Kerry Jackson
Affordability
Apparently, California regulators think tires don’t cost enough
California drivers already pay some of the nation’s highest prices for gasoline, electricity and car ownership. Now, Sacramento is giving us something else to worry about: How much we’ll pay for our next set of tires. Regulators at the state Energy Commission just approved the nation’s first “efficiency standard” for ...
California
Becerra’s free power plan won’t be free
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra has proposed giving away a couple of hours of electricity on the days that California has generated too much. It’s not a crazy idea. But it is an inadvertent admission that the current power system doesn’t make sense. Solar power is booming in sunny California. ...
Blog
How Will The Next California Governor Handle The State’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandate
Gov. Gavin Newsom has spent years insisting California will end sales of new gasoline-powered cars in 2035. His successor might have other ideas. When asked if the Newsom’s mandate was the “right goal,” Republican nominee Steve Hilton has said “of course” it “has to be dismantled.” This is exactly as ...
Blog
Newsom Celebrates a Higher Minimum Wage as California Jobs Struggle
California law now provides for an annual adjustment to the statewide minimum wage for inflation. On Jan. 1, 2027, it will jump from $16.90 per hour to $17.40., higher than any statewide minimum wage currently in effect. (In a few cities, the minimum wage is already $20 an hour and in many others it’s dangerously ...
Blog
Who should be liable when utility equipment sparks wildfires?
Who should be liable when utility equipment sparks wildfires? by Kerry Jackson | August 21, 2026 California utilities have been responsible for more than 1 million acres of scorched land. Power lines and other equipment, often outdated, have caused thousands of wildfires. Last year’s Eaton Fire in Los Angeles County for instance, ...
Blog
This Is No Way To Close California’s Housing Gap
This is the sort of behavior that is making it nearly impossible for California to ever close its housing gap, which, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2017 campaign material was a 3.5 million unit deficit that needed to be closed by 2025, which turned out to be his next-to-last year in the ...
Blog
Should Californians Trust New Antitrust Legislation?
The Legislature returns this week from its summer recess, kicking off one more month of lawmaking. One proposal that’s expected to draw heavy fire is a bill that beefs up the state’s antitrust law, which is already so harsh that it’s not fit to be copied elsewhere. Assembly Bill 1776, known as the COMPETE ...
Business & Economics
Paramount merger lawsuit could spell trouble for California’s entertainment industry
Rob Bonta’s crusade against a big Hollywood merger could have drastic repercussions for the entertainment industry in California. The state’s Attorney General says his lawsuit is to protect jobs, but those might be in New Jersey soon. Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance have agreed to a deal in which ...
Blog
If EVs Sell Themselves, Why Are Taxpayers Paying for More of Them?
The rebates from the MyFirstEV program, which has no income cap (meaning it’s a subsidy for the wealthy), will be paid by taxpayers and participating automakers who will match the state’s contributions dollar-for-dollar. The timing is revealing. The rebate arrives just as the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found that two-thirds of Californians now oppose Gov. ...
Blog
California cities turn to tax hikes to deal with overspending
Two years ago, 125 local tax measures appeared on ballots. Ninety, says the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, passed. A number of cities now have local sales taxes that exceed 10%. Several cities in “conservative” Orange County are likewise asking voters to approve various local tax increases. We won’t know until the deadline in August how ...
Apparently, California regulators think tires don’t cost enough
California drivers already pay some of the nation’s highest prices for gasoline, electricity and car ownership. Now, Sacramento is giving us something else to worry about: How much we’ll pay for our next set of tires. Regulators at the state Energy Commission just approved the nation’s first “efficiency standard” for ...
Becerra’s free power plan won’t be free
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra has proposed giving away a couple of hours of electricity on the days that California has generated too much. It’s not a crazy idea. But it is an inadvertent admission that the current power system doesn’t make sense. Solar power is booming in sunny California. ...
How Will The Next California Governor Handle The State’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandate
Gov. Gavin Newsom has spent years insisting California will end sales of new gasoline-powered cars in 2035. His successor might have other ideas. When asked if the Newsom’s mandate was the “right goal,” Republican nominee Steve Hilton has said “of course” it “has to be dismantled.” This is exactly as ...
Newsom Celebrates a Higher Minimum Wage as California Jobs Struggle
California law now provides for an annual adjustment to the statewide minimum wage for inflation. On Jan. 1, 2027, it will jump from $16.90 per hour to $17.40., higher than any statewide minimum wage currently in effect. (In a few cities, the minimum wage is already $20 an hour and in many others it’s dangerously ...
Who should be liable when utility equipment sparks wildfires?
Who should be liable when utility equipment sparks wildfires? by Kerry Jackson | August 21, 2026 California utilities have been responsible for more than 1 million acres of scorched land. Power lines and other equipment, often outdated, have caused thousands of wildfires. Last year’s Eaton Fire in Los Angeles County for instance, ...
This Is No Way To Close California’s Housing Gap
This is the sort of behavior that is making it nearly impossible for California to ever close its housing gap, which, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2017 campaign material was a 3.5 million unit deficit that needed to be closed by 2025, which turned out to be his next-to-last year in the ...
Should Californians Trust New Antitrust Legislation?
The Legislature returns this week from its summer recess, kicking off one more month of lawmaking. One proposal that’s expected to draw heavy fire is a bill that beefs up the state’s antitrust law, which is already so harsh that it’s not fit to be copied elsewhere. Assembly Bill 1776, known as the COMPETE ...
Paramount merger lawsuit could spell trouble for California’s entertainment industry
Rob Bonta’s crusade against a big Hollywood merger could have drastic repercussions for the entertainment industry in California. The state’s Attorney General says his lawsuit is to protect jobs, but those might be in New Jersey soon. Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance have agreed to a deal in which ...
If EVs Sell Themselves, Why Are Taxpayers Paying for More of Them?
The rebates from the MyFirstEV program, which has no income cap (meaning it’s a subsidy for the wealthy), will be paid by taxpayers and participating automakers who will match the state’s contributions dollar-for-dollar. The timing is revealing. The rebate arrives just as the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found that two-thirds of Californians now oppose Gov. ...
California cities turn to tax hikes to deal with overspending
Two years ago, 125 local tax measures appeared on ballots. Ninety, says the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, passed. A number of cities now have local sales taxes that exceed 10%. Several cities in “conservative” Orange County are likewise asking voters to approve various local tax increases. We won’t know until the deadline in August how ...