Will Jerry Brown Remember the 1970s?

When Jerry Brown became governor in 1974, California was in a recession. But over the next five years, the state’s recovery produced 2.1 million jobs, and Brown’s fiscal restraint created a $4 billion reserve in a general fund of $12 billion. Unfortunately, the fiscal restraint was short-lived. Policymakers reverted to old habits, increasing spending while […]

Center for Jobs and the Economy Launches New Congressional District Profiles

The California Center for Jobs and the Economy, a project of the California Business Roundtable, unveiled new California Congressional District Profiles to provide a detailed analysis of important economic trends, including job gains and losses, jobs located within each district by industry, wages, energy prices, unemployment rates, housing prices, income levels, number of persons receiving […]

Time to Help Business

With last week’s signing of $15/hour minimum wage legislation and today’s signing of AB 908 (paid family leave), businesses are being asked to take on even more costly mandates. Moving forward, policymakers need to balance costs for all businesses, especially small businesses, by passing policies that limit litigations costs, provide workplace flexibility, streamline regulations and […]

CA Business Roundtable Introduces Ad Opposed to Split Roll

A split roll property tax introduced in the Senate that raises property taxes on commercial property would damage the California economy and cost the state 400,000 jobs. The California Business Roundtable, a leading opponent of the proposed split roll property tax legislation (SCA 5), produced an online ad to educate voters about the truth behind […]

Budget Signed But … Will Legislature Upset Fiscal Balance?

The budget continues Governor Brown’s policy of fiscal restraint. While the General Fund expenditures increased by nearly $8 billion dollars over last year’s Budget Act, the Governor has ensured the state starts preparing for future economic downturns with a $6 billion reserve. The revenues show that California’s economy is improving, but growth still remains limited […]

Economic Tale of Two Regions: Los Angeles vs. Bay Area

A new study “Economic Tale of Two Regions: Los Angeles vs. Bay Area” uses data compiled by the Center for Jobs & the Economy to show that jobs created in the past 24 years have been at opposite ends of the wage spectrum—either low-wage or high-wage—leading to a diminishing middle class and the creation of a two-tier […]

Gov.’s Exec. Order on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Raises Questions

California has been working to implement its current 2020 GHG reduction goals, and we have made great progress.  But at the same time, we are also now able to see the consequences on consumers and our economy – both intended and unintended – of the many different programs and mandates put in place. With the […]

The Price of California’s Preoccupation with Renewables: Too Much of a Good Thing?

In his annual State of the State address, Governor Brown outlined ambitious goals for taking California’s climate change policies to the next level. Historically, our state has held the position of groundbreaking leadership when it comes to aggressive environmental programs, so it comes as no surprise that Governor Brown wants to expand on this trend […]

Understanding the Meaning about Green Jobs

Given the upcoming proposals on the next generation climate policies, it is critically important to start understanding exactly what the green economy means to California’s long term jobs future. According to a recent review from the Center for Jobs and the Economy, multiple studies indicate that 2% of all California jobs are classified as green […]

California Energy Policy: Why Doing It Right Is More Important Than Doing It First

It has been eight years since the enactment of Assembly Bill 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. AB 32, which mandated a statewide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) to 1990 levels by 2020, which heralded California as the game-changer in international climate change. Since then, regulators have worked hard to design […]