Tag Archives: Golden State

Official: Toyota sells six of 10 of hybrids in California

By Damon Lowney

Toyota highlights its hybrid vehicle market dominance in California.

Filed under:

In an apparent shot back at Ford’s increasing market share of electrified vehicles and claim that it accepts more Prius trade-ins for its own hybrids than any other car, Toyota has flexed a muscle and played the numbers game to put the Blue Oval in its place.

Leaning on its hybrid market dominance in California, the Japanese automaker stated that six out of 10 hybrids sold in the Golden State are Toyota models. And it keeps coming: Year-to-date through May 2013, Toyota sold five times more hybrids than Ford. One of every two hybrids in California is a Prius model. In addition, Toyota notes that it has sold 1.5 million Prius vehicles in the US, 90-percent of which are still on the road today.

Want more? We’ll let Bill Fay, Toyota’s group vice president and general manager of sales lay the smack down:

“The hybrid industry has become competitive, but our wide range of hybrid vehicles continue to deliver high value and strong attributes to both new and loyal customers. With sales of 5.3 million hybrids globally and over two million in the US, we are the undisputed leader in hybrid vehicle technology and remain committed to building on our momentum and growing the acceptance of hybrid technology throughout the US.”

And to think Toyota and Ford just ended their collaboration to make hybrid trucks together.

On one hand, those are indeed very impressive statistics, but there’s a flip side, as well. If 6 out of 10 Toyota hybrid sales come from California, that’s more ammunition that hybrids still aren’t a factor for most American new car buyers. As of 2012, only about 3.3 percent of new cars sold in the US were hybrids, of which California sales would clearly represent an inordinately large percentage. So while Toyota may be looking to take upstart Ford to the gas-electric woodshed, it’s clear larger struggles remain on the road to hybrid acceptance.

Continue reading Toyota sells six of 10 of hybrids in California

Toyota sells six of 10 of hybrids in California originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Jul 2013 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

…read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Report: Gibbs ready to expand after successful Quadski launch

By Brandon Turkus

Filed under:

Autoblog Editor Jeff Ross said of the Gibbs Quadski “[Gibbs] is looking to create an entirely different experience when it comes to powersports.” The Auburn Hills, Michigan-based manufacturer of aquatic ATVs is apparently succeeding, as it has announced plans to expand before its sole product has even gone on sale.

With its 54,000-square-foot factory aiming to build 1,000 Quadskis this year, Gibbs is currently in the process of signing on dealers to sell the ATV/PWC hybrid before its November on-sale date, according to a report from M Live. It’s unclear just how many powersports dealers have signed on, but Gibbs is aiming to have 100 authorized sales locations by the end of next year.

This follows estimates that it’d be taking on 200 additional employees while on the auto and boat show circuits. It’s currently unclear if this remains true. Sales will be focused in the powersports-hungry Midwest, along with New York, Texas, and the South. Retailers in California are being targeted, but Gibbs is still trying to please the Golden State’s bureaucracy.

The Quadski should retail for $40,000 when it hits dealers in November.

Gibbs ready to expand after successful Quadski launch originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

…read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Kevin Durant Fined For Making ‘Menacing Gesture’ After Dunk Against Warriors (VIDEO)

By The Huffington Post News Editors

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has fined Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant for making a “menacing gesture,” when he pretended to slice his throat after throwing down a big dunk during the Thunder’s victory against the Golden State Warriors.

The play that led to Durant’s costly celebration occurred with about 1:45 left in the second quarter of Oklahoma City‘s 116-97 win at Golden State.

Thunder guard Russell Westbrook blocked Stephen Curry‘s layup, and Durant corralled the ball and went in for a soaring dunk at the other end of the court. He then made throat-slashing gesture and crossed his hands in prayer.

Read More…
More on NBA

From: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/12/kevin-durant-fined-gesture-dunk-video_n_3073311.html

California Lottery Believes in Powerball—Despite Odds and Taxes

By Robert W. Wood, Contributor

Californians won over $2.5 billion in lottery money last year, but courtesy of a unanimous vote of California’s Lottery Commission, we now have Powerball too. With six of the 10 biggest jackpots in the country, Powerball super-sizes the Golden State.  Forget SuperLotto Plus and Mega Millions. A $2 Powerball ticket competes for $40 million, an amount going up $10 million for each drawing without a winner. See Powerball added to California lottery lineup.

From: http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2013/04/12/california-lottery-believes-in-powerball-despite-odds-and-taxes/

As Jerry Brown Touts California In China, Its Citizens Pack Their Bags

By David Davenport, Contributor

Ferdinand and Ursula Piech

While Governor Jerry Brown is in China touting the state’s rebound and recovery, many Californians are busy packing their bags for a move to Texas, Nevada or Arizona.  Why?  Because it appears that the once-Golden State may finally be overpriced, underperforming and ungovernable.

