Small business owners are still dealing with the consequences of the pandemic, with marginalized groups facing additional obstacles to loans
COVID Economy
Posted inPandemic Life
‘Coronasomnia’: Thanks to the pandemic, we now also have ‘an epidemic of sleep deprivation’
A majority of Americans say they’ve been having trouble sleeping since the start of the pandemic. Fixing that, experts say, won’t be easy. “Stress can lead to chronic insomnia, and chronic insomnia can take on a life of its own.”
Posted inCOVID Today
The cost of fighting COVID in California (where 63,000 people have died): At least $12.3 billion
An influx of taxpayer money has paid for everything from masks, hospital beds and student laptops to extra workers for unemployment hotlines and tracing contacts.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Conventions and conferences are back — with some COVID-era changes. Here’s a look inside
Would you feel comfortable inside a convention center, or would you send a remote-controlled robot in your place?
Posted inBusiness & Technology
California may move to regulate booming debt settlement industry
A bill aims to create new rules for California’s mostly unregulated debt settlement industry. AB 1405, expected to pass through Senate committees, comes at a time when the industry expects to see a 75% increase in account enrollment.
Posted inCOVID Today
Mothers struggle to return to work as California reopens
Moms who lost their jobs during the pandemic are still shouldering most of the child care.
Posted inHousing & Development
Where are tenants falling through the cracks of California eviction ban?
California has one of the nation’s longest-running eviction bans, but an exclusive CalMatters analysis finds that local decisions carved a divide for tenants. Landlords and sheriffs are evicting renters at higher rates in the Central Valley, where Stanislaus County’s rate was nearly triple that of Santa Cruz County.
Posted inPandemic Life
Welcome to Bitcoin Beach: How a California surfer brought cryptocurrency to a small village in El Salvador
Critics of the plan to make bitcoin legal tender in El Salvador say the cryptocurrency’s extreme volatility could bring devastation to one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
California set to extend eviction protections, pay 100% of back rent
Protections for tenants who pay at least 25% of their rent expire Wednesday, but the Legislature will likely OK an extension as early as Monday.
Posted inPandemic Life
California’s eviction moratorium extension: What’s in it for tenants and landlords?
Gov. Newsom and key legislators agree to extend statewide eviction ban through Sept. 30, to provide full back rent for tenants and landlords. The deal includes fixes to speed rent relief payments.