The Four Commandments of the Good-Jobs Strategy
How well-paying businesses make it work on the floor and at the bank
Judging by prevailing retail practices, somewhere etched in stone is this edict: “To slay thy competition thou shalt undercut on labor costs.”
But a few apostate companies have strayed from that decree by offering decent wages, good benefits and predictable work schedules. Shockingly, the wayward are prospering.
Be Careful How You Classify
How to avoid wage litigation in the age of the $10 hour
For California labor lawyers, the 2012 Brinker v. Superior Court ruling was something akin to Brown v. Board or Roe v. Wade. In a case involving meal and rest breaks for hourly employees, the court ruled that businesses must have a policy giving workers those breaks — but they don’t have to ensure that staff actually take them. It seemed like near-total victory for business.
Crüze Control
Driving authentic brand development in a crowded mobile food scene
This is Chef Breedlove’s third attempt, more or less, at branding a mobile food business, and this time he’s letting his personality and mad-scientist approach to mobile food define the brand.
The Hard Truth on Trust
Leaders, trust starts at the top
Trust is often at the heart of what goes right and what goes wrong. Strong trust leads to constructive conflict while poor trust invites elephants into the room. When a company has a culture of trust, people keep their commitments. In its absence, team members become unreliable and productivity drops.
The Branding Bamboozle
For authentic city building, Sacramento must look across the river
For eons, the construction and government sectors drove Sacramento’s economic engine. You either worked in one of these two areas or you knew someone who did. It was that simple. Remember 2005?
Minimum Wage: Does More Make Sense?
Several cities in California have now set their own minimum wages. Allen Warren and Jay Schenirer want to raise the hourly minimum wage in Sacramento above the state-mandated $9 and Mayor Kevin Johnson says he supports raising the federal minimum wage but that more research is needed.
Will Increasing Minimum Wage Thwart Farm to Fork?
Sacramento’s success depends on opportunity
Sacramento is driving the farm-to-fork movement nationwide. These efforts are led by small, local owners with community-minded restaurants. Our ability to grow this movement could be put at risk if the minimum wage is not approached in a thoughtful way.
Rebirth of a Neon Landmark
CADA helps 1940s sign survive into the 21st century
On a rainy September morning, a long-time 16th Street resident was pulled away from home, dirty, faded and in disrepair. Nine months later, its homecoming was cause for celebration. And in between, the Mercury Cleaners sign was restored, re-engineered, re-wired, repainted and returned to its 1947 glory.
Elder Care Urban Legend
Few seniors actually sail into their golden years, but the myth exposes widespread misunderstanding
In the past decade, there have been a handful of instances in which older adults have opted to live on cruise ships instead of paying for traditional senior living communities. That’s how the story grew. Now, when senior living experts gather, they tell dramatic tales of lonely seniors constantly sailing the globe on cruise liners as a way of illustrating the expense of senior housing and how neglectful families can be of their aging loved ones.
Gibson Gets the Call
From minor to major with the ring of a phone
In early January, while wrapping up a 3-month umpire stint in the Dominican Winter League, Hal “Tripp” Gibson got a call. The call. The one every umpire in the minor leagues is waiting for.