$$ for tribes + A different sort of economic recovery + Bonta warns gas refineries

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

NEWSOM TO SEEK FUNDING FOR TRIBES

At Friday morning’s meeting of the California Truth and Healing Council — formed in 2019 to provide an avenue for California Native tribes to clarify the record and provide their historical perspective on their relationship with the state — California Gov. Gavin Newsom once again acknowledged the harms that the State of California has perpetrated on Native peoples over the course of the state’s history.

“To right some of these wrongs, I’ve tasked our administration with seeking out ways to support California Native peoples in accessing, co-managing and acquiring your ancestral lands. And today, we’re making a downpayment on this commitment, allocating $100 million for tribally informed grant-making, to support tribal initiatives in this space,” Newsom said in speech given at the start of the council meeting. “The initiatives funded under this commitment will be informed by your unique priorities and knowledge, ranging from climate programs and workforce development to tribal conservation and land return for tribally led climate solutions.”

Following Newsom’s remarks, Wade Crowfoot, California Secretary of Natural Resources, elaborated on Newsom’s proposal, saying that the money will go toward addressing the challenge of climate change.

“We call it nature-based solutions, but it’s nothing more than healing our lands and waters to protect ourselves and all life in California,” Crowfoot said.

Crowfoot said that the state will seek the $100 million in funds from the 2022-23 state budget, which is currently being worked on by administration officials and lawmakers.

CALIFORNIA’S ECONOMIC RECOVERY LOOKS DIFFERENT

Via David Lightman...

California may be undergoing a very different sort of economic recovery than it’s experienced over the last 40 years, said Michael Bernick,an employment attorney with Duane Morris LLP.

“We need to see a few more months of data,” said Bernick, former director of the state’s Employment Development Department, which manages the state’s unemployment insurance program.

He said the state’s economy may be slowing “as the remote work economy settles in, job reconsiderations continue (“is this all there is?”), and new patterns of life/work emerge, in ways very different than the recoveries of the past forty years in California.”

Bernick cited data released Thursday showing that while new unemployment claims were down nationwide last week, California claims rose slightly.

The state had 22% of the nation’s new claims, even though it has 11.7% of the country’s civilian workforce. The California unemployment rate in January, the latest available, was 5.8%, second only to New Mexico’s 5.9%.

Federal labor data also showed the state had 1.148 million job openings at the end of January. Though well below December’s figure, “California also saw an outsized number of quits in January and an outsized number of layoffs and discharges,” Bernick found.

BONTA ISSUES WARNING TO CALIFORNIA REFINERIES

California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a warning to California gasoline refineries, cautioning them against illegal market manipulation or other violations of state antitrust laws.

The warning comes as gas prices continue to skyrocket, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine — and ensuing U.S. sanctions — threaten to cause more havoc at the pump.

“The ongoing Russian war against Ukraine is heartbreaking and unacceptable. As California stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, we are also preparing for the impact that recent sanctions may have here at home,” Bonta said in a statement. “In recent days, we’ve seen the average price of gas in California shoot past $5.75 a gallon. This has a very real impact on many Californians, particularly those already struggling to make ends meet. During this turbulent time, I want to warn oil refineries against taking advantage of the current market disruption. My office is currently litigating against multinational gas trading firms SK Energy Americas and Vitol for anticompetitive conduct, we are closely monitoring the market, and we will not hesitate to take action against others if they violate the law. I urge anyone with evidence of illegal activity to report it to our office at ‪oag.ca.gov/report.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Newsom admits Californians are ‘wondering where the heck all their tax dollars are going.’ My homelessness spending audit would have told us. But he killed it.”

- Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, via Twitter.

Best of the Bee:

• California officials imposed a cutback in water deliveries from the State Water Project on Friday, citing weeks of dry weather and a bleak weather forecast for the rest of March, via Dale Kasler.

• Your bus could be electric in the near future, thanks to a couple of federal funds, via Gillian Brassil.

• Interest rate hikes the Federal Reserve announced Wednesday come with a modest upside for public pension funds such as CalPERS and CalSTRS, via Wes Venteicher.