Web Version [link removed] | Update Preferences [link removed] CBRT in the News Looking For The American Dream--Outside California

Growth – rapid, buoyant, unstoppable – has been part of California’s DNA since tough and greedy men from around the world came here in search of gold 170 years ago.

Now it may be a thing of the past.

The Public Policy Institute of California tells us that its recent online survey of 2,325 California residents, taken between Nov. 4 and Nov. 23, found 26% of Californians have seriously considered moving out of state and that 58% say that the American Dream is harder to achieve in California than elsewhere in the United States.

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But there’s more to it than major firms, says Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable.

“They’re the big names, but you don’t see so much of the smaller businesses that are being affected,” Lapsley said in a telephone interview with Capitol Weekly.

The major problems California businesses face are “the regulatory environment and uncertainty in policymaking,” he declared.

Lapsley argues that the state’s elected officials aren’t taking a close enough look at what’s going on in the California economy because they’re fixated on the figures in the state budget.

Read More [[link removed]] California Bill Would Require Corporations To Report And Cut Down Carbon Emissions

Large California corporations would be required to publicly disclose their carbon footprint and take active steps to reduce emissions, under a proposed law announced Wednesday morning.

The bill, Senate Bill 260, would apply to any business that reports more than $1 billion in gross annual revenue. It would give the California Air Resources Board power to track and enforce compliance, including instituting penalties.

The bill’s author, Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said the proposed law is about transparency and accountability for major corporations.

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California Business Roundtable President Rob Lapsley said he’d oppose the bill, arguing that it would burden employers by raising their operating costs.

“SB 260 tries to place the blame on companies for not adopting climate-reduction strategies, but the state remains the main barrier to allowing large companies to reduce their employees’ commute times and carbon footprint. Large-scale telecommuting can be one of the most impactful and immediate ways the business community can reduce its carbon emissions, but state legislators and the governor refuse to modernize state law that would allow more employers to offer this option to their workforces,” Lapsley said in a statement.

Read More [[link removed]] Walmart, Apple Would Report Emissions Under California Bill

A group of California lawmakers want companies like Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., and Walmart Inc. to report their emissions all the way down to the supply chain level in an effort to increase transparency about climate pollution.

The Climate Corporation Accountability Act would affect an estimated 5,200 public and private companies that do business in the state and have annual revenues of more than $1 billion.

It’s the first attempt in the nation to require broad reporting and emissions reductions, said Sen. Scott Wiener (D), who authored the bill, adding that it’s a long overdue step for the state.

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The California Business Roundtable said the bill places blame on companies while not acknowledging the state could help reduce the carbon footprints of businesses by changing labor laws to make it easier to work from home. He also said it could affect zero-emission battery-makers and other “green” companies that source products in China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and elsewhere.

“No other state is following our ‘lead’ on these types of climate change mandates,” Roundtable President Rob Lapsley said in a news release. The bill “sends another message to the business community that California is the highest-cost state to do business.”

Read More [[link removed]] President Biden, State Leaders Take On Climate Change

President Joe Biden signed a series of executive orders Wednesday in line with this agenda to reduce carbon emissions and create jobs, all while California leaders also announced new climate legislation.

“We’re coming close to being out of time but we’re not out of time,” said Senator Scott Weiner from San Francisco. He calls it aggressive climate change legislation -- a way to understand the scope of carbon emissions from large corporations and have them set targets to reduce it based on science.

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“Like from their supply chain their employees commutes and other ways that these corporations are generating carbon emissions,” said Robert Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable. “We all support climate change policy. This is a bill that we don’t need at this time, it sends a huge message to the highest cost state to do business as companies that our costs are going to continue to go up.”

Read More [[link removed]] Newsom's Motives Questioned In Lifting Stay-At-Home Orders

Gov. Newsom lifted stay-at-home orders across the state on Monday. But that did not stop criticism from Republican state lawmakers, as well as lawsuits challenging the state’s restrictions.

State Assemblymember Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, has been critical of how the governor has handled the economy during the coronavirus pandemic.

Following the governor’s press conference, Patterson said the changes the governor made to opening, closing and reopening of businesses left him and small business owners confused. He also said those decisions are doing long-term harm to California's economy.

