California
Agriculture
Prop 12 upheld by SCOTUS: What will ruling mean for farmers and pork lovers?
There was no clear-cut verdict in the decision with the justices offering different opinions on the two-pronged argument brought by the National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation. Attorneys for the NPPC and AFBF argued Prop 12 violated the “dormant commerce clause” and imposed more cost on ...
Pam Lewison
May 15, 2023
Agriculture
Pam Lewison – How This Year’s Record Rains are Impacting California Farmers
PRI fellow in agriculture policy Pam Lewison joins us for a discussion of how this year’s record rainfall has been both a blessing and a major challenge for California’s farmers. She also discusses federal and state policy debates and pending legal rulings that could significantly impact state water policy and ...
Pacific Research Institute
May 8, 2023
Blog
CAPITAL IDEAS: California Diesel Ban: Another Uneconomical Mandate
The California ban-it-all machine, ever in perpetual motion, is abolishing diesel big rigs. On the last Friday in April, the state Air Resources Board voted unanimously to outlaw sales of new diesel trucks by 2036. CARB’s decision also requires large trucking companies to fully transition their fleets to all zero ...
Kerry Jackson
May 8, 2023
Blog
Read about latest Sacramento overspending
State Budget Update: Lawmakers Propose ‘Old Fashioned Tax and Spend Budget’
With the turning of the page on the calendar to May comes the anticipated arrival of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “May Revise” budget plan, which should be released around May 10. The May Revise is the governor’s updated budget plan taking into account the state’s latest economic forecasts and cash receipts. ...
Tim Anaya
May 1, 2023
Blog
Get a Preview of Upcoming Study
Population trends prove people prefer pro-growth cities
The movement away from large cities is not universal, however. People may be leaving Los Angeles, but they are moving to Fort Worth, Atlanta and Las Vegas. Figure 1 presents the diverse five-year percentage change in population for the 50 largest cities in the United States. The vast differences in ...
Wayne Winegarden
April 27, 2023
Blog
Free Markets Fuel Outdoor Dining
Cities should maintain flexible outdoor dining programs
One of the few silver linings of the coronavirus pandemic was that governments were forced to think outside-of-the-box in order to make things happen. In the early months of the pandemic, local governments across the country loosened regulations to allow restaurants and bars to serve customers outdoors. They made it ...
Sal Rodriguez
April 21, 2023
Blog
Read about the latest Calfiornia crime nightmare
The Firearms Enforcement Debacle – Res non Verba
Background The Attorney General’s office is tasked with enforcing the Armed and Prohibited Persons System known as APPS which is designed to track firearms transactions in California. Unfortunately, it has been widely regarded as a failure as the list grew and grew without abate. Shoddy reporting and record keeping ...
Steve Smith
April 17, 2023
Blog
True conservatives should welcome state rollback of housing restrictions
‘Local control’ still is government control
At the state level, the concurrent Republican values of “local control” and “limited government” can compete and even conflict. Republicans have long stood against unfunded state mandates on local government and onerous red tape on the private sector, as well we should. However, we should welcome state intervention to reduce ...
Chris Norby
April 14, 2023
California
Based on Past Results, Newsom’s Latest Homeless Plan Likely Won’t Work
By Kerry Jackson & Wayne Winegarden Gov. Gavin Newsom kicked off his latest State of the State tour with a focus on homelessness. We wish his upbeat attitude inspired us, but it’s hard to have faith. In 2004, as mayor of San Francisco, he promised that he would end the ...
Pacific Research Institute
April 11, 2023
Blog
Can Taxpayers Afford New Union Giveaways?
The LAUSD Strike and the State Budget Deficit: Train Wreck Ahead
While coverage of the recent strike by Los Angeles teachers and school staff members has focused on the immediate wage demands of the unions and the impact on students and their families, the bigger and looming issue is how California’s growing state budget deficit could impact any collective bargaining agreement. ...
Lance Izumi
April 10, 2023
Prop 12 upheld by SCOTUS: What will ruling mean for farmers and pork lovers?
There was no clear-cut verdict in the decision with the justices offering different opinions on the two-pronged argument brought by the National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation. Attorneys for the NPPC and AFBF argued Prop 12 violated the “dormant commerce clause” and imposed more cost on ...
Pam Lewison – How This Year’s Record Rains are Impacting California Farmers
PRI fellow in agriculture policy Pam Lewison joins us for a discussion of how this year’s record rainfall has been both a blessing and a major challenge for California’s farmers. She also discusses federal and state policy debates and pending legal rulings that could significantly impact state water policy and ...
CAPITAL IDEAS: California Diesel Ban: Another Uneconomical Mandate
The California ban-it-all machine, ever in perpetual motion, is abolishing diesel big rigs. On the last Friday in April, the state Air Resources Board voted unanimously to outlaw sales of new diesel trucks by 2036. CARB’s decision also requires large trucking companies to fully transition their fleets to all zero ...
Read about latest Sacramento overspending
State Budget Update: Lawmakers Propose ‘Old Fashioned Tax and Spend Budget’
With the turning of the page on the calendar to May comes the anticipated arrival of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “May Revise” budget plan, which should be released around May 10. The May Revise is the governor’s updated budget plan taking into account the state’s latest economic forecasts and cash receipts. ...
Get a Preview of Upcoming Study
Population trends prove people prefer pro-growth cities
The movement away from large cities is not universal, however. People may be leaving Los Angeles, but they are moving to Fort Worth, Atlanta and Las Vegas. Figure 1 presents the diverse five-year percentage change in population for the 50 largest cities in the United States. The vast differences in ...
Free Markets Fuel Outdoor Dining
Cities should maintain flexible outdoor dining programs
One of the few silver linings of the coronavirus pandemic was that governments were forced to think outside-of-the-box in order to make things happen. In the early months of the pandemic, local governments across the country loosened regulations to allow restaurants and bars to serve customers outdoors. They made it ...
Read about the latest Calfiornia crime nightmare
The Firearms Enforcement Debacle – Res non Verba
Background The Attorney General’s office is tasked with enforcing the Armed and Prohibited Persons System known as APPS which is designed to track firearms transactions in California. Unfortunately, it has been widely regarded as a failure as the list grew and grew without abate. Shoddy reporting and record keeping ...
True conservatives should welcome state rollback of housing restrictions
‘Local control’ still is government control
At the state level, the concurrent Republican values of “local control” and “limited government” can compete and even conflict. Republicans have long stood against unfunded state mandates on local government and onerous red tape on the private sector, as well we should. However, we should welcome state intervention to reduce ...
Based on Past Results, Newsom’s Latest Homeless Plan Likely Won’t Work
By Kerry Jackson & Wayne Winegarden Gov. Gavin Newsom kicked off his latest State of the State tour with a focus on homelessness. We wish his upbeat attitude inspired us, but it’s hard to have faith. In 2004, as mayor of San Francisco, he promised that he would end the ...
Can Taxpayers Afford New Union Giveaways?
The LAUSD Strike and the State Budget Deficit: Train Wreck Ahead
While coverage of the recent strike by Los Angeles teachers and school staff members has focused on the immediate wage demands of the unions and the impact on students and their families, the bigger and looming issue is how California’s growing state budget deficit could impact any collective bargaining agreement. ...