Wages and salaries

0 Community Corner The Golden State may not receive another gas tax hike this summer under Gov. Newsom's budget proposal. What to know. Paige Austin and Kat Schuster , Patch Staff Posted Reply LOS ANGELES, CA — Residents in Sherman Oaks facing inflation and an unrelenting pandemic may find a little bit of relief at the gas pump this summer. Under Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget proposal, the state's summer gas tax hike may not take effect. Newsom unveiled his budget plan on Monday and introduced his "$523 million dollar gas tax holiday." “We’re going to backfill it in terms of the tax itself to transportation projects so that there’s no direct impact to investments,” Newsom told reporters. The inflation adjustment on gasoline prices was set to befall Californians in July. Last year, the gas tax in California increased by 51.1 cents on July 1. An analysis by Stillwater Associates last year found that Golden … [Read more...] about Sherman Oaks ‘Gas Tax Holiday’ Proposed Amid Surging Fuel Prices

President Joe Biden said Saturday that House Republicans want to cut funding for border security and called for more resources to secure the southern border. “MAGA House Republican proposals would slash funding for border security – a move that could allow nearly 900 pounds of fentanyl into our country. We need more resources to secure the border. Not less,” Biden tweeted from his government account. He posted a picture of himself with employees of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol below the tweet. Twitter users responded mercilessly to Biden’s tweet by criticizing his immigration policy and calling for it to be fact checked. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Biden Admin Flew Migrants Caught Illegally Crossing Over From Canada To The Southern Border, Memo Reveals) MAGA House Republican proposals would slash funding for border security – a move that could allow nearly 900 pounds of fentanyl into our country. We need more resources to secure the border. Not less. … [Read more...] about Biden Claims House Republicans Want To Cut Funding For Border Security

Tea Party appeals to seniors to protect themselves by attacking other beneficiaries of federal spending are going to make a comeback. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images In the partisan-messaging battle over the federal budget, Joe Biden seems to have Republicans right where he wants them. Beginning with his State of the Union Address in early February, the president has hammered away at GOP lawmakers for plotting to gut wildly popular Social Security and Medicare benefits. This has driven Republicans into a defensive crouch; they can either pretend their proposed cuts aren’t really cuts or forswear them altogether. It’s a message that Democrats would love to highlight every day until the next election, or at least until Republicans figure out a better response than lies, evasions, and blustery denials. But as Ron Brownstein points out in The Atlantic , there is a logical path Republicans could take to counter Democrats’ claims that GOP policies … [Read more...] about The GOP Will Run the Tea Party Playbook Against Biden

Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photo: Getty Images Adolescents in the U.S. are unhappier than they used to be. Between 2009 and today, rates of sadness and suicidal ideation among our nation’s youth have steadily climbed. Self-reported measures of mental illness can be distorted by shifting social norms. If suffering from depression becomes less stigmatized, more teens may report feeling depressed even if the actual incidence of the malady remains constant. But the suicide rate among Americans 10 to 24 years old jumped by nearly 60 percent between 2007 and 2018, which suggests surveys are capturing a genuine increase in teen mental distress rather than a mere jump in distressed teens’ propensity to identify themselves as such. Recent survey results paint a disconcerting picture of teen life in the U.S. — especially for girls. In its latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly 60 percent of adolescent girls … [Read more...] about 4 Explanations for the Teen Mental-Health Crisis

___ Deal to buy Silicon Valley Bank calms bank fears, for now NEW YORK (AP) — First Citizens will acquire much of Silicon Valley Bank, the tech-focused financial institution whose lightning-quick failure this month set off a chain reaction that rattled faith in banks around the world. The sale underscores that Silicon Valley Bank’s assets do have value and helps to rebuild some faith. Stocks of several beaten down banks rose in a show of strength after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. announced the deal. But investors and experts caution the sale doesn’t by itself provide an immediate all-clear for other banks following the second- and third-largest U.S. failures in history. That will likely take more time. ___ Fed official: SVB itself was main cause of bank’s failure WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s top financial regulator is asserting that Silicon Valley Bank’s own management was largely to blame for the bank’s failure earlier this month and says the Federal Reserve … [Read more...] about Business Highlights: Silicon Valley Bank; Kia, Hyundai

MYKOLAIV, Ukraine — The embattled city of Mykolaiv emerged on Monday from a 54-hour lockdown during which officers went door to door in search of collaborators who officials say are responsible for helping Russian forces identify targets for the rockets that pound the city daily. The governor of the Mykolaiv region, Vitaliy Kim, declared the dramatic operation — which sealed the city, preventing residents from entering or leaving — a success. Five people were arrested, he said, and a number of weapons and communications devices confiscated, though he provided no details. “I’m sorry for the discomfort over the weekend, but it was worth it,” Mr. Kim said in a video message Monday morning. He added, “No Russian-speaking person was shot.” The need to root out collaborators, according to Mr. Kim, has been particularly acute in Mykolaiv. Few places in Ukraine have experienced the kind of sustained barrage of Russian fire as this city on the southern coast. Since the war began nearly … [Read more...] about In War-Torn Mykolaiv, Ukrainians Search for Informers