Investment in Higher Education is Essential to Regional Business Growth
For the first time since 2006, California’s governor and Legislature will provide the California State University the funding its Board of Trustees had sought for this academic year. Of course the level of funding does not approach what it was before the great recession, but it does provide an opportunity for the largest system of higher education in this state and country to meet the continued demand for education sought by thousands of potential students.
Carrying Student Debt? You May Be In for a Lot of Robo-Calls
In the past, debt collectors could autodial borrowers only on the phone number they provide in their loan agreements. The new rules could allow the companies to repeatedly call any phone number associated with a student loan borrower—including family members’ cell phones or any number once held by the debtor.
Machines Are Better Than Humans at Hiring the Best Employees
People want to believe they have good instincts, but when it comes to hiring, they can’t best a computer. Hiring managers select worse job candidates than the ones recommended by an algorithm, new research from the National Bureau of Economic Research finds.
Calpers Pushes Boards to Clear Room for the Young and Ethnic
The $294 billion California Public Employees’ Retirement System is taking aim at older, white men on corporate boards with a proposed policy aimed at adding more women, minorities and gays to key positions at the largest U.S. companies. Raymond, five years older than the bank’s recommended retirement age of 72, exemplifies that group.
To End Fight With Data-Hungry Finance Apps, Banks Turn to Tokens
The biggest U.S. banks, alarmed by the growing use of data-hungry apps that help consumers track their finances, are offering a technological compromise.
Death Penalty Opponents Dealt Blow as California Victory Tossed
A federal appeals court reversed a dramatic ruling last year that California’s death penalty system is unconstitutional, using decidedly undramatic grounds to do it.
California Bonds Lose Allure as AIG Stake Cut by Most Since 2010
The Golden State is losing its luster to municipal-bond buyers, such as American International Group and Principal Global Investors. Following a five-year run when California bonds outperformed the $3.7 trillion municipal market, investors are starting to retreat: They’re demanding the highest yields in 16 months to own the state’s 10-year securities instead of benchmark debt. The shift is threatening the rally ignited by a wave of good financial news that’s led to eight upgrades to its credit rating since the end of the recession.
Philanthropy that Makes an Impact
How to ensure your dollars to do work this giving season
If you really want to make a difference, it is not a matter of how much money you give, but how well you give it. Many donors want to make a large impact, yet surprisingly, those who want to truly make a difference may want to focus on a smaller scale. Here are three suggestions for donors who are interested in making a direct impact:
The Helping Hand
Senator Holly Mitchell says a level playing field is the mission behind most of her measures
California State Senator Holly Mitchell can be an imposing figure. While most people presume that term evokes physicality, it is Mitchell’s intellect and passion for defending those she believes have little or no voice in the political process that make her such a formidable figure around the Capitol. We talked with her about her effort to turn that passion into policy.
A Breakdown of Marijuana Laws
What patients and dispensaries need to know at the federal, state, county and city levels
Sacramento City Council has outlawed outdoor cultivation by legal cannabis patients, citing public safety and smell concerns. Now, added to this ban is the classification of cannabis cultivation as wasted water: Patients are no longer allowed to water legal, indoor plants, yet there is no penalty on those growing equally-legal crops hydroponically indoors, like tomatoes or herbs. What legal right does the council have to single out this particular crop when cultivated in accordance with local and state laws?