Bill Would Make Retailers Jointly Liable For Trucking Company Labor Violations
The California Trucking Association today announced its opposition to a California Senate bill authored by Long Beach-area Senator Ricardo Lara that would make retailers jointly liable for certain wage and labor violations incurred by trucking firms they hire. Senate Bill 1402, introduced by Lara yesterday, is meant to address the exploitation of truck drivers working within ports. The trucking association pointed out that unionized trucking firms would be exempt from the new rules and contended that the backers of the bill are seeking to ban owner-operator truckers from working at the ports.
CalChamber Identifies Three More Job Killer Bills
The California Chamber of Commerce added three proposed assembly bills to its list of “job killer bills,” bringing the total to 24. Assembly Bill (AB) 2447 would mean weighing discrimination factors when certifying environmental impact reports; AB 2560 would impose a 10% tax on contractors doing business with the state’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in order to fund preschool and afterschool programs; and AB 3087 would create a state commission to regulate health care costs. All three bills are going before committees this month. The Business Journal recently published the original list of 2018 job killer bills here.
Long Beach Office Rental Rates Increased During First Quarter
Asking rental rates for office space in Downtown Long Beach (DLB) are up 0.05%, while suburban Long Beach (SLB) office space rates are up 3.3%, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s first quarter office market report. The city’s overall office vacancy rate is 15.8%, with DLB at 18.5% and SLB at 10.1%, according to the commercial real estate services firm.
New Grants Support CSU Plan To Promote Academic Success
The California State University (CSU) Chancellor’s Office has garnered more than $3 million in grants for its Graduation Initiative 2025, a plan to boost academic success. The funds will support: campuses that are working to redesign their courses; establishing an award for faculty innovation and leadership; launching a program to support faculty-led research projects that use data to address factors that promote student achievement; and establishing a program to assess the effectiveness of policy changes and alternative teaching practices.
Holocaust Remembrance Day – Study Finds Americans’ Awareness Is Waning
On the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day, people across the world paused to reflect today upon the six million Jewish lives – as well as those of hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities, LGBT individuals, Roma and other marginalized groups – lost in the Holocaust of World War II. A recently released study received widespread media attention today due to its findings about Americans’ awareness level of the Holocaust. The survey of 1,350 American adults found that 22% of U.S. Millennials and 11% of U.S. adults have not heard of, or are unsure if they have heard of, the Holocaust. Additionally, 41% of Millennials and 31% of all adults believe two million or fewer Jews were killed in the Holocaust, rather than six million. Nearly 50% of U.S. Millennials and 45% of adults could not name one of the 40,000 concentration camp or ghettos of the Holocaust.
Gala To Support Boys & Girls Clubs Of Long Beach
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach will host a gala, “Here’s Looking At You, Kid,” from 5-10 p.m. April 21, at the Westin Long Beach, 333 E. Ocean Blvd. The event will honor the directors emeritus of the organization. Proceeds will support programs offered through the club.