unemployment

California surpassed a staggering milestone Sunday: More than 4 million acres have now burned in a record-defying fire season still far from over. That’s four Rhode Islands, three-and-a-half Grand Canyon National Parks, and a little more than one Connecticut. It’s also more than double the 1.98 million acres burned in 2018, California’s previous modern-day record. […]

From shattered career prospects to pay cuts and sudden shift work, the pandemic is forcing skilled labor and middle-class workers into lower wages and gig jobs.

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, September 22. Leisure, hospitality hit hard As California settles into its sixth month of the pandemic, unemployment levels appear to be dropping — a spot of bright news for residents and the state’s embattled unemployment department alike — though the numbers belie a more complex and uncertain reality. The Golden […]

Planning on applying for unemployment benefits? Well, you won’t be able to do so for the next two weeks. California’s beleaguered unemployment department is putting a pause on new claims until Oct. 5 to give it time to implement an automatic identity-verification tool to speed up processing times. The move follows recommendations outlined in a […]

As unemployment drops, business leaders and educators pinpoint what’s gone wrong for workers and where to look for opportunity.

Good morning, California. It’s Friday, September 18. Three bills signed into law As California enters its sixth month of the pandemic and coronavirus outbreaks rip through garment factories, meatpacking plants, fast-food chains and strawberry fields, Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state agencies took action Thursday to expand worker protections. Newsom signed a trio of bills […]

California tourism businesses recognized the imperative to provide a safe environment. Here’s what they’ve done to make travel safer:

Amid record-breaking fires, apocalyptic orange skies and smoke-choked air, Californians finally have a bright spot of news: Coronavirus positivity rates statewide fell to an all-time low of 3.6% over the past 14 days and 3.3% over the past week. As a result, travelers from California no longer have to quarantine for two weeks upon arriving […]

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, September 15. Golden State in the spotlight California took center stage on the national campaign trail Monday, with Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden leveraging the state’s record-breaking fires to advance their respective political visions. The faceoff will likely continue today, with Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala […]

Most Californians are waking up today to strong and dangerous winds — and some are waking up without power. PG&E began shutting off power for about 172,000 customers in 22 counties late Monday night to mitigate fire risk amid strong winds forecasted to pummel much of the northern part of the state through Wednesday. In […]