“Because of his on-again, off-again, ‘Let’s do this, then let’s do that’ decision making, the Center for Jobs and the Economy says that those sectors that have lost all of these jobs because of his decision making, may not recover until 2025 or 2026,” Patterson said.

Read More [[link removed]] Unemployment Spikes For The First Time In Months

California’s economic recovery is trending in the wrong direction.

The Golden State’s unemployment rate grew to 9% in December, triggering the first month-to-month increase since April 2020, according to figures released Friday by the Employment Development Department. While the nation’s unemployment rate remained static in December, California’s rose 0.9% as the state shed 52,200 jobs — a staggering 37% of all U.S. jobs lost that month.

Scott Anderson, chief economist of the Bank of the West in San Francisco: “The full reverse in California’s recovery in December was largely responsible for the poor national job performance last month.”

California’s economic recovery lags behind the country’s: Although the United States has regained nearly 56% of jobs lost since the pandemic hit, California has only recovered 44%.

California’s strict stay-at-home orders have exacerbated its growing divide between the haves and have-nots. The professional and business services sector gained 29,600 jobs last month, while the leisure and hospitality sector hemorrhaged 117,000 jobs and the “other services” sector, which includes hairdressers and nail salons, lost 11,000 jobs. The latter two sectors may not recover until 2025 or 2026, “if ever, given … accelerated automation and alternative sales channel development trends,” according to a report from the California Center for Jobs and the Economy.

Read More [[link removed]] Business Climate and Job Creation U.S. Employers Added 49,000 Jobs In January

U.S. employers resumed hiring in January, putting the labor market back into growth mode, but the weak pace of job gains suggested a long road remains for the recovery.

The U.S. economy added 49,000 jobs last month. The small January gain came after payrolls fell steeply in December, the first decline since the coronavirus pandemic triggered business shutdowns last spring. The unemployment rate fell to 6.3% in January from 6.7% a month earlier, in part reflecting fewer people searching for jobs.

“The recovery is only stumbling along at this point,” Sarah House, senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities, said. “Yes, we managed to eke out a gain, but we’re still 9.9 million jobs shy of where we were back in February.”

Jobs grew strongly in business and professional services, mainly in temporary help roles, the Labor Department said in its January report on U.S. employment. Many sectors, though, lost jobs last month. The leisure and hospitality sector lost 61,000 jobs in January, following a steep decline of 536,000 in December. Retailers and warehouses cut jobs in January after adding jobs strongly over the holidays.

Read More [[link removed]] Temporary Jobs Propped Up January Hiring

Hiring of temporary workers accelerated last month, and without those gains U.S. employers would have shed payrolls for the second straight month in January.

Employment in temporary-help services rose by 80,900 in January from the prior month, a larger gain than the overall net increase in payrolls of 49,000, the Labor Department said Friday.

That sends a mixed signal about the labor market. “Using temporary labor is an indication that businesses are seeing more demand, but they’re not confident about how long that demand will last,” said Gus Faucher, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group. “You’d obviously rather see permanent hiring, but it’s a sign permanent hiring is coming—if the vaccines are rolled out and the economy continues to improve.”

Similarly, the number of average hours worked in a week rose to 35 last month from 34.7 in December, a sign that businesses are asking existing staff to do more, another potential precursor to stronger hiring.

Read More [[link removed]] U.S. Exports And Imports Rose In December As Global Commerce Picked Up

U.S. exports and imports both rose in December as global commerce picked up toward the end of 2020 following a steep decline caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Exports rose 3.4% in December from a month earlier to $190 billion, while imports increased 1.5% to 256.6 billion, the Commerce Department said Friday. The deficit narrowed to $66.6 billion from a revised $69.01 billion in November. The figures were adjusted for seasonal variations.

For all of 2020, the U.S. trade deficit in goods and services widened by 17.7% to $678.7 billion. Exports fell by 15.7%, outpacing a 9.5% decline in imports.

Trade has recovered as the U.S. and global economies rebounded from the nadir following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic early in 2020. Imports to the U.S. have grown faster than exports as Americans spent their stimulus payments on automobiles, computers for work at home and other goods made overseas.

Read More [[link removed]] PRO Act Threatens Right-To-Work Laws: Chamber Of Commerce, National Right To Work Committee

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Right to Work Committee are warning against the Protecting the Right to Organize Act that House and Senate Democrats reintroduced on Thursday.

Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., initially introduced the PRO Act in 2019. The bill would allow the National Labor Relations Board to fine employers who violate workers' rights, ease restrictions against worker strikes, follow California's new independent contractor law and erode right-to-work laws in 27 states.

"The [PRO] Act is a major step toward ensuring that workers can exercise their basic right to form a union and collectively bargain for higher pay, safer working conditions, and decent benefits – including paid leave, quality health care, and a secure retirement," Scott, the chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor Chairman, said in a statement.

Read More [[link removed]] Senate Says No To $15 Minimum Wage For Now, But Democrats Vow To Push On

President Biden's push for a $15 federal minimum wage appears to be on hold for now.

As part of a marathon session of voting on amendments to Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, the Senate late Thursday approved by voice vote a measure prohibiting an increase of the federal minimum wage during the global pandemic.

"A $15 federal minimum wage would be devastating for our hardest-hit small businesses at a time when they can least afford it," said Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, who brought up the amendment.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., vowed to push forward on a phased increase, saying he never intended to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour during the pandemic. The federal minimum has been $7.25 since 2009, but dozens of states and cities have a higher minimum wage.

Read More [[link removed]] Kroger Closes 2 Southern California Stores Rather Than Give Extra $4 "Hero Pay"

Retailer Kroger announced on Monday that it would permanently close two of its Southern California stores due to what it says is a direct result of a city mandate that requires an extra $4 an hour of "hero pay" for essential workers.

A spokesperson for the grocery company told FOX Business on Tuesday that Long Beach's City Council's "misguided action" in passing an ordinance mandating Extra Pay had overstepped "the traditional bargaining process" and "only applies to some, but not all, grocery workers in the city."

"The irreparable harm that will come to employees and local citizens is a direct result of the City of Long Beach’s attempt to pick winners and losers, is deeply unfortunate," they said. "We are truly saddened that our associates and customers will ultimately be the real victims of the city council’s actions."

The Ralphs store at 3380 N. Los Coyotes Diagonal and Food 4 Less store located at 2185 E. South Street are both set to shut down on April 17, 2021.

Read More [[link removed]] How EDD And Bank of America Make Millions On California Unemployment

She didn’t know it at the time, but last September was when everything started to unravel for Julie Hansen. It was late in the month when the furloughed Disneyland candy maker noticed a string of suspicious charges totaling $12,222.23 on her state-issued Bank of America unemployment debit card. First, the money was credited back to her account. Then it disappeared again, setting in motion a chain of events that left her and her son homeless.

Behind the scenes, California’s Employment Development Department and longtime debit card contractor Bank of America were scrambling to rein in rampant fraud. They froze some 350,000 unemployment accounts around the time Hansen’s card was cut off.

The catch: while Hansen and other out-of-work Californians were left in financial purgatory unable to access unemployment money, a Great Recession-era contract ensured that the state and the bank kept raking in millions of dollars in merchant fees whenever debit cards still in circulation were swiped. In September, the EDD made $5.2 million on a debit card revenue sharing agreement with Bank of America — a sizable chunk of the $22.5 million the state raked in from March to October, according to public records requested by CalMatters.

Read More [[link removed]] California Lawmakers Propose Slate Of Reforms For State's Troubled Unemployment Agency

After a pair of scathing audits confirmed California’s troubled unemployment agency has been plagued by years of mismanagement, state lawmakers on Thursday announced a raft of new bills to speed up the payment of jobless benefits and reduce fraud.

The package of bills proposed by nine Assembly members is aimed at forcing change at the state Employment Development Department, which was criticized by the state auditor last week for delays in providing unemployment benefits despite having been warned of problems in the system a decade ago.

The proposals would allow benefits to be provided by direct deposit rather than issued with debit cards sent through the mail, would require the agency to check claimants against lists of prison inmates to prevent fraud and would establish an Office of the Claimant Advocate to help people with claim problems.

“Many of the issues EDD is facing today have been known since the Great Recession,” said Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco). “Almost nothing was done to fix the problems or plan for another economic downturn.”

Read More [[link removed]] In Race To Vaccinate, Could California See Another Surge?

During some of the darkest days in the pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom offered some optimism: the winter surge of COVID-19 would be it. Liquid gold — the first batch of vaccines — was just days away.

