California economy

Los Angeles County the capital of U.S. poverty

The Census Bureau’s 2012 decision to begin releasing an alternative measure of poverty that included cost of living has appeared to have far-reaching effects in California as politicians, community leaders and residents react to the new measure’s depiction of the

Google jumps into CA housing market

James Poulos November 29, 2015

Google has broken into the real estate industry. Convinced that a big market still exists for bargain-seekers, the tech giant launched a mortgage calculator and recently debuted a new mortgage comparison feature. “Google predicted that nearly one in two borrowers still don’t

CA Controller predicts Prop. 30 extension will be passed

Joel Fox November 17, 2015

At last Friday’s California Economic Summit sponsored by California Forward and the California Stewardship Network, state Controller Betty Yee predicted that a Proposition 30 extension and a cigarette tax will be on the 2016 ballot and both would pass. It was a prediction

Brown signs ironic “Made in America” bill

James Poulos October 2, 2015

Known for his propensity to veto legislation that strikes him as ill-conceived, Gov. Jerry Brown surprised some observers by signing a bill critics describe as authorizing an outright lie. Supporters said the new law, passed as Senate Bill 633, merely

CA Judge hands Uber fresh challenge

James Poulos September 11, 2015

A San Francisco lawsuit pushing to make Uber drivers employees has gathered steam dramatically, thanks to a new ruling that the case against the dominant rideshare company can proceed as a class action. A big issue The hotly-anticipated decision by

Electric cars upend CA politics

James Poulos September 2, 2015

As California’s electric car industry heats up, Sacramento’s role in incentivizing the vehicles for environmentalist reasons has become an uncharacteristic political football. Underscoring the disruptive effect of the often libertarian sensibility behind auto innovations, the controversy has pitted Republicans against

CA egg prices skyrocket

James Poulos August 28, 2015

For partly predictable reasons, egg prices in California have skyrocketed. An unexpected wave of disease has exacerbated increases brought on by Golden State policymakers. “While the avian flu outbreak this spring that resulted in the killing of 48 million domestic chickens

Bullet train agency still slow to acquire land

Chris Nichols August 6, 2015

Buying land for California’s bullet train remains a slow and contentious process for the state’s high-speed rail agency — but the state’s top rail official said this week he doesn’t expect any “significant” project delays as a result. The California

Californians slash water use by 27.3 percent in June

Chris Nichols July 30, 2015

Motivated by a fourth year of drought — and mandatory water cuts — Californians reduced urban water use by 27.3 percent in June, compared with the same month two years ago, the state reported on Thursday. The results are the first since state-ordered

Poll: 64% of Californians link drought to global warming

Chris Nichols July 30, 2015

A strong majority of Californians say they support tougher limits on greenhouse gas emissions and more ambitious renewable energy goals to combat climate change, according to a statewide poll released late Wednesday. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said global