Environment
Blog
“Gov. Windmill” Takes His Crusade Around the World
Jerry Brown was tagged with the nickname “Gov. Moonbeam” while in office during the 1970s and 1980s. It was a fitting handle, because he was an unorthodox politician who represented the state’s increasingly curious behavior. Now in his second life as the state’s chief executive, it might be time to ...
California
End of Legislative Session Brings Brief Respite from Higher Energy Prices
Legislation that would have required all electric power sold in the state to be generated by renewable sources by 2045 was held up in the final days of the recently-completed legislative session. But it will come back. Should the idea ever become law, we’ll remember these as the easy days ...
California
Talk of a Ban on Non-Electric Cars
What if California did away altogether with cars powered by fossil fuels? Gov. Jerry Brown is said to have considered the question. According to a report in Bloomberg, he asked a state regulator about a plan by China to phase out sales of fossil-fuel vehicles. “I’ve gotten messages from the ...
Blog
Is State’s Plastic Bag Ban Causing Rise in Hepatitis Cases?
A deadly hepatitis A outbreak in San Diego County has residents on edge. Since last November, at least 17 people have died and nearly 300 others have been sent to the hospital in what public health officials are calling the deadliest outbreak of the disease in the U.S. in decades. ...
Blog
Proposed Tax Is a Four-Letter Word in My Neighborhood
Water meters are a sore subject in my neighborhood. The City of Sacramento has been installing water meters for the past few years as part of its effort to comply with a state mandate. This year, it was my neighborhood’s turn to endure the inefficient mess that has become Sacramento’s ...
Blog
Legislature Should Remove Barriers to Work for Californians
Late last month, U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta challenged state legislators to abolish one of the most noxious barriers to work: occupational licensing. If Sacramento lawmakers followed through, hundreds of thousands of Californians would be liberated from a system that bars entry into the workforce and also protects those who’ve ...
Blog
A Smaller Loss for Taxpayers on Electric Car Subsidies
It’s a sad indictment of California’s political class, but often the Legislature’s top achievements are the things it didn’t get around to doing. Up until the final days of the legislation session, this year’s chief accomplishment looked like it would be the failure of a scheme to spend billions on ...
Blog
How About CEQA Exemptions for All?
The California Environmental Quality Act is by far the most destructive of the causes that factor into California’s housing crisis. Its regulatory hurdles have sharply increased the cost of building, which has led to a severe shortage of homes that pushed prices to levels that many can’t afford. Even Gov. ...
Agriculture
Taxing Robots Will Hurt California Innovation and Opportunity
A California governor who went on to greater things was known to say that if government sees something move, it will tax it. Ronald Reagan’s words, spoken more than 30 years ago, are being played out today by a lawmaker who wants to enact a robot tax. Jane Kim, a ...
Commentary
The Inconvenient Truth About Obamacare’s Premium Spiral
Insurers have until Sept. 5 to reveal what they will charge for coverage through Obamacare’s exchanges next year. They are required to finalize their rates by Sept. 5 — and sign their contracts by Sept. 27. The numbers they’ve released thus far aren’t pretty. In Iowa, insurer Medica is seeking ...
“Gov. Windmill” Takes His Crusade Around the World
Jerry Brown was tagged with the nickname “Gov. Moonbeam” while in office during the 1970s and 1980s. It was a fitting handle, because he was an unorthodox politician who represented the state’s increasingly curious behavior. Now in his second life as the state’s chief executive, it might be time to ...
End of Legislative Session Brings Brief Respite from Higher Energy Prices
Legislation that would have required all electric power sold in the state to be generated by renewable sources by 2045 was held up in the final days of the recently-completed legislative session. But it will come back. Should the idea ever become law, we’ll remember these as the easy days ...
Talk of a Ban on Non-Electric Cars
What if California did away altogether with cars powered by fossil fuels? Gov. Jerry Brown is said to have considered the question. According to a report in Bloomberg, he asked a state regulator about a plan by China to phase out sales of fossil-fuel vehicles. “I’ve gotten messages from the ...
Is State’s Plastic Bag Ban Causing Rise in Hepatitis Cases?
A deadly hepatitis A outbreak in San Diego County has residents on edge. Since last November, at least 17 people have died and nearly 300 others have been sent to the hospital in what public health officials are calling the deadliest outbreak of the disease in the U.S. in decades. ...
Proposed Tax Is a Four-Letter Word in My Neighborhood
Water meters are a sore subject in my neighborhood. The City of Sacramento has been installing water meters for the past few years as part of its effort to comply with a state mandate. This year, it was my neighborhood’s turn to endure the inefficient mess that has become Sacramento’s ...
Legislature Should Remove Barriers to Work for Californians
Late last month, U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta challenged state legislators to abolish one of the most noxious barriers to work: occupational licensing. If Sacramento lawmakers followed through, hundreds of thousands of Californians would be liberated from a system that bars entry into the workforce and also protects those who’ve ...
A Smaller Loss for