Wall Street Rule Changes Will Be Slow in Senate
A key Republican Senator is casting doubt on hopes for quick action to dismantle the Dodd-Frank Act or overhaul the U.S. mortgage-finance system, citing the need for bipartisan support in a Congress that seems to be far from providing it.
Clearing the Air
California construction companies fought nine years ago to bring common-sense exemptions to OSHA's dust regulations — now, federal updates are complicating compliance
More than 2 million workers nationwide (1-5 percent of the American workforce) are exposed to silica dust on the job every year, according to OSHA, including those that work in construction, glass manufacturing, landscaping, maritime work, foundries and dental laboratories, to name a few of many.
Roseville’s Plan for Weathering the ‘Silver Tsunami’
State and local governments on edge as aging baby boomers begin to retire
Good economic times are rarely anything to complain about. But for local and state governments, one downside to an improved economy has been the renewal of the so-called “silver tsunami” of aging baby boomers opting for retirement.
Why America’s Tallest Dam is Suddenly in Danger
Engineers are racing to lower water levels at Lake Oroville in Northern California before storm clouds open up again, adding new strain to the nation’s tallest dam.
Tricky Moves
Changing regulations and confusing compliance metrics have HR managers tied up in knots
AB 908 increases the amount of paid family leave (PFL) benefits an employee can receive from 55 percent of earnings to either 60 percent or 70 percent of earnings, depending on the employee’s income,” effective Jan. 1, 2018? (Mark your calendars.)
The Heat is On
Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, on engaging the business community to go greener
As head of the California Air Resources Board for the last decade, Mary Nichols is considered the second most powerful person — after Gov. Jerry Brown — in the state’s wide-reaching efforts to combat climate change. It is an effort state officials have vowed to continue despite the election of President Donald Trump, a climate change denier.
Infographic: California Tackles Greenhouse Gases
As greenhouse gas emissions decline in California due to AB 32, a recent report shows the state’s tough approach to tacking climate change has been embraced by most Californians.
California’s Payments Into Teachers’ Pensions to Triple
California’s contributions to the California State Teachers’ Retirement System are projected to almost triple in less than a decade and may increase even more due to low investment returns and the cost of benefits enhanced in boom times.
Leader of the Flock
For years, California has led the way in energy policy — what happens when the federal government shifts course?
It wasn’t taken as a joke or a typo or an anonymous quote from some trolling conspiracy theorist. It was a real-live tweet from a billionaire with mystery hair: “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”
Dilemma of the Month: Holding Exempt Employee Accountable
Last year, we hired someone to run our small business, and we paid him very well. However, he was always coming in late, taking Fridays off, calling in sick, having car trouble and dentist appointments, etc. He was an exempt employee, so we kept paying him as if he was there all the time. He quit and we don’t want to have the same problems with the new hire.