Paid parental leave came to Washington D.C. in December 2016, when the city council voted 9-4 to guarantee eight weeks off for nearly every worker, including part-timers and the self-employed. Lower earners receive up to 90% of their wages, funded by a small payroll tax. It remains one of the most inclusive leave laws any American city has passed.
Portland’s CEO pay surtax, passed by the City Council in December 2016, became the first U.S. tax tied directly to corporate pay ratios. Companies paying chief executives more than 100 times their median worker owed a 10 percent surcharge on their business license tax, with steeper rates above 250:1. A small city turning federal disclosure data into local consequence.
Concentrated solar power is getting its biggest test yet in Dubai, where an 800-megawatt facility is rising inside the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Using mirrors and molten salt, it can keep generating electricity after sunset — a quiet but remarkable pivot for a city built on oil wealth.
A new study shows the number of bikes in Copenhagen is now officially higher than the number of cars. Over the last year, an additional 35,080 bikes have been tallied, resulting in a total bike count of 265,700.
The day after Labor Day, Oakland City Council made a bold proclamation in support of democratic and equitable workplaces, passing the “Resolution Supporting the Development of Worker Cooperatives In Oakland.”
All of the district high schools and most middle schools will be starting later than in the past, at 8:45 a.m., while many elementary schools will be starting earlier, at 7:55 a.m. A few elementary and K-8 schools will start at 9:35 a.m.
Americans use 50 billion plastic water bottles a year, according to an anti-plastic bottle campaign Ban the Bottle, and just 23% of those are recycled. Ban violators found selling plastic water bottles 21 oz or below on city grounds after October 2014 would be subject to a fine up to $1000, according to the San Fransisco Examiner.
Inaugurated in 2012 by the then Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi, it was home to about 250 MW capacity initially. In April 2012, a total of 214 megawatts had been commissioned. It also became the world’s third largest photovoltaic power station. 345 MW had been installed by March 2016. So far, the park has witnessed investments of Rs 5,365 crore and generated 3,441 million units till date.
On January 8, 1867, African American men gained the right to vote in the District of Columbia despite the veto of its most powerful resident, President Andrew Johnson.
