[Source: The Los Angeles Times] California’s government faces a $54.3-billion budget deficit through next summer according to an analysis released Thursday by advisors to Gov. Gavin Newsom, the deepest projected fiscal hole in state history. The estimate accounts for both an alarming erosion of tax revenues and a growing need for health and human services Read More…
Newsroom
Governor’s executive order on worker’s comp makes it more difficult to do business in CA
[Source: Fox&Hound] We fully understand why the Governor wants to help Californians impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. But, creating a rebuttable presumption shifts the burden to businesses who are struggling to keep their workers employed while also keeping their doors open. The Governor’s Executive Order opens up employers to significant abuse from employees. What’s to Read More…
Governor’s workers’ compensation order: presume COVID-19 illness arises from the job
[Source: CalChamber] Governor Gavin Newsom yesterday signed an executive order establishing a rebuttable presumption that any COVID-19 related illness of an employee who worked outside the home, not just those who are essential workers, was the result of employment for workers’ compensation purposes if certain requirements are met. The presumption dates back to March 19, Read More…
Now is not the time for the crushing tax hikes a split roll would bring
[Source: Orange County Register] Back in the 1980s, the Schylling Company produced an amusing toy, Ernest the Balancing Bear. Ernest performed a “death-defying high wire act” on a string strung high across a room. Ernest the Bear pedaled his unicycle as fast and as furious as possible across the wire trying to keep his balance Read More…
How the coronavirus is hampering enforcement of California’s air pollution rules
[Source: The Los Angeles Times] The coronavirus is having another unintended effect on California’s environment, hindering the enforcement of clean-air rules that could help protect people’s lungs during the pandemic. Field inspections have been halted since mid-March at the California Air Resources Board, which enforces rules on trucks, ships and other major pollution sources, because Read More…
California avoids addressing causes of its high energy costs
[Source: Fox & Hounds] Californians will continue to pay some of the highest costs for electricity and fuel use as the State unexpectedly collides catastrophically with the global pandemic that will impact businesses and employment for an unpredictable economic future. The State’s much-touted $21 billion operating-budget surplus is likely to disappear entirely due to declining Read More…
Port of Oakland predicts major supply chain alterations post-pandemic
[Source: Port Technology] The Port of Oakland is expecting a substantial drop in cargo this spring as the COVID-19 pandemic leads to more blank sailings and continues to hinder growth. Speaking to Harbour Trucking Association via video conference Port of Oakland Business Development Manager Andrew Hwang said that cancellations are up 10% year-on-year (YoY). However, Read More…
Gears jammed again during relaunch of small-business relief program
[Source: Bloomberg Politics] The re-launch of a government relief program for small firms got off to a rocky start Monday, with lenders reporting being shut out of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s system amid a flood of applications for loans. The SBA said that “unprecedented demand” was slowing down its loan-processing platform and there were Read More…
Who should pay for pandemic impacts?
[Source: CALMatters / Dan Walters] The COVID-19 pandemic and the severe economic recession it induced are disasters unparalleled in recent generations and it will take years to fully recover from their human and financial tolls. Already, however, they are spawning legal and political conflicts, over whom, if anyone, should be accountable for their impacts. There Read More…