Business & Economics
Blog
Today is California Tax Freedom Day
“April is the cruelest month,” wrote T.S. Eliot. It’s especially cruel for Californians because today, April 23, is the day when California taxpayers have collectively earned enough money to pay their federal, state, and local tax bill for the year, according to the Tax Foundation. After working for nearly four ...
Rowena Itchon
April 23, 2018
Blog
Gann Limit Blast from the Past Has Become Brown’s Budget Thorn in the Side
Ancient scrolls tell us there was once an era when Californians rose up against the heavy hand of taxation. In the now-distant year of 1978 voters approved Proposition 13 to limit the government’s reach in property taxes. The final tally was a 65-35 message from voters which clearly told politicians ...
Kerry Jackson
April 18, 2018
Agriculture
Tariffs Are A Bad Negotiation Tool
Is he, or isn’t he? That’s the big question when it comes to the $100 billion in tariffs that President Trump has threatened to impose on China. Many supporters of these threatened tariffs would claim that the answer is: he isn’t; or more accurately, he won’t need to. In this ...
Wayne Winegarden
April 16, 2018
Blog
Job Killing Bills? Who Knew?
Last week, the California Chamber of Commerce came out with its annual list of Job Killer bills. In putting together this list, the Chamber wanted to call attention to the negative impact these 21 bills have on the state’s job climate and economy should they become law. But are Californians ...
Rowena Itchon
April 12, 2018
Blog
Trade Follies
The Administration’s call to impose billions of dollars of tariffs on Americans who consume goods and services made in China is economic folly. Nevertheless, the Administration incorrectly touts that these tariffs will benefit the economy. Such claims are simply wrong. The justifications for imposing tariffs are based on many myths, ...
Wayne Winegarden
April 11, 2018
Business & Economics
Warning Labels on Coffee? Latest Junk Lawsuit ‘Win’
New research indicates that coffee might help cut the risk of heart disease. Apparently, that was taken as good news everywhere — except California. Four days after that study was published, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge issued a preliminary ruling that forces stores that sell coffee to post cancer ...
Kerry Jackson
April 10, 2018
Business & Economics
Salim Furth and Emily Hamilton – The Free Market View of SB 827
Salim Furth and Emily Hamilton, research fellows with the free-market Mercatus Center at George Mason University, join us to discuss their new research brief on Senate Bill 827, one of this year’s highest-profile housing bills, and other ways that the free market can alleviate California’s housing crisis.
Pacific Research Institute
April 2, 2018
Blog
Investors and Taxpayers: Beware of Corporate Welfare
Last week, Tesla analysts at Goldman Sachs reiterated their sell rating of the stock, citing decreased delivery projections of its Models S and X, and slower production of its mass market Model 3 (see: that’s what I want!). Goldman analyst David Tamberrino believes that the slowdown may mean that the ...
Rowena Itchon
March 28, 2018
Blog
What Flippy the Burger-Making Robot Says About the Future of Work
“Have you heard about Flippy?” That’s what my colleague and fellow Right By the Bay contributor Rowena Itchon asked me recently. I hadn’t…so I Googled it. Flippy is a burger-flipping robot designed to operate alongside human workers in commercial kitchens. The machine, which costs between $60,000 and $100,000, depending on ...
Ben Smithwick
March 23, 2018
California
Mass Transit Ridership is Falling in Southern California, Study Finds
By Kenneth Artz A new study finds commuters are increasingly choosing to use cars over mass transit in Southern California. Mass transit use in six southern California counties declined significantly during the past decade, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) ...
Pacific Research Institute
March 23, 2018
Today is California Tax Freedom Day
“April is the cruelest month,” wrote T.S. Eliot. It’s especially cruel for Californians because today, April 23, is the day when California taxpayers have collectively earned enough money to pay their federal, state, and local tax bill for the year, according to the Tax Foundation. After working for nearly four ...
Gann Limit Blast from the Past Has Become Brown’s Budget Thorn in the Side
Ancient scrolls tell us there was once an era when Californians rose up against the heavy hand of taxation. In the now-distant year of 1978 voters approved Proposition 13 to limit the government’s reach in property taxes. The final tally was a 65-35 message from voters which clearly told politicians ...
Tariffs Are A Bad Negotiation Tool
Is he, or isn’t he? That’s the big question when it comes to the $100 billion in tariffs that President Trump has threatened to impose on China. Many supporters of these threatened tariffs would claim that the answer is: he isn’t; or more accurately, he won’t need to. In this ...
Job Killing Bills? Who Knew?
Last week, the California Chamber of Commerce came out with its annual list of Job Killer bills. In putting together this list, the Chamber wanted to call attention to the negative impact these 21 bills have on the state’s job climate and economy should they become law. But are Californians ...
Trade Follies
The Administration’s call to impose billions of dollars of tariffs on Americans who consume goods and services made in China is economic folly. Nevertheless, the Administration incorrectly touts that these tariffs will benefit the economy. Such claims are simply wrong. The justifications for imposing tariffs are based on many myths, ...
Warning Labels on Coffee? Latest Junk Lawsuit ‘Win’
New research indicates that coffee might help cut the risk of heart disease. Apparently, that was taken as good news everywhere — except California. Four days after that study was published, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge issued a preliminary ruling that forces stores that sell coffee to post cancer ...
Salim Furth and Emily Hamilton – The Free Market View of SB 827
Salim Furth and Emily Hamilton, research fellows with the free-market Mercatus Center at George Mason University, join us to discuss their new research brief on Senate Bill 827, one of this year’s highest-profile housing bills, and other ways that the free market can alleviate California’s housing crisis.
Investors and Taxpayers: Beware of Corporate Welfare
Last week, Tesla analysts at Goldman Sachs reiterated their sell rating of the stock, citing decreased delivery projections of its Models S and X, and slower production of its mass market Model 3 (see: that’s what I want!). Goldman analyst David Tamberrino believes that the slowdown may mean that the ...
What Flippy the Burger-Making Robot Says About the Future of Work
“Have you heard about Flippy?” That’s what my colleague and fellow Right By the Bay contributor Rowena Itchon asked me recently. I hadn’t…so I Googled it. Flippy is a burger-flipping robot designed to operate alongside human workers in commercial kitchens. The machine, which costs between $60,000 and $100,000, depending on ...
Mass Transit Ridership is Falling in Southern California, Study Finds
By Kenneth Artz A new study finds commuters are increasingly choosing to use cars over mass transit in Southern California. Mass transit use in six southern California counties declined significantly during the past decade, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) ...