Environment
Commentary
Is ‘Plastophobia’ Sweeping California?
Grocery store cashier: Do you need a bag? Customer: No thanks, it’s just a few items. I’ll put everything in this plastic produce bag with the bananas. Cashier: Ok. We just got those bags the other day. They’re awesome. Customer: Oh, why? Cashier: They’re biodegradable. They are also delicate to ...
Commentary
ObamaCare’s 8th Birthday is An Unhappy One for All Americans
When ObamaCare turns eight on Friday, the law will have exactly one impressive accomplishment to its name: surviving as long as it has. Americans are worse off than we were before ObamaCare was enacted. Health insurance premiums and deductibles are soaring, and consumers face a shrinking number of insurance options. More ...
California
Mass Transit Ridership is Falling in Southern California, Study Finds
By Kenneth Artz A new study finds commuters are increasingly choosing to use cars over mass transit in Southern California. Mass transit use in six southern California counties declined significantly during the past decade, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) ...
Blackouts
Could Regional Electric Grid Impose Costly CA Policies on Other States?
When talking about the management of California’s power grid, people’s eyelids will surely grow heavy before you finish making your point. But how California’s power grid is managed is incredibly important. Think back to 2001 and California’s electricity crisis and the rolling blackouts. I once had the chance to visit ...
Commentary
Subsidies for Electric Vehicles Favor the Wealthy
Electric vehicles are heavily subsidized by the federal, state, and local governments. Based on a study I just completed, the federal subsidies are worth over $42.7 billion to their recipients over the lifetime of the programs. They include the federal grant and loan programs for manufacturers, and the consumer tax credits worth $7,500 per ...
Agriculture
New Survey Shows Golden State Marching to the Beat of its Own Drummer
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a very interesting presentation in Sacramento by the Edelman public relations firm on its annual “Trust Barometer” survey. For the past 18 years, the firm’s research arm has conducted a global survey measuring the public’s trust in key institutions and organizations. You ...
California
Are California’s Poor Losing Out In State’s Drive For Clean Energy Future?
California policymakers have been on overdrive in recent years pursuing a clean energy future for the Golden State. State policymakers have enacted scores of government mandates and programs to push employers and individuals to reduce emissions, including unrealistic renewable energy mandates, cap-and-trade, and its embrace of high-speed rail. Many of ...
Business & Economics
Joel Fox on PRI’s California Business Climate Survey
Survey: Biz Execs Down on CA A survey of business executives in highly sought after industries such as clean tech and research & development conclude that California has a number of problems that prevent businesses from locating or expanding in the state. The Pacific Research Institute survey discovered that housing and real ...
Blog
California’s Housing Crisis Also Hurts Our Business Climate
When asked which factors influence their decisions about locating their businesses in California, the top concerns, according to a group of surveyed executives, are housing and real estate costs. No surprise, there. This state’s housing crunch is an enormous problem that threatens the future. The California business climate survey included ...
Is ‘Plastophobia’ Sweeping California?
Grocery store cashier: Do you need a bag? Customer: No thanks, it’s just a few items. I’ll put everything in this plastic produce bag with the bananas. Cashier: Ok. We just got those bags the other day. They’re awesome. Customer: Oh, why? Cashier: They’re biodegradable. They are also delicate to ...
ObamaCare’s 8th Birthday is An Unhappy One for All Americans
When ObamaCare turns eight on Friday, the law will have exactly one impressive accomplishment to its name: surviving as long as it has. Americans are worse off than we were before ObamaCare was enacted. Health insurance premiums and deductibles are soaring, and consumers face a shrinking number of insurance options. More ...
Mass Transit Ridership is Falling in Southern California, Study Finds
By Kenneth Artz A new study finds commuters are increasingly choosing to use cars over mass transit in Southern California. Mass transit use in six southern California counties declined significantly during the past decade, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) ...
Could Regional Electric Grid Impose Costly CA Policies on Other States?
When talking about the management of California’s power grid, people’s eyelids will surely grow heavy before you finish making your point. But how California’s power grid is managed is incredibly important. Think back to 2001 and California’s electricity crisis and the rolling blackouts. I once had the chance to visit ...
Subsidies for Electric Vehicles Favor the Wealthy
Electric vehicles are heavily subsidized by the federal, state, and local governments. Based on a study I just completed, the federal subsidies are worth over $42.7 billion to their recipients over the lifetime of the programs. They include the federal grant and loan programs for manufacturers, and the consumer tax credits worth $7,500 per ...
New Survey Shows Golden State Marching to the Beat of its Own Drummer
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a very interesting presentation in Sacramento by the Edelman public relations firm on its annual “Trust Barometer” survey. For the past 18 years, the firm’s research arm has conducted a global survey measuring the public’s trust in key institutions and organizations. You ...
Are California’s Poor Losing Out In State’s Drive For Clean Energy Future?
California policymakers have been on overdrive in recent years pursuing a clean energy future for the Golden State. State policymakers have enacted scores of government mandates and programs to push employers and individuals to reduce emissions, including unrealistic renewable energy mandates, cap-and-trade, and its embrace of high-speed rail. Many of ...
Joel Fox on PRI’s California Business Climate Survey
Survey: Biz Execs Down on CA A survey of business executives in highly sought after industries such as clean tech and research & development conclude that California has a number of problems that prevent businesses from locating or expanding in the state. The Pacific Research Institute survey discovered that housing and real ...
California’s Housing Crisis Also Hurts Our Business Climate
When asked which factors influence their decisions about locating their businesses in California, the top concerns, according to a group of surveyed executives, are housing and real estate costs. No surprise, there. This state’s housing crunch is an enormous problem that threatens the future. The California business climate survey included ...
