California
Blog
Newsom’s ‘Sunny California Tale’ Masks Nightmare of Thousands Leaving the State
That splashy headline was based on the U-Haul company’s growth index, which each year “ranks states by their net gain (or loss) of customers who rented a one-way truck, trailer or U-Box® moving containers in one state and dropped off their equipment in another state.” Despite its world-renowned natural beauty, its reputation as ...
Blog
Newsom’s Proposed Ed Budget: Big Spending, Little Results
Under Newsom’s proposed budget, state and local education funding under Proposition 98 would come to $121.4 billion. If one combines funding from all sources, including federal dollars, then the budget would include $149.1 billion in total funding for all TK (transitional kindergarten)-12 education programs. These huge budget amounts translate into ...
California
PRI All Stars Analyze Governor Newsom’s 2026-27 Budget Plan
This week, PRI’s team of policy experts – Wayne Winegarden, Steve Smith, and Lance Izumi – join Tim to analyze Gov. Newsom’s budget priorities and explore whether his final state budget plan is sustainable or if it sets the state on a perilous fiscal course. They also discuss whether Newsom ...
Blog
Spending Watch
Spending Watch: California’s Budget Delusion
Spending Watch: California’s Budget Delusion Wayne Winegarden January 2026 Governor Newsom has released his final state budget and for the fourth year in a row, the state is facing a large budget deficit that it must close. This prolonged period of persistent budget deficits was entirely predictable. For the upcoming ...
California
The Real Cost of Coexistence: How Wolf Policies Are Failing Western Ranchers
Key Takeaways There are nearly 3,500 gray and Mexican wolves scattered across the western United States. Every time cattle are eaten by wolves, taxpayers reimburse ranchers for their losses. Depending on the state, that reimbursement can cost anywhere from $500 to $15,000 per animal. Ranch income is negatively impacted by ...
Blog
Climate warriors should offer more incentives, fewer lectures
The “Week Without Driving” campaign took place nationwide in October to reduce pollution, lower carbon emissions and break Americans’ dependence on automobiles. Cities including Santa Cruz and Alameda, Calif., encouraged residents to give the car-free lifestyle a try and opt for public transportation or bicycles instead. That’s fine enough, but ...
California
If California is an economic powerhouse, then where are the jobs?
It’s a new year, a time for resolutions and fresh starts. Of course, only 9 percent of people who declare New year’s resolutions ultimately fulfill them. Most will give up before January ends. Such a dour outlook is a bit of a wet blanket, but it is apropos for California’s ...
California
The PRI All Stars 2025 Year End Awards
With the holiday season upon us, it’s time for our annual PRI All Stars Year End Awards. Listen as Tim Anaya, Rowena Itchon, Lance Izumi, Kerry Jackson and Matt Fleming share their picks for the year’s biggest winners and losers in California politics and policy, and even offer a few ...
Blog
LA divorces itself from coal. Is it really a defining moment?
With the immodesty of an experienced braggart, the city of Los Angeles announced on Dec. 4 that it has ended its relationship with coal. No longer will it receive power generated from that particular fossil fuel. Mayor Karen Bass called it “a defining moment” that will take the city closer “building a clean energy ...
California
Checking the fine print on Newsom’s “donor state” boast
California brags about its donor state status, that is, it forwards more in tax dollars to Washington than it gets back in federal spending. But that’s changed. According to the Rockefeller Institute of Government, California’s balance of payments with the federal government – the net difference between federal revenue collected ...
Newsom’s ‘Sunny California Tale’ Masks Nightmare of Thousands Leaving the State
That splashy headline was based on the U-Haul company’s growth index, which each year “ranks states by their net gain (or loss) of customers who rented a one-way truck, trailer or U-Box® moving containers in one state and dropped off their equipment in another state.” Despite its world-renowned natural beauty, its reputation as ...
Newsom’s Proposed Ed Budget: Big Spending, Little Results
Under Newsom’s proposed budget, state and local education funding under Proposition 98 would come to $121.4 billion. If one combines funding from all sources, including federal dollars, then the budget would include $149.1 billion in total funding for all TK (transitional kindergarten)-12 education programs. These huge budget amounts translate into ...
PRI All Stars Analyze Governor Newsom’s 2026-27 Budget Plan
This week, PRI’s team of policy experts – Wayne Winegarden, Steve Smith, and Lance Izumi – join Tim to analyze Gov. Newsom’s budget priorities and explore whether his final state budget plan is sustainable or if it sets the state on a perilous fiscal course. They also discuss whether Newsom ...
Spending Watch
Spending Watch: California’s Budget Delusion
Spending Watch: California’s Budget Delusion Wayne Winegarden January 2026 Governor Newsom has released his final state budget and for the fourth year in a row, the state is facing a large budget deficit that it must close. This prolonged period of persistent budget deficits was entirely predictable. For the upcoming ...
The Real Cost of Coexistence: How Wolf Policies Are Failing Western Ranchers
Key Takeaways There are nearly 3,500 gray and Mexican wolves scattered across the western United States. Every time cattle are eaten by wolves, taxpayers reimburse ranchers for their losses. Depending on the state, that reimbursement can cost anywhere from $500 to $15,000 per animal. Ranch income is negatively impacted by ...
Climate warriors should offer more incentives, fewer lectures
The “Week Without Driving” campaign took place nationwide in October to reduce pollution, lower carbon emissions and break Americans’ dependence on automobiles. Cities including Santa Cruz and Alameda, Calif., encouraged residents to give the car-free lifestyle a try and opt for public transportation or bicycles instead. That’s fine enough, but ...
If California is an economic powerhouse, then where are the jobs?
It’s a new year, a time for resolutions and fresh starts. Of course, only 9 percent of people who declare New year’s resolutions ultimately fulfill them. Most will give up before January ends. Such a dour outlook is a bit of a wet blanket, but it is apropos for California’s ...
The PRI All Stars 2025 Year End Awards
With the holiday season upon us, it’s time for our annual PRI All Stars Year End Awards. Listen as Tim Anaya, Rowena Itchon, Lance Izumi, Kerry Jackson and Matt Fleming share their picks for the year’s biggest winners and losers in California politics and policy, and even offer a few ...
LA divorces itself from coal. Is it really a defining moment?
With the immodesty of an experienced braggart, the city of Los Angeles announced on Dec. 4 that it has ended its relationship with coal. No longer will it receive power generated from that particular fossil fuel. Mayor Karen Bass called it “a defining moment” that will take the city closer “building a clean energy ...
Checking the fine print on Newsom’s “donor state” boast
California brags about its donor state status, that is, it forwards more in tax dollars to Washington than it gets back in federal spending. But that’s changed. According to the Rockefeller Institute of Government, California’s balance of payments with the federal government – the net difference between federal revenue collected ...
