California
Blog
State Budget Week - Learn How the Newsom Education Budget Will Impact You
The Newsom Education Budget: No Bang for the Buck
In the 2019-20 budget–Newsom’s first enacted budget–California spent $103 billion in state, local, and federal funds for education, which translated to $17,423 per pupil. In the governor’s new proposed budget, total education spending comes in at a whopping $137 billion, which pencils out to $24,764 per pupil. All this added ...
Lance Izumi
January 22, 2025
Commentary
State Budget Week - Learn How the Newsom Public Safety Budget Will Impact You
The Newsom Public Safety Budget: Budgets are a Reflection of Values
Governor Gavin Newsom spoke recently at Cal State Stanislaus highlighting his workforce initiatives and used the opportunity to introduce his 2025-2026 budget… State budgets are exceptionally complex documents full of granular data but a birds-eye view of spending places our tax dollars in a number of buckets of broad spending ...
Steve Smith
January 22, 2025
California
Steven Greenhut – How California’s Insurance Crisis Could Be Double Whammy for Wildfire Victims
This week, Free Cities Center director Steven Greenhut joins us to discuss how California’s ongoing insurance crisis could be a double whammy for Southern California wildfire victims looking to rebuild. He gives the history of the state’s festering insurance crisis, analyzes Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s reform plan announced just before ...
Pacific Research Institute
January 21, 2025
Blog
State Budget Week - Learn how the Newsom Budget Will Impact California's Tax Burden
The Newsom Budget on Taxes: Yes, Governor, California Is a High Tax State
California imposes the highest top marginal state income tax rate and one of the highest state and local sales tax rates in the country. It is simply illogical to claim that a state with the highest income tax rate and a very high state and local sales tax rates is ...
Nikhil Agarwal
January 21, 2025
California
As Los Angeles Burns, California Prevention Failures Made Clear
Not nearly enough is being done by California’s ruling class to mitigate wildfires, as the tragic devastation in Los Angeles has shown. Certainly, dry conditions and vicious winds fueled multiple wildfires that, at last count, had burned roughly 40,000 acres, destroyed more than 12,000 structures and claimed at least 25 ...
Matthew Fleming
January 17, 2025
Blog
State Budget Week - Learn how the Newsom Transportation Budget Furthers the "Train to Nowhere"
The Newsom Transportation Budget: Newsom Continues to Embrace Costly, Unrealistic State Bullet Train
Progress. The California high-speed rail project has made progress. If progress can be defined as finally laying the first track for a bullet train that is at least a couple of decades behind schedule. Hard to put any faith, though, in the promises and bragging when the HSR is running ...
Kerry Jackson
January 17, 2025
California
Southern California wildfires show just how destructive the ‘California Way’ can be
You’ll forgive Southern Californians for throwing up their hands in frustration as destructive wildfires rage across the region. Watching their homes burn and loved ones evacuated, California’s ruling class hasn’t exactly channeled their inner-Rudy Giuliani on 9/11. Read the entire op-ed here.
Tim Anaya
January 14, 2025
California
The PRI All Stars Respond to Gov. Newsom’s 2025-26 State Budget
This week, we present an in-depth look at Gov. Newsom’s 2025-25 state budget plan. PRI scholars Wayne Winegarden, Lance Izumi, Steve Smith, and Kerry Jackson join Ro and Tim to explore the budget’s impact on taxes and the economy, education, crime, and transportation. They also explore how the Southern California ...
Pacific Research Institute
January 13, 2025
California
Tim Anaya Explains Many California Policy Problems
Anaya previews his latest book, The California Left Coast Survivor’s Guide, co-written with PRI’s Kerry Jackson. Listen to the entire interview here:
Tim Anaya
January 9, 2025
California
Newsom promises efficient and accountable state budget, delivers bloated and ineffective spending plan
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday unveiled the initial details of his $322.2 billion state budget proposal for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Based on his presentation, Californians should be worried. He claims that his budget will promote an “efficient and leaner” government, yet his plan is neither. The Newsom budget would ...
Wayne H Winegarden
January 7, 2025
State Budget Week - Learn How the Newsom Education Budget Will Impact You
The Newsom Education Budget: No Bang for the Buck
In the 2019-20 budget–Newsom’s first enacted budget–California spent $103 billion in state, local, and federal funds for education, which translated to $17,423 per pupil. In the governor’s new proposed budget, total education spending comes in at a whopping $137 billion, which pencils out to $24,764 per pupil. All this added ...
State Budget Week - Learn How the Newsom Public Safety Budget Will Impact You
The Newsom Public Safety Budget: Budgets are a Reflection of Values
Governor Gavin Newsom spoke recently at Cal State Stanislaus highlighting his workforce initiatives and used the opportunity to introduce his 2025-2026 budget… State budgets are exceptionally complex documents full of granular data but a birds-eye view of spending places our tax dollars in a number of buckets of broad spending ...
Steven Greenhut – How California’s Insurance Crisis Could Be Double Whammy for Wildfire Victims
This week, Free Cities Center director Steven Greenhut joins us to discuss how California’s ongoing insurance crisis could be a double whammy for Southern California wildfire victims looking to rebuild. He gives the history of the state’s festering insurance crisis, analyzes Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s reform plan announced just before ...
State Budget Week - Learn how the Newsom Budget Will Impact California's Tax Burden
The Newsom Budget on Taxes: Yes, Governor, California Is a High Tax State
California imposes the highest top marginal state income tax rate and one of the highest state and local sales tax rates in the country. It is simply illogical to claim that a state with the highest income tax rate and a very high state and local sales tax rates is ...
As Los Angeles Burns, California Prevention Failures Made Clear
Not nearly enough is being done by California’s ruling class to mitigate wildfires, as the tragic devastation in Los Angeles has shown. Certainly, dry conditions and vicious winds fueled multiple wildfires that, at last count, had burned roughly 40,000 acres, destroyed more than 12,000 structures and claimed at least 25 ...
State Budget Week - Learn how the Newsom Transportation Budget Furthers the "Train to Nowhere"
The Newsom Transportation Budget: Newsom Continues to Embrace Costly, Unrealistic State Bullet Train
Progress. The California high-speed rail project has made progress. If progress can be defined as finally laying the first track for a bullet train that is at least a couple of decades behind schedule. Hard to put any faith, though, in the promises and bragging when the HSR is running ...
Southern California wildfires show just how destructive the ‘California Way’ can be
You’ll forgive Southern Californians for throwing up their hands in frustration as destructive wildfires rage across the region. Watching their homes burn and loved ones evacuated, California’s ruling class hasn’t exactly channeled their inner-Rudy Giuliani on 9/11. Read the entire op-ed here.
The PRI All Stars Respond to Gov. Newsom’s 2025-26 State Budget
This week, we present an in-depth look at Gov. Newsom’s 2025-25 state budget plan. PRI scholars Wayne Winegarden, Lance Izumi, Steve Smith, and Kerry Jackson join Ro and Tim to explore the budget’s impact on taxes and the economy, education, crime, and transportation. They also explore how the Southern California ...
Tim Anaya Explains Many California Policy Problems
Anaya previews his latest book, The California Left Coast Survivor’s Guide, co-written with PRI’s Kerry Jackson. Listen to the entire interview here:
Newsom promises efficient and accountable state budget, delivers bloated and ineffective spending plan
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday unveiled the initial details of his $322.2 billion state budget proposal for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Based on his presentation, Californians should be worried. He claims that his budget will promote an “efficient and leaner” government, yet his plan is neither. The Newsom budget would ...