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.

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Today’s Top Story

CalChamber-Opposed Bills Await Assembly, Senate Action
With just weeks left before legislators leave Sacramento for summer recess, major bills having a significant impact on business will  be voted on soon by the Senate or Assembly.

Public Affairs/Politics

California Reckons with Police Violence
…2. Nothing to see here, Legislature tells state ethics panel
The California Legislature had a message Thursday for the state’s political ethics watchdog agency as it considers changing rules that allow lawmakers to raise millions of dollars for nonprofits they control: Back off. CALmatters

California Lawmaker Scrambles to Fix Bill to Make It Clear Ballots Won’t Go to Phantom Voters
A Bay Area assemblyman will revise his bill requiring that mail ballots be sent to every California voter this fall after concerns arose that the current version could cause more problems than it would solve. San Francisco Chronicle

Human Resources / Health & Safety

Thousands of Coronavirus-Infected Californians File for Workers’ Compensation
The California Chamber of Commerce said the change places an undue burden on employers. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California, which is funded by its members who are employers, estimates the cost at billions of dollars. San Francisco Chronicle

CA SB 977 Would Expand AG Review of Healthcare Transactions
AB 977 is supported by AG Xavier Becerra and California labor unions, and is opposed by the California Chamber of Commerce, the United Hospital Association, the California Hospital Association, the California Medical Association, Sutter Health and Tenet Health…Next, it will be voted upon in the Appropriations Committee and then the Senate generally. The National Law Review

School’s Out for Summer: Are Employees Still Eligible for FFCRA School Closure Leave?
Employers are going to get questions about scheduling accommodations, including whether employees can take child care-related paid leave provided by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) once schools are officially closed for summer break. HRWatchdog

Economy

May Surprise: U.S. Adds 2.5 Million Jobs as Unemployment Dips to 13.3%
The U.S economy rebounded with surprising strength last month as businesses began to reopen from the coronavirus lockdown. U.S. employers added 2.5 million jobs in May, and the unemployment rate fell to 13.3%. Capital Public Radio

Weekly Unemployment Claims Fall Below 2 Million Nationwide, but Rise in California
Another 1.9 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, an astronomically high number in normal times, but a positive sign that the record pace of job loss from the coronavirus pandemic is slowing. San Francisco Chronicle

The Economic Pain That the Unemployment Rate Leaves Out
Here’s what the unemployment rate would look like if it were expanded to include more workers who have been hurt during the pandemic. The New York Times

Environmental/Agriculture

Federal Court Rejects EPA Approval of Widely Used Herbicide
The federal government must revoke its approval of a widely used weed killer that has damaged other crops and turned neighbor against neighbor in some farm communities, a federal appeals court in California ruled. The Associated Press

California’s Green New Deal Is Dead. Authors Say Equity And Climate Change Must Be The Focus In Bills That Advance.
The Author of California’s “Green New Deal” Legislation, Which Aimed to Tackle Climate Change with a Focus On environmental, health and economic justice for low-income, immigrant and communities of color, says the COVID-19 crisis was likely the final blow for the bill this year. Capital Public Radio

International

Global Services Sector Sees Tentative Pickup as Coronavirus Lockdowns Ease
China’s services activity returned to strong growth in May after a three-month slump, while services in the U.S. and the rest of the world improved a little but continued to contract. The Wall Street Journal

EU Wants Borders Free of Virus Restrictions by End of June
Europe could have its free travel zone up and running again by the end of this month, but travelers from further afield will not be allowed in before July, a European Union commissioner said Friday after talks among the bloc’s interior ministers. The Associated Press

Brexit Trade Talks Make ‘No Significant Progress’ as Deadline Nears
European Union and British negotiators said on Friday they had made very little progress in their latest round of talks about a Brexit free trade agreement, with just weeks left to extend a year-end deadline to reach a deal. Reuteres

Infrastructure / Education

California Coronavirus Cases Surpass 120,000; Protests, Closed Testing Sites Worry Health Officials
With protests across California decrying the death of George Floyd in their seventh day, health officials continue to sound the alarm that such close gatherings are likely to contribute to the spread of the coronavirus. Los Angeles Times

Opinion/Editorial

For Californians, It’s All About Covid-19 and the Economy
The latest Public Policy Institute of California poll clearly shows that Californians are focused on the health threat of Covid-19 and its obvious destructive effects on jobs and the economy…It is important to note that this poll’s snapshot in time was taken before the recent protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. Joel Fox in Fox and Hounds Daily

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