“This is the final surge,” Newsom said on Dec. 3, urging people to stay home and save lives.

Health experts continue to hope that steep spikes in infections and hospitalizations are a thing of the past. But a bumpy vaccine rollout, new, more contagious forms of the virus, and an expected increase in social activity following California’s exit from the stay-at-home order all beg the question: Will the state see another wave of COVID-19?

“The chance for another surge in California is real; it’s still circulating, COVID is in our communities,” Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s health secretary, said on Tuesday. “Our case rates are down, but they’re not low.”

Read More [[link removed]] Why The Majority Of California Schools Might Not Reopen Anytime Soon

The first deadline Gov. Gavin Newsom set in his $2 billion plan to reopen California’s schools will come and go Monday without the necessary support from the Legislature, signaling the proposal has all but stalled.

The governor’s proposal aimed to incentivize school districts to reopen their campuses by paying out grants of $450 to $700 per student to schools that developed safety plans for in-person instruction by Monday and opened doors to the state’s youngest students by Feb. 16.

But that proposal capsized under a wave of criticism and now the governor, lawmakers, school district leaders and teachers unions have limited time to figure out a solution before bringing kids back on campuses for this academic year becomes moot.

Criticism for Newsom’s proposal stemmed from the state’s largest school districts, teachers unions and legislators who called it unworkable and unlikely to nudge open classroom doors for the millions of California students still learning remotely.

Read More [[link removed]] L.A. Councilman Busciano Announces Plan To Sue L.A. Schools To Reopen

Los Angeles Councilman Joe Buscaino announced Thursday that he will ask the city to go to court to force campuses in the Los Angeles Unified School District to reopen for in-person instruction.

Campuses have been closed in the nation’s second largest school system since March in response to the coronavirus crisis. The debate over reopening has reached intense levels in California and beyond, with strong emotions among parents, teachers and school leaders, high political stakes for public officials and direct ramifications for families struggling against the pandemic as children’s education suffers.

Buscaino said he plans to submit a resolution next week, for consideration by the full council, that would direct the city attorney to file a lawsuit modeled on one announced this week by San Francisco officials, who have initiated litigation against the San Francisco Unified School District. In part, the suit accuses the district of not complying with state requirements to offer classroom-based instruction to the extent possible under health constraints.

Read More [[link removed]] Joining National Debate, San Francisco Enters Uncharted Territory In Battle Over Reopening Schools

By deciding to sue its own school board and district, San Francisco has opened up a new front on the battleground to open schools for in-person instruction.

The city filed suit in the San Francisco Superior Court Wednesday for what City Attorney Dennis Herrera alleges are violations of a state law requiring districts to adopt a clear plan during the pandemic “to offer classroom-based instruction whenever possible,” as first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle,

The operative term here is “whenever possible.” Teachers’ representatives, along with many parents, believe that reopening campuses is not possible because of multiple safety concerns.

“This is not the path we would have chosen, but nothing matters more right now than getting our kids back in school,” said San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

In response, both district superintendent Vincent Matthews and school board president Gabriela Lopez rejected the notion that the district does not have a plan to reopen schools. Matthews dismissed the suit as “frivolous” and said that the district has a “very comprehensive plan” to reopen “as soon as we can complete all the clearly laid out steps.”

Read More [[link removed]] Assembly Bill Seeks To Speed Up Reopening Of Disneyland And Other California Theme Parks

A new bill proposed by California state assembly members would speed the reopening of Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood and override Gov. Gavin Newsom’s guidelines that have kept large California theme parks shuttered for more than 10 months.

California Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton) announced plans to co-sponsor a bill that would require the state to allow all theme parks reopen in the same tier of Newsom’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The bill would be co-sponsored by Assemblywoman Suzette Martinez-Valladares (R-Santa Clarita), whose district includes Six Flags Magic Mountain.

California issued separate reopening guidelines for small and large theme parks. Small theme parks with a capacity of less than 15,000 visitors can reopen in the orange/moderate tier 3 while large theme parks can return in the yellow/minimal tier 4.

Read More [[link removed]] Some L.A. Businesses Survive On Underground COVID Economy

The businesses appeared closed, but there were telltale signs of life: light seeping out from behind boarded-up windows, customers coming and going through employee entrances, Instagram posts alluding to in-home appointments.

