California
California
Steve Smith talks California’s decade of decriminalization and his new study on the Sunrise FM Podcast
The sudden reemergence of widespread crime – from petty to violent – has Californians of all stripes worried. For Steve Smith of the Pacific Research Institute, the genesis of this slide into crime begin with a trio of policies aimed at early release of prisoners and decriminalization of key laws. ...
Blog
Court Slows The FAST Act, But Business Exodus Could Accelerate
The FAST Act (AB257), which was scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1, “makes it all but impossible to run small business restaurants” in California, says Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, in an open letter that appears on the company’s corporate website. The top of the Jan. 25 letter, ...
California
Steve Smith – Paradise Lost: Crime in the Golden State, 2011–2021
Our guest this week is PRI senior fellow in urban studies Steve Smith. Steve is a former police officer, has helped organize peacekeeping forces abroad, and is a retired professor of justice administration.
Blog
San Diego Fires Latest Salvo in Government’s War on Cars
Not too long ago, San Diego was, if not a haven of conservatism with a libertarian flavor, at least a break from the stifling progressivism of Los Angeles. It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to tell the differences between, though. The latest shift to the left: San Diego is at war ...
Blog
They’re Baaack! Sacramento Liberals Once Again Propose a ‘Wealth Tax’
Last week, San Jose Democratic Assemblymember Alex Lee once again proposed a “tax on extreme wealth in California.” Under Assembly Bill 293, “extreme wealth” is defined as “households with net worths of more than $50 million.” If enacted, a 1 percent tax would be applied to wealth over $50 million, ...
California
New PRI Report Shows State Experiencing ‘Mass Victimization’ After Decade of Sweeping Criminal Justice Policy Changes
In Wake of Selma Tragedy, New PRI Report Shows State Experiencing ‘Mass Victimization’ After Decade of Sweeping Criminal Justice Policy Changes
Blog
Are Western cities ready for renewable skyscrapers?
Every so often a product comes along that presents itself as a “sustainable” innovation, yet has compelling appeal even if sustainability isn’t someone’s top priority. Of course, sustainability has become something of an overused buzzword, but it generally refers to a production process that doesn’t deplete natural resources or damage the environment. ...
California
Shocking! Why California Policymakers Are So Often Caught by Surprise
California is always in the national news and too often for not-so-good reasons. A couple of recent events has left much of the rest of the country wondering how this ever-swaggering state is continually caught off guard. There’s really no mystery here. The answer is obvious. When it was announced ...
Blog
Latest Reasons Why Residents Continue to Flee San Francisco
“Budget shortfalls pose an existential threat” to the “long-term viability” of transit services across the state. “Bay Area operators,” says a group of six state senators and seven assembly members, “face significant annual shortfalls,” leaving agencies such as BART no choice but “to cut multiple lines of service as early ...
California
Cali’s Climate Change Budget Cuts Show Programs Are More About Politics Than Cutting Emissions
Sobered by the reality of a budget deficit, the governor has proposed cutting money for climate programs. It was surely a hard choice, but practical. Something has to go and there’s no better place to show spending discipline than by holding back funds dedicated to a political fantasy. After years ...
Steve Smith talks California’s decade of decriminalization and his new study on the Sunrise FM Podcast
The sudden reemergence of widespread crime – from petty to violent – has Californians of all stripes worried. For Steve Smith of the Pacific Research Institute, the genesis of this slide into crime begin with a trio of policies aimed at early release of prisoners and decriminalization of key laws. ...
Court Slows The FAST Act, But Business Exodus Could Accelerate
The FAST Act (AB257), which was scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1, “makes it all but impossible to run small business restaurants” in California, says Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, in an open letter that appears on the company’s corporate website. The top of the Jan. 25 letter, ...
Steve Smith – Paradise Lost: Crime in the Golden State, 2011–2021
Our guest this week is PRI senior fellow in urban studies Steve Smith. Steve is a former police officer, has helped organize peacekeeping forces abroad, and is a retired professor of justice administration.
San Diego Fires Latest Salvo in Government’s War on Cars
Not too long ago, San Diego was, if not a haven of conservatism with a libertarian flavor, at least a break from the stifling progressivism of Los Angeles. It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to tell the differences between, though. The latest shift to the left: San Diego is at war ...
They’re Baaack! Sacramento Liberals Once Again Propose a ‘Wealth Tax’
Last week, San Jose Democratic Assemblymember Alex Lee once again proposed a “tax on extreme wealth in California.” Under Assembly Bill 293, “extreme wealth” is defined as “households with net worths of more than $50 million.” If enacted, a 1 percent tax would be applied to wealth over $50 million, ...
New PRI Report Shows State Experiencing ‘Mass Victimization’ After Decade of Sweeping Criminal Justice Policy Changes
In Wake of Selma Tragedy, New PRI Report Shows State Experiencing ‘Mass Victimization’ After Decade of Sweeping Criminal Justice Policy Changes
Are Western cities ready for renewable skyscrapers?
Every so often a product comes along that presents itself as a “sustainable” innovation, yet has compelling appeal even if sustainability isn’t someone’s top priority. Of course, sustainability has become something of an overused buzzword, but it generally refers to a production process that doesn’t deplete natural resources or damage the environment. ...
Shocking! Why California Policymakers Are So Often Caught by Surprise
California is always in the national news and too often for not-so-good reasons. A couple of recent events has left much of the rest of the country wondering how this ever-swaggering state is continually caught off guard. There’s really no mystery here. The answer is obvious. When it was announced ...
Latest Reasons Why Residents Continue to Flee San Francisco
“Budget shortfalls pose an existential threat” to the “long-term viability” of transit services across the state. “Bay Area operators,” says a group of six state senators and seven assembly members, “face significant annual shortfalls,” leaving agencies such as BART no choice but “to cut multiple lines of service as early ...
Cali’s Climate Change Budget Cuts Show Programs Are More About Politics Than Cutting Emissions
Sobered by the reality of a budget deficit, the governor has proposed cutting money for climate programs. It was surely a hard choice, but practical. Something has to go and there’s no better place to show spending discipline than by holding back funds dedicated to a political fantasy. After years ...
