Six months after the Maui wildfires, hundreds of businesses remain closed, and questions linger about how much a local economy should rely on tourism. nytimes.com/2024/02/07/bus…

Tech layoffs, fallout from Hollywood strikes and an uptick in rural joblessness. A look at how unemployment casts a shadow over California’s economy. nytimes.com/2024/03/01/bus…

On Monday, California's minimum wage will jump to $20 an hour for most fast-food workers in California. Our Kurtis Lee spoke with restaurant owners and economists to better understand what this might mean for workers, bosses and the economy. nyti.ms/49hm93A

The minimum wage for fast food workers in California will jump to $20 an hour in the days ahead, propelling them to near the top of what minimum-wage earners make anywhere in the country. Owners & employees are sizing up the potential impact statewide. nytimes.com/2024/03/28/bus…

With #KentuckyDerby150 upon us, it's time to revisit Kurtis Lee's beautiful Los Angeles Times Column One about African Cemetery No. 2, where you'll find some of the Black jockeys and trainers who helped create the derby. latimes.com/nation/la-na-c…

Street vending is a quintessential California job — from selling strawberries along roadways outside of Fresno to pop-up stands offering tacos along Oakland thoroughfares. Along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it’s a struggle to make a living. nytimes.com/2024/06/29/bus…

As Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Games, construction crews have fanned out, racing to bolster the area’s infrastructure to accommodate hundreds of thousands of visitors. nyti.ms/4coLTg3

Recently, the company, owned by billionaire Democratic donors, filed a legal challenge against California that could overturn a 2022 law that made it easier for farmworkers to take part in unionization votes.

Nevada is among a handful of states that will decide this year's presidential contest, and workers have felt increased prices at the grocery store and gas station. Workers and business owners in the Las Vegas area said high prices were a prominent concern. nyti.ms/3MUcOFS

A new California law allows Native American tribes to file suit against gambling venues they don’t operate, potentially shuttering them and jeopardizing local tax revenue. But tribes say it is a long-overdue step toward fairness, Kurtis Lee reports. nyti.ms/40bvlWj

In the sprawl of Los Angeles County, a handful of casinos have operated for decades. But after a multimillion-dollar lobbying battle, their existence may soon be challenged in court by California’s tribal nations. nytimes.com/2024/10/23/bus…

The logging industry has shaped and sustained families for generations. Mostly employed in densely forested pockets of the Pacific Northwest, loggers have the highest fatality rate of civilian occupations. A look inside the deadliest job in America. nytimes.com/2024/11/22/bus…

It's become a painful, recurring story line in Hollywood. A script supervisor visiting a food bank every other week. The cinematographer who moved to Georgia for better filming opportunities. As Hollywood struggles, the L.A. economy feels the pain. nytimes.com/2024/12/26/bus…

The minimum wage in Los Angeles could rise to $30 for hotel and airport workers. But with tourism down, and the city in a slump, some hoteliers fear for their survival. nytimes.com/2025/08/04/bus…

Nearly 25 years ago, workers at a Sonoma County, Calif., vineyard constructed a baseball field amid the vines. It remains a place for camaraderie. nytimes.com/2025/09/17/bus…