California
Blog
California Doubles Down on Folly of Electric Vehicle Tax Credits
California officials want to eventually force everyone on the road out of their gasoline- and diesel-powered automobiles and into electric vehicles. But it’s a radical shift that can’t be decreed into existence overnight. So, expect a boost in the government bribe to encourage more consumers to buy zero-emission vehicles. Sacramento ...
Blog
BART Blues
In this November election, it’s unfortunate that there’s only one seat up on the BART board (for non-Bay Area readers, BART is the region’s electric train line), because if I had one command as Queen for a day – a question Tim Anaya likes to ask our podcast guests — ...
Business & Economics
Pete Constant – How Can We Tame California’s Pension Monster?
Pete Constant, former San Jose City Councilman and president of the Retirement Security Initiative, joins us to share his experiences as a local elected official grappling with runaway public employee pensions, and what can be done to tame California’s pension monster.
California
Unwilling to Wait for Voters, Los Angeles County Jumps Gun on Temporary Rent Control
Los Angeles County couldn’t wait for voters to decide this fall if local governments can enact rent-control laws. The Board of Supervisors recently enacted a “temporary” restriction on rent increases. If they think that will relieve the housing crisis, they are mistaken. The Los Angeles County ordinance sets rents at ...
California
California’s Leaders Ban Affordable Health Coverage
California just outlawed a form of health insurance that could save thousands of its residents millions of dollars. Late last month, Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 910, which bans the sale of short-term health plans — those that last less than a year and don’t have to comply with Obamacare’s ...
Blog
Why Are We Voting on Cage-Free Eggs and Dialysis Funding?
The other day I was thumbing through California’s official voter information guide to read up on some of the propositions that we’ll be voting on in November. This year, we’ll decide 12 statewide propositions, plus numerous local and county measures. In general, I believe direct democracy is the only way ...
Agriculture
Should Voters Really Have to Decide How Eggs are Made?
In less than a month, Californians will head to the polls in what will surely be of the most consequential elections in years. The state is home to several competitive races for U.S. House seats – the results of which will have a significant impact on American politics for many ...
Blog
Prop. 8: Curiouser and Curiouser
On the California ballot this November is a state measure that would cap dialysis clinics’ profits at 15 percent, forcing them to offer rebates to insurance companies at the end of every year if dialysis companies’ margins exceed that cap. About 66,000 people need dialysis treatments in the state. With ...
Blog
Only in California: Falling Oil Production, Gas Plant Closures Are Reasons to Party
We recently documented California’s sharp fall in oil production, noting that even though only two states have more proved reserves of crude, five are producing more oil. This is not due to an accident or bad luck. Or even poor management. It is by design. The state’s dominant political party ...
Blog
What Happened to the “Grown-Up in the Room”?
During his second tenure as governor, Jerry Brown has often been called the “grown-up” in the room when forging consensus on major policy issues like spending and public pensions. This has especially been the case comparing Gov. Brown to the extreme progressive left that make up a good chunk of ...
California Doubles Down on Folly of Electric Vehicle Tax Credits
California officials want to eventually force everyone on the road out of their gasoline- and diesel-powered automobiles and into electric vehicles. But it’s a radical shift that can’t be decreed into existence overnight. So, expect a boost in the government bribe to encourage more consumers to buy zero-emission vehicles. Sacramento ...
BART Blues
In this November election, it’s unfortunate that there’s only one seat up on the BART board (for non-Bay Area readers, BART is the region’s electric train line), because if I had one command as Queen for a day – a question Tim Anaya likes to ask our podcast guests — ...
Pete Constant – How Can We Tame California’s Pension Monster?
Pete Constant, former San Jose City Councilman and president of the Retirement Security Initiative, joins us to share his experiences as a local elected official grappling with runaway public employee pensions, and what can be done to tame California’s pension monster.
Unwilling to Wait for Voters, Los Angeles County Jumps Gun on Temporary Rent Control
Los Angeles County couldn’t wait for voters to decide this fall if local governments can enact rent-control laws. The Board of Supervisors recently enacted a “temporary” restriction on rent increases. If they think that will relieve the housing crisis, they are mistaken. The Los Angeles County ordinance sets rents at ...
California’s Leaders Ban Affordable Health Coverage
California just outlawed a form of health insurance that could save thousands of its residents millions of dollars. Late last month, Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 910, which bans the sale of short-term health plans — those that last less than a year and don’t have to comply with Obamacare’s ...
Why Are We Voting on Cage-Free Eggs and Dialysis Funding?
The other day I was thumbing through California’s official voter information guide to read up on some of the propositions that we’ll be voting on in November. This year, we’ll decide 12 statewide propositions, plus numerous local and county measures. In general, I believe direct democracy is the only way ...
Should Voters Really Have to Decide How Eggs are Made?
In less than a month, Californians will head to the polls in what will surely be of the most consequential elections in years. The state is home to several competitive races for U.S. House seats – the results of which will have a significant impact on American politics for many ...
Prop. 8: Curiouser and Curiouser
On the California ballot this November is a state measure that would cap dialysis clinics’ profits at 15 percent, forcing them to offer rebates to insurance companies at the end of every year if dialysis companies’ margins exceed that cap. About 66,000 people need dialysis treatments in the state. With ...
Only in California: Falling Oil Production, Gas Plant Closures Are Reasons to Party
We recently documented California’s sharp fall in oil production, noting that even though only two states have more proved reserves of crude, five are producing more oil. This is not due to an accident or bad luck. Or even poor management. It is by design. The state’s dominant political party ...
What Happened to the “Grown-Up in the Room”?
During his second tenure as governor, Jerry Brown has often been called the “grown-up” in the room when forging consensus on major policy issues like spending and public pensions. This has especially been the case comparing Gov. Brown to the extreme progressive left that make up a good chunk of ...
