The unemployment rate fell from 5.5% to 5.3%, but the reasons for the drop should are nothing to cheer about. The job market is weak and the reasons are frightening. According to the New York Times, “The unemployment rate didn’t fall in June because more people were hired. The rate fell solely because the number […]

The phrase “made in America” has always pulled at the hearts and wallets of loyal, red-blooded consumers, and never more so than in the automotive space. But according to research released Monday, the car company that qualifies as most American is….the Toyota Camry. Cars.com released its 10th American Made Index (AMI) of the vehicles that […]

From EdSource The 10,000-student district is in the San Joaquin Valley—the nation’s agricultural epicenter—which stretches from Fresno to Bakersfield. The severe water shortage here has forced some farmers to reduce the acreage they plant, leaving far fewer jobs for farmworkers. Garza said some of Kings Canyon’s families—almost 90 percent of whom are poor and Hispanic—have […]

You have heard it before: “As California goes, so goes the nation.”  If that is the case, the national economy will be harmed for decades to come because of California’s misplaced priorities today.  Indeed, by emphasizing high-speed rail over water and failing to deal with its debt crisis, California poses a long-term threat to our national economy […]

That Double-Double you’ve been craving from In-N-Out Burger just got pricier and more price hikes are on the way, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA projects that the price of beef and veal will rise 5.5 to 6.5 percent this year and that poultry prices will increase 3 to 4 percent. Dairy […]

It’s not clear if Governor Jerry Brown and his challenger Neel Kashkari will debate each other this fall. But if they do, there should be no doubt about the proper location for any and all debates: the San Joaquin Valley. In this very quiet California election year, it’s fitting that our state’s most overlooked region […]

wavering housing recovery found firmer footing last month. Sales of previously owned homes jumped 4.9% from April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.89 million in May, the National Assn. of Realtors said Monday. It was the largest increase since August 2011 and beat expectations. Analysts had forecast sales to reach about 4.75 million […]

California drivers are going to see a bump at the pump starting Jan. 1 – with a good chunk of the money going to kick-start Gov. Jerry Brown‘s struggling high-speed rail project. Reason: Starting next year, tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks will come under California’s cap-and-trade program, which is designed to reduce greenhouse gases. The result will […]

Calling last year’s minimum wage hike a good first step, the California Senate approved a measure Thursday that would further lift the pay floor to $13 an hour by 2017. The bill by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, comes about a month before the state’s minimum wage is set to increase from $8 an hour to $9 in July […]

The economy performed worse than initially estimated amid severe winter weather in the first quarter, contracting for the first time in three years, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Wall Street shrugged off the news in early trading. The Commerce Department reported that the nation’s total economic output decreased at a 1% annual rate from January […]