by jpitney | Aug 31, 2024 | California Politics, Journalism, Journalists, Local Government
Ryan Fonesca at LAT: A state bill with bipartisan support that aimed to throw a lifeline to California’s struggling news industry is no more. In place of the proposed “journalism usage fee” levied on Google and Meta annually to help fund local newsrooms, state...
by jpitney | Aug 25, 2024 | California Politics, Crime, Drugs
Steve Lopez at LAT: When he was a boy of 12 or so, and his parents were busy running the family restaurant, Norm Langer spent hours across the street in MacArthur Park. It was, at the time, an elegant urban oasis, with lollipop palms standing over a lake fed by...
by jpitney | Aug 24, 2024 | California Politics, Housing, Regulation
From the Council of Economic Advisers [emphasis added]: While some permitting requirements serve an important purpose, such as ensuring structural, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical safety and environmental protection, the rise of unnecessary and onerous permitting...
by jpitney | Aug 20, 2024 | California Politics, Journalism, Journalists, Newspapers, Nonprofit
Eli Tan at NYT: A city of roughly 800,000 residents, San Francisco now boasts 27 news organizations, ranging from hyperlocal nonprofits and radio stations to billionaire-backed outlets like The San Francisco Standard vying to become the city’s paper of record. Unusual...
by jpitney | Aug 3, 2024 | California Politics, Regulation, Taxes
Collin Eaton at WSJ: Chevron is relocating to Texas, deserting California, its home state for more than 140 years, where the business climate has soured for oil companies. The second-largest U.S. oil company said Friday it plans to move its global headquarters...
by jpitney | Jul 31, 2024 | California Politics, Journalism, Journalists, Local Government, Newspapers
At LAT, Gustavo Arellano reviews reporting on the decline of local news: More big businesses control the narrative. The largest news source in Richmond, Calif., is owned by the Bay Area town’s largest business: Chevron. That means in a city where pollution concerns...
