DECEMBER 6, 2024

Last week, fear, anxiety, and confusion swept across the West Coast when a rare tsunami warning was issued for parts of Northern California following a 7.0 earthquake off the shore of Eureka. While tsunamis are rare for the West Coast, they do happen.

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DECEMBER 4, 2024

The skyrocketing cost of living is a core concern of many Californians. By expanding housing supply in transit-rich job centers like Berkeley, the initiative's authors believe they can enable more people to live close to work, reduce emissions, and advance our climate goals.

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DECEMBER 4, 2024

Last month’s U.S. jobs report shows the restaurant and hotel sectors experienced a sharp increase in available positions. The total number of U.S. job openings rose to 7.7 million in October—up 5% from 7.4 million in September—signaling that businesses are still seeking workers even though hiring has cooled.

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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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