California is investing $24.7 million in apprenticeship programs across various industries, supporting over 8,000 positions that will offer participants an average wage of $32 per hour. The funding, announced by Governor Gavin Newsom following his Fresno visit, will be distributed among 65 apprenticeship programs spanning healthcare, transportation, education, advanced manufacturing,...
How Will Merced County Fund Public Safety After Measure R’s Failure?
The countywide public safety tax likely won't receive the necessary two-thirds approval to pass. But in Livingston, Measure L is on track to succeed. Merced County officials are vowing to keep going and try again for a countywide public safety sales tax initiative upon the imminent failure of Measure R....
As Atmospheric River Soaks California, Farmworkers Await Flood Aid Promised in 2023
Floodwaters devastated the small communities of Pajaro and Planada in early 2023. California gave each town $20 million to recover – but as residents face down another winter, much of the aid has yet to reach them. After flood waters from heavy rainstorms deluged two small farmworker towns in January...
Sacramento Region Gained People but Flubbed Economic Opportunities Over 50 Years
Fifty years ago this month I moved to Sacramento and a few months later, just after Jerry Brown became governor, began covering politics for the long-defunct Sacramento Union newspaper. I have lived in five different homes — soon to be six — and my workplaces have always been in downtown...
Nations at UN Climate Talks Agree on $300B a Year for Poor Countries in a Compromise Deal
BAKU, Azerbaijan — United Nations climate talks adopted a deal to inject at least $300 billion annually in humanity's fight against climate change, aimed at helping poor nations cope with the ravages of global warming in tense negotiations in the city where industry first tapped oil. The $300 billion will...
What to Know About Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump’s Pick for Labor Secretary
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Friday named Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer to lead the Department of Labor in his second administration, elevating a Republican congresswoman who has strong support from unions in her district but lost reelection in November. Chavez-DeRemer will have to be confirmed by the Senate, which...
What to Know About Scott Turner, Trump’s Pick for Housing Secretary
Scott Turner, President-elect Donald Trump choice to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is a former NFL player who ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump's first term. Turner, 52, is the first Black person selected to be a member of the Republican's Cabinet. Here...
Trump Taps Investor Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump picked Scott Bessent to serve as Treasury secretary Friday, tapping a billionaire hedge fund manager to lead an economic agenda that is expected to be built around raising tariffs and cutting taxes. Bessent, the founder of the investment firm Key Square Capital Management, has emerged...
NATO Head and Trump Meet in Florida for Talks on Global Security
BRUSSELS — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and the head of NATO have met for talks on global security, the military alliance said Saturday. In a brief statement, NATO said Trump and its secretary general, Mark Rutte, met on Friday in Palm Beach, Florida. "They discussed the range of global security...
Why Cranberry Sauce Is America’s Least Favorite Thanksgiving Dish – and 5 Creative Ways to Use It
There is always that one dish on the Thanksgiving table - overlooked while the mashed potatoes and gravy steal the spotlight. Surprisingly, this much-maligned side dish has been a part of American tradition for centuries and holds endless possibilities beyond its original purpose, perfectly suited to be reinvented in unexpected...