From: http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddavenport/2013/04/11/as-jerry-brown-touts-california-in-china-its-citizens-pack-their-bags/

Stockton, CA: America's Most Miserable City Just Got A Lot More Miserable

By Rex Sinquefield, Contributor

Those of you who have been following me know that about half of my columns deal with California’slackluster leadership and its resulting failed,irresponsible tax-and-spend policies. And, while I would prefer to shift my focus to other states and issues, this week’s Golden State-related headlines are — quite simply — impossible to avoid. …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

‘Marriage Equality’ Spells ‘Marriage Extinction’

By Matt Barber

Gay Marriage SC ‘Marriage Equality’ Spells ‘Marriage Extinction’

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on two of the most critical cases of our time. On Tuesday, March 26, attorneys will make the pitch both for and against California’s Proposition 8. This, of course, is the Golden State’s pro-marriage amendment. It maintained the timeless definition of natural marriage as between man and wife.

Then, on Wednesday, March 27, the high court will consider the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), passed in 1996 with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed into law by then-President Bill Clinton. It, likewise, secured the definition of legitimate marriage for purposes of federal law.

Although both cases certainly address a multitude of legal and political issues, they also involve a number of moral and cultural considerations that, if wrongly decided, will literally shake Western civilization to the core.

The stakes could not be higher. Of central concern is whether the Supreme Court will put its official stamp of approval on that cartoonish contradiction-in-terms labeled “same-sex marriage.” Ultimately, these nine justices will decide either to recklessly deconstruct, radically redefine, and render functionally trivial the age-old institution of natural marriage – or leave it alone.

They’d better leave it alone.

Here’s the bottom line: Homosexual activists don’t want the white picket fence. They want to burn down the white picket fence. The endgame is not to achieve so-called “marriage equality,” but, rather, to render marriage reality meaningless.

In a recent column headlined “The Revolt of Intelligence Against ‘Marriage Equality,” worldview expert Rick Pearcey addressed one prominent “gay” activist’s admission that the destruction of natural marriage signifies the left’s ultimate cultural coup de grâce.

Masha Gessen, a lesbian and a journalist, spoke frankly about this at a conference in Sydney, Australia,” he wrote. “‘It’s a no-brainer that we should have the right to marry,’ she said. ‘But I also think equally that it’s a no-brainer that the institution of marriage should not exist. … ‘Marriage equality’ becomes ‘marriage elasticity,’ with the ultimate goal of ‘marriage extinction.’”

Still, if counterfeit “same-sex marriage” becomes the law of the land, then a whole lot more freaky deaky will follow before marriage extinction inevitably occurs.

One of liberals’ favorite Alinskyite defense mechanisms is to ridicule the opposition if confronted with some irrefutable argument against some hallowed left-wing delusion. Such is the tactic employed whenever a thinking person walks into the room and points out this big ‘ol gay elephant: Once the government pretends that some vague combination of “love” and “consent” are all that a “marriage” requires, then other “arbitrary” and “discriminatory” parameters beyond a binary male-female prerequisite must also go poof.

That is to say, if the Court magically divines some constitutional right to “same-sex marriage,” then full “marriage equality” necessarily demands that polygamous, incestuous, and any other equally aberrant nuptial cocktail be likewise permitted.

It’s a “no-brainer,” right?

To that end, I’m very concerned with the Supreme Court’s recent history of radically redefining that which cannot be redefined. Though examples abound, I’m thinking specifically, as concerns the topic at hand, of the Court’s 2003 …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

Jobless Claims Hit 5-Year Low

By Justin Loiseau, The Motley Fool

Filed under:

Initial jobless claims fell 2.9% to a seasonally adjusted 332,000 for the week ending March 9, according to a Labor Department report released today. After the previous week’s revised 1.4% drop, this latest jobs report marks the third straight week of declines in initial claims. Market analysts had forecast a 2.9% increase.

The real cause for celebration comes from this week’s longer-term look. As declines remain consistent, the four-week moving average crept down to 346,750 to reach its lowest level of the recovery, according to The Wall Street Journal. The AP reports that the four-week average notched its lowest level since the week of  March 8, 2008.

Both the most recent week’s number and the moving average clocked in solidly below 400,000, a cutoff point that economists consider a sign of an improving labor market. This latest news also comes one week after the Labor Department announced an unemployment rate drop to 7.7% for February.

Source: Author, data from Labor Department.

