Jobs (News)
East Bay incomes higher, but poverty rates not going down
Dateline:
08/27/2008
If the East Bay economy could be judged by Pleasanton's median household income of $113,345, or its poverty rate of 2.1 percent, the region would seem to be doing fine.
The U.S. Census Bureau released statistics Tuesday that show the Tri-Valley city of about 68,000 people has regained its place as the most affluent midsize city in America.
"We're certainly in an enviable position and I'm not complaining," said Pleasanton Mayor Jennifer Hosterman. "We're better poised than most to ride out these rough economic waves."
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Forget the Banks: Bail Out the Poor
Dateline:
09/23/2008
Ask anyone why the government doesn’t build housing for every person in this country who needs it, and you’ll get the answer you always receive. Ask why the government doesn’t turn around tomorrow and set up a universal healthcare plan and there’s that answer again. Ditto for making education and public transportation free. It’s always the same stock response: Our government doesn’t have the dough.
Yet this same govern
ment can spend trillions on two wars that were unprovoked, not to mention completely immoral. Government also has the loot to bail out banks in our current mortgage crisis. It’s already bailed out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Millions of Americans are losing their homes because of predatory lending practices, and they don’t get any help. It’s not called welfare for the rich for nothing.
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Oakland Workers Claim Contractor Underpaid Them
Dateline:
08/28/2008The former employees filed a lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court on July 17 accusing NBC General Contractors Corp. of ignoring state labor laws by paying them the minimum wage rather than a higher rate required for public works projects.
The suit is seeking millions of dollars in back pay.
The rally was held in front of the Fox Court housing project at the corner of Rashida Muhammad Street and 19th Street in downtown Oakland.
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Median income slips in California
Dateline:
08/27/2008American incomes rose modestly between 2006 and 2007, but in California, the typical household lost ground slightly, according to census data released Tuesday, one of several economic indicators that may be a cause for worry as the economy takes another dip, some analysts say.
"I think we should be concerned," said Stanford University economics Professor John Taylor, who is a fellow at the conservative Hoover Institution. "California has been hit by the financial and housing crisis more than most states, that's for sure, and the unemployment rate has risen over the last year and a half."
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VTA Strike Avoided For Now
Dateline:
08/27/2008“We have requested that they have come back to the bargaining table and they have agreed… that’s good news. We hope that we’ll be successful in collective bargaining and coming to an agreement.”
Burns says a strike would be catastrophic and would potentially shutdown the entire transit system.
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East Bay incomes higher, but poverty rates not going down
Dateline:
08/26/2008If the East Bay economy could be judged by Pleasanton's median household income of $113,345, or its poverty rate of 2.1 percent, the region would seem to be doing fine.
The U.S. Census Bureau released statistics Tuesday that show the Tri-Valley city of about 68,000 people has regained its place as the most affluent midsize city in America.
"We're certainly in an enviable position and I'm not complaining," said Pleasanton Mayor Jennifer Hosterman. "We're better poised than most to ride out these rough economic waves."
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Jobs optimism for East Bay, but not till ’09
Dateline:
08/22/2008Despite continuing East Bay job losses in July and a second quarter dubbed “bad to worse” by one economist, business owners and local industry watchers see reasons to be optimistic about 2009.
A state Employment Development Department report said the East Bay lost 2,700 jobs in July, excluding expected seasonal losses, continuing a seven-month decline led by the construction and financial services sector. The “bad to worse” description came from economist Ryan Ratcliff of the UCLA Anderson Forecast.
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El Cerrito to purchase furniture store site
Dateline:
08/21/2008After 72 years on San Pablo Avenue, the owner of Tradeway Furniture said the store will be closing its doors in about a year, after agreeing to sell its buildings to the City of El Cerrito.
"It's an emotional thing," said owner Joseph Conwill. "We'll certainly miss all of our friends and customers. But the time has come."
The sale of 10860 and 10848 San Pablo Ave. — at $4.05 million — was approved by the City Council earlier this week. The city used money from its low-moderate income housing fund for the purchase, and is obligated to use the property for low and moderate income housing. The details of the project have not been nailed down.
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State unemployment hits 7.3% in July
Dateline:
08/16/2008(08-15) 11:12 PDT SACRAMENTO -- California's economic slide gained momentum in July when the unemployment rate reached 7.3 percent, up from 7 percent in June and nearly two percentage points greater than it was one year ago, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday.
There were 1,352,000 unemployed people in California last month - 70,000 more than in June and up by 374,000 compared with July 2007.
Unemployment combined with the rate of inflation creates what economist Stephen Levy calls the Misery Index. That index topped 12 percent in July, the highest level in 15 years.
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East Bay leads Bay Area in job losses
Dateline:
08/15/2008The East Bay lost 2,700 jobs during July, a fresh setback for a struggling economy that has suffered a string of employment losses that now stretches to seven-straight months, according to a state labor report released Friday.
Adjusted for seasonal changes, the East Bay has lost nearly 19,000 jobs so far in 2008, the Employment Development Department reported.
The jobless rate in the East Bay was 6.7 percent in July, compared with 5.2 percent a year ago. California's jobless rate was 7.3 percent in July, worse than the 5.4 percent rate the year before.
The job trends in the Bay Area were mixed for July, the EDD reported:
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