The COVID-19 shutdown orders imposed in March and again during the holidays crippled large swaths of the California economy. But even before an easing of restrictions announced this week by Gov. Gavin Newsom, some business owners continued to carry on covertly. In Los Angeles and other counties with forced closures, you could still get your nails done and your hair trimmed, practice Pilates inside a studio and eat a restaurant meal with a group of friends — no takeout containers involved.

By continuing to serve customers, the businesses violated the spirit — and in some cases the letter — of public health orders and complicated efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus, health officials said.

Read More [[link removed]] California Supreme Court Rejects Prop 22 Lawsuit Over Gig Workers Rights

California’s Supreme Court has declined to hear a lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of November’s Prop 22 ballot – which exempted gig workers from a key California labour law.

The lawsuit, filed by a number of rideshare drivers and the Service Employees International Union, alleged that Prop 22 violates the state’s constitution and makes it harder for the legislature to create and enforce a compensation system for gig workers.

It also alleged Prop 22 interferes with the judiciary’s ability to determine what constitutes an amendment to a ballot measure, as well as the legislature’s ability to legislate in areas not addressed by the measure.

“We are disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear our case, but make no mistake: we are not deterred in our fight to win a liveable wage and basic rights,” Hector Castellanos, a plaintiff in the case, said in a statement. “We will consider every option available to protect California workers from attempts by companies like Uber and Lyft to subvert our democracy and attack our rights in order to improve their bottom lines.”

Read More [[link removed]] Energy and Climate Change As GM Gives 'Huge' Boost To EVs, States Vary In Advancing Supportive Policies, Report Finds

States, automakers and the federal government are increasingly committed to electrifying the transportation sector, but that can't happen without effective policies to enable charging infrastructure and a stronger electric grid, say experts.

"A goal with no policy is not going to get you there," said Joel Levin, executive director for Plug in America.

Edmunds anticipates 2021 EV sales will make up 2.5% of new car purchases — up from 1.9% of sales last year. The firm says about 30 EVs from 21 brands will be available for sale this year, compared to 17 vehicles from 12 brands in 2020.

"After years of speculation and empty promises, 2021 is actually shaping up to be a pivotal year for growth in the EV sector," Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds' executive director of insights, said in a statement.

But to fully embrace the potential energy, climate and financial benefits of electrified transportation, experts say states must move quickly to encourage adoption.

Read More [[link removed]] Automakers Drop Efforts To Derail California Climate Rules

Toyota, Fiat Chrysler and several other major automakers said Tuesday they would no longer try to block California from setting its own strict fuel-economy standards, signaling that the auto industry is ready to work with President Biden on his largest effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The decision by the companies was widely expected, coming after General Motors dropped its support for the Trump-era effort just weeks after the presidential election. But the shift may help the Biden administration move quickly to reinstate national fuel-efficiency standards that would control planet-warming auto pollution, this time with support from industry giants that fought such regulations for years.

“After four years of putting us in reverse, it is time to restart and build a sustainable future, grow domestic manufacturing, and deliver clean cars for America,” said Gina McCarthy, the senior White House climate change adviser. “We need to move forward — and fast.”

Read More [[link removed]] Mapping Environmental Justice In The Biden-Harris Administration

Addressing environmental justice is a top priority of the Biden-Harris administration. Just one week after his inauguration, President Joe Biden designated January 27 Climate Day at the White House and signed a number of executive orders, including one aimed to “Secure Environmental Justice and Spur Economic Opportunity.” Under this executive order, President Biden took the first steps to make good on his campaign’s environmental justice commitments, which align closely with the Equitable and Just National Climate Platform—a national climate agenda co-authored by environmental justice and national environmental organizations and co-signed by more than 300 groups, including the Center for American Progress.

Notably, the executive order takes two critical steps in identifying and targeting benefits to disadvantaged communities. First, it will initiate the development of an environmental justice screening tool that will build upon EJSCREEN, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) existing tool. The purpose of the tool will be to identify disadvantaged communities to which federal investments and benefits will be targeted as well as to “inform equitable decision making across the federal government.” Second, it will create a “government-wide Justice40 Initiative” that will facilitate the delivery of 40 percent of overall benefits of “relevant federal investments to disadvantaged communities.” The day after the executive order was launched, Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) and Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced the Environmental Justice Mapping and Data Collection Act of 2021, which builds on many of the concepts in the executive order and would create a whole-of-government initiative, including data infrastructure and funding to “identify communities most at risk from environmental injustices.”

