KALW News - Economy, Labor and Biz

Kids understand that Santa has to cut back this year

KALW News — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:46:58 +0000

Santa Claus knows when you're naughty or nice, and this year he also knows that many families are having tough times financially.

Those fabled yard-long Christmas gift lists that children make are shorter this year, according to the Associated Press. The AP quotes one Santa from North Carolina saying, "These children understand the conditions around the home when they ask for stuff," and those conditions in many cases are threadbare.

Economy, Labor and Biz

The sales tax debate: Amazon v. the State of California

KALW News — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 02:34:53 +0000

That 52” flat screen TV you just bought your loved one (or yourself) for the holidays should be arriving any day now. And what a deal – nice picture, good price, delivered right to your door. And since you made the purchase online, you weren’t charged California sales tax for that shiny new piece of technology.

Here’s the thing though: There’s a good chance you owe the California government some money. And the state needs it. You know it, I know it, and Governor Jerry Brown knows it.

Economy, Labor and Biz

WEB EXCLUSIVE: On the road with the "One Man March for the Homeless"

KALW News — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:36:38 +0000

Stephen T! Millhouse (no, that exclamation point is not a typo), is on a 1,460 mile march to call attention to homelessness and hunger. Millhouse, a veteran, has been homeless himself, in both California and Montana, and relied on social services and veterans assistance to survive. Now, he’s repaying the favor, raising money by walking from his current home of Missoula to his former home of Los Angeles, by way of the Bay Area.

Economy, Labor and Biz

Radical Idea: The public bank of San Francisco

KALW News — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:15:46 +0000

Economic unrest is at the heart of social movements taking place around the country. But in San Francisco, that wasn’t enough to shake up the political establishment. When voters went to the polls last week, political incumbents carried the day, with George Gascon taking the race for district attorney, and appointed Mayor Ed Lee winning four more years in office.

Economy, Labor and Biz

Bringing down the banks

KALW News — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:46:38 +0000

The Occupy Wall Street protests have started a national conversation about how capitalism should work – or if it can work at all. But for all the talk about the problems with our financial system, it seems like few workable solutions have emerged. After several large bank bailouts, many people feel powerless. But others are taking action to get that power back.

CHARLIE MINTZ: Can you tell me what you’re doing?

Economy, Labor and Biz

How storytelling can combat poverty among young people

KALW News — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:12:00 +0000

When it comes to poverty in California, it boils down to some pretty startling numbers: Last year, six million people in the state were officially living below the poverty line, two million of them children. And more than half of the state’s students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Economy, Labor and Biz

During the economic downturn, the pawn industry grows

KALW News — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:39:08 +0000

President Obama continues to tout his jobs bill, though it hasn’t been getting much traction in Congress. Still, there are a few industries that have been growing without government help: tech, healthcare, and interestingly, pawnshops.

Economy, Labor and Biz

High Speed Rail Gets a New Plan and a New Price Tag in California

KALW News — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:15:08 +0000

The California High Speed Rail Authority released a new business plan yesterday outlining a multi-phase strategy for bringing bullet trains to the state. The total pricetag? $98.5 billion. That’s almost three times the original estimate made in 2008 when voters approved a $9 billion bond measure in support of the project that ultimately would link San Francisco with Los Angeles.

Economy, Labor and Biz

Certificate holders leapfrog the Fillmore Park housing lottery

KALW News — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:50:32 +0000

After their families were evicted from the Fillmore district by eminent domain decades ago, seven people are close to coming back as an owner of a brand new, affordable luxury condo in the district’s newest high-density residential complex known as Fillmore Park.

Set to open next spring, the complex features 32 townhomes and flats and sits in the heart of the emerging Fillmore jazz district.

Economy, Labor and Biz

The luxury of living in a tiny house

KALW News — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:36:34 +0000

From a young age, many of us dream of the houses we’ll own. But those dreams don’t get into the reality of how much houses cost. These days, buying a house means getting a mortgage – which can wind up taking decades to pay off. And that’s if you keep from defaulting – defaults in the Golden State are more than double the national average.

JAY SHAFER: When you look at events like the housing bust – which eventually caused a worldwide economic downturn – you know, people were being forced into more house than they could afford.

Economy, Labor and Biz