PODCAST EPISODE: Predicting the future is hard, but we still like to try. Comstock’s contributor Steven Yoder breaks down his cover story “New Year, New Administration. What Can We Expect?” in which economists offer their insight on the next few years in the Capital Region. Which areas will see the most growth? Is it time to make the big moves or to play it safe? Find out in our latest episode. 

“It’s a pretty spectacular home that emulates the juxtaposition of modern and traditional design in a Northern California style,” Brian Whitmore describes his house located in the Sierra de Montserrat development in Loomis.

With less funding in the current budget, the management of public lands is likely to change substantially, and this may have massive and unforeseen consequences for Californians. 

CalMatters: To many ecologists, economists and other experts on California wildfire risk, the vow to rebuild is part of a familiar California cycle as predictable as the Santa Anas: We keep putting homes in the path of the flames.

People don’t know where they’re going or what’s on the menu, just that there will be a variety of quality meals within walking distance. A food tour is a novel way to experience a place through an activity that appeals to and is accessible by all.

He’s sometimes crunching numbers in Excel, sometimes lugging sacks of potatoes and sometimes feeding hay to his cows. These are all wildly different tasks, but they’re all united by the same principle — giving.

The hotel’s popular downstairs bar and restaurant remained mostly closed for the past three years, but after major updates, including those to many of the hotel’s distinctive Victorian-style rooms, they will open again in the new year.

With economic pressures, a deeper awareness of mental health issues and trends like Dry January and Sober October, Millennials and Gen Z are driving the “sober curious” movement, rethinking their relationship with alcohol to make healthier, more intentional choices. 

CalMatters: The deadly and destructive fires in Los Angeles — which some say could be the costliest in the state’s history — will further strain the insurance market and worsen the financial position of California’s insurer of last resort.

My relationship to finances is like many people are with visiting the dentist: I turn into a ball of stress and dread that is, at minimum, embarrassing, and can actually be self-sabotaging. Here’s what helped.