[Source: The Mercury News] Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday announced a sweeping new environmental initiative to cap his final year in office, signing an executive order that commits the state to a goal of 5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2030. The ambitious target dwarfs his previous goal of 1.5 million EVs by 2025, and Read More…
Month: January 2018
The state of the U.S. solar industry: 5 questions answered
[Source: PBS/SoCal News] On Jan. 22, 2018, the Trump administration announced plans to impose punitive duties on solar panels imported from abroad. This decision came in response to a complaint filed by two solar companies, but much of the industry opposes the action, which trade groups say will increase the cost of solar projects and depress demand. Read More…
New law restricts immigration enforcement at worksites
[Source: CalChamber] As of January 1, California employers must comply with strict rules passed under the new Immigrant Worker Protection Act (AB 450), which protects workers in the state from immigration enforcement while they’re on the job. Under AB 450, all employers, regardless of size, must limit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents’ access Read More…
What are your rights and responsibilities if your L.A. business gets raided by ICE?
[Source: San Francisco Business Times] Efforts by Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers to turn California into a “sanctuary state” may run headlong into a widespread immigration crackdown by federal officials, leaving some businesses and employers in the crossfire. A report from the San Francisco Chronicle said that U.S. immigration officials are preparing for a “major Read More…
Automakers and policymakers may be on a path to electric vehicles; consumers aren’t
[Source: UC Davis/Institute of Transportation Research] In 2017, several automakers and policymakers announced commitments to a transition to electric vehicles: Toyota set a goal to sell more than 1 million electric vehicles by 2030; Volvo aims to beat Toyota by doing the same by 2025; VW’s goal is 25% of its vehicle sales will be Read More…
Paint companies could hand taxpayers the bill for hazardous lead paint cleanup under proposed California ballot measure
[Source: Los Angeles Times] A proposed November statewide ballot measure could allow three of the nation’s biggest paint companies to hand California taxpayers a bill for the cost of cleaning up health hazards caused by lead paint. The measure would place a $2-billion bond on the November ballot to fund the remediation of lead paint, Read More…
Trump says fairer deal might coax U.S. back into the Paris climate accord
[Source: Reuters] President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his primary concern with the Paris climate accord was that it treated the United States unfairly and that if a better deal could be reached, Washington might be persuaded to rejoin the agreement. “It treated the United States very unfairly,” Trump said during a news conference with Read More…
L.A. County slips in annual economic performance rankings
[Source: Los Angeles Business Journal] Los Angeles County fell sharply in an annual ranking of job growth and economic performance among metropolitan areas, according to a Milken Institute report released on Jan. 10. According to the institute’s annual Best Performing Cities index of the 200 largest cities and metropolitan areas in the nation, Los Angeles Read More…
What you need to know about California’s new minimum wage
[Source: LA Biz] One thing is always certain for California employers at the start of each year — a number of significant employment-related laws will go into effect. One such area is the continued increase in the state’s minimum wage. Although there are some exceptions, almost all employees in California must be paid the minimum Read More…