Member of the Month Archive

Tuesday, April 06, 2021

(Patch) Sixteen California counties will move into less restrictive tiers as officials look to lift all COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, gatherings, and recreational activities June 15, though a statewide mask mandate will remain in place. Assuming continued availability of vaccines and no spikes in COVID-19 hospitalizations — particularly among people who have been vaccinated — the state on June 15 will do away with its Blueprint for a Safer Economy, the four-tier, color-coded system that has guided economic reopening through a series of restrictions and capacity limits. That system has been in place for 31 weeks, Gov. Gavin Newsom said during ...

California to Allow Indoor Events, Gatherings As Cases Near Record Low

Friday, April 02, 2021

(Patch) In a major about-face from the state's strict and stringent reopening plan, California officials on April 2 announced that the state will allow indoor concerts, theater performances, and gatherings starting April 15. The announcement comes as officials said the state's coronavirus test positivity rate nears a record low, according to the California Department of Public Health. To attend indoor gatherings, Californians will have to get tested for coronavirus or show proof of full vaccination, the state said. Guidance on indoor events and gatherings will also vary by the level of restrictions in each county's tier assignment. It remains to be seen just ho...

Orange County Moves To Orange Tier Today: What To Expect

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

(Patch) Orange County will move into the Orange Tier of the State's Blueprint for a Safer Economy after having successfully achieved Orange Tier metrics for two weeks, officials say. The California Department of Public Health announced that effective Wednesday, March 31, Orange County businesses can move toward the Orange Tier metrics that allow them to expand capacity or resume operations altogether. The orange tier is the second-least-restrictive tier, and the county does not intend to enact any additional restrictions on top of what the state already requires. Residents are advised to continue seeking vaccinations and wearing masks and social distancing. If the county i...

California Job Recovery Picks Up Steam, Accounting For Over One-Third Of All Jobs Added In U.S.

Friday, March 26, 2021

California’s labor market recovery picked up steam in February, with total nonfarm employment in the state expanding by 141,000 positions over the month, according to an analysis released jointly by Beacon Economics and the UCR School of Business Center for Economic Forecasting and Development. 37% CA Share Of All Jobs Added In U.S. While the late 2020 surge in COVID-19 cases and the associated health-mandated business restrictions took a toll on the state’s labor market in December and January, the February figures represent the highest monthly job gains for the state since June of last year. In contrast to its earlier trend, California helped t...

All Californians 16+ Will Be Eligible For Vaccine April 15

Thursday, March 25, 2021

(Patch) All Californians 16 and older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine as of April 15. Gov. Gavin Newsom made the announcement on March 25 at an Orange County vaccination site. Californians 50 and older will be able to sign up for a vaccination appointment beginning April 1, he added. This expanded eligibility comes as the state anticipates a significant increase in COVID-19 vaccine supply. Just last week, Newsom told reporters that all Californians would be eligible for the vaccine in early May. "The light at the end of the tunnel continues to get brighter," Newsom said in a tweet. California expects to receive 2.5 millio...

Governor Signs New Paid Sick Leave Mandate Into Law

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

(CalChamber) Governor Gavin Newsom on March 19 signed legislation that mandates the addition of up to 80 hours of employer-paid COVID-19 sick leave retroactive to Jan. 1, 2021. The new law applies to employees who work for a public or private employer with more than 25 employees. Upon signing the legislation into law, Governor Newsom said, “Even as case rates and hospitalizations decline and vaccinations ramp up, we can’t let our guard down and must do all we can to stop this virus from spreading.” The California Chamber of Commerce and a coalition of more than 110 allied groups, strongly opposed the proposal. Th...

CA Has 11th Lowest Tax Rate In The Country

Friday, March 12, 2021

(Patch) If you feel as though you have been working harder than you have ever been, but your paychecks are somehow lighter, it's not your imagination or some coronavirus-fueled fever dream. WalletHub released its annual Taxpayer Survey, a snapshot of each state's taxation obligations. The Golden State ranked 11th, just behind Tennesee, in the category of Overall State & Local Tax Rate. WalletHub comes up with the scores by factoring in a variety of tax obligations, none of which were anything California could really shout about: Tax Rates in California (1=Lowest; 25=Average): 11th – Overall Effective State & Local Tax Rate 13th – Income Tax 16th – Real-Estat...

