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Business earns the most trust in a polarized world

In a 28-nation survey, 62% see companies as competent and ethical, beating media and governments.

People worldwide are more gloomy about their economic prospects than ever before and trust business far more than other institutions such as governments, nonprofits and the media in an increasingly divided world, according to a survey from public relations firm Edelman.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice.

Cases: 

COVID fatalities hit a season high-Rise in L.A. County comes despite a drop in new cases. Experts suggest reasons for it. By Luke Money and Rong-Gong Lin II for the LA Times. The number of COVID-19 deaths reported weekly in Los Angeles County has hit the highest point of the season, underscoring the continued deadly risks of a disease that has ripped through the community for nearly three years.

Your #dreamjob? It might be a fake By Jaimie Ding for the LA Times.

Two days after applying for a job on LinkedIn , Sandi Pounder received the good, if surprising, news.

“I am glad to inform you that due to your level of experience and your working skills, the company has decided to hire you as one of our Data Analyst (REMOTE),” the email read. “On behalf of our firm, I congratulate you on your achievement.”

Promote your business and make important connections and contacts at the Chamber networking lunch and breakfast.

Remote work may be stickier than you think By Sarah Kessler, Senior Staff Editor, DealBook

During the nearly three years since pandemic precautions pushed remote work into the mainstream, companies have been negotiating a “new normal” in an environment that some say gives workers an upper hand: Hiring has been difficult, quitting has been popular, and employers had been in a good position to accommodate workers’ preferences.

Cases: New viral strain back East could be a threat here: Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is more contagious and more resistant to immunity.
By Corinne Purtill for the LA Times. You may have come home with it after a recent trip to New England. Or you may have gotten it from that friend or family member who flew in from New York over the holidays.

From PasadenaNOW: Minimum wage for hourly employees in California increased to $15.50 this week. While the pay increase applies to the entire state, some cities —  Pasadena included — have higher minimum hourly wages already in place. 

The hourly pay increase is part of California law that gradually raises the minimum wage from $10 an hour in 2017 to $15.50 an hour in 2023. 

Yes, we are beginning 2023 and still reporting on COVID-19, its effects and impact on our economy three (!) years after the first likely cases in China (and perhaps in the US, too).

So, where have we come in the past three years?

An edited timeline:

How will California’s new laws affect you? BY PHIL WILLON in Sacramento for the LA Times.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down the landmark federal abortion rights case Roe vs. Wade led to a flurry of new laws in California, even though abortion rights already are solidly protected in the state.