California’s Tourism Industry Could Be a Boon for Local Communities
California continues to surf a huge economic wave with year-after-year tourism growth, generating more than $140 billion for the state last year and supporting the livelihoods of millions of residents. But as any big wave surfer knows, the thrill of success also comes with perils, and in the case of tourism, the situation can get gnarly fast.
Status Check: Out in the Open
Liz Salmi continues advocacy for medical record transparency
A prior story about Liz Salmi ended on a hopeful note, with the long-term brain cancer patient quitting her job and flying to Austria to participate as a fellow in an annual conference on topics of global importance.
In Transition: Joshua Hanosh Is a Different Kind of Teacher Now
Education aligned with the couple’s shared mission of making a difference in the world. But Joshua Hanosh says the workplace wore on him. And so he learned how to code in hopes of pursuing a different career.
Will Assembly Bill 5 Destroy the Gig Economy?
An end-of-session legislative fight has huge implications for companies and their contractors
A momentous Supreme Court decision. A presidential candidate weighing in. A noisy late-August demonstration outside the Capitol. Not Washington, but Sacramento. Not abortion or guns — Dynamex.
Teaching the Teachers
With the teacher shortage at crisis levels, education leaders are trying something new — intensive coaching while training on the job
Statewide, the number of people getting into teaching via a county office of education or school district internship doubled in the last five years.
In Rural Areas, California’s Physician Shortage Getting Worse
California is facing a growing shortage of primary care physicians, one that is already afflicting rural areas and low-income inner city areas, and is forecasted to impact millions of people within ten years.
Are We Doomed by Climate Change?
Fast-thinking innovation is needed to prevent ‘wetter wets, drier dries, hotter hots’ from threatening the state’s crops, species and economy
Mediterranean climates, like California’s, typically follow boom and bust cycles, marked by a predictable shift between cold and wet and hot and dry. But the changing climate will amplify that pattern with weather that is, at times, wetter and at other times hotter.
At The Railyards, it’s Full Steam Ahead
Backed by the expected arrival of a Major League Soccer team, development is stirring at the long-dormant Railyards in downtown Sacramento
There’s a word that comes to mind for Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg regarding the largest infill project in his city, The Railyards. “The one word I would use to describe the state of where we’re at is ‘breakthrough,’” Steinberg says.
After Torrential Wildfires, Insurance Woes for Homeowners
The Camp Fire has made it more expensive to own a home in rural areas
The most striking effect from the Camp Fire is rising fire insurance costs for residents in areas where wildfire risk is high. Some traditional insurance companies are declining to offer services in these locations.
While Needy School Districts Get More Money, Poor Students in Affluent Districts Suffer
California's 5-year-old school finance overhaul is working for disadvantaged students, but a study still finds that poor students aren't being helped in better-off districts
The study’s findings come amid pressure from lawmakers and advocates who have been concerned that the new system isn’t effectively channeling the extra state money to students, and that more progress hasn’t been made on the achievement gap.