NEW YORK — Life expectancy in the United States is up for the first time in four years. The increase is small — just a month — but marks at least a temporary halt to a downward trend. The rise is due to lower death rates for cancer and drug...
HUD Reporting 2.7% Percent Uptick in Homeless Population
WASHINGTON — The federal government is reporting a 2.7% increase in the nation’s homeless population driven by a spike in California, according to an annual count that took place in January 2019. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is reporting its third consecutive uptick in its homelessness projection, based on a...
Californians Reject Gas Tax Repeal, Approve Farm Regulations
Voters have rejected a proposal to repeal California's gasoline tax increase that was passed by the Legislature to fund road and transportation projects. Proposition 6 failed Tuesday after Democrats campaigned to preserve $5 billion a year to fix roads and improve transit. The Republican-backed initiative sought to repeal increases in...
Social Security Checks Will Grow in 2019 as Inflation Rises
WASHINGTON — Tens of millions of Social Security recipients and other retirees will get a 2.8 percent boost in benefits next year as inflation edges higher. It's the biggest increase most retired baby boomers have gotten. Following a stretch of low inflation, the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for 2019 is...
Next Time a Fresno Kid Gets Shot, Call Your Council Tax Fighter & Give 'Em an Earful
I'm fed up with so-called leaders who complain about Fresno crime but really are more concerned about burnishing their credentials as tax fighters. As tax fighting is an essential element of getting elected in most parts of Fresno, I understand why candidates pledge to do it. But being a real leader and...
Fight for $15 Minimum Wage Pays Off Sunday in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO — The minimum wage in San Francisco increases to $15 an hour July 1 under a ballot measure approved by voters in 2014. San Francisco is the first major city in California to hit the magic $15 mark, but it won't be the last. Two years ago, California...