Gerawan Farming settles 2013 labor charge with UFW By Robert Rodriguez, October 24, 2016, Fresno Bee Gerawan Farming, the United Farm Workers union and the Agricultural Labor Relations Board have entered into a settlement agreement over a 2013 charge that the Fresno County farming company violated state labor law. The Fresno County tree fruit grower has...
The state government pension crisis: You will be made to care By Chuck Devore, October 11, 2016, Washington Examiner California Gov. Jerry Brown just signed SB 1234, a bill that establishes the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Trust, a state-run retirement fund for 7.5 million Californians. All firms with more than four employees will be...
Marin unions appeal pension ruling to state Supreme Court By Richard Halstead, October 4, 2016, Marin Independent Journal Four Marin labor groups have appealed a state appeals court decision that some say could radically alter the ability to reduce the retirement benefits of public employees who are still on the job. The plaintiffs — the Marin...
Gap Co-Founder Doris Fisher Is Behind the Charter School Agenda By Joel Warner, September 27, 2016, Capital & Main As co-founder of the Gap, San Francisco-based business leader and philanthropist Doris Fisher boasts a net worth of $2.6 billion, making her the country’s third richest self-made woman, according to Forbes. And she’s focused much of...
Pot shop vote in LA? By Debbie L. Sklar, September 20, 2016, MyNewsLa.com Will you get to vote to keep and permit pot shops in Los Angeles? Proponents of a measure to repeal Proposition D, a city ban on medical marijuana dispensaries, say they have turned in more than 100,000 signatures to the City Clerk’s...
Agriculture reacts to California’s new overtime law By Todd Fitchette, September 13, 2016, Western Farm Press California Gov. Edmund Brown doesn’t need to please farmers anymore as he will be termed out of office in a couple years and someone new, with probably the same penchant for over-regulating the state’s farmers, will take his place...
CEQA remains immune to reform By Editorial Staff, September 6, 2016, OCRegister The California Environmental Quality Act was adopted in 1970 to ensure that new developments would not cause unacceptable damage to the environment, but too often it has been used as a cudgel to prevent perfectly sound projects for reasons that have nothing to...
California Farmworker Overtime Changes Cheered By Union By Drew Bollea, August 29, 2016, CBS Sacramento Statewide rules regarding farmworkers’ overtime pay passed in the legislature on Monday. Assembly Bill 1066 reshapes the pay structure for farm laborers. While many farmworkers are celebrating a victory, others, including politicians, farmers, and farmworkers aren’t so sure. “We’re asking for...
California Senate Bill Benefits Taxpayer-Financed Union Slush Fund By Katy Grimes, August 23, 2016, Canada Free Press The Labor-Management Cooperation Act of 1978 is rearing its ugly head once again in the California Legislature, as it roars to the end of the 2015-16 session. Senate Bill 954 by Sen. Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, would redefine...
In Show of Force, Fight for 15 Plots Its Political Path By Justin Miller, August 16, 2016, San Francisco Chronicle The Fight for 15’s first-ever national convention convened in Richmond, Virginia, this past weekend attracted diverse groups of low-wage workers from across the country in a stunning demonstration of the movement’s continued strength and ambition....
Bill limiting campaign money to tax board amended to call for study By Patrick McGreevy, August 9, 2016, Los Angeles Times Faced with strong opposition from a member of the Board of Equalization, state Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) has for a second time amended a bill that would have imposed tough new campaign contribution...
California’s Ed Reform Wars By Rachel M. Cohen, August 2, 2016, The American Prospect This past April, the California Court of Appeals unanimously struck down the controversial Vergara v. California decision, in which a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled that five longstanding teacher protections—including a two-year probationary period for new teachers and a...
Raising Minimum Starting Wages to $15 per Hour Would Eliminate Seven Million Jobs By James Sherk, July 26, 2016, Democracy Now Prominent Members of Congress have proposed raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, more than doubling the federal minimum wage. States with lower costs of living would see an even greater real increase....
Diablo Canyon Settlement May Hinge on Cost Allocation By Patrick Ferguson, July 19, 2016, JD Supra On June 21, 2016, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (“PG&E”) announced a plan to close down the state’s last remaining nuclear power plant, the 2.3 gigawatt Diablo Canyon plant near San Luis Obispo, by 2026. Diablo Canyon currently produces...
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