Market. (Photo: Alex Millauer, via Shutterstock)OPINION: On June 3, the so-called “FAST Recovery Act” failed to secure enough votes to move forward in the California Legislature. Even though it was proposed by the chair of the Appropriations Committee and was a priority for labor interests, lawmakers recognized the damage that would have been caused by this bill.
A dialysis machine at work. (Photo:Aleksandr Ivasenko, via Shutterstock)Kidney dialysis may sound like an odd topic for a California ballot proposition, but voters will tangle with the issue on Nov. 3 — for the second time.The basic fight over Proposition 23 is between organized labor, which favors the initiative, and the dialysis clinic industry, which is opposed. Surrounding the debate are questions of medical care quality, clinic staffing, access, and costs.
An electric big-rig tractor-trailer truck. (Photo: Union of Concerned Scientists)OPINION: Polluters never miss an opportunity to exploit a crisis for financial gain — and the coronavirus crisis is no exception. As millions of Americans hunker down in their homes, sacrificing their incomes to save lives, truck manufacturers are endangering people in my community by lobbying for delays to the nation’s first electric truck standard, which would slash toxic air pollution from trucks.
A sign urging protections for drinking water in Yosemite National Park. (Photo: Earl D. Walker, via Shutterstock)OPINION: California has a drinking water crisis. More than 1 million people in California lack access to safe, clean, and affordable drinking water. 400 schools in our state have lead contamination in their drinking water. About 300 public water systems in our state are not in compliance with drinking water standards. This is a public health and environmental crisis.
A loan document ready to be signed. (Photo: Lane V. Erickson, via Shutterstock)OPINION: The California Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing Wednesday on a bill that caps consumer loan rates and threatens to sever a vital credit lifeline for many. Oddly, three commercial lenders who offer the kind of loans subject to this regulation support it.Assembly Bill 539 would cap the interest rate at 36% plus the federal funds rate on loans of more than $2,500 but less than $10,000.