After a once-in-a-century pandemic, what happens next? The Capital Region’s economic experts weigh in.

Downtown Sacramento has been hard hit by COVID-19, stalling its recovery from years of decay. Can it snap back?

We spoke to two Capital Region theaters with long histories that managed to ride out the pandemic.

SAFE Credit Union Senior Vice President Gina Olson proposes employers start hiring with a focus on skills over degrees. The approach, she argues, could increase diversity and uncover untapped potential. 

Legislators may work on paid leave policies, employee data protections, farmworker elections, and more. There are ballot measure proposals that could impact businesses, and business groups will raise the issue of California’s unemployment insurance fund debt.

As remote work continues to be normalized within the technology industry, techies are migrating to the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California. Several local tech entrepreneurs share their successes and hurdles. 

California is requiring unemployment recipients to retroactively prove their work history, but experts say low-income recipients could be forced to repay money they don’t have. 

California has the highest unemployment rate in the country. Several factors are contributing, including the state’s slow-to-rebound leisure and hospitality sectors. But the state has a lot of job openings, and high quit rates suggest workers are optimistic they can find better positions.

As the pandemic shifts the landscape of investing in the Capital Region, so too are the dynamics between tech startups and investors.