San Francisco's latest attempt to mandate employers to provide benefits to their workers is to provide economic incentives to use public transit or vanpools. However, unlike prior mandates, e.g. health care, the business sector appears OK with it.
"The proposed law would require businesses with 20 or more employees to establish a program to promote the use of transit by its workforce. Participation by employees would be voluntary.
Businesses would have to select one of three options. Two of them would place a financial burden on the employer, and one is considered cost-neutral...
The two choices that come with an added cost:
# Offering workers free transit passes or vanpool reimbursement;
# Providing door-to-door shuttle service on vans or buses.
A third option would allow businesses to tap into an established federal program in which employees can set up pretax commuter accounts to pay for travel on train, bus or ferries or by vanpool. The accounts could not pay for parking under the San Francisco proposal.
The benefit of the pretax program is that employees would save what amounts to 40 percent on their commute costs."
"The plan is the latest attempt by San Francisco officials to impose a mandate on businesses. The city has required paid sick leave, health care benefits and a minimum wage that is one of the nation's highest.
But unlike the past mandates on the private sector, this one has not run into major opposition from business leaders because of the potential economic benefit to them."
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
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