LOS ANGELES — The task the Lakers were handed Sunday – being without one of their best players against one of the top teams in the Western Conference on the second night of a back-to-back – was already going to be challenging. But once they lost their other best player, the challenge became too difficult … Read more
By PAUL WISEMAN | AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON — America’s employers delivered another outpouring of jobs in March, adding a sizzling 303,000 workers to their payrolls and bolstering hopes that the economy can vanquish inflation without succumbing to a recession in the face of high interest rates. Last month’s job growth was up from a … Read more
“How expensive?” tracks measurements of California’s totally unaffordable housing market. The pain: The number of million-dollar cities in five pricey California regions rose by 76% since the pandemic upended the economy. The source: My trusty spreadsheet reviewed Zillow tabulations of cities with median home values in excess of $1 million as of February compared to a … Read more
By Alicia Clanton | Bloomberg Discount retailer 99 Cents Only Stores LLC announced plans to wind down its business operations in a press release on Thursday. The firm has struck an agreement with Hilco Global to liquidate merchandise and dispose of certain fixtures, furnishings and equipment at all 371 of its stores, starting on April … Read more
PORTLAND, Ore. — The miracle ended, here, with their agent of chaos away from the chaos. JuJu Watkins’ defensive instincts as a freshman, assistant coach Beth Burns said back in the good ol’ days of February and USC’s run through the Pac-12, were remarkable. Watching, defensively, like a cat. Sitting, and pouncing. Except here, in … Read more
California’s 5.3% unemployment in February was the highest rate in the nation. My trusty spreadsheet, looking at labor stats dating to 1976, could find only 11 other months the state reached this dubious ranking. Look to the early 1990s economic malaise (August to December 1994) and the coronavirus chill (March to August 2021). That’s on … Read more
By Jeanne Kuang | CalMatters Say you work at a fast food restaurant or coffee shop that bears the name of a national chain. Under California law, you’re entitled to be paid at least $20 an hour starting Monday. Say you work at one of those stores, inside a grocery store. The grocery store, your … Read more
Delivery drivers with Teamsters Local 396 extended their unfair labor practice strike to Amazon.com’s DAX5 warehouse in the city of Industry this week, picketing to rally support for higher wages and safer working conditions amid high summer heat. The more than 80 Palmdale-based workers — employed by logistics partner Battle Tested Strategies and subcontracted by … Read more
Here’s more evidence of Southern California’s cooling economy: February’s hiring pace was 16% below the region’s pre-pandemic hiring pace. My trusty spreadsheet, filled with state job figures released March 22, found 7.93 million at work in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties in February. This data is not adjusted for seasonal swings. So, employment … Read more
Workers at 34 Southern California hotels hailed new labor contracts Monday that will boost wages by $10 an hour over four years, ending months of protests and rallies for thousands of employees. The cooks, room attendants, dishwashers and others represented by Unite Here Local 11 were part of a massive labor strike that has seen … Read more
