A report by the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies (CEERT) finds that new power line projects and faster permitting could make the San Joaquin Valley the center of solar power in California, and help residents breathe a little easier. According to the report, the state needs to speed up construction of power lines to achieve its goals of adding more than 85 gigawatts of clean energy by 2034 (enough to power 64 million homes or fully charge 765,000 electric vehicles). The problem is the average time for the review and approval of a single transmission project in California ..read more

By Jesse Rojas As an advocate for California farm workers’ rights, I’m urging support for the Capital One-Discover merger. This alliance can deliver substantial benefits to low-income consumers and small business, enhancing financial access and fostering economic empowerment. Let’s champion this merger for a fairer, more inclusive financial landscape. I view the proposed merger between Capital One and Discover through a lens of potential opportunity, particularly for minority communities and small businesses. While mergers in the corporate world often cause concerns about market consolidation ..read more

    Latinos in the United States have a cultural identity that is rich and diverse, with characteristic elements, such as food, traditions, music, and language. Spanish plays an important role in their identity and is the second most spoken language in the country. According to recent estimates, nearly 40 million Latinos in the U.S. speak Spanish at home, reflecting the importance of this language in their daily lives and in their communities. The use of Spanish in social, educational, and professional settings is a testament to its role in shaping Latino identity in the United ..read more

The U.S. is not only home to more than 63 million Latinos, but it is also the place where this community operates almost five million businesses that generate more than $800 billion in annual revenue, according to Stanford University and the Latino Business Action Network’s State of Latino Entrepreneurship Report. Growth in employment and income has increased for this community over the years, however starting a business is still a challenging task that requires a certain optimism, imagination, and perseverance. If you’re looking to start your own business, here are some important initial step ..read more

The use and possession of marijuana is illegal under U.S. federal law, but about three-quarters of states have legalized the drug for medical or recreational purposes. The changing legal landscape has coincided with a decades-long rise in public support for legalization, which a majority of Americans now favor. Here are nine facts about Americans’ views of and experiences with marijuana, based on Pew Research Center surveys and other sources. How we did this Around nine-in-ten Americans say marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use, according to a January 2024 Pew Res ..read more

At Mexico News Daily, we highlight key growth industries and report on the major investments taking place in Mexico. Just earlier this week, we reported on how Mexico has received announcements of foreign direct investment (FDI) from January to April 15 of this year totaling more than all FDI recorded in 2023, which was a record year. We get a lot of questions from readers asking us about the big opportunities for investment in Mexico moving forward, and we try to highlight some of those as well. Water scarcity is a huge issue across the nation and we have been covering the risks as well as op ..read more

After Jerry Brown became governor of California for the first time nearly a half-century ago, he declared that the state had entered “an era of limits.” Citing “sluggish economic growth, increasing social instability, widespread unemployment and unprecedented environmental challenges,” Brown told state legislators in his 1976 state of the state speech, “In place of a manifest economic destiny, we face a sober reassessment of new economic realities, and we all have to get used to it.” At the time, his rather gloomy observation seemed to be in line with current events. California had seen startl ..read more

By Andrew Ysiano – Latino Times A new report from the American Lung Association “State of the Air” finds that between 2020 and 2022 people in the U.S. experienced the most days with “very unhealthy” and “hazardous” air quality in 25 years. In total, the report finds that 131 million people (39%) are living in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution. In California, the impacts of dirty air are the most severe of any state with more than 98% Californians living in a community that earned a failing grade for unhealthy ozone (smog) pollution days. Notably, Los Angeles, the most polluted city ..read more

Democrats completely dominate California’s state government, and one aspect of that hegemony is their ability to act without compunction. When doing whatever they want to do, Democratic officeholders don’t have to worry about competition from the state’s shriveled-up Republican Party nor, for the most part, criticism from equally shrunken political media. Thus, the Capitol has become an echo chamber rather than a forum for forthright debate about issues. The syndrome explains why its leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, ignored indications that as California emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic ..read more

California’s Legislature is getting crazy busy as key bill deadlines get closer — and we’re keeping track. Tuesday, some bills didn’t survive crucial committee hearings, while others were watered down to stay alive. CalMatters homelessness reporter Marisa Kendall watched the Senate Public Safety Committee kill a bill for a statewide ban on homeless encampments near parks and schools, for the second year in a row. The Democratic legislators against the bill said they didn’t want to penalize down-and-out residents who sleep on public property. • Sen. Aisha Wahab, a Democrat from Fremont and chai ..read more