California
Agriculture
Mental Health Awareness Month matters on the farm too
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and, with farm work in full swing, is an ideal time to check in with members of the agricultural community about how they are doing. Recent research suggests the stigma around mental health in farm country is beginning to break down, but it will ...
CEQA
Let’s End the Suspense
On Thursday, the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees held their “suspense hearings.” For those of you who are not Capitol insiders, every bill that has a fiscal impact greater than $150,000 is sent to the “suspense file”. Every one of these bills is weighed against one another for their fiscal ...
California
California Population Falls Again – The Start Of A Long-Term Trend Or A Short-term Blip?
By Kerry Jackson & Wayne Winegarden California lost population for the second straight year in 2021. Just as 2020’s loss was the first in state history, the repeat is unprecedented. This is not supposed to happen in America’s most dynamic state. Is California’s time at the top over? California is ...
Blog
Gun Violence Increases in California
The May 15th shooting at the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Hills, where six people were shot and one tragically died, is yet another reminder that California is experiencing an increase in homicides not seen since 1960. Statewide, homicides were up 30 percent in 2020 and, while 2021 crime statistics ...
Blackouts
California, Sunny With A Near-100% Chance Of Blackouts
In Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised budget released last week, he asked for $5 billion to shore up the state’s electrical grid, calling energy reliability “an endless struggle” in California. And endless will it ever be as long as policymakers continue to pursue, with zero flexibility, an all-green energy portfolio by ...
Blog
The May Revise: Two Big Questions Overshadow Newsom Spending Plan
On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom released the “May Revise” of his 2022-23 state budget plan, officially kicking off the race to pass a balanced budget before the June 15th constitutional deadline. There were two major questions for Newsom as he released his revised budget plan. First, when are we going ...
Blog
Violent Repercussions from Prop. 57 and Persisting Prison Overcrowding
Why CA Should Rethink the Closure of Two State Prisons California voters recently voiced in a UC Berkeley poll released April 14, 2022, that crime is one of the top three issues needed to be addressed in the state. From organized looting to early release of violent criminals, the problem ...
Blog
To Make California Dream a Reality for All, Remove Homebuilding Roadblocks
California’s median home price set a new record of $849,080 in March, according to the latest figures from the California Association of Realtors. In 35 of California’s 58 counties, 50 percent or more of the homes sold above the asking price in March. Given these continued troubling statistics, encouraging desperately ...
Commentary
Expanding Obamacare is a Costly Prescription
Last month, President Biden proposed fixing the so-called “family glitch,” a quirk in Obamacare’s text that has prevented millions of people from purchasing subsidized coverage through the exchanges. It’s only the latest attempt to gift more people taxpayer-sponsored health coverage. The result will be rising premiums, fewer coverage options, and ...
California
California Is Trying to Force An Automobile Outcome
By Kerry Jackson & Wayne Winegarden California is getting serious about killing off cars and trucks that burn gasoline and diesel. The governor has ordered it so and an unelected bureaucracy is putting together a schedule for the transition. But no matter how determined they might be, they can’t squeeze ...
Mental Health Awareness Month matters on the farm too
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and, with farm work in full swing, is an ideal time to check in with members of the agricultural community about how they are doing. Recent research suggests the stigma around mental health in farm country is beginning to break down, but it will ...
Let’s End the Suspense
On Thursday, the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees held their “suspense hearings.” For those of you who are not Capitol insiders, every bill that has a fiscal impact greater than $150,000 is sent to the “suspense file”. Every one of these bills is weighed against one another for their fiscal ...
California Population Falls Again – The Start Of A Long-Term Trend Or A Short-term Blip?
By Kerry Jackson & Wayne Winegarden California lost population for the second straight year in 2021. Just as 2020’s loss was the first in state history, the repeat is unprecedented. This is not supposed to happen in America’s most dynamic state. Is California’s time at the top over? California is ...
Gun Violence Increases in California
The May 15th shooting at the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Hills, where six people were shot and one tragically died, is yet another reminder that California is experiencing an increase in homicides not seen since 1960. Statewide, homicides were up 30 percent in 2020 and, while 2021 crime statistics ...
California, Sunny With A Near-100% Chance Of Blackouts
In Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised budget released last week, he asked for $5 billion to shore up the state’s electrical grid, calling energy reliability “an endless struggle” in California. And endless will it ever be as long as policymakers continue to pursue, with zero flexibility, an all-green energy portfolio by ...
The May Revise: Two Big Questions Overshadow Newsom Spending Plan
On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom released the “May Revise” of his 2022-23 state budget plan, officially kicking off the race to pass a balanced budget before the June 15th constitutional deadline. There were two major questions for Newsom as he released his revised budget plan. First, when are we going ...
Violent Repercussions from Prop. 57 and Persisting Prison Overcrowding
Why CA Should Rethink the Closure of Two State Prisons California voters recently voiced in a UC Berkeley poll released April 14, 2022, that crime is one of the top three issues needed to be addressed in the state. From organized looting to early release of violent criminals, the problem ...
To Make California Dream a Reality for All, Remove Homebuilding Roadblocks
California’s median home price set a new record of $849,080 in March, according to the latest figures from the California Association of Realtors. In 35 of California’s 58 counties, 50 percent or more of the homes sold above the asking price in March. Given these continued troubling statistics, encouraging desperately ...
Expanding Obamacare is a Costly Prescription
Last month, President Biden proposed fixing the so-called “family glitch,” a quirk in Obamacare’s text that has prevented millions of people from purchasing subsidized coverage through the exchanges. It’s only the latest attempt to gift more people taxpayer-sponsored health coverage. The result will be rising premiums, fewer coverage options, and ...
California Is Trying to Force An Automobile Outcome
By Kerry Jackson & Wayne Winegarden California is getting serious about killing off cars and trucks that burn gasoline and diesel. The governor has ordered it so and an unelected bureaucracy is putting together a schedule for the transition. But no matter how determined they might be, they can’t squeeze ...
