Economy

More money coming to fight homelessness. Uber changes rules for drivers in response to new law. Census data show why Californians are leaving state.

As California lawmakers return for a new year, Anthony Rendon (the Assembly leader, not the ball player) talks wildfires, housing, ballot measures, the gig economy, affirmative action, Gov. Gavin Newsom and supermajorities. And babies. And home runs.  

New laws in a minute, court challenges to AB 5, homelessness tops the agenda for 2020 in California, and a look back at the old year, via satellite.

Starting Jan. 1, a new California law will require some businesses to re-classify independent contractors as employees — granting them benefits such as overtime pay and the right to join a union. Businesses and organized labor both heavily lobbied lawmakers over the bill, and while some industries won exemptions, others did not. The law is […]

Public companies headquartered in California have until Jan. 1 to name at least one female director. The new law has prompted some widely anticipated  lawsuits — and some surprising boardroom diversity. 

Graduation rates rise, but progress is uneven. Sanders defies party establishment with endorsement. Local GDP data shows growing inequality.

Gig companies begin campaign to reverse employee law. NCAA follows California's lead on athlete compensation. Kamala Harris' California primary dream fades.

Newsom wants Warren Buffett to come to PG&E's rescue. Trump challenges state's sanctuary law. Greenhouse gas emitters face higher costs from Trump suit.

Economists project massive labor upheaval but California is trying to roll with those disruptions while making sure jobs here continue to pay a living wage, offer worker protections and accommodate working families.

For three years, Kimberly Esquivel and her family lived in a studio apartment in Oakland, with Kimberly and her sister sleeping in the main room and her parents and two brothers in the hallway. Esquivel’s father is legally blind and has a kidney condition that prevents him from working. Her mother sells jewelry, but it […]