Kerry Jackson
Blog
When Push Comes to Shove, Labor Emerges as Big Winner of 2017 Session
As promised, the Democrat-majority California Legislature finished its session early Saturday morning by enacting a package of bills that lawmakers say will ease the state’s housing crisis, and failing to expand state environmental protections. This year’s session was notable for its sometimes-fierce battles between key interest groups, namely environmental groups, ...
Blog
Legislature Should Remove Barriers to Work for Californians
Late last month, U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta challenged state legislators to abolish one of the most noxious barriers to work: occupational licensing. If Sacramento lawmakers followed through, hundreds of thousands of Californians would be liberated from a system that bars entry into the workforce and also protects those who’ve ...
Blog
A Smaller Loss for Taxpayers on Electric Car Subsidies
It’s a sad indictment of California’s political class, but often the Legislature’s top achievements are the things it didn’t get around to doing. Up until the final days of the legislation session, this year’s chief accomplishment looked like it would be the failure of a scheme to spend billions on ...
Blog
Court Ruling Shuts Down Effective Private-Sector Restorative Justice Program
Given a choice, would someone caught shoplifting rather make a voluntary arrangement with the victim to pay for their crime, or become involved with the police and courts? That’s a pointless question in California. There is no longer a choice. The choice has been eliminated. Earlier this month a judge ...
Blog
How About CEQA Exemptions for All?
The California Environmental Quality Act is by far the most destructive of the causes that factor into California’s housing crisis. Its regulatory hurdles have sharply increased the cost of building, which has led to a severe shortage of homes that pushed prices to levels that many can’t afford. Even Gov. ...
Agriculture
Taxing Robots Will Hurt California Innovation and Opportunity
A California governor who went on to greater things was known to say that if government sees something move, it will tax it. Ronald Reagan’s words, spoken more than 30 years ago, are being played out today by a lawmaker who wants to enact a robot tax. Jane Kim, a ...
California
End-of-Session Housing Push Won’t Make Dent in State’s Housing Problem
Lawmakers haven’t yet voted on legislation they say addresses the state’s housing crisis, but it’s just as well. The proposals they were trying to pass off as solutions aren’t solutions at all. One bill that’s key to the rest of the legislative package would add to real estate costs, while ...
Blog
Beware Sacramento Offering You A “Good Deal” On Your Next Car
What are the legitimate functions of good government? James Madison said they are “to protect property of every sort.” “The rights of persons and the rights of property are the objects for the protection of which government was instituted,” he said in an 1829 address to the Virginia Convention. Some ...
Blog
Court Ruling Paves the Way for Even More Tax Hikes in Overtaxed California
Tax hikes, especially in the state known for its extraordinarily heavy tax burden, should not be easily enacted. Yet the California Supreme Court has made the job much easier. California law previously required a two-thirds majority for the passage of any tax hike introduced by government or by a voter ...
Agriculture
CAPITAL IDEAS: Embracing A New California Vision That Isn’t So New
Click here to download the brief Republican San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer recently gave a speech to the Commonwealth Club where he called for a “new vision” that will broaden his party’s appeal. He has a point. There’s no arguing that the California GOP doesn’t need a makeover – it ...
When Push Comes to Shove, Labor Emerges as Big Winner of 2017 Session
As promised, the Democrat-majority California Legislature finished its session early Saturday morning by enacting a package of bills that lawmakers say will ease the state’s housing crisis, and failing to expand state environmental protections. This year’s session was notable for its sometimes-fierce battles between key interest groups, namely environmental groups, ...
Legislature Should Remove Barriers to Work for Californians
Late last month, U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta challenged state legislators to abolish one of the most noxious barriers to work: occupational licensing. If Sacramento lawmakers followed through, hundreds of thousands of Californians would be liberated from a system that bars entry into the workforce and also protects those who’ve ...
A Smaller Loss for Taxpayers on Electric Car Subsidies
It’s a sad indictment of California’s political class, but often the Legislature’s top achievements are the things it didn’t get around to doing. Up until the final days of the legislation session, this year’s chief accomplishment looked like it would be the failure of a scheme to spend billions on ...
Court Ruling Shuts Down Effective Private-Sector Restorative Justice Program
Given a choice, would someone caught shoplifting rather make a voluntary arrangement with the victim to pay for their crime, or become involved with the police and courts? That’s a pointless question in California. There is no longer a choice. The choice has been eliminated. Earlier this month a judge ...
How About CEQA Exemptions for All?
The California Environmental Quality Act is by far the most destructive of the causes that factor into California’s housing crisis. Its regulatory hurdles have sharply increased the cost of building, which has led to a severe shortage of homes that pushed prices to levels that many can’t afford. Even Gov. ...
Taxing Robots Will Hurt California Innovation and Opportunity
A California governor who went on to greater things was known to say that if government sees something move, it will tax it. Ronald Reagan’s words, spoken more than 30 years ago, are being played out today by a lawmaker who wants to enact a robot tax. Jane Kim, a ...
End-of-Session Housing Push Won’t Make Dent in State’s Housing Problem
Lawmakers haven’t yet voted on legislation they say addresses the state’s housing crisis, but it’s just as well. The proposals they were trying to pass off as solutions aren’t solutions at all. One bill that’s key to the rest of the legislative package would add to real estate costs, while ...
Beware Sacramento Offering You A “Good Deal” On Your Next Car
What are the legitimate functions of good government? James Madison said they are “to protect property of every sort.” “The rights of persons and the rights of property are the objects for the protection of which government was instituted,” he said in an 1829 address to the Virginia Convention. Some ...
Court Ruling Paves the Way for Even More Tax Hikes in Overtaxed California
Tax hikes, especially in the state known for its extraordinarily heavy tax burden, should not be easily enacted. Yet the California Supreme Court has made the job much easier. California law previously required a two-thirds majority for the passage of any tax hike introduced by government or by a voter ...
CAPITAL IDEAS: Embracing A New California Vision That Isn’t So New
Click here to download the brief Republican San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer recently gave a speech to the Commonwealth Club where he called for a “new vision” that will broaden his party’s appeal. He has a point. There’s no arguing that the California GOP doesn’t need a makeover – it ...