California Economic Recovery Forecast to Outpace the US

Thursday, March 11, 2021

(Los Angeles Times) The U.S. and California economies will experience near-record growth this year thanks to widespread vaccinations for COVID-19 and massive federal relief for struggling workers and businesses, UCLA forecasters predict. “A waning pandemic combined with fiscal relief means a strong year of growth in 2021 — one of the strongest years of growth in the last 60 years — followed by sustained higher growth rates in 2022 and 2023,” according to the quarterly economic outlook released March 10. California, buoyed by high-earning technology and professional sectors that shifted to at-home work during the pandemic, will recover somewhat faster than the U.S., even thoug...

Governor Newsom Delivers State of the State

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Last night, as California passed a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Gavin Newsom delivered his third State of the State address in a virtual presentation from an empty Dodger Stadium – a striking visual display of the approximate Californians lost to COVID-19. The Governor highlighted the state’s continued progress in battling the pandemic, reflected on those lost, and recognized everyday Californians who have risen to meet the challenges of this unprecedented time – including the health workers now vaccinating some of the most vulnerable Californians at the stadium. The Governor also highlighted the urgent relief the state is providing to the hardest hi...

Stadiums, Disneyland May Reopen with Limitations on April 1

Monday, March 08, 2021

(CalMatters) Californians holding out hope for spring baseball games, summer trips to Disneyland and outdoor concerts in the park are in luck. State officials today announced that outdoor sports and live performance venues, as well as amusement parks, will be allowed to begin reopening on April 1 — with restrictions. That is, if counties proceed through the state’s four-stage, color-coded reopening tiers as hoped with increasing vaccination rates and declining COVID-19 infections. And if would-be outdoor audience members are quick on the draw, since strict capacity limits and reservation requirements will be in effect. “We feel like this is a good time to begi...

Analysis of UK Trade with US, California After Brexit

Friday, March 05, 2021

The trade partnership between the United Kingdom and California can serve as an ideal model for how Anglo-American trade can go forward, political scientist Dr. Matt Beech said during an international virtual event hosted by the California Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 25. The event, titled California-UK After Brexit: Prospects for Partnership, was moderated by CalChamber President and CEO Allan Zaremberg, and featured a presentation by Dr. Beech where he provided analysis of what Brexit means for future trade partnerships; the pending trade deal between the U.K. and U.S.; and the trade relationship between the U.K. and California. Dr. Beech is a politica...

Legislators Urge End to Business Tax Increase

Friday, March 05, 2021

A bipartisan group of 25 California legislators led by Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell) is urging Assembly Budget leadership to immediately end a tax increase enacted on California employers last year and restore the net operating loss (NOL) deduction and business incentive tax credits as part of this year’s budget. In a Feb. 26 letter to Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Vice-Chair Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield) and Chair of Subcommittee 4 Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles), the group of Assembly members and senators calls on budget leaders to reverse course on measures taken during a period of pandemic-induced budget uncertainty last year. No Longer Needed Wit...

State Expects to Receive Surplus Revenue, But Sees Deficits on the Horizon

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

(CalChamber) Despite enjoying a record $34 billion budget surplus and prudent reserves from burgeoning but one-time tax revenues, California budget officials expect to see fiscal deficits in the next three years, state Finance Director Keely Martin Bosler told business leaders during a Jan. 12 California Chamber of Commerce webinar. These projections mean that it is critical to maintain funding reserves if the state wishes to preserve existing programs, and it means that the Legislature should not create new funding obligations, she explained. “We can’t afford additional ongoing spending at all,” Bosler cautioned. In fact, California’s strong financial foundation during this pandemic comes from years o...

California's Export Trade Drops In Latest Numbers But Still Beats The Competition

Thursday, January 07, 2021

(Bacon Economics) California’s export trade continued to be buffeted by resurgent waves of COVID-19 both here and abroad, by ongoing trade disputes, by a weaker dollar, and by a reported shortage of shipping containers available to exporters, according to a Beacon Economics’ analysis of the latest U.S. trade statistics released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. In a month that saw the value of all U.S. merchandise exports drop by 7.5% from one year earlier, California exporters did better. Businesses in the state shipped a total of $14.238 billion in merchandise abroad in November, a nominal 3.5% decline from the $14.757 billio...

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