California
Commentary
Despite What the White House Says, Obamacare Is Deeply Troubled
Open enrollment on Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges is in full swing. Consumers in most states, including the 33 that use the federally operated HealthCare.gov, have until Jan. 15 to sign up for coverage for 2022. The Biden administration says things have never been better, and that premiums are declining, more insurers ...
Sally C. Pipes
December 20, 2021
Blog
Newsom: Fact-Checked Again – And Wrong Again
A few months back, Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed Texas middle-class families “pay more taxes than middle-class families in California,” and he dared anyone to check him on it. We did, and he was wrong. Now he’s claiming that crime in Texas is worse than in California. He’s wrong again. Appearing ...
Kerry Jackson
December 17, 2021
Agriculture
No Water Yet Says DWR
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced a zero percent water allocation on Dec. 1. The water agency said that the drought has forced state water regulators to prioritize “health and safety water needs” and that water deliveries are essentially on hold until the state recovers from the ongoing ...
Evan Harris
December 15, 2021
Blog
Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity Would Do More to Build ‘Equitable’ California Than Higher Spending
Shortly after the New Year’s holiday, Gov. Gavin Newsom will kick off “state budget season” when he releases his 2022-23 state budget proposal on January 10. In a sign that perhaps lawmakers won’t be ceding as much of the spotlight to Newsom in 2022 that they have in 2021, Democratic ...
Tim Anaya
December 14, 2021
California
Dr. Joshua Rhodes – How Does California Rate on New Electricity Competition Scorecard?
Dr. Joshua Rhodes, research associate with the Webber Energy Group at the University of Texas, Austin, joins us to discuss the findings of a new national scorecard on electricity competition in the 50 states, and discusses why electricity competition is key to reducing costs, increasing reliability, and lowering emissions in ...
Pacific Research Institute
December 13, 2021
Blog
One Indicator Shows California’s Recovery Is Incomplete
Despite assurances that California’s economy is a treasure to behold – “We are world-beating in terms of our economic growth,” says Gov. Gavin Newsom – the post-pandemic recovery has a gaping hole in it. State unemployment is the highest in the country. Federal data for October show that the jobless ...
Kerry Jackson
December 13, 2021
Blog
Southern California Traffic Is Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels. Now What?
Well, it’s official: Southern California’s infamous traffic is back to pre-pandemic levels. Worse yet, according to one estimate for SR 91—connecting Los Angeles to her Orange and Riverside suburbs—it might actually be worse. While morning commutes have dampened with the rise of remote work and flexible scheduling, the data suggest ...
M. Nolan Gray
December 10, 2021
Blog
Baby You Can Drive My Car, But In California It’s Really Expensive
No drum roll needed. The answer to the question “which state is the worst for drivers?” is obvious. It’s California. An analysis of “diverse datasets covering cost, safety, driving quality and weather” by Bankrate yielded the most unsurprising results. For the fourth time since Bankrate began looking at “the driving ...
Kerry Jackson
December 9, 2021
California
NEW STUDY: Government Fees ‘Nickel and Dime’ Californians Out of Hundreds of Dollars Per Year
California “nickel and dimes” consumers with hundreds of dollars in fees annually for under-utilized services, and their repeal would give relief from the high cost-of-living and make fees more efficient and accountable, finds a new study released today by California-based, nonpartisan, free-market think tank, the Pacific Research Institute. “While ...
Pacific Research Institute
December 9, 2021
California
The nuclear option can keep the lights on in California
A funny thing has happened on the way to California closing all of its nuclear power plants. Biden administration official Jennifer Granholm says the state should rethink its commitment to scrapping atomic energy. In an interview that will be released at an energy conference this week, the U.S. energy secretary ...
Kerry Jackson
December 8, 2021
Despite What the White House Says, Obamacare Is Deeply Troubled
Open enrollment on Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges is in full swing. Consumers in most states, including the 33 that use the federally operated HealthCare.gov, have until Jan. 15 to sign up for coverage for 2022. The Biden administration says things have never been better, and that premiums are declining, more insurers ...
Newsom: Fact-Checked Again – And Wrong Again
A few months back, Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed Texas middle-class families “pay more taxes than middle-class families in California,” and he dared anyone to check him on it. We did, and he was wrong. Now he’s claiming that crime in Texas is worse than in California. He’s wrong again. Appearing ...
No Water Yet Says DWR
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced a zero percent water allocation on Dec. 1. The water agency said that the drought has forced state water regulators to prioritize “health and safety water needs” and that water deliveries are essentially on hold until the state recovers from the ongoing ...
Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity Would Do More to Build ‘Equitable’ California Than Higher Spending
Shortly after the New Year’s holiday, Gov. Gavin Newsom will kick off “state budget season” when he releases his 2022-23 state budget proposal on January 10. In a sign that perhaps lawmakers won’t be ceding as much of the spotlight to Newsom in 2022 that they have in 2021, Democratic ...
Dr. Joshua Rhodes – How Does California Rate on New Electricity Competition Scorecard?
Dr. Joshua Rhodes, research associate with the Webber Energy Group at the University of Texas, Austin, joins us to discuss the findings of a new national scorecard on electricity competition in the 50 states, and discusses why electricity competition is key to reducing costs, increasing reliability, and lowering emissions in ...
One Indicator Shows California’s Recovery Is Incomplete
Despite assurances that California’s economy is a treasure to behold – “We are world-beating in terms of our economic growth,” says Gov. Gavin Newsom – the post-pandemic recovery has a gaping hole in it. State unemployment is the highest in the country. Federal data for October show that the jobless ...
Southern California Traffic Is Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels. Now What?
Well, it’s official: Southern California’s infamous traffic is back to pre-pandemic levels. Worse yet, according to one estimate for SR 91—connecting Los Angeles to her Orange and Riverside suburbs—it might actually be worse. While morning commutes have dampened with the rise of remote work and flexible scheduling, the data suggest ...
Baby You Can Drive My Car, But In California It’s Really Expensive
No drum roll needed. The answer to the question “which state is the worst for drivers?” is obvious. It’s California. An analysis of “diverse datasets covering cost, safety, driving quality and weather” by Bankrate yielded the most unsurprising results. For the fourth time since Bankrate began looking at “the driving ...
NEW STUDY: Government Fees ‘Nickel and Dime’ Californians Out of Hundreds of Dollars Per Year
California “nickel and dimes” consumers with hundreds of dollars in fees annually for under-utilized services, and their repeal would give relief from the high cost-of-living and make fees more efficient and accountable, finds a new study released today by California-based, nonpartisan, free-market think tank, the Pacific Research Institute. “While ...
The nuclear option can keep the lights on in California
A funny thing has happened on the way to California closing all of its nuclear power plants. Biden administration official Jennifer Granholm says the state should rethink its commitment to scrapping atomic energy. In an interview that will be released at an energy conference this week, the U.S. energy secretary ...