California
Blog
What’s the deal with state attorneys general?
California’s attorney general has become one of the most powerful political offices in the state. The powers granted to the Golden State’s top cop are numerous and impactful. The attorney general is often front and center for state and federal lawsuits, legal reform, even writing the titles and summaries for ...
California
Gig Economy Firms Fight California Overreach with $110 Million Initiative
In a rational response to Assembly Bill 5, which in effect outlaws the gig economy, ride-share and delivery companies have proposed a November 2020 ballot measure aimed at protecting their businesses. But it wouldn’t repeal the law. Shouldn’t that have been the goal? AB 5 doesn’t leave businesses much time to adapt. It becomes law ...
Blog
Instead of Spending Billions on Housing Affordability, Silicon Valley Should Demand CEQA Reform
Amid much fanfare, several Silicon Valley firms have announced plans to collectively contribute billions to “affordable housing” programs. Last month, Apple announced “a comprehensive $2.5 billion plan to help address the housing availability and affordability crisis in California.” Their plan includes “a $1 billion commitment to the state of California ...
Blog
Support PRI on #GivingTuesday
Thanks to the support of hundreds of liberty-minded individuals, 2019 was a banner year for the Pacific Research Institute. The generosity of our supporters is what allows us to champion freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility by advancing free-market policy ideas. Over the past 12 months, PRI scholars have given dozens ...
Blog
California’s Assembly Bill 5 Is A Virus Moving Across the Country
The flood of lousy legislation that has poured out of Sacramento for the last two decades or so truly astonishes in its volume. As fourth-rate as the lawmaking has been, though, nothing has been worse than Assembly Bill 5, an existential threat to both jobs and businesses because it requires ...
Business & Economics
Want to end poverty in California? Embrace entrepreneurship.
Sacramento politicians have heralded the state’s record-low 4.0 percent unemployment figures. While this is good news, anyone living in Southern California will tell you that things aren’t as rosy as they appear to be. Take what’s going on in Imperial County, for example. Unemployment rates in the El Centro region, which borders ...
California
San Francisco Mayor: Hardest Job in America?
London Breed breezed through her re-election at the beginning of the month, taking almost 70% of the vote in San Francisco’s mayoral race. But in winning, she might have also lost. No big-city mayor in the country has a tougher job ahead of them. San Francisco’s troubles start with a ...
Blog
A Bearish View on California’s Budget Surplus
Last week the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) published its latest fiscal outlook for California. The headlines were so great that you could almost hear the champagne corks popping in Sacramento. Not only has the state budget in California run surpluses for several years now, the LAO expects another surplus for ...
Commentary
State-Led Medicare For All Would Import All Of Canada’s Problems
Medicare for All is struggling to gain traction at the national level. Some progressives are hoping that left-leaning states will instead be able to lead the way. This month, California Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna introduced the “State-Based Universal Health Care Act,” a bill that would let states take all the ...
Blog
Want to Help Homeless Children? Address Their Education
Recently, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution recognizing November 2019 as Homeless Children and Youth Awareness Month and, importantly, highlighted lack of education as a key characteristic of homeless youth. The Senate resolution noted that young people without a high school degree or general educational development certificate (GED) are significantly ...
What’s the deal with state attorneys general?
California’s attorney general has become one of the most powerful political offices in the state. The powers granted to the Golden State’s top cop are numerous and impactful. The attorney general is often front and center for state and federal lawsuits, legal reform, even writing the titles and summaries for ...
Gig Economy Firms Fight California Overreach with $110 Million Initiative
In a rational response to Assembly Bill 5, which in effect outlaws the gig economy, ride-share and delivery companies have proposed a November 2020 ballot measure aimed at protecting their businesses. But it wouldn’t repeal the law. Shouldn’t that have been the goal? AB 5 doesn’t leave businesses much time to adapt. It becomes law ...
Instead of Spending Billions on Housing Affordability, Silicon Valley Should Demand CEQA Reform
Amid much fanfare, several Silicon Valley firms have announced plans to collectively contribute billions to “affordable housing” programs. Last month, Apple announced “a comprehensive $2.5 billion plan to help address the housing availability and affordability crisis in California.” Their plan includes “a $1 billion commitment to the state of California ...
Support PRI on #GivingTuesday
Thanks to the support of hundreds of liberty-minded individuals, 2019 was a banner year for the Pacific Research Institute. The generosity of our supporters is what allows us to champion freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility by advancing free-market policy ideas. Over the past 12 months, PRI scholars have given dozens ...
California’s Assembly Bill 5 Is A Virus Moving Across the Country
The flood of lousy legislation that has poured out of Sacramento for the last two decades or so truly astonishes in its volume. As fourth-rate as the lawmaking has been, though, nothing has been worse than Assembly Bill 5, an existential threat to both jobs and businesses because it requires ...
Want to end poverty in California? Embrace entrepreneurship.
Sacramento politicians have heralded the state’s record-low 4.0 percent unemployment figures. While this is good news, anyone living in Southern California will tell you that things aren’t as rosy as they appear to be. Take what’s going on in Imperial County, for example. Unemployment rates in the El Centro region, which borders ...
San Francisco Mayor: Hardest Job in America?
London Breed breezed through her re-election at the beginning of the month, taking almost 70% of the vote in San Francisco’s mayoral race. But in winning, she might have also lost. No big-city mayor in the country has a tougher job ahead of them. San Francisco’s troubles start with a ...
A Bearish View on California’s Budget Surplus
Last week the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) published its latest fiscal outlook for California. The headlines were so great that you could almost hear the champagne corks popping in Sacramento. Not only has the state budget in California run surpluses for several years now, the LAO expects another surplus for ...
State-Led Medicare For All Would Import All Of Canada’s Problems
Medicare for All is struggling to gain traction at the national level. Some progressives are hoping that left-leaning states will instead be able to lead the way. This month, California Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna introduced the “State-Based Universal Health Care Act,” a bill that would let states take all the ...
Want to Help Homeless Children? Address Their Education
Recently, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution recognizing November 2019 as Homeless Children and Youth Awareness Month and, importantly, highlighted lack of education as a key characteristic of homeless youth. The Senate resolution noted that young people without a high school degree or general educational development certificate (GED) are significantly ...
