Sam Harnett

Latest Stories (70)

Bay Area restaurants introduce training programs to address their race wage gaps

Jan 10, 2018
In the restaurant industry, people of color are more likely to hold lower-paying, back-of-house jobs, but some restaurants are trying to change that.
Cory Woods went through a training program to transition from the kitchen to the front of the house, where he is now earning far more money.
Sam Harnett/Marketplace

With increased wildfires, utilities in California are trying to pass on the cost of damages to customers

Jan 2, 2018
Lawmakers in California have introduced a bill to make it harder for state utilities to have customers cover the cost of fire damage.
Firefighters assess the scene as a house burns in the Napa wine region of California on Oct. 9, 2017.
JOSH EDELSON/ Getty Images

LGBTQ advocates ask why questions left off Census survey

Jul 10, 2017
Gay rights advocates say questions about sexual orientation and gender identity would connect the LGBTQ community to all the rich data of the census.
Gay, lesbian and transgender activists react to the unanimous decision by the Iowa Supreme Court recognizing same sex marriage as a civil right during a celebration on April 2009 at the University of Iowa.
David Greedy/Getty Images

Baby boomer entrepreneurs hope co-op model will keep business going

May 3, 2017
Almost half of the country's privately-owned businesses are owned by Baby Boomers. What happens when they retire?
For 36 years Dan Knapp and Mary Lou Deventer have made money out of  other peoples' trash.
Sam Harnett

It's official. Politics is distracting us at work

Mar 6, 2017
We're spending two hours a day reading or talking about issues on the job, a survey finds.
“We found that 87 percent of employees are reading political social media posts during the workday,” said Kris Duggan, CEO of BetterWorks.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images

A four-letter word is shaping the debate on minimum wage increases

Feb 20, 2017
Wage hike or wage increase? Does it really matter? Linguists would say "yes."
Protesters gathered at a rally for minimum wage in New York City. 
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Wetzel's Pretzels' CEO says minimum wage increase boosts business

Feb 17, 2017
Bill Phelps was surprised — and pleased — by his own data.
When the minimum wage was raised in California, Wetzels Pretzels found its sales also increased.
Wetzel's Pretzels

For the productivity-obsessed of Silicon Valley, coffee alone may not cut it anymore

Jan 16, 2017
“Nootropics” are a relatively new interest of Silicon Valley. Some say they improve cognitive function, but a nutritional scientist we spoke with has doubts.
Nootroo founder Eric Matzner sells two kinds of nootropics pills. 
Sam Harnett

The real estate industry smells big money in marijuana

Jan 10, 2017
Right now could be a very good time to own a big commercial space in California. Why? Marijuana.
An employee with medicinal marijuana plants in the flowering room at Tweed INC. in Smith Falls, Ontario, on December 5, 2016. 

 
LARS HAGBERG/AFP/Getty Images

House that sold for one dollar in Bay Area needs a home

Jan 6, 2017
The house is perched on a grassy lot where the city moved it to make way for new housing.
Even if it costs $300,000 to fix and move this house that sold in Hercules, Calif. for a dollar, the person who bought it thinks he can make a profit.
Sam Harnett