
Lawmakers Must Focus on Alleviating California’s Housing Crisis
What a difference a decade makes. Ten years ago, the regional homebuilding industry — like many other industries — faced an uncertain future. The Great Recession dealt a harsh financial blow to our industry that made the prospect of recovery feel like a far-off possibility. Fortunately, after several lean years our industry has started to climb out of the economic doldrums of a few years ago.

3 Steps for Consistent Customer Service
Crafting standards is critical to your business
Studies have shown that the only thing worse than bad customer service is inconsistent service, which leaves a consumer confused and wary about what to expect when they walk into a store, call the help desk or send an email. With more choices available than ever before, we all want consistency and to know what to expect in a given situation.

Startup of the Month: Text to Ticket
With traffic safety app, citizens earn cash targeting distracted drivers
If you’re texting and driving, Sarah Morell might be recording you. She’s usually riding shotgun, as her husband drives, with her camera phone, ready to catch traffic safety violators on video. Her 6-year-old daughter’s in on the action too.

Dilemma of the Month: Getting People To Give Notice
We service clients who are kids in the foster care system. We really value when our employees that resign give at least a three-weeks’ notice, so they can transition their clients — kids who have already had upheaval in their lives — to their team members before they leave. Is there any meat that we can put on the bones of a policy requiring a three-week notice, with some type of consequence for not providing this notice?

Action Items: Mind Your Own Political Business
Cassandra Pye and Josh Wood discuss how businesses can strategically take sides
On this episode of Action Items, communications strategist Cassandra Pye and Josh Wood, CEO of Region Business join host Tre Borden to discuss the fragile mixing of politics with business.

Freelance Life: Your Guide to Tax Deductions
Get the ultimate tax ROI as a self-employed freelancer
Here are 10 qualified tax deductions to consider as you power through tax season … and to ensure you get ultimate tax ROI as the hard-working, self-employed freelancer that you are.

Dilemma of the Month: How To Lay Off an Employee
We are reorganizing and will be eliminating one position. We will have to lay this person off, and I have a few questions about how to handle it: Who needs to be in the room when we tell her? How much severance should we offer? What else do I need to do?

Cannabis Can Go From Conundrum to Catalyst
Elections matter. The people have spoken. And marijuana — more appropriately known by the less pejorative label, cannabis — is now legal for adults in eight states, including California, and for those with medical needs in 28 states. That means the majority of Americans now live in states where cannabis is legal in some form.

Impact of new OSHA Regulation on Emergency Responders Remains Unclear
Emergency responders could be subject to newly imposed worker-safety rule meant for construction industry
Under new federal OSHA rules, which will go into effect for construction companies across the nation on June 26, employers must prevent all respirable silica dust above a certain level, known as the Permissible Exposure Limit.

Safety First
For construction workers, safety training is about more than wearing a hard hat
There’s an ethical reason to follow safety measures on construction sites, but there’s also financial reasons. The first is obvious: It’s simply the right thing to do to take care of your employees and ensure their workplace safety. The second is that insurance rates can skyrocket for companies that have numerous on-site injuries and incidents. It’s worth the time and investment in safety training, in order to save tens of thousands of dollars, he says.