On a state-by-state basis, Massachusetts and North Carolina led the drop in initial claims for the week ended March 2 (most recent available data). Both states cited fewer layoffs in the transportation industry as one of the primary reasons for their respective 4,190- and 1,150-claim dips. After California’s initial claims fell a whopping 40,350 the previous week, the Golden State in the most recent jobs report registered the largest week-to-week increase in initial claims (11,720), due primarily to service sector layoffs.

link

The article Jobless Claims Hit 5-Year Low originally appeared on Fool.com.

Y
ou can follow Justin Loiseau on Twitter, @TMFJLo, and on Motley Fool CAPS, @TMFJLo.
Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

(function(c,a){window.mixpanel=a;var b,d,h,e;b=c.createElement(“script”);
b.type=”text/javascript”;b.async=!0;b.src=(“https:”===c.location.protocol?”https:”:”http:”)+
‘//cdn.mxpnl.com/libs/mixpanel-2.2.min.js’;d=c.getElementsByTagName(“script”)[0];
d.parentNode.insertBefore(b,d);a._i=[];a.init=function(b,c,f){function d(a,b){
var c=b.split(“.”);2==c.length&&(a=a[c[0]],b=c[1]);a[b]=function(){a.push([b].concat(
Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments,0)))}}var g=a;”undefined”!==typeof f?g=a[f]=[]:
f=”mixpanel”;g.people=g.people||[];h=[‘disable’,’track’,’track_pageview’,’track_links’,
‘track_forms’,’register’,’register_once’,’unregister’,’identify’,’alias’,’name_tag’,
‘set_config’,’people.set’,’people.increment’];for(e=0;e<h.length;e++)d(g,h[e]);
a._i.push([b,c,f])};a.__SV=1.2;})(document,window.mixpanel||[]);
mixpanel.init("9659875b92ba8fa639ba476aedbb73b9");

function addEvent(obj, evType, fn, useCapture){
if (obj.addEventListener){
obj.addEventListener(evType, fn, useCapture);
return true;
} else if (obj.attachEvent){
var r = obj.attachEvent("on"+evType, fn);
return r;
}
}

addEvent(window, "load", function(){new FoolVisualSciences();})
addEvent(window, …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Gavin Newsom: ‘The War On Drugs Is An Abject Failure’ (VIDEO)

By The Huffington Post News Editors

California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom stopped by HuffPost Live Monday morning to discuss his new book Citizenville: How to Take the Town Square Digital and Reinvent Government. And unsurprisingly, the conversation quickly turned to one of the Golden State‘s hottest issues: marijuana.

“It’s disappointing,” the former San Francisco mayor said to host Josh Zepps of the Obama administration’s renewed crackdown on California’s medical cannabis operations. “The fact that we’re having raids, the likes of which wouldn’t have even happened in the Bush administration, has been frustrating.”

Citing the myriad politicians who have recently publicly declared their support for gay marriage, Newsom suggested it was time for leaders to “come out of the closet” on marijuana, too.

Read More…

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post

Despite A Record High Dow, Middle Income Californians Aren't Celebrating

By Rex Sinquefield, Contributor

According to the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey, employers and high wage earners are not the only groups frustrated by California’s wrong-minded tax policies. According to a Wall Street Journal article that recently referenced the survey, 95% of those individuals who have moved out of the Golden State earn less than $80,000 per year. The median annual income level of those who have left is around $40,000. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

California Gas Tax: Excise Fee Raises By 3.5 Cents

By The Huffington Post News Editors

No matter what market forces do to California gasoline prices in the near future, Golden State motorists will be paying a few pennies more per gallon four months from today.

The State Board of Equalization on Thursday approved raising the excise tax for gasoline to 39.5 cents a gallon, a 3.5-cent increase that will take effect statewide July 1.

Approval by a 3-2 vote came on the third and final day of the board’s meeting in Culver City.

Read More…

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post

Notebook: Rockets 116, Warriors 107

THE FACTS: The Houston Rockets proved they could beat the Golden State Warriors just as easily without a torrent of 3-point shots. A week after tying the NBA‘s all-time record for 3-pointers in a game while blowing out the Warriors, Houston went more conventional Tuesday, using precise ball movement and baseline cuts to slice open Golden State during a 116-107 victory. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at NBA

Notebook: Grizzlies 99, Warriors 93

THE FACTS: It’s been a while since the Memphis Grizzlies played with passion and energy on both ends of the floor. Doing so Friday night in a pivotal game against Golden State reminded the Grizzlies what kind of team they can be when doing so. The Grizzlies jumped on the Warriors in the first half, withstood a rally in the third quarter and eventually pulled out a much-needed 99-93 victory at FedExForum. The win snapped the Grizzlies’ (31-18) two-game slide. Center Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 20 points to go with his 11 rebounds and five assists. Stephen Curry scored a game-high 32 points for the Warriors (30-20). …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at NBA