Spiking Natural Gas Prices | Summit on Mindfulness and Compassion | Volunteers of America Job Fair

A energy policy expert explains why are natural gas prices so high this winter, what can be done to reduce the prices, and what consumers should know. The growing importance and acceptance of mindfulness meditation and its potential healing power. A Veterans Job Fair in Sacramento County.  

Spiking natural gas prices

Shocked. Confused. Concerned and frustrated. Just a handful of the reactions millions of Californians are having when they opened their natural gas bills this winter.  California’s Public Utility Commission (CPUC) says natural gas prices in California and throughout the West have risen to “alarming levels” and are “driving up prices for consumers.”  Pacific Gas and Electric, which has 4.5 million gas customers in Northern and Central California, said customers can expect a 32% increase in their bills through March.  They and other utility companies throughout the state blame high demand, low supplies, and cold weather for the steep rise in their customer’s energy bills. Governor Newsom has called for a federal investigation into the price increases / while some critics say California and its regulations are to blame.  Regardless of the politics, the price hike is hitting Californians at a particularly difficult time for those households already financially struggling due to high inflation. So what is causing this sticker shock in our gas bills? To help us unpack this complex issue and what can potentially be done about it, Insight invited Severin Borenstein, a professor at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and Faculty Director of its Energy Institute, to join us.    

Summit on mindfulness and compassion

Our minds are powerful, but using them to their full potential can be difficult or run counter to the way life comes at us. Slowing down, processing, reflecting, and sitting with oneself can be easier said than done. But there is growing awareness and acceptance of the power of mindfulness meditation and its ability to alleviate chronic stress, and suffering and increase compassion. Dr. Alea Skwara,  Dr. Quinn Conklin, and Dr. Clifford Saron are researchers at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain who study how our brains function in the name of “contemplative science.” They joined Insight to share their work ahead of a free, daylong summit on mindfulness and compassion at the Mondavi Center at UC Davis which is open to the public.   

Volunteers of America job fair

The Volunteers of America chapter in Northern California and Northern Nevada is more than a century old, founded in 1911. The non-profit is among the largest provider of services for some of the most vulnerable residents, providing housing or shelter to more than 3,000 adults and children every night. But it doesn’t stop there. Resources span housing, substance abuse, and employment services. Joseph Paez, a manager of the Homeless Veteran's Reintegration Program, joined Insight to tell us more about the VOA and discuss a Veterans Job Fair they're hosting this week from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at their Mather location in Sacramento County.