Daily Headlines April 26, 2024

We scan major news sources* and compile selected articles to keep you up-to-date on current issues affecting California business – the economy, health care, environment, transportation and more. Receive Daily Headlines by Email

Today’s Top Story

Burdensome Utility Ratepayer Bill Fails Again in Senate Committee
California Chamber of Commerce-opposed legislation imposing burdensome and redundant reporting requirements that could lead to privacy concerns for employees failed to pass a Senate committee this week.

Top California News

• Each California Region Tells a Different Job Story
  March was something of a hold-steady month for California’s labor market. The unemployment rate was unchanged, at 5.3%; employers added 28,300 jobs. On an annual basis, employment was up 1.2%—the same rate as a year ago. Concerns loom, however, as to why California’s jobs picture is not as strong as that of other states or the nation. Public Policy Institute of California (No subscription required)

• Six California House Races That Could Help Determine Control of Congress
  Over 2,000 miles west of the nation’s Capitol, the battle for control of the House of Representatives in 2025 is being waged in farmland along Highway 99, fast-growing commuter communities north and east of Los Angeles and Orange County beach towns and inland suburbs. Los Angeles Times (Subscription required)

• California Battery Storage Increasing Rapidly, but Not Enough to End Blackouts, Gov. Newsom Says
  Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that California continued to rapidly add the battery storage that is crucial to the transition to cleaner energy, but admitted it was still not enough to avoid blackouts during heat waves. Los Angeles Times (Subscription required)

• Rural Counties Far From Universities Struggle to Recruit Teachers
  Nine rural California counties, most struggling with student achievement and teacher recruitment, are in teacher education deserts, according to a report released Tuesday from the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. Alpine, Del Norte, Imperial, Inyo, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Sierra and Siskiyou counties do not have teacher preparation programs within 60 miles of their county offices of education, according to the report, “California’s Teacher Education Deserts: An Overlooked and Growing Equity Challenge.” EdSource (No subscription required)

• Yosemite National Park: $32 Million in New Upgrades Renovate Famed Waterfall Area, Construct New Visitor Center
  …Crews have finished a $19.3 million renovation, constructing a larger parking lot, modern flush toilets, interpretive signs, viewing platforms, wooden boardwalks, and wider hiking trails with more accessible features designed in the classic granite and timber national park style of the 1930s. The San Jose Mercury News (Subscription required)

Top National, International News

• Fed’s Preferred Inflation Gauge Shows Price Pressures Stayed Elevated Last Month
  A measure of inflation closely tracked by the Federal Reserve remained uncomfortably high in March, likely reinforcing the Fed’s reluctance to cut interest rates anytime soon and underscoring a burden for President Joe Biden’s re-election bid. The Associated Press (No subscription required)

• Blinken Meets With Xi as U.S. Pressures China to End Support for Russia
  Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Chinese leader Xi Jinping to cut back on his nation’s support for Russia’s defense industry during a meeting in the Chinese capital on Friday and warned that the U.S. was prepared to act if Beijing didn’t heed its concerns. The Wall Street Journal (Subscription required)

* Some newspapers listed require the viewer to register, log in, or pay in order to view the entire article. After some time, most papers file older stories in their archive section. Access to those stories may require that you pay to view them.