Posts Tagged: third

Workers’ painful process of clawing back stolen wages

Illustration by Quentin Lueninghoener, via FairWarning

by ELI WOLFE, FairWarning posted 10.10.2019

From FairWarning: In February, when California labor officials announced the biggest wage theft case against a private company in state history, they made sure to include a warning for all bosses:“Stealing earned wages from workers’ pockets is illegal in California and this case shows that employers who steal from their workers will end up paying for it in the end,” said Labor Secretary Julie Su in a press release announcing nearly $12 million in citations against RDV Construction, Inc. RDV has appealed the penalties.

Washington and Sacramento, side-by-side

The state Capitol in Sacramento. (Photo SchnepfDesign, via Shutterstock)

by CHRIS MICHELI posted 04.18.2018

Clearly, Washington, D.C., and Sacramento share many things in common — including such negatives as a hyper-heated political culture, insularity and a pervasive sense of entitlement. And California’s Legislature is obviously based upon the federal legislative model. Nonetheless, their legislative  rules are different, so let’s take a look at some of the major distinctions.

The Capitol Weekly Podcast with Hector Barajas

Hector Barajas, expert on California Latino politics and a veteran campaign consultant. (Photo: Tim Foster, Capitol Weekly)

by Staff posted 01.31.2016

Welcome to Round Three of the Capitol Weekly Podcast: Tim Foster and John Howard chat with veteran political strategist Hector Barajas, an expert on Latino politics and a person who is going to be very, very busy this year. Click here to listen in.

Historic drought trumps economy

The dry bed of Ivanpah Lake in San Barnardino County, which had been filled by the 2004-05 rains. (Photo: Ed Berlen)

by JOHN HOWARD posted 06.03.2015

Water and the lack of it is the No. 1 issue confronting California, and most people across the state believe their neighbors aren’t doing enough to deal with the drought. The nonprofit Public Policy Institute of California reported that nearly four in 10 of those surveyed said water and drought was the most important issue, about double those – 20 percent – who saw jobs and the economy as the key issue.

Voter approval of the job that Democrat Jerry Brown is doing as Governor has reached a new high. At present, 59% of registered voters approve of his performance in office, nearly twice the proportion (32%) who disapprove. Brown also holds a huge preference lead when likely voters in the June open primary election are asked whom they would support if the election were being held today.

To cover the cost of retirees living longer, the CalPERS board next month is expected to approve the third rate hike in the last two years, phasing in the increase to soften the blow on state and local governments. The new rate hike would not begin until fiscal 2016-17 to allow employers time to plan after receiving rate projections next year.