DECEMBER 3, 2024
According to research, Americans with disabilities spent nearly $50 billion on travel this year. Accessibility is one of their biggest barriers: 81% face challenges on airlines, 84% at airports, and 74% at hotels.
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DECEMBER 2, 2024
At the kickoff of the new session, the California Legislature adopted rules that will reduce the number of bills that members of the state Assembly and Senate could introduce during each two-year session—from 50 to 35 in the Assembly and from 40 to 35 in the Senate. Legislators have mixed reactions about the idea of limiting the number of bills they can introduce.
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NOVEMBER 26, 2024
Mayor London Breed, outgoing mayor of San Francisco, made waves recently with a major policy shift: Before providing a shelter bed or any other services, city workers must first offer every homeless person they encounter a bus or train ticket to somewhere else. However, some activists worry they can be used coercively to move unhoused people out of sight instead of helping them.
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NOVEMBER 19, 2024
Big Tech and Big Oil drove a record-setting lobbying blitz this summer, spending nearly $168 million to influence state policymakers in just the third quarter of this year—up from the record-setting $131 million spent this spring.
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NOVEMBER 12, 2024
A new survey, conducted by Morning Consult, asked over 2,200 Americans about their winter travel preferences and plans. While these numbers are similar to last year, travelers are more wary of inflation this year.
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NOVEMBER 12, 2024
Street vendors have been part of the San Francisco’s gray market for decades, but changes in state law in 2018 and 2022 removing illegal vending from the police code and streamlining health permits have led to a boom in their numbers. The boom in street vendors has led to frustration across the city.
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NOVEMBER 8, 2024
The California Air Resources Board has voted to approve major changes to its Low Carbon Fuel Standard, a program aimed at encouraging use of cleaner transportation fuels with financial incentives as the state moves toward phasing out gasoline and diesel. During last week’s meeting, the board also passed a resolution requiring an annual review of the rule’s impact on gas prices.
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NOVEMBER 7, 2024
Last week, Gov. Newsom issued a proclamation convening a special session of the California Legislature to safeguard California values and fundamental rights in the face of an incoming Trump administration. The special session will begin December 2, when the Legislature convenes.
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NOVEMBER 9, 2024
California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 36 last week, following months of bargaining at the state Capitol. Polls leading up the election consistently showed a large majority of voters supported Prop 36, and several big city mayors and district attorneys threw their support behind it as well, despite Gov. Newsom’s opposition.
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OCTOBER 21, 2024
Election Day is a little more than two weeks away and California voters have already started mailing in or dropping off their ballots. PDI expects the 2024 election turnout in California to be around 75-80%, much higher than the expected 40-45% for only the gubernatorial election.
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OCTOBER 18, 2024
With Election Day coming up on November 5, we wanted to share a handy guide for all things related to casting your vote in California. If you are not currently registered or you registered to vote after the close of registration, Same Day Voter Registration is available at county election offices and polling locations.
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OCTOBER 18, 2024
According to campaign finance records, outside political organizations, independent from candidates’ campaigns, are buying airtime and driving the spending war between Democratic and Republican candidates in California’s tightest congressional races. A similar rivalry is playing out between the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arms of House Democrats and Republicans.
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OCTOBER 17, 2024
Next month, Los Angeles County voters will decide the fate of Measure A, a sales tax hike and extension to pay for housing and homeless services. Polling shows significant support (49%) for the measure, though not enough to declare it a lock.
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OCTOBER 17, 2024
Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that a new affordable housing project in South Lake Tahoe is opening 68 units to residents. The project follows a 2019 executive order to address the state’s affordable housing crisis by identifying underutilized state-owned sites for the development of affordable housing.
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OCTOBER 14, 2024
Earlier this month, IMEX America resumed its record-setting ways at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas The four-day event drew over 15,500 attendees, more than 5,500 buyers, and resulted in 86,000 meetings and appointments—blowing past the previous record set in 2023..
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OCTOBER 5, 2024
Northstar Meetings Group has announced plans for the inaugural SportsTravel Leadership Forum, the premier gathering for leading sports event organizers and the destinations that host their events. The event will include interactive educational sessions, networking, and activities like pickleball and golf.
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OCTOBER 4, 2024
In less than two years, the United States, along with Canada and Mexico, will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to a recent survey conducted by U.S. Travel and Ipsos, four out of five travelers support the use of biometric technology at TSA security checkpoints.
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OCTOBER 3, 2024
More corporate taxes than expected poured into state coffers this summer, with cash receipts exceeding forecasts by nearly $2 billion since April. The tax changes, intended to help close the budget deficit, include a suspension of a deduction businesses can claim to offset profit, as well as a $5 million limit on how much businesses can claim for research and development and other tax credits.
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SEPTEMBER 24, 2024
Proposition 47—passed by voters in 2014—continues to be at the center of policy discussions. According to research, a higher likelihood of being apprehended for a crime deters people from committing a crime more so than the likelihood of receiving a long sentence.
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SEPTEMBER 24, 2024
There are thousands of state parks across the U.S., each preserving the land’s natural beauty, recreation potential, or historic interest. Humboldt Redwoods State Park charms with its old-growth redwood forest, which covers about one-third of the park
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