Evan Harris
California
What Journalists and Politicians Are Getting Wrong About Trump Revoking California’s Mileage Waiver
One might think that President Donald Trump said he was going to order the U.S. Air Force to bomb California, given the reaction when he announced that his administration was revoking the state’s waiver allowing it to set its own auto fuel-economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards. The responses included ...
Blog
California State Senate Hands Newsom Decade-old Political Lightning Rod in Redevelopment Agencies
Since 2011, the California State Legislature has been itching to bring back redevelopment agencies. Governor Jerry Brown’s nixing of the 70-year-old program scored the California state budget several billion dollars during the Great Recession in 2011. At the time of their elimination, redevelopment agencies collected around 12 percent of all ...
Agriculture
California Lawmakers Always Thirsty for More Water Laws
Water policy is one of those topics that can leave newcomers and casual listeners feeling inundated. The regulations that govern state and federal water policy are laced with a flood of acronyms and terms, with a steady gush of changes to state water policy and regulation over the past decade. ...
Blog
Don’t Take All That Talk About Economic Growth or a Recession to the Bank (Yet)
It seems you can’t scroll through your social media feed or morning newsletter without reading commentary about inverted yield curve and recession. A 2020 economic recession is the talk of political pundits, financial talking heads, and presidential hopefuls, but the verdict is out on whether the longest sustained economic growth ...
Blog
2020 Presidential Candidates Trying to One-Up Themselves Giving Away Free Money to College Students
In late April, Senator Elizabeth Warren beat out other 2020 presidential contenders to the college-aged voter pulpit by introducing a sweeping student loan forgiveness plan. With the previous debate about the nation’s massive $1.57 trillion student loan debt focused on reducing the cost of attending a college or university and ...
Blog
Big Government Plays Favorites with Renewable Energy, We All Pay the Difference
Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) can be considered the flagship environmental policy for state government in the US. The RPS programs have been adopted by 29 states and apply to half of the national electricity market. The staple of any RPS program is mandating the use of one energy source over ...
Blog
No, Going to the DMV Won’t Get Better, According to ‘DMV Strike Force’
If you’re in California, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) wait times have moved from the butt of bad jokes to a pressing policy issue. Californians were waiting up to six weeks to get an appointment at some DMV offices and efforts to decrease wait times weren’t exactly accurate. Bad ...
Blog
Policymakers Are Between a Rock and A Hard Spot on Blockchain, Cryptocurrency
You may have heard about Libra, Facebook’s newest venture aimed at the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries. Facebook released a whitepaper on Libra in June, detailing how the company plans to use Libra as a decentralized blockchain, low-volatility cryptocurrency and smart contract platform to create innovation in financial services. While cryptocurrency ...
Blog
California’s Business Climate Continues to Receive Poor Scores
California has lived on the trope of being the hub of technology startups and innovation for decades. California’s economic success has long been touted and celebrated, none more so than the technology gold rush in the Bay Area. But despite California’s seemingly never-ending economic growth, the Golden State is now ...
What Journalists and Politicians Are Getting Wrong About Trump Revoking California’s Mileage Waiver
One might think that President Donald Trump said he was going to order the U.S. Air Force to bomb California, given the reaction when he announced that his administration was revoking the state’s waiver allowing it to set its own auto fuel-economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards. The responses included ...
California State Senate Hands Newsom Decade-old Political Lightning Rod in Redevelopment Agencies
Since 2011, the California State Legislature has been itching to bring back redevelopment agencies. Governor Jerry Brown’s nixing of the 70-year-old program scored the California state budget several billion dollars during the Great Recession in 2011. At the time of their elimination, redevelopment agencies collected around 12 percent of all ...
California Lawmakers Always Thirsty for More Water Laws
Water policy is one of those topics that can leave newcomers and casual listeners feeling inundated. The regulations that govern state and federal water policy are laced with a flood of acronyms and terms, with a steady gush of changes to state water policy and regulation over the past decade. ...
Don’t Take All That Talk About Economic Growth or a Recession to the Bank (Yet)
It seems you can’t scroll through your social media feed or morning newsletter without reading commentary about inverted yield curve and recession. A 2020 economic recession is the talk of political pundits, financial talking heads, and presidential hopefuls, but the verdict is out on whether the longest sustained economic growth ...
2020 Presidential Candidates Trying to One-Up Themselves Giving Away Free Money to College Students
In late April, Senator Elizabeth Warren beat out other 2020 presidential contenders to the college-aged voter pulpit by introducing a sweeping student loan forgiveness plan. With the previous debate about the nation’s massive $1.57 trillion student loan debt focused on reducing the cost of attending a college or university and ...
Big Government Plays Favorites with Renewable Energy, We All Pay the Difference
Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) can be considered the flagship environmental policy for state government in the US. The RPS programs have been adopted by 29 states and apply to half of the national electricity market. The staple of any RPS program is mandating the use of one energy source over ...
No, Going to the DMV Won’t Get Better, According to ‘DMV Strike Force’
If you’re in California, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) wait times have moved from the butt of bad jokes to a pressing policy issue. Californians were waiting up to six weeks to get an appointment at some DMV offices and efforts to decrease wait times weren’t exactly accurate. Bad ...
Policymakers Are Between a Rock and A Hard Spot on Blockchain, Cryptocurrency
You may have heard about Libra, Facebook’s newest venture aimed at the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries. Facebook released a whitepaper on Libra in June, detailing how the company plans to use Libra as a decentralized blockchain, low-volatility cryptocurrency and smart contract platform to create innovation in financial services. While cryptocurrency ...
California’s Business Climate Continues to Receive Poor Scores
California has lived on the trope of being the hub of technology startups and innovation for decades. California’s economic success has long been touted and celebrated, none more so than the technology gold rush in the Bay Area. But despite California’s seemingly never-ending economic growth, the Golden State is now ...
