Category: Clips
Survey: Californians face knowledge gap of school funding reform but support grows when gap closed
(Photo Credit: John Guenther) There's been another education gap identified in California and this time it's regarding awareness of--and involvement in--the state's ambitious school funding reform plan, according to a new poll released yesterday. But the upshot is there's a big opportunity for getting the word out since, once people know what exactly the Local…
Campaign to combat stigma of career tech jobs needed says task force
(Photo Credit: Steven Hellon/California Community Colleges) To get a larger slice of Californians into good-paying, long-term jobs, there needs to be a public campaign to combat the stigma of middle-skill jobs and to "show the money" in going that route. That was just one big takeaway readily apparent when a task force on upgrading California's…
Rebranding career tech jobs vital to growing workforce say Sacramento employers
Anette Smith-Dohring of Sutter Health speaking at Sacramento Strong Workforce Town Hall yesterday (Photo Credit: John Guenther) When talking to employers in California and college chancellors, it's clear that career tech jobs need a retooling of their image. At a workforce town hall in Sacramento yesterday, those in attendance stressed the old view of CTE…
LA Mayor Garcetti and USDOT announce local hire rule change for infrastructure projects
Expo Line construction. (Photo Credit: Mark Hogan/Flickr) The federal agency in charge of handing out money for local infrastructure projects just announced that cities getting federal dollars will be able to prefer hiring local construction workers under a new one-year pilot program. "For more than 40 years, there have been polices on the books that…
California elections officials, voting advocates tackle low voter turnout
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla. (Photo Credit: John Guenther) Originally posted on CA Fwd Reporting. When hundreds of Californians got together to roll up their sleeves and talk about elections last week, they were joined by a looming, unwanted problem. "And that voter turnout. That's really the elephant in the room, isn't it?" said…
Cities weigh economic impact and barriers of open data movement
City of Los Angeles' new Chief Data Officer Abhi Nemani. (Photo Credit: John Guenther) When open data advocates talk about the potential economic impact of the movement, it's clear there are big benefits and barriers for cities in California--except for the barrier of not knowing about the open data movement. "Five or seven years…
VIDEO: Social entrepreneurs set out to save world, make money
There's a growing category of businesses looking to make money while saving the world. Rather, they look to have some sort of social or environmental impact while running a business and providing jobs. They're called for-benefit or part of the "fourth sector." If you're looking to get into the sector, good news: There's an effort…
VIDEO: Millennials face uphill battle in today’s economy
The Millennial generation represents the largest and most digitally connected generation ever, but it's also staring at a long list of challenges to get ahead economically. We asked a gathering of sub-40-year-old representatives from a range of public policy groups to give us a rundown of those problems and where the opportunities are for fixing…
Report: Millennials less in love with the car than previous generations
(Photo Credits: torbakhopper & Michael Ocampo/Flickr) If a person is born after 1980, it's likely he or she doesn't view having a car as "freedom," but would rather be free from having to drive a car at all. And the best way California can adapt to this trend might not necessarily be expanding highways but…
Poll: Majority of California’s likely voters support Prop 1 water bond
California lake docks in summer 2014. (Photo Credit: Ira Woodhead/Flickr) With the drought literally moving mountains, drying up wells and reserves, and causing a Mt. Shasta mudslide--not a drink at TGI Fridays, it's not surprising Californians appear to support the state's water bond proposition by almost a 2-1 margin, says a new poll. Fifty-eight percent of…