[Source: Orange County Register] Southern California has once again won the distinction of having the worst summer smog in the nation but earned praised for its long-term efforts to improve air quality. Such were results of this year’s American Lung Association State of the Air report, a national air pollution analysis. The good news was Read More…
Month: April 2017
Don’t tax family businesses out of California
[Source: Fox & Hounds] Family businesses are the bedrock of our communities and the economy. A recent study showed that the state’s 1.4 million family businesses employ 7 million people. Family businesses tend to pay their employees better, train them better, and provide more generous benefits than non-family companies. We’re also less likely to significantly Read More…
New air-board chief says he’s been tough on air pollution, polluters
[Source: The Press-Enterprise] Wayne Nastri’s arrival a year ago as the chief of South California’s air quality agency was seen by many as a coup for the business community. The former Bush administration official and environmental consultant took the helm of the South Coast Air Quality Management District just after a takeover of the district’s Read More…
Overtime pay still applies to work meetings scheduled in advance
[Source: CalChamber / Labor Law Corner] My employees normally work Monday through Friday, 8 hours a day, and all are paid hourly for their work. There have been some issues among the employees, and I want to bring them all in for a 1-hour meeting on Saturday morning to discuss the issues. I’ve given everyone Read More…
California drought increased electricity bills and air pollution
[Source: East Bay Times] California’s brutal five-year drought did more than lead to water shortages and dead lawns. It increased electricity bills statewide by $2.45 billion and boosted levels of smog and greenhouse gases, according to a new study released Wednesday. Why? A big drop-off in hydroelectric power. With little rain or snow between 2012 Read More…
How California became the first environmental battleground
[Source: Orange County Register] Earth Day is April 22, so we look at California’s role as an environmental leader and how the state ranks. The first fight The beginning of the national grass-roots environmental movement goes back to a fight by John Muir and the Sierra Club that failed to prevent the construction of the Read More…
Metal finishers among toxin target opponents
[Source: Los Angeles Business Journal] MANUFACTURING: Call for increased facility supervision may yield speedier closures. Manufacturers and metal finishers are concerned about a planned crackdown on toxic emissions by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The crackdown, announced at the April 7 meeting of the district’s governing board, was prompted by recent discoveries of Read More…
Aerojet Rocketdyne to cut 1,100 jobs in Sacramento, move some to L.A.
[Source: Los Angeles Times] Sacramento will lose 1,100 jobs over the next 18 months as rocket engine maker Aerojet Rocketdyne plans to relocate or cut positions in that facility and move jobs to Alabama, Canoga Park and other locations. The job changes are the next phase of a multiyear plan initiated in 2015 to reduce Read More…
CA Legislature passes Gov. Brown’s $52B plan to fix roads, hike gas taxes
[Source: KABC News/Associated Press] The California Legislature has approved Gov. Jerry Brown’s $52 billion plan to fix the state’s roads through an increase in gas taxes and other vehicle fees. The measure squeezed by in a late-night vote Thursday by the Assembly, hitting the two-thirds threshold without a single vote to spare. The governor’s 10-year Read More…