Business News
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Hours are Friday, noon to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The event is open to the public. Admission of $7 is valid for the entire weekend.
Exhibitors from all over the world will be on site with the largest selection of fine jewelry, crystals, gemstones, beads, minerals, fossils and much more.
Take advantage of buying direct from the importers and wholesalers. From loose gems, raw minerals and millions of bead strands, to finished jewelry, fashion accessories, supplies and tools, find them all under one roof.
Jewelry repair, cleaning and ring sizing service is available while you shop. Free door prize drawings are conducted every hour throughout the weekend.
For more information, visit www.gemfaire.com or contact Gem Faire Inc. at 503-252-8300 or
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
“Illegal sports betting is widespread, and it’s critical that we bring it out of the shadows to make it safer and generate funds for education,” Sen. Dodd said. “I look forward to hearing from all stakeholders at this key hearing as we analyze and develop the best approach. The Legislature’s job is to stand up for the public interest and ensure California adopts the best possible model.”
Sen. Dodd and Assemblymember Gray each introduced legislation in June to amend the California Constitution to authorize and regulate sports wagering. They chair their chambers’ respective governmental organization committees, which oversee gaming regulation, among other things.
The matching constitutional amendments would require any legalization effort in California to achieve two-thirds approval in the Legislature before being placed on the ballot for majority approval by voters.
The effort follows last year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the federal ban on sports betting. The decision did not legalize sports wagering nationwide, but permitted the activity to be regulated on a state-by-state basis.
The Joint Informational Hearing on Sports Betting will begin at 1 p.m. in State Capitol Room 4202.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
If adopted, this would be the first major change to the use of so-called “affinity group” discounts since California voters approved Proposition 103 in 1988, outlawing “redlining” and other forms of discrimination in insurance.
The department drafted the new regulations after Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara ordered the first-ever investigation of group discounts in the Department’s history.
A survey of insured vehicles found that one-quarter of Californians receive an affinity group premium reduction ranging from 1.5 percent to 25.9 percent depending on the insurer and group.
The data shows that participation in group discount programs decreases with income and education level, with those living in ZIP Codes with average income above $49,000 more than twice as likely to receive discounts as those in ZIP Codes with average income of $22,500 or below. In some areas of Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Bay Area, participation in group discount programs in high-income ZIP Codes was three to four times higher.
“The department’s historic investigation found that many insurance companies were effectively using group discounts to ‘cherry-pick’ members, giving some higher-income occupations a ‘fast pass’ while people of color and lower income motorists were left in the slow lane,” said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. “Thirty years ago, California voters banned ‘redlining’ practices that often meant the poorer you were, the more you paid for car insurance. We need a major course correction. These new rules of the road allow for group discounts as voters intended, but only if those groups are justified and non-discriminatory.”
Other key findings from the Department’s investigation:
– Motorists in affinity groups are more likely to reside in ZIP Codes with a predominantly non-Hispanic white population.
– Three-quarters of motorists residing in underserved communities were not in an affinity group, compared to 57 percent for the rest of the state.
– Motorists in affinity groups are more likely to reside in ZIP Codes with a higher average educational attainment. Only 28 percent of those living in areas with the lowest number of college degrees receive discounts, compared to 56 percent for those where half or more have college degrees.
Proposition 103 permits groups to exist, but the Department’s proposed regulations would ensure that groups are offered equally to persons regardless of sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, primary language, immigration status, occupation, educational attainment, or income level.
This proposed action would effectively ensure that all Californians have access to insurance group discounts as intended by Proposition 103.
The department will hold a prenotice workshop on the proposed regulations on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, at the Ronald Reagan State Building in Los Angeles.
The purpose of the prenotice workshop is to provide interested and affected stakeholders an opportunity to present comments regarding the proposed regulation changes and how rates and rating practices are used for group private passenger automobile insurance in California.
The Department of Insurance is responsible for the review and approval of automobile insurance premiums in the state to ensure they are fair and based on objective factors.
Proposition 103 established the mandatory factors to be a driver’s driving safety record, miles driven, and years of driving experience, followed by optional factors that the Commissioner may permit for use in automobile insurance rating. This would be only the third major reform to the optional factors in the last decade.
In January 2019, the Department of Insurance prohibited the use of gender in private passenger automobile rate-setting in order to remove factors that are beyond a driver’s control.
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- Written by: California Department of Food and Agriculture
These programs include the Healthy Soils Program, or HSP, Incentives Program and the HSP Demonstration Projects.
The HSP Incentives Program provides financial assistance for implementation of agricultural management practices that improve soil health, sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The HSP Demonstration Projects showcase California farmers and rancher's implementation of HSP practices.
The draft request for grant applications establish parameters by which competitive grants for the HSP Incentives Program and the HSP Demonstration Projects must be submitted and evaluated.
The draft request for grant applications can be found on the following webpages under the CDFA’s Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation:
– HSP Incentives Program: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils/IncentivesProgram.html ;
– HSP Demonstration Projects: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils/DemonstrationProjects.html.
Public comments on the draft guidelines will be accepted through Jan. 7, 2020, at 5 p.m. Pacfic Time (15-day comment period). Comments regarding the draft guidelines must be submitted to the specific email address noted on each draft document listed above.
This draft has several new changes based on public comment received at a stakeholder meetings and at the public meetings of the Environmental Farming Act Science Advisory Panel.
To accommodate longer application timelines, CDFA is proposing, for the first time, a rolling application period over four months unless all funds are expended prior to the end date.
CDFA also heard about the need to make the application more user friendly and worked to streamline some of the questions in the application itself.
“We hope these changes will make this program more accessible to a larger number of farmers and ranchers in California,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “As one of the first programs in the nation to focus on carbon sequestration using working private lands in California, we hope to contribute to greenhouse gas reductions and ensure our agricultural soils are healthy and productive into the future.”
The Healthy Soils Program is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities.
The Cap-and-Trade program also creates a financial incentive for industries to invest in clean technologies and develop innovative ways to reduce pollution.
California Climate Investments projects include affordable housing, renewable energy, public transportation, zero-emission vehicles, environmental restoration, more sustainable agriculture, recycling, and much more.
At least 35 percent of these investments are located within and benefiting residents of disadvantaged communities, low-income communities and low-income households across California.
For more information, visit the California Climate Investments website at www.caclimateinvestments.ca.gov.
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