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. 

The apocalyptic tenor of the recent election made it seem disaster was inevitable no matter who won. But at least on the economy, the first half of 2025 should be a sigh of relief, letting most businesses stick to small ball. 

As economists and advocates debate the merits, the experiences of restaurant owners in the region offer some evidence of what happens in practice.

California’s insurance crisis is damaging the housing market and more. Will legislators fix it before the next big blaze? 

Those who forecast the direction of the U.S. economy have their eyes on empty office buildings. In September, two commercial real estate experts predicted that the vacant space resulting from work-from-home policies will put banks at risk and collapse tax revenues for large and mid-size cities around the country.   

February 9, 2017, was a bad day for Mark Snyir and the Sacramento moving company he co-owns, Two Men and a Truck. He and his partner started the business in 2005, growing from two trucks and five employees to 16 trucks and 80 employees. 

Business economists are reporting several warning signs about the national economy. But on a local level, things are looking up. We consider all the factors that will help the Capital Region be able to ride out a recession.

Combining grazing with large-scale solar is one version of the new field of agrivoltaics, which combines panels with farming and ranching. Advocates say it could help farmers adapt to the state’s driest weather in 1,200 years while making space for the thousands more panels needed to hit California’s ambitious zero-carbon targets. 

Managing family business conflict isn’t just about harmony but survival. Disagreements ensure diverse perspectives, but if managed badly, they can take down a company and permanently rend relationships.

A few cities around the region have affordable housing projects underway that showcase how they’re getting it done, and their success may hold lessons for other jurisdictions.

Company decisions about whether to stay or leave California are often driven by state policies, taxes, regulations and cost per-square-footage.

Mergers and acquisitions are a great tool for buyers to expand and for sellers to get working capital or exit to retirement. But much depends on the timing, preparation and due diligence of both parties.

The pressure is on to execute an economic comeback. Local business and government leaders share their economic development strategies for moving on from the bruising pandemic economy.

While the housing boom has led to issues like limited affordable housing, some see the sizzling market as a sign of the region’s dynamism. We evaluate how we got here and what’s on the horizon. 

In the new world, how supervisors work with their remote teams will be essential to business success, management experts and employers say.

Some solutions Capital Region governments have come up with will stay around post-pandemic, which could further improve the business climate.

In August 2018, Elk Grove launched its Startup Elk Grove Incentive Program to create local anchor companies that employ residents.

A proposed capital gains hike could impact family businesses in transition, especially those without a strategy.

As community banks continue to be swallowed by bigger fish, some bankers and banking experts say small-business lending could be at risk. 

Many experts see apprenticeships as the best way to match people looking for jobs with those that are in demand.

The California Mobility Center was founded to help early-stage mobility companies turn pilots and demonstration projects into viable products.

Capital Region business owners say they’ve learned how to keep their personal and business finances on track during an economic crisis.

Here’s how experts say companies can strengthen corporate governance.

There’s a staggering demand for affordable housing coming just when there’s less financing available to build it.

Research indicates that employee ownership can improve profit margins and company culture, but it may not be the right choice for every seller. 

Smaller, independent hospitals are at risk of closing due to financial strain exacerbated by the pandemic. 

Certain product sectors came through the 2008 Great Recession relatively unscathed. Will cannabis get through this one? 

Here’s what financial planning experts in the Capital Region say young adults can think about to stay alive financially through 2020 and beyond.

As of 2017, Sacramento County had enough licensed child care slots to accommodate little more than a quarter of children with working parents. State and local officials are spearheading efforts to change that.

Only about 13 percent of private-sector workers are covered by a pension, a dramatic fall from the peak of 46 percent in 1980.

Pensions put the risk on employers, who are on the hook to pay retirees an agreed amount no matter what happens to the underlying investment.

In the 2019 American economy, the big are getting bigger. Mergers are everywhere — the number of mergers and acquisitions exceeded 15,000 in 2017, a record for a single year, with 2018 a close second.

A momentous Supreme Court decision. A presidential candidate weighing in. A noisy late-August demonstration outside the Capitol. Not Washington, but Sacramento. Not abortion or guns — Dynamex.

Statewide, the number of people getting into teaching via a county office of education or school district internship doubled in the last five years.

If you’re looking for advice on whether winter is coming, you might do no better than an architect.

Industries around the Capital Region are feeling the pinch of trying to find qualified, skilled workers needed to fill various positions. Some companies are starting to reach out to trade programs to help fill those gaps.

Luke and Eliza Maroney want to bring more buzz to Sacramento, and not just the kind they sell. They’re spouses and partners in Lucky Box Club, a subscription service delivering curated cannabis products to customers monthly. But they’re out to fuse weed and other concepts too.

Bitcoin’s value in the real world derives in part from the fact that it runs on a blockchain, a distributed and transparent online accounting register

Cash is king in the cannabis world, and no one likes it that way. Because marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, only a handful of banks will do business with those in the industry in states where cannabis is legal.

A new California law is forcing publicly-traded for-profit businesses to get women on their boards. Yet getting tapped for a directorship is no easy feat.

Last August’s law, SB 826, was in part the product of frustration. In 2013, one of its sponsors, Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, authored a resolution that urged all publicly held California corporations to ensure one-fifth of their board directors were women by the end of 2016. While adopted by both legislative chambers, the resolution carried no consequences. When the deadline rolled around, fewer than 20 percent of companies had actually hit the target, according to a Senate analysis.

For proponents of legal cannabis, Prop. 64 will forever be a landmark. But another ballot measure — Prop. 65, passed 30 years earlier in 1986 — gets almost no attention, although it also affects state government’s approach to cannabis.

One area health system is among a small group of providers nationwide trying something different. In September 2014, Dignity Health implemented a system in four Sacramento-area hospitals designed to bring more satisfaction to patients and families after adverse medical events while boosting patient safety.

Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be medical malpractice lawyers. That may lack the ring of Waylon Jennings’ original, but area attorneys say it’s a reality given the money-losing proposition of bringing malpractice cases in California.

The underground market is flourishing in Sacramento and across the state. The BCC and city have promised a crackdown. But there’s disagreement in the industry about whether that’s the right move.

Fees and permitting are a vital tool for municipalities looking to address the housing shortage on a local level. We take a look at different strategies being employed in the region. 

For landlords with the right commercial space, the green premium would seem to be cash-flow heaven.