Economy

State lawmakers have several proposals for sending checks to people to help with the increased cost of gas. One-time checks would be especially helpful for people with lower incomes, economists and policy experts said. Republicans are pushing to temporarily suspend the state gas tax to reduce the price of gas.

Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed pausing tax increase on gas sellers and Republican state lawmakers have pushed for suspending the tax entirely in the short term. Those plans would likely reduce the price of gas, but it’s not clear by how much. Newsom also teased a possible rebate to deal with gas prices, and a group of Assemblymembers proposed sending $400 to each California taxpayer.

California has almost $20 billion of debt from the surge in unemployment claims during the pandemic, more than any other state. One reason is California’s higher unemployment rate; another is that employer taxes haven’t kept up with increasing benefits. Now, employers will see an automatic tax increase to start paying off the debt, and Newsom has proposed spending $3 billion in state funds to reduce the debt.

A state law that requires California companies to have women on their boards is facing a legal challenge in Los Angeles, where a trial concluded Wednesday. Since the law passed in 2018, the share of women on boards has increased from 15.5% to 29%.

A new law will give most California workers up to 80 hours of COVID-related sick leave. But workers at small businesses, who make the lowest wages, won’t be covered under the new plan.

Hampered by worker illnesses and pandemic restrictions, government offices are getting creative. Obtaining building permits, paying bills and other services have moved online. But what about residents who don’t have computer access?

Burnout and COVID is causing California homeless service workers to leave. Low pay makes it difficult to recruit new ones. But they're essential to the state's plans to reduce homelessness.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders agree to restore California paid sick leave for COVID-19. Here's what you need to know.

So many employees are sick with COVID or scared to come into work that it's disrupting public transit service. That is having an impact on the workforce and the economy.

With a huge number of Californians testing positive for COVID-19 during the omicron variant surge, many have been too sick to work. Here are some answers to commonly asked questions as rules and regulations for workplace safety keep changing.