Read More [[link removed]] Study Shows California Rains Starting Later, Extending Fire Season

California’s rainy season now starts a month later than it did decades ago, prolonging the state’s destructive wildfire season, the American Geophysical Union said on Thursday, citing new research.

The peer-reviewed study by international researchers at the University of Belgrade in Serbia could not link the change directly to climate change, but said the results are consistent with scientific predictions of drier autumn months and a warming climate.

Wildfires burned more than 4 million acres in California in 2020, over twice the previous record for any year, as heat waves and dry-lightning sieges coincided with drier conditions that climate scientists blame on global warming.

The rainy season in California typically starts in Dec. 27 days later than it did in the 1960s, the study found. The results suggest the state can expect to see a longer fire season with more fires in the month of November, when dry conditions are likely to coincide with the annual Santa Ana winds that blow hot, dry air from the desert.

Read More [[link removed]] Bay Area Cities Have Banned Gas To Fight Climate Change. But Not Los Angeles

Over the last two years, 42 California cities and counties have banned or discouraged gas hookups in new buildings. The policies vary from place to place, but the goal is to shift homes and businesses from gas furnaces and stoves — which generate planet-warming emissions — to electric alternatives such as heat pumps and induction cooktops.

Los Angeles had hoped to be a leader in this area. The sustainability plan released by Mayor Eric Garcetti in April 2019 said all new buildings should be “net-zero carbon” by 2030, with existing buildings converted to zero-emission technologies by 2050.

Since then, Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose have banned natural gas in all or most new buildings. L.A. has not. What gives?

To answer that question, I asked all 15 members of Los Angeles City Council what they think about the idea of banning or discouraging gas hookups in new construction, or requiring new buildings to be all-electric. I got responses from 10 of them.

Read More [[link removed]] Workforce Development How The Biden Administration Will Impact California's Child Care Crisis

In response to the escalating child care crisis, one of many pressing social issues exacerbated by the pandemic, the new Biden administration has pledged to offer relief to child care providers struggling to stay open, as well as to help parents struggling to pay for child care.

Early childhood advocates cheer the relief package but also warn that deeper reform may be needed.

The core of Biden’s early childhood relief proposal involves a $40 billion pot of money, including $25 billion earmarked to stabilize the child care industry. The money would go toward helping providers pay for rent, utilities and payroll, as well as increased costs due to the pandemic, such as personal protective equipment and ventilation.

Part of a sweeping $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package currently being considered by Congress, the plan also includes $15 billion for the Child Care Development Block Grant, a federal program that helps low-income families pay for child care, a push that is considered key in getting women back into the workforce.

Read More [[link removed]] Credential Testing Requirement For California Teachers Would Be Reduced Under New Proposal

California teacher candidates may be able to use coursework they have taken to satisfy their degree requirements to prove they are ready to teach, instead of taking some state tests currently required to obtain a teaching credential, according to a proposal by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

If legislators approve the proposal, teacher candidates will no longer have to take the California Basic Educational Skills Test, or CBEST, or the California Subject Examinations for Teachers, otherwise known as the CSET. Those two tests are among several that teacher candidates are required to pass before they earn a credential, and many potential teachers have failed.

Currently, a teacher candidate is required to prove proficiency in basic reading, writing and math by passing the CBEST or other approved exams. The test is usually taken before a student is accepted into a teacher preparation program.

The governor’s proposal would allow candidates to avoid the test if they have earned a grade of B or better in coursework and on tests approved by a university teacher preparation program or the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

Read More [[link removed]] Dispute Widens Between Gov. Newsom, School Employee Unions Over Reopening Campuses

Already-big differences on when to reopen schools became starker Wednesday when Gov. Gavin Newsom reiterated that campuses can open safely before vaccinating all teachers, while five unions representing California school employees set a new set of conditions that could make reopening less likely before the end of the school year.

The unions laid out their positions in a 7-page paper timed to influence districts contemplating a return to school as well as the Legislature. Legislative leaders are currently negotiating with Newsom over the terms for distributing $6.6 billion that the governor has proposed to encourage districts to reopen campuses this spring and to use this summer and next fall to compensate for learning lost during the pandemic.

The unions are California Teachers Association; California Federation of Teachers; California School Employees Association; Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Council 57 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

Read More [[link removed]] How Investing In Early Childhood Education Helps The Economy

“It’s long past time that we increase our investment in early childhood education and childcare if we are going to address the inequality issue in a systemic way.”

Those words came from UNITE-LA CEO David Rattray, as he discussed a new report from UNITE-LA and the L.A. Partnership for Early Childhood Investment which called for creating standards, establishing occupational pathways, and increasing wages across the early childhood education workforce.

The situation in Los Angeles County has not nearly been meeting the needs of the children from birth to kindergarten. The current workforce of 34,000 mostly low paid workers is half the number that is needed to serve the 440,000 children in that age group in L.A. County.

“It’s an embarrassment that a childcare worker often has to go to a food bank to feed their own children,” said Tonia McMillian, chair of the Early Childhood Master Plan Workforce Committee and is a child care provider. “We need an incentive for workers to expand their education and improve their own situations.”

Read More [[link removed]] Infrastructure and Housing A $5-Billion Water Project Could Drill Through Anza-Borrego Park. Is It A Pipe Dream?

It would be arguably the most ambitious public works project in San Diego history.

The envisioned pipeline would carry Colorado River water more than 130 miles from the Imperial Valley — through the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, tunneling under the Cuyamaca Mountains, and passing through the Cleveland National Forest — to eventually connect with a water-treatment plant in San Marcos.

An alternative route would run through the desert to the south, boring under Mt. Laguna before emptying into the San Vicente Reservoir in Lakeside.

Estimated cost: roughly $5 billion. New water delivered: None.

Proponents of the modestly named Regional Conveyance System say the project has the potential to save ratepayers billions of dollars by the end of the century.

Read More [[link removed]] The Bay Area Has A Housing Crisis (Obviously.) Could Prefab Be The Answer?

We get a lot of questions about why there are so many homeless people in the Bay Area, and what cities and the state can do to make it more affordable to live here. Like so many issues, at least part of the answer comes back to the high cost of housing here.

Despite the current downturn in the rental market because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Bay Area still doesn't have enough affordable housing. The average cost to build just one unit of affordable housing statewide is $480,000. It's often more in the Bay Area, where the cost of land, labor and materials are high, and space is limited.

Modular or prefabricated housing is an idea that's been tried a few times throughout history. It's never really taken off, in part because the homes had problems. But, some design experts and housing experts are excited about a comeback. They say the technology has gotten a lot better, so the homes being prefabricated are higher quality. And, key for the Bay Area, building with modular is a lot cheaper.

Read More [[link removed]] We Have To Close The Eviction Data Gap

On the first day of his presidency, Joe Biden signed an executive order to extend the Centers for Disease Control’s national eviction moratorium until March 31. The prioritization of this measure signals the gravity of the harm facing tens of millions of renters who are months behind on rent and reeling from the Covid-19 crisis. Congress has passed $25 billion in rental assistance, with more possibly on the way.

Yet, we know eviction filings are continuing. Since the beginning of the pandemic last year, landlords have filed more than 227,000 evictions across five states and 27 cities, according to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. But how many of these filings end in evictions? Which landlords are filing them? And what’s happening in the 45 states that Eviction Lab isn’t tracking?

Cities can’t do battle with the eviction crisis without good eviction data. City leaders need granular, real-time information if they want to crack down on landlords who are turning tenants out illegally, or to equitably distribute the billions of dollars in rental assistance flowing down from the federal government. If we are serious about stemming the tsunami of evictions predicted to hit once moratoriums lift, we must equip cities with the resources to fight.

Read More [[link removed]] Another Attempt To House The Homeless Follows Years Of False Starts

Since well before the pandemic, L.A. has been struggling with an epic housing crisis — one that’s left many residents without a place to live. At last count, there were 66,433 people experiencing homelessness in the county.

Efforts to address the problem have been myriad, complicated and frequently bungled. But earlier this week, there was a sliver of good news: a community of tiny homes opened in North Hollywood, specifically to provide shelter to those in need.

The project, called the Chandler Street Tiny Home Village, has 40 units, each with two beds, heating and air-conditioning, a desk, and a front door that locks. Within the community, security is a top priority; video surveillance, a fence, and a guarded entry point have all been installed.

The project’s goal is to serve as temporary housing, augmented by case managers who assist with mental health, job training, and housing support.

"I believe in a housing-first model, where we would move everybody into a home and apartment, permanent housing," said Ken Craft, the founder and CEO of Hope of the Valley.

Read More [[link removed]] Editorial and Opinion COVID-19 Pandemic Provides A Great Opportunity For California To Reform Tax System

California leads the world in innovation and unicorn companies but, unfortunately, we also lead the country in roller-coaster swings in our state budget. A soaring stock market and recent IPOs like Airbnb’s $100 billion offering last quarter have turned an expected $54 billion gap in the state’s budget into a $15 billion tax surplus.

But we can’t forget that it took just six months to erase California’s last surplus. In the face of the massive deficit we expected when COVID-19 hit last year, the governor proposed cutting services and raising taxes on businesses to make up some of the gap. The failure of Proposition 15 made it clear that most people don’t think higher taxes are the solution. Silicon Valley IPOs and special purpose acquisition companies saved the state’s coffers this time, but the market will eventually see a decline. When it does, it’s going to wreak havoc on our schools, our public safety and our taxes.

We have to make changes now and get off the roller-coaster while we still can.

Read More [[link removed]] It's Time For California's Biggest Corporations To Pay Their Fair Share

As a native Californian, I’ve seen how growing inequality can tear apart communities and drain our state’s economy of the vibrant middle class it once championed.

It’s hard to ignore that one of the largest contributors to this destabilizing inequality is the fact that our tax code gives large corporations and wealthy Californians like myself special treatment.

This year, 7.5 million Califorians voted to end property tax breaks for the state’s wealthiest residents and put an estimated $12 billion back into the state’s underfunded schools and local economies. But there weren’t enough votes. After wealthy business leaders and corporate landlords spent $72 million on misleading ad campaigns, Proposition 15 was defeated.

Leading up the election, the deceptive ads that aired across the state painted Prop. 15 as a tax on families and small businesses when, in reality, the laser-focused tax contained a specific carve out for all residential and agricultural property, as well as small businesses valued under $3 million, to ensure that only the wealthiest businesses in California – like JP Morgan, Chevron, Amazon and other big businesses – would be asked to pay more to support the communities that made them successful.

Read More [[link removed]] California Faces A Huge Task As It Charts Post-Pandemic Future

As the COVID-19 infection rates slow and hospital capacity expands, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has lifted the stay-at-home orders for all counties. It’s a welcome sign that California might soon be edging back toward normal life, although county officials still have the authority to impose tougher restrictions based on local conditions.

Now is the ideal time for policy makers to assess the state of our state – and look at ways to jump-start the economy and pave the way for a more even-handed recovery. The state’s budget in the near-term is in remarkably good shape and even has a $15-billion surplus.

That’s unquestionably good news, but it also points to the inequitable results of the shutdowns. California’s tax system is steeply progressive, so its revenue bonanza suggests that high earners have continued to thrive despite the historic shutdowns – but lower-income earners have been particularly hard hit. Lawmakers need to keep those inequities in mind as they chart a path forward.

Fortunately, a new study by the well-respected Public Policy Institute of California provides a detailed analysis of the state’s problems as we enter a post-COVID world.

Read More [[link removed]] It's Time To Reform AB 5 To Help California's Business Climate

As California inches toward progress on COVID-19 vaccinations, we must face overlapping challenges of an unprecedented health crisis and an economic crisis. At the top of the list of issues we must deal with: California’s business climate; it is one of the worst in the country.

Once the pandemic tore through our communities, small businesses were forced to shut their doors and jobs were lost at a speed that no one could have prepared for. And now, what we need is to get people safely back to work, and we need to do it fast.

A year ago, Assembly Bill 5 was enacted into law. While Proposition 22 saved the day for gig economies and Assembly Bill 2257 created a carveout for professional services and music, we need to consider the outlying small businesses that have still been impacted. AB 5 and COVID-19 was a double punch for so many businesses and employers in this state.

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