News

Sacramento, state jobless rates show big drops

Monday, 19 December 2011 10:01

By Dale Kasler The Sacramento Bee Last modified: 2011-12-17T08:35:58Z Published: Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 - 12:00 am

Sacramento's unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level in 2 1/2 years – and the region is showing signs of finally joining the economic recovery.

Thanks to unusually strong holiday retail hiring, Sacramento unemployment dropped half a percentage point in November, to 10.9 percent, the state Employment Development Department said Friday.

Overall, payrolls grew by 4,000 jobs.It was the first time that Sacramento unemployment dipped below 11 percent since May 2009.

A year ago, the rate was 12.8 percent. "This is the first month when Sacramento is showing a clear gain … in a long time," said Jeff Michael, an economist at the University of the Pacific.Statewide unemployment fell four-tenths of a point, to 11.3 percent. It was one of the most dramatic one-month declines in years.

But the state as a whole added just 6,600 jobs, following several stronger months. The payroll figure is based on a broader survey and is considered more reliable than the unemployment rate."We didn't gain any ground here," said Howard Roth, chief economist at the state Department of Finance.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/17/4128910/sacramento-state-jobless-rates.html#storylink=cpy

Appeals Court: Individual Health Insurance Mandate Unconstitutional

Friday, 12 August 2011 12:42

Appeals Court: Individual Health Insurance Mandate Unconstitutional

Published August 12, 2011

Reuters

A U.S. appeals court ruled Friday that President Barack Obama's healthcare law requiring Americans to buy healthcare insurance or face a penalty was unconstitutional, a blow to the White House.

The U.S. Appeals Court for the 11th Circuit, based in Atlanta, found that Congress exceeded its authority by requiring Americans to buy coverage, but also ruled that the rest of the wide-ranging law could remain in effect.

The legality of the so-called individual mandate, a cornerstone of the healthcare law, is widely expected to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Obama administration has defended the provision as constitutional.

(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky and James Vicini, editing by Will Dunham)

‘YOU WILL DIE!!!!’: Shocking E-Mail Sent to Wis. GOP Senators

Last Updated on Thursday, 10 March 2011 09:25 Wednesday, 09 March 2011 19:36

The following is a shocking, scary e-mail sent to Wisconsin GOP senators last night at around 9:30 pm, shortly after the Senate passed an anti-union bill. Not only does the e-mail threaten the senators with death, but it also vows “your familes [sic] will also be killed due to your actions in the last 8 weeks.”

Local station WTMJ in Milwaukee obtained the e-mail, and has redacted the sender’s name pending an investigation by the police (emphasis added):

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/you-will-die-read-the-shocking-e-ma...

Sacramento region governments cut from the bottom while adding to the top

Monday, 19 December 2011 10:00

By Phillip Reese and Loretta Kalb This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it By Phillip Reese and Loretta Kalb The Sacramento Bee Last modified: 2011-12-19T03:27:07Z Published: Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 - 12:00 am |

Several local cities sliced their payrolls through layoffs last year by cutting those who made the least. And they ended up paying more employees six-figure salaries.

The 3,800 employees who earned at least $100,000 annually last year made up 10 percent of the region's city and county workers, but ate 25 percent of payroll. Their ranks increased by about 80, while the number of city and county workers earning less than $100,000 fell by almost 3,000, according to a Bee review of new data from the state controller's office.

The trend was not universal. Cities such as Davis, Rancho Cordova and Elk Grove reduced the number of their workers earning six figures. But the city and county of Sacramento collectively increased the total amount paid to six-figure employees by $23 million, or 9 percent, while cutting 1,800 workers from their payrolls."Somehow that doesn't surprise me," said Tana Taylor, who was laid off from her job as an office assistant in Sacramento County's Department of Health and Human Services last year. "Higher-end people – they seem to be hanging in there."

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/18/4130565/sacramento-region-governments.html#storylink=cpy