California
Business & Economics
Who really won the Paramount-Warner Bros. spat?
The federal government cleared the deal in June after a “rigorous eight-month investigation” led by the U.S. Justice Department Antitrust Division’s career staff – concluding the merger was unlikely to restrain competition or harm consumers. Overseas regulators representing 68 jurisdictions also approved the merger. But that wasn’t enough for Bonta, who opposed the “unlawful ...
Blog
Didn’t We Just Vote on Proposition 1? Ballot Numbers Add to Confusion
This November, Californians will decide the fate of 14 different statewide ballot measures. While it sounds exhausting, we’ve voted on more in the past – a whopping 29 in the November 1988 election and 28 in the 1990 general election. Adding to the confusion are the ballot proposition numbers themselves. ...
California
Close Races for Key Statewide Ballot Measures
This week, Tim and Matt discuss the latest statewide poll showing close races for the wealth tax and CEQA reform. They also discuss Gov. Newsom’s statement that he would not challenge Kamala Harris for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, and analyze the re-election prospects of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
California
Will the Republican Convention Turn Around The GOP’s Midterm Prospects?
This week, Tim and Matt break down the President’s big speech at the GOP midterm convention in Dallas, and the proposal for 5,000 “dividend” payments to all U.S. adults. Plus, they break down the failure of Gov. Newsom to secure a deal on wildfire liability, and candidates Becerra and Hilton ...
California
The Wealth Tax will cost Californians dearly
California has a budget problem. Proposition 40 will make it worse. The November ballot measure promises an irresistible political bargain: Tax roughly 200 billionaires, raise tens of billions of dollars and use the money for health care, education and food assistance. But there’s a catch buried in the state’s own ...
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
Gavin Newsom still doesn’t understand the limits of his power
After 7 1/2 years as governor, Gavin Newsom still does not understand the scope and limits of his gubernatorial powers. On July 13, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued to block Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. On August 1, The Wall Street Journal reported that Governor Newsom had ...
Blog
California’s New Software Tax Is Another Step Toward More Digital Taxes
Senate Bill 122 is projected to raise roughly $2 billion annual tax increase on the software businesses use to operate, and its costs will spread far beyond company software bills. Since software as a service supports nearly every part of the modern economy, businesses will have to absorb those higher ...
California
2026 End of Session Preview
As lawmakers enter the final week of the 2026 legislative session, Tim and Matt are joined for Next Round’s annual look at the end of session by Free Cities Center director Steven Greenhut. They discuss all the hot end of session issues including wildfire liability, insurance, housing, pensions, AB 1776, ...
Blog
It’s Reparations Season Again, Again
There is, as they say, a lot here – including many points that illustrate serious problems with the overall idea of reparations. First, speaking as a businessman, it is unclear how many firms would actually be impacted by the bill. Roughly 99.9% of all America-based corporations were founded after 1865, ...
Who really won the Paramount-Warner Bros. spat?
The federal government cleared the deal in June after a “rigorous eight-month investigation” led by the U.S. Justice Department Antitrust Division’s career staff – concluding the merger was unlikely to restrain competition or harm consumers. Overseas regulators representing 68 jurisdictions also approved the merger. But that wasn’t enough for Bonta, who opposed the “unlawful ...
Didn’t We Just Vote on Proposition 1? Ballot Numbers Add to Confusion
This November, Californians will decide the fate of 14 different statewide ballot measures. While it sounds exhausting, we’ve voted on more in the past – a whopping 29 in the November 1988 election and 28 in the 1990 general election. Adding to the confusion are the ballot proposition numbers themselves. ...
Close Races for Key Statewide Ballot Measures
This week, Tim and Matt discuss the latest statewide poll showing close races for the wealth tax and CEQA reform. They also discuss Gov. Newsom’s statement that he would not challenge Kamala Harris for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, and analyze the re-election prospects of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
Will the Republican Convention Turn Around The GOP’s Midterm Prospects?
This week, Tim and Matt break down the President’s big speech at the GOP midterm convention in Dallas, and the proposal for 5,000 “dividend” payments to all U.S. adults. Plus, they break down the failure of Gov. Newsom to secure a deal on wildfire liability, and candidates Becerra and Hilton ...
The Wealth Tax will cost Californians dearly
California has a budget problem. Proposition 40 will make it worse. The November ballot measure promises an irresistible political bargain: Tax roughly 200 billionaires, raise tens of billions of dollars and use the money for health care, education and food assistance. But there’s a catch buried in the state’s own ...
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 ...
Gavin Newsom still doesn’t understand the limits of his power
After 7 1/2 years as governor, Gavin Newsom still does not understand the scope and limits of his gubernatorial powers. On July 13, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued to block Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. On August 1, The Wall Street Journal reported that Governor Newsom had ...
California’s New Software Tax Is Another Step Toward More Digital Taxes
Senate Bill 122 is projected to raise roughly $2 billion annual tax increase on the software businesses use to operate, and its costs will spread far beyond company software bills. Since software as a service supports nearly every part of the modern economy, businesses will have to absorb those higher ...
2026 End of Session Preview
As lawmakers enter the final week of the 2026 legislative session, Tim and Matt are joined for Next Round’s annual look at the end of session by Free Cities Center director Steven Greenhut. They discuss all the hot end of session issues including wildfire liability, insurance, housing, pensions, AB 1776, ...
It’s Reparations Season Again, Again
There is, as they say, a lot here – including many points that illustrate serious problems with the overall idea of reparations. First, speaking as a businessman, it is unclear how many firms would actually be impacted by the bill. Roughly 99.9% of all America-based corporations were founded after 1865, ...