Keeping the Water Flowing
The Fair Oaks Water District finds new ways to serve customers during the pandemic
COVID-19 is threatening the financial stability of water suppliers providing an essential public health service. Water utilities are faced with an extraordinary combination of increasing costs to meet needs and falling revenues resulting from declining commercial use and personal financial strain on ratepayers.
Learning to Pivot
New college grads are adapting to an economy and job market hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic
As college seniors finished their classes online, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic complicated their job prospects.
Growing During a Pandemic
Renewed interest in gardening helps The Plant Foundry take root
Angela Pratt was ready to close her gardening shop during the COVID-19 crisis until The Plant Foundry was deemed an essential business by state and county guidelines. Pratt turned a negative into a positive by changing business practices to better serve customers.
Status Check: Health Care Hanging On
Local leaders say they’re undaunted by intense fiscal impacts from COVID-19
COVID-19 has presented significant challenges for health care. At least for the moment, though, local providers have been hanging tough and looking toward economic recovery.
Out of the Spotlight
The coronavirus pandemic has closed the curtain on the Capital Region’s performing arts, but leaders are hopeful about the future
Last year was a strong one for the performing arts in the region, and 2020 was building on that success, which has led to hope from some local arts leaders that this progress will continue despite the unprecedented shutdown.
More Out the Door
Small breweries that once thrived on beer sales from on-site consumption pivot their business model
While the shelter-in-place measures have helped slow the spread of COVID-19, they have taken a huge economic toll and have been devastating for breweries, especially small breweries that once relied on sales for consumption in their taprooms.
App Helps Law Enforcement Deal With Mental Health
Vacaville police officers assess their stress through a customized app
Sacramento app developer Rich Foreman led the development of wellness apps with self-assessment modules and toolkits, including access to peer-support groups and therapists vetted for their expertise with law enforcement.
Help for the Helpers
Crises like the coronavirus pandemic increase stress, especially for first responders, but there are ways to cope
Under the gloom of a pandemic, people on the front lines of the crisis are encountering a level of unprecedented stressors layered onto already challenging jobs.
A Kick-Start for Startups
Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Executive Director Cameron Law on entrepreneurship and its role in the recovery
Comstock’s spoke with Law about the ways both the center and the local entrepreneurial scene are evolving in the face of a crisis.
Navigating the New Flexibility
Brett Sargent, founder and CEO of True North Consulting, offers advice on Paycheck Protection Program loans
On June 5, President Donald Trump signed an extension as part of the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, allowing business owners 24 weeks, instead of eight, to use loans. Brett Sargent explains the options.