California
Blog
Memo to Newsom and Garcetti: Try Leveling with Californians for a Change
Last week, local and state officials announced new, severe restrictions as officials grapple with rising cases of Covid-19 and rapidly-filling hospital emergency rooms nearing capacity. Especially during a public health crisis like this one, it is very important for government officials to be very clear in the information they are ...
Blog
A Tribute to the Great Economics Professor Walter Williams, RIP
It is with much sadness that I learned of the recent passing of one of my favorite and most respected economists, Professor Walter Williams. Walter was a prolific writer, author, educator, and defender of freedom. He died on December 3rd at 84, having taught his final economics class at George ...
Blog
Will Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ‘Do Something’ About Lockdown Rules Made Absent Evidence?
Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and others using the pandemic to restrict Californians’ movements should not be surprised that there’s been a pushback. While it’s due in part to the habit of officials failing to follow the rules they set, much of the frustration and defiance we’re ...
Blackouts
Lockdowns, Power Shutdowns, And Feeling Rundown – Life In California Is Hard
The image of California living is that of a never-ending vacation. Sun. Surf. Endless entertainment. Plenty of good jobs. The leaves are never brown, nor the sky gray. Always safe and warm. But the reality is different. The coming winter looks to be one that will keep the entire state ...
Blog
Californians Finally Think State and Local Taxes Are Too High Thanks to SALT Deduction Cap
A recently-released UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) poll generated headlines before Thanksgiving for its finding that, if it came up for a vote again, California would again vote to approve the landmark property tax relief measure Proposition 13 by a 53 to 19 percent margin. Generating less media ...
Blog
PRI is Reclaiming the American Dream on Giving Tuesday 2020
“To restrain the growth and the power of government to deprive people of personal freedom. That is what PRI is all about. And it’s why this organization admirably fights so far above its weight.” That’s what former California Governor Pete Wilson said at the Pacific Research Institute’s Annual Thatcher Gala ...
Blog
The Numbers Don’t Lie: California Has an Outmigration Problem
Recent Census Bureau data tell a story that surprises no one who keeps up with current events in California: The state is losing residents like few others. According to economist Mark J. Perry, only four other states – New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Louisiana – had a greater net outflow ...
Blog
Living in Fear in LA – What Defunding the LAPD Means for Angelenos
If rapidly rising cases of COVID-19 haven’t stopped Los Angelenos from stepping out of their homes — this will. To carry out the LA City Council’s decision to bow to mob violence and cut $150 million from the Los Angeles Police Department’s budget, the LAPD over the next several months ...
Blog
California’s Unexpected Surplus Further Proof Bailout for States Unnecessary
Last week, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s office (LAO) released its fiscal outlook for 2021, which is traditionally the start of the debate over next year’s state budget. Unexpectedly, California finds itself sitting on a $26 billion windfall according to the LAO, attributed to “results from revisions in prior- and current-year ...
California
The (Back) Rent Is Too Damn High
Did someone say that suspending the responsibilities for renters to make their payments due to the pandemic on time would create problems? Of course they did. And of course it has. By the end of the year, Californians will owe as much as $1.7 billion in back rent, says a ...
Memo to Newsom and Garcetti: Try Leveling with Californians for a Change
Last week, local and state officials announced new, severe restrictions as officials grapple with rising cases of Covid-19 and rapidly-filling hospital emergency rooms nearing capacity. Especially during a public health crisis like this one, it is very important for government officials to be very clear in the information they are ...
A Tribute to the Great Economics Professor Walter Williams, RIP
It is with much sadness that I learned of the recent passing of one of my favorite and most respected economists, Professor Walter Williams. Walter was a prolific writer, author, educator, and defender of freedom. He died on December 3rd at 84, having taught his final economics class at George ...
Will Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ‘Do Something’ About Lockdown Rules Made Absent Evidence?
Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and others using the pandemic to restrict Californians’ movements should not be surprised that there’s been a pushback. While it’s due in part to the habit of officials failing to follow the rules they set, much of the frustration and defiance we’re ...
Lockdowns, Power Shutdowns, And Feeling Rundown – Life In California Is Hard
The image of California living is that of a never-ending vacation. Sun. Surf. Endless entertainment. Plenty of good jobs. The leaves are never brown, nor the sky gray. Always safe and warm. But the reality is different. The coming winter looks to be one that will keep the entire state ...
Californians Finally Think State and Local Taxes Are Too High Thanks to SALT Deduction Cap
A recently-released UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) poll generated headlines before Thanksgiving for its finding that, if it came up for a vote again, California would again vote to approve the landmark property tax relief measure Proposition 13 by a 53 to 19 percent margin. Generating less media ...
PRI is Reclaiming the American Dream on Giving Tuesday 2020
“To restrain the growth and the power of government to deprive people of personal freedom. That is what PRI is all about. And it’s why this organization admirably fights so far above its weight.” That’s what former California Governor Pete Wilson said at the Pacific Research Institute’s Annual Thatcher Gala ...
The Numbers Don’t Lie: California Has an Outmigration Problem
Recent Census Bureau data tell a story that surprises no one who keeps up with current events in California: The state is losing residents like few others. According to economist Mark J. Perry, only four other states – New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Louisiana – had a greater net outflow ...
Living in Fear in LA – What Defunding the LAPD Means for Angelenos
If rapidly rising cases of COVID-19 haven’t stopped Los Angelenos from stepping out of their homes — this will. To carry out the LA City Council’s decision to bow to mob violence and cut $150 million from the Los Angeles Police Department’s budget, the LAPD over the next several months ...
California’s Unexpected Surplus Further Proof Bailout for States Unnecessary
Last week, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s office (LAO) released its fiscal outlook for 2021, which is traditionally the start of the debate over next year’s state budget. Unexpectedly, California finds itself sitting on a $26 billion windfall according to the LAO, attributed to “results from revisions in prior- and current-year ...
The (Back) Rent Is Too Damn High
Did someone say that suspending the responsibilities for renters to make their payments due to the pandemic on time would create problems? Of course they did. And of course it has. By the end of the year, Californians will owe as much as $1.7 billion in back rent, says a ...
