California

California

Assembly Republican Leader Emeritus James Gallagher – The Exit Interview

Our special guest this week is outgoing Assembly Republican Leader – and the very first guest on Next Round podcast – James Gallagher. He looks back on his time as GOP leader, reflecting on his biggest accomplishments, what surprised him the most during his leadership, his partisan battles with Speaker ...
Blog

Not Even Jay Leno Can Get Lawmakers to Update State’s Antiquated Classic Car Rules

California requires all cars built from 1976 on to pass a smog inspection every two years. A bill introduced in the current session would have moved that date to 1990, “making it easier to own and maintain classic cars,” says Car Buzz. But the legislation, Senate Bill 712, introduced by Sen. Shannon ...
Blog

Spending Watch

Legislators Did Not Relieve California’s Energy Poverty Problem

Legislators Did Not Relieve California’s Energy Poverty Problem Wayne Winegarden September 2025 The legislative year is over and there is lots to be concerned about. Paramount among these concerns, the legislature passed several bills that will worsen the state’s energy affordability problems. Perhaps most disappointing, though not unexpected, legislators passed ...
Blog

YIMBYs win political victories, but where are the new houses?

Gov. Gavin Newsom even held up passage of the state budget until lawmakers approved two reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Assembly Bill 130 exempts a broader number of environmentally friendly infill housing projects from CEQA. Senate Bill 131 exempts nine types of projects from CEQA. These include ...
California

The PRI All Stars 2025 End of Session Wrap Up

This week, we present our annual end of session look back at the just-concluded legislative session. Steven Greenhut, Matt Fleming and Tim Anaya share their thoughts on the hot issues debated in the final weeks of the legislative session, including the cap-and-trade deal, high-speed rail funding, charter school legislation, housing ...
Blog

The Train To Nowhere Goes Somewhere – Maybe

The promise of a bullet train connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco, and maybe even extending to San Diego to the south and Sacramento to the north, was broken longer before ground was broken in 2015 for the project. The route has been shortened, the construction timeline endlessly extended, and ...
Blog

Jury Still Deliberating On California’s Push To Build More Homes

This year’s devastating wildfires decimated upwards of 13,000 homes. In response, California has passed two new laws that seek to streamline the process of housing development. Will they have the desired effect? That remains to be seen. Under AB130, new housing developments that meet certain size, density, location, and use requirements ...
California

A Conversation with Assemblyman Joe Patterson

We wrap up our series of podcasts on the hot issues being debated in the final weeks of the 2025 legislative session with a conversation with Assemblyman Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin.  They discuss the Gavin Newsom redistricting proposal, the bills that aren’t getting the attention they should be at the end ...
Blog

Bed, Bath & Bye-Bye

Does Vegas have a betting line on which company will next abandon California? Maybe it should. But then the field of possibilities is just too large to fit them all on a casino board.  Following a business plan that has worked for so many others, Bed, Bad &  Beyond is ...
Blog

Get the inside scoop on what's going on under the Capitol dome

Three Big Issues to Watch as 2025 Legislative Session Draws to Close

Assembly Bill 84:  Yet Another Attack on California Charter Schools Ever since charter school supporter Gov. Jerry Brown left office in 2019, charter schools have been under attack in Sacramento.  The latest attack is Assembly Bill 84 (Muratsuchi), which would – if enacted – would impose huge new restrictions that ...
California

Assembly Republican Leader Emeritus James Gallagher – The Exit Interview

Our special guest this week is outgoing Assembly Republican Leader – and the very first guest on Next Round podcast – James Gallagher. He looks back on his time as GOP leader, reflecting on his biggest accomplishments, what surprised him the most during his leadership, his partisan battles with Speaker ...
Blog

Not Even Jay Leno Can Get Lawmakers to Update State’s Antiquated Classic Car Rules

California requires all cars built from 1976 on to pass a smog inspection every two years. A bill introduced in the current session would have moved that date to 1990, “making it easier to own and maintain classic cars,” says Car Buzz. But the legislation, Senate Bill 712, introduced by Sen. Shannon ...
Blog

Spending Watch

Legislators Did Not Relieve California’s Energy Poverty Problem

Legislators Did Not Relieve California’s Energy Poverty Problem Wayne Winegarden September 2025 The legislative year is over and there is lots to be concerned about. Paramount among these concerns, the legislature passed several bills that will worsen the state’s energy affordability problems. Perhaps most disappointing, though not unexpected, legislators passed ...
Blog

YIMBYs win political victories, but where are the new houses?

Gov. Gavin Newsom even held up passage of the state budget until lawmakers approved two reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Assembly Bill 130 exempts a broader number of environmentally friendly infill housing projects from CEQA. Senate Bill 131 exempts nine types of projects from CEQA. These include ...
California

The PRI All Stars 2025 End of Session Wrap Up

This week, we present our annual end of session look back at the just-concluded legislative session. Steven Greenhut, Matt Fleming and Tim Anaya share their thoughts on the hot issues debated in the final weeks of the legislative session, including the cap-and-trade deal, high-speed rail funding, charter school legislation, housing ...
Blog

The Train To Nowhere Goes Somewhere – Maybe

The promise of a bullet train connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco, and maybe even extending to San Diego to the south and Sacramento to the north, was broken longer before ground was broken in 2015 for the project. The route has been shortened, the construction timeline endlessly extended, and ...
Blog

Jury Still Deliberating On California’s Push To Build More Homes

This year’s devastating wildfires decimated upwards of 13,000 homes. In response, California has passed two new laws that seek to streamline the process of housing development. Will they have the desired effect? That remains to be seen. Under AB130, new housing developments that meet certain size, density, location, and use requirements ...
California

A Conversation with Assemblyman Joe Patterson

We wrap up our series of podcasts on the hot issues being debated in the final weeks of the 2025 legislative session with a conversation with Assemblyman Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin.  They discuss the Gavin Newsom redistricting proposal, the bills that aren’t getting the attention they should be at the end ...
Blog

Bed, Bath & Bye-Bye

Does Vegas have a betting line on which company will next abandon California? Maybe it should. But then the field of possibilities is just too large to fit them all on a casino board.  Following a business plan that has worked for so many others, Bed, Bad &  Beyond is ...
Blog

Get the inside scoop on what's going on under the Capitol dome

Three Big Issues to Watch as 2025 Legislative Session Draws to Close

Assembly Bill 84:  Yet Another Attack on California Charter Schools Ever since charter school supporter Gov. Jerry Brown left office in 2019, charter schools have been under attack in Sacramento.  The latest attack is Assembly Bill 84 (Muratsuchi), which would – if enacted – would impose huge new restrictions that ...
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