California economy

Electric cars most popular in CA

They’re still only a fraction of car sales. But all those Teslas and Leafs you see on the road are not an illusion. According to ChargePoint.com, of the top four cities in the country for electric cars, three are in California: The

CA “community solar” fight looms on subsidy issue

Chris Reed March 11, 2015

Hawaii’s boom in residential solar power is inspiring advocates of the alternative energy resource to push hard in states across the U.S. for rooftop solar power, both for personal use and as part of the larger electricity grid. One in

Anti-GMO group can’t get labeling bill introduced

Chris Reed March 4, 2015

The perception that California is a world leader in far-reaching environmental laws has never been true when it comes to GMOs — genetically modified organisms, usually crops that have been altered and the food products they end up in. The

Silicon Valley’s vanishing middle class

John Seiler February 24, 2015

When you read the biographies of Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and other early Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, one thing to note is their middle-class origins. Jobs’ father, Paul, was a mechanic and carpenter. Wozniak’s father was an engineer. They went to

CalSTRS bailout cost: Pension tsunami laps at CA shores

Chris Reed February 24, 2015

Gov. Jerry Brown’s relative stinginess in seeking to hold the line on social services spending and in demanding an end to the practice of state education bonds paying for local districts’ construction dumbfounds some Democrats, who cite a healthier economy

Port strife ends — but damage was done

John Seiler February 23, 2015

As mentioned in a Feb. 14 blog, the West Coast dock strife wasn’t likely to last long because of the new competition from Gulf Coast and Mexican ports. So now a new contract has been reached with dock workers. Yet any shipping

Gas tax could be cut

John Seiler February 17, 2015

Golden State drivers might soon enjoy a little tax relief at the pump. The Board of Equalizati0n announced: Sacramento – The California State Board of Equalization (BOE) will consider lowering the excise tax rate for gasoline by $0.075 for Fiscal

New York Times’ brutal take on CA green jobs revisited

Chris Reed February 15, 2015

The promises of Gov. Jerry Brown and predecessor Arnold Schwarzenegger that green jobs and the green economy would be the backbone of California’s economic comeback seem all but forgotten. Brown didn’t even mention all his 2010 promises in his successful

How long will dock strife last?

John Seiler February 14, 2015

Things are different now for West Coast ports because of increased competition from Mexico and the Gulf Coast of the United States. So the ongoing strife over dockyard workers out here is likely to be resolved faster than in the

Warnings about AB32 sink in with national media

Chris Reed February 9, 2015

Since California’s adoption of Assembly Bill 32 in 2006, business interests have emphasized the law’s long-term effects on economic competitiveness. The measure requires the state to shift to cleaner-but-costlier forms of energy, reaching 33 percent of electricity supplies by 2020.