Economy

Is this a utilities bailout? Will it help prevent future fires? How will all this work? Here's a breakdown of the new plan California lawmakers are putting in place.

The California Senate Labor Committee will hold a hearing at 9:30 a.m. on July 10 on the so-called “Dynamex” bill, which would tighten rules that classify workers as independent contractors. The legislation has made headlines for posing a threat to the on-demand business models of companies such as Uber and Lyft. Read more about the […]

Got a driver’s license to renew or a vehicle to register? Well, if you were planning to pay for it with a credit card, you may want to do it this summer. Under the new state budget, the Department of Motor Vehicles will be making an administrative change to pass credit card fees on to […]

A California bill threatens the likes of Uber, Lyft, Postmates and DoorDash. But Assembly Bill 5 could also sweep up some 2 million workers from truck drivers and general contractors to strippers and nail salons.

Gov. Gavin Newsom more than doubled the size of a four-year-old state program that puts cash back in the wallets of the working poor. Why is California’s Earned Income Tax Credit considered such an effective anti-poverty tool?

Mark Herbert, California director for Small Business Majority, Concord Although California leads the nation in expanding healthcare coverage, too many middle income entrepreneurs and small business employees are struggling to afford health insurance. Something is being done about this problem, but it isn’t quite enough just yet. As part of the next state budget, California […]

The California Dream is a global brand. For more than a century the state has been a magnet for migrants from around the world, and now has the largest foreign-born population of any state in the country. Here are five maps and charts illustrating the past and present of who's moving in and, lately, moving out.

Spending $40 million to create an Office of Digital Innovation, Gov. Gavin Newsom is betting the move will push state government into the 21st century.

Less tax-and-spendy than expected, California's $215 billion budget delivers more for working and poor families, but avoids most new taxes and stops short of health care for all.

After efforts to unite the West under a carbon-trading program stalled for nearly a decade, Oregon will decide this month whether it wants to follow in California’s footsteps. This bill would make Oregon the second state after California to rely on the market for emissions reductions throughout the entire economy. Supporters say that expanding the cap-and-trade market to Oregon could increase competition, lower compliance costs, and speed decarbonization of the West. But others worry a failure in Oregon could hurt carbon trading's chances in other states.