California was nearly $2 billion over forecast in corporate tax receipts this summer, including a single $800 million payment in July. A tax change meant to help the budget deficit helped drive the surge.
Levi Sumagaysay / CalMatters
Posted inBusiness & Technology
California companies wrote their own gig worker law. Now no one is enforcing it
Proposition 22 promised improved pay and benefits for California gig workers. But when companies fail to deliver, the state isn’t doing much to help push back.
Posted inHousing & Development
Californians: Your rent might go up because of rising insurance rates
California’s landlords see rising insurance costs, so they say they’re going to have to raise rents. But they complain about laws that limit how much they can do so.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
California gig worker law withstands challenge from Uber in federal appeals court
A 2020 California law compels businesses to offer employment benefits to more workers rather than treating them like independent contractors. Uber lost an effort to overturn the law with a ruling Monday by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Newsom unveils plan that would hasten insurance-rate reviews — and increases
A proposal to fix California’s insurance crisis would require the insurance department to process requests from insurers more quickly. But that could end with a lot of rate increases for consumers.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
California Supreme Court appears hesitant to overrule voters on gig worker law
California Supreme Court justices appear poised to uphold Proposition 22, a voter-backed initiative passed in 2020. Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart and other companies have used the law to treat their drivers and delivery workers in California as independent contractors, not as employees.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Californians are protecting themselves from wildfire. Why is there still an insurance crisis?
As some insurance companies, citing growing risks and costs, have paused or stopped writing new policies in California, lawmakers want mitigation measures to be tracked, updated and accounted for to help insurance availability and affordability.
Posted inLatest News
California insurance chief, Farmers CEO ‘look outside’ for answers to insurance crisis
Government officials, insurance industry representatives, nonprofits and academics from around the nation and world gathered in Los Angeles for a summit this week — in a state where residents are dealing with higher premiums for homeowners and auto insurance, with some of them finding it tough to get insured at all. That includes nearly 4,300 Santa Cruz County residents who learned recently that State Farm was not renewing their home insurance policies.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California insurance market ‘in chaos,’ says former insurance chief. Can the new chief fix it?
Insurance non-renewals continue even as Commissioner Ricardo Lara introduces regulations favored by the industry.
Posted inHousing & Development
Tech-billionaire promises for a new city, from roads to water, are worth hundreds of millions of dollars — if they’re binding
California Forever CEO Jan Sramek says promises of new homes, jobs, investments are binding, but legal experts and elected officials are skeptical.