Young People Consider Trades as Cost of College Rises

Here are the morning’s top stories on Thursday, August 13, 2026

• Central Coast leaders say the threat of offshore drilling could extend beyond the environment to the region’s economy.
• Since the pandemic, Californians have been able to get craft liquor delivered to their doorstep. But it could be last call for deliveries from small distilleries…unless lawmakers intervene soon.
• For many young people the default blueprint for life after high school is clear: go to college, and then get a job. But with soaring tuition, and an uncertain job market, that calculus isn’t adding up like it used to. Today, more young people are considering the skilled trades.

Several Central Coast Officials gathered at the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Monday to reject a new proposal to open up the California Coast to offshore oil drilling. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, says the new plan could open protected areas. “This was made clear by their five-year leasing plan to open up previously protected waters off of Alaska, off of the Gulf, off of the Atlantic, and yes, off of the Pacific, including what we see behind us,” he said.

Monterey Bay Aquarium CEO Jenny Gray says protecting the ocean means understanding the life beneath its surface. “It’s that moment where you put your head under the water, where suddenly you see how much life is under this water,” she said. “It’s really hard when you just look at the surface to understand the complexity and beauty of what lives right here.”

For six years, Californians have been able to shake up a craft cocktail at home using alcohol delivered to their doorstep. That may soon end, unless lawmakers intervene by the end of August. But intervention is unlikely due to opposition from California’s wine industry, Teamsters union truck drivers and corporate alcohol wholesalers and distributors.

During the pandemic lockdowns, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that allowed craft distillers to ship spirits to their customers’ homes. In the years since, lawmakers passed temporary laws allowing craft distillers — defined as those that produce up to 150,000 gallons a year — to keep shipping their spirits.

The latest extension expires Dec. 31.

The fight is about more than whether Californians can have a bottle of whiskey or gin delivered. It illustrates how decisions are made in Sacramento, where wealthy and powerful interests can shape or kill policy in secret negotiations with lawmakers. Politicians, in turn, benefit when proposals die quietly because they don’t have to explain their decisions to voters.

With soaring tuition, and an uncertain job market related to AI, more young people are considering skilled trades over college degrees.

Across the country, enrollment at public two-year colleges that focus on vocational and trade programs is up by 20% since 2020, according to Student Clearing House.

The promise of a lasting career is also triggering a rush for union apprenticeships. When the Electrical Training Institute (ETI) in Commerce opened its most recent application window, it hit its cap of 2,000 in two hours.

“This isn’t for everybody. This is hard physical labor” says David Nott, training director of the ETI, which supports the local electricians union IBEW Local 11. “[People] can enjoy a nice middle class life, raise a family, go on vacations, and have a retirement ready for them.”