Economy

Allan Zaremberg, California Chamber of Commerce: The heart of the debate over the gig economy is how can we improve protections for workers, without losing the control and flexibility they value. You can’t have it both ways. Having job security means the employer will schedule your hours. Without that control, you couldn’t get morning coffee if one day all the baristas choose to sleep in.

Dani Carrillo, UC San Francisco: Undocumented workers comprise 9% of California labor force and contribute $3 billion in state and local taxes each year. They do some of the most arduous work, including landscaping, construction, restaurant work, and taking care of children and seniors. But if their health is compromised, they have few places to go.

Cap-and-trade revenue to be used to treat drinking water. Republicans lament gas tax hike. Gig work becomes a campaign issue.

May snow, Trump vs. California, what just happened with housing, labor pressures on ridesharing, mental health, brawling councilmen and spicy news.

John Chiang says California's public pensions should stay invested in Uber and Lyft to improve worker benefits.

California isn’t as prepared as it may seem for the next recession. And when the next pullback hits, the state may have to fight off red ink without a historically crucial ally: Washington, D.C.

Our economy and workforce are transforming, especially in California. We cannot restrict workplace flexibility with bad court rulings, such as Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court of Los Angeles. Instead, we need to ensure Californians have the opportunity to choose the terms on which they work.

A state Supreme Court decision tightening the definition of an employee has become a big legislative issue, putting Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez in the spotlight.

Negative impacts of a business tax increase would be felt far and wide, because business taxes get passed on to consumers and shareholders, and have a negative impact on wages for jobs that are preserved. The last thing middle-class Californians need is an even higher cost of living, wage stagnation or more risk for their retirement investments.

Local probe ends on the Stephon Clark shooting, shifting focus to Legis. California's gun seizure program needs help. A Hollister Ranch beach access plan. Coastal Commission's environmental justice policy.