January 2, 2020
Happy New Year!
Orange County
Voice of OC: Homelessness in Orange County – 2019 Year in Review
The growing numbers of homeless people dying in Orange County – which now tops 200 people per year – were highlighted early in 2019 with an emergency request from U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, who called it a “public health crisis.”
Daily Pilot: Solving homelessness takes services, housing and political will, experts say
The result is a system that, in places, more closely resembles a patchwork quilt than a tightly woven mesh — one in which some cities harbor relatively robust services and resources for the homeless and others have few.
OC Register: Costa Mesa cyclists will push for road safety in 2020
Once a year, Costa Mesa Councilwoman Arlis Reynolds has put on a bike helmet and made the city streets her office.
OC Register: Irvine will pursue ‘community choice’ program to buy its own electric power
State legislation passed in 2002 made community choice aggregation possible, and in 2010, Marin Energy Authority (now called Marin Clean Energy) was the state’s first community choice agency to launch. Today it serves 34 Bay Area communities.
Labor
AFL-CIO: A record number of places are raising the minimum wage in 2020 — here’s how much workers can earn
In all, more than 70 jurisdictions across the country are raising the minimum wage in 2020, according to a report released earlier this month by the National Employment Law Project (NELP). That tally includes 24 states, up from 21 states that boosted wages in 2019.
Capital & Main: 2020’s Biggest Story? The (real) economy
Unemployment is at a historic low – but tens of millions of people live in or near poverty. Millions more are either underemployed or have given up altogether on finding work. As for all the positions being created, how many are good jobs? Not nearly enough, according to the latest Job Quality Index report.
Califorina
Bubble Watch: What does a down year for California consumer confidence tell us?
The numbers mirror a statewide economy that for 2019 was highlighted by slower job growth and softening home and auto purchases.
Publication Date: January 2, 2020
