Environment
Commentary
What are acetogens? And how could synthetic biology turn oil, coal and other fossil fuels into green, carbon-negative chemicals?
When most people hear about oil, as in petroleum, they think of what gets refined to produce gasoline. But it’s more. Much more. From clothes to dentures to lipstick and even toothpaste, the number of household products made from chemicals based on fossil fuels numbers in the thousands. We all know that ...
Blog
Can California Tackle Zoning Run Amok in 2022?
The numbers are in on the cost of living in California, and it ain’t pretty: According to an analysis by the real estate listing service Zillow, as reported in the New York Times, home prices went up by a startling 12.3 percent between November 2020 and 2021. In suburban areas ...
Blog
To Give Californians Real Relief from High Gas Prices, Sacramento Must Legislate Energy Prosperity
By Tim Anaya and Wayne Winegarden As of April 5, average state gas prices in California were $5.84 per gallon for regular, according to AAA, which were the nation’s highest average gas prices. Previously on Right by the Bay, we wrote about the one-upmanship between Democrats and Republicans in the ...
Blog
Assembly Progressives’ Solution to Astronomical Gas Prices? Increase Taxes on Gas
Only in California will you witness Assembly progressives hijacking a bill that suspends a tax to gut-and-amend it with language that enacts a new tax. Assemblymember Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) introduced Assembly Bill 1638 at the beginning of this year in response to the considerable jump in gas prices following the ...
Agriculture
Who Grows Your Peaches?
In 1973, March 22 was designated National Ag Day by the Agriculture Council of America and the inaugural celebration of the day was in 1979. Since the inception of National Ag Day, it has been expanded to encompass the week that March 22 falls in each year. I have to ...
Agriculture
Life In The Dry Lane
Letters to the editor are often thought of as barometers of the public’s mood. While it’s obvious that California has been blue for some time, it’s still instructive to take a look at what residents are saying. In the Los Angeles Times, for instance, a recent series of letters suggested ...
California
California Burning – Panel Discussion
California once again experienced one of the largest wildfires in state history in 2021, in the shadow of a severe drought that is increasing fire danger. In this panel discussion from PRI’s annual Ideas in Action Conference in Sacramento, policy experts discuss what can be done to reduce wildfires and ...
Blog
Rent Control Can’t Stop Soaring Housing Rents
California’s “Been There, Done That” California’s sky-high rental housing rates are now being felt by the rest of the country. Apartment List’s most recent report in February showed that rents grew 17.6 percent annually for all housing types and increased 0.6 percent over the month. This tracks the Bureau of ...
Business & Economics
NEW STUDY: Competitive Markets Reduce Electricity Costs, Improve Reliability, Lower Emissions
States with competitive electricity markets saw cheaper energy prices, more energy infrastructure investment to improve efficiency and reliability, and greater emission reductions compared to monopoly states, finds a new study released today by the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute, a California-based, free-market think tank. “Residents and businesses lose out when states ...
Blog
Who Will Benefit from the Great Gas Tax Rebate Debate of 2022?
By Tim Anaya and Wayne Winegarden The news that average gas prices per gallon in Los Angeles County have soared past $6 per gallon has triggered the “Great Gas Tax Rebate Debate of 2022.” Democrats and Republicans in Sacramento are pushing dueling gas tax relief proposals. Legislative Republicans have proposed ...
What are acetogens? And how could synthetic biology turn oil, coal and other fossil fuels into green, carbon-negative chemicals?
When most people hear about oil, as in petroleum, they think of what gets refined to produce gasoline. But it’s more. Much more. From clothes to dentures to lipstick and even toothpaste, the number of household products made from chemicals based on fossil fuels numbers in the thousands. We all know that ...
Can California Tackle Zoning Run Amok in 2022?
The numbers are in on the cost of living in California, and it ain’t pretty: According to an analysis by the real estate listing service Zillow, as reported in the New York Times, home prices went up by a startling 12.3 percent between November 2020 and 2021. In suburban areas ...
To Give Californians Real Relief from High Gas Prices, Sacramento Must Legislate Energy Prosperity
By Tim Anaya and Wayne Winegarden As of April 5, average state gas prices in California were $5.84 per gallon for regular, according to AAA, which were the nation’s highest average gas prices. Previously on Right by the Bay, we wrote about the one-upmanship between Democrats and Republicans in the ...
Assembly Progressives’ Solution to Astronomical Gas Prices? Increase Taxes on Gas
Only in California will you witness Assembly progressives hijacking a bill that suspends a tax to gut-and-amend it with language that enacts a new tax. Assemblymember Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) introduced Assembly Bill 1638 at the beginning of this year in response to the considerable jump in gas prices following the ...
Who Grows Your Peaches?
In 1973, March 22 was designated National Ag Day by the Agriculture Council of America and the inaugural celebration of the day was in 1979. Since the inception of National Ag Day, it has been expanded to encompass the week that March 22 falls in each year. I have to ...
Life In The Dry Lane
Letters to the editor are often thought of as barometers of the public’s mood. While it’s obvious that California has been blue for some time, it’s still instructive to take a look at what residents are saying. In the Los Angeles Times, for instance, a recent series of letters suggested ...
California Burning – Panel Discussion
California once again experienced one of the largest wildfires in state history in 2021, in the shadow of a severe drought that is increasing fire danger. In this panel discussion from PRI’s annual Ideas in Action Conference in Sacramento, policy experts discuss what can be done to reduce wildfires and ...
Rent Control Can’t Stop Soaring Housing Rents
California’s “Been There, Done That” California’s sky-high rental housing rates are now being felt by the rest of the country. Apartment List’s most recent report in February showed that rents grew 17.6 percent annually for all housing types and increased 0.6 percent over the month. This tracks the Bureau of ...
NEW STUDY: Competitive Markets Reduce Electricity Costs, Improve Reliability, Lower Emissions
States with competitive electricity markets saw cheaper energy prices, more energy infrastructure investment to improve efficiency and reliability, and greater emission reductions compared to monopoly states, finds a new study released today by the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute, a California-based, free-market think tank. “Residents and businesses lose out when states ...
Who Will Benefit from the Great Gas Tax Rebate Debate of 2022?
By Tim Anaya and Wayne Winegarden The news that average gas prices per gallon in Los Angeles County have soared past $6 per gallon has triggered the “Great Gas Tax Rebate Debate of 2022.” Democrats and Republicans in Sacramento are pushing dueling gas tax relief proposals. Legislative Republicans have proposed ...
