Author: Amanda Kusumowidagdo

California Governor Gavin Newsom has the latest budget proposal on his hands, filled with yet another attempt to close the gaping deficit caused by inflation and a drop in tax revenue from the 1%. What does this budget proposal look like? It proposes to slash 10,000 unfilled jobs from the state’s roster and slash tens of billions of dollars in spending. But can it work? More Efficient, Leaner and Modern Source: CAGovernor/X The governor’s latest proposal offers to cut $32.8 billion from the budget, including an almost 8% reduction to state operations through the next two fiscal years. Newsom’s office…

On July 1, California restaurants must change the way they bill customers. They’ll be unable to add service charges or other surcharges to the customers’ final bill. But this move is worrying a lot of restaurant owners, who see the ban on “junk fees” as problematic. If their businesses lose money over this, they may have to start laying off workers. Senate Bill 478 Source: Karolina Grabowska/Pexels Senate Bill 478 (SB 478), signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2023, aims to crack down on “junk fees”—surcharges most often associated with hotel, car rental and ticket sale companies.…

A gigantic reservoir project, dubbed the Sites Reservoir, has been 45 years in the making. It’s hoped to be the perfect response to the threat of drought in the Golden State. However, the project will displace some people from the Antelope Valley, where the reservoir will be located. Dozens of homes may be flattened by the construction. Will this project go through until completion? Solving the Water Crisis Source: cottonbro studio/Pexels Officials are hoping the enormous Californian reservoir will help solve the area’s water crisis. Although water has been plentiful in the last few years, a drought is a disaster…

Student loan debt has already been making the news lately. Debt is a deterrent for many young people seeking a higher education in colleges and universities. But their woes are not over yet. The cost of borrowing money to pay for college studies is going to soar to the highest point in 16 years. With an interest rate that is so high, can anyone even afford college anymore? Let’s find out. Highest Level Since 2008 Source: Freepik The current interest rate of a new student loan is 5.5%. But in July this year, the federal undergraduate loan interest rate is…

Climate change is on everybody’s mind today, not just because it’s happening everywhere, but because pundits keep mentioning it in the news. It’s also a hot topic because the climate remains Joe Biden’s political platform in this election year. But Steve Forbes, politician and chief editor of Forbes magazine, thinks that announcing a climate crisis would wreak havoc on the nation’s economy. Here’s what he said and why Biden should tread carefully. Forbes’ Reason Source: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons Forbes, who was a two-time Republican presidential candidate, was responding to rumors about the current POTUS’ top advisers having started talking about…

California has always had a long history of conflicts when it comes to taxations. Ever since California’s voters passed Proposition 13—the famous property tax limit—the state’s always had a problem over how much tax money the governments need (and who should pay up for it). This battle is seemingly reaching its climax under a ballot measure this fall. But CA Governor Gavin Newsom and the Legislature are asking the California Supreme Court to remove it from the ballot. And so the battle begins. The Ballot Measure Source: Element5 Digital/Pexels The ballot measure in contention is backed by the California Business…

Starbucks is dealing with a lot right now. There’s an ongoing unionization effort nationwide that’s accused Starbucks’ way of handling labor issues as “broken” and “flawed.” But there’s also the quarterly net revenue that fell below the shareholder expectations. The coffee giant’s revenue slipped to $8.6 billion, a 2% drop that’s nonetheless worrisome for many, including former CEO Howard Schultz. Starbucks’ Problems Source: Dinkun Chen/Wikimedia Commons The diminishing sales figures can be blamed on a few factors. Visits from the occasional customers have declined, for one. Another is the peak morning rush that leaves mobile phone orders incomplete and lowers…

One of the names in Donald Trump’s shortlist of running mates in the upcoming presidential election is South Dakota Governor, Kristi Noem, who’s set to release her second autobiography. But instead of praise, many people found absurd and disturbing things in the pre-release excerpts that got them confused. Beyond the story of killing her family-owned dog, some lies are just too big to be believed. A Big Lie Source: Office of the Governor, South Dakota (Kristi Noem)/Wikimedia Commons; Center Street Publisher (cover)/Amazon A leaked passage from her book, entitled “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and…

Winning the lottery once is already a miracle. But winning it twice? And in the space of just 10 weeks? Talk about a phenomenon! And it’s exactly what happened to a woman from Massachusetts. Christine Wilson of Attleboro, a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, is the extremely lucky winner — TWICE! — of a $1 million lottery. The Recent Victory Source: WPRI/Youtube Wilson purchased a 100X Cash ticket for 10 bucks at a Family Food Mart in Mansfield. She scratched it off and turned out to have the lucky ticket. The convenience store will receive $10,000 for selling the winning…

A start-up EV carmaker is about to go bust. Fisker, based in Manhattan Beach, California, is reportedly in a dire financial situation. If the company files for bankruptcy, not only will its employees lose jobs. But the customers may also eventually lose their cars. Failure to Pay Debt Source: Monstera Production/Pexels Fisker, founded by Henrik Fisker and Geeta Gupta-Fisker, revealed its financial woes when it filed a Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company was once valued at $2.9 billion. But now the company couldn’t even pay an interest payment of $8.4 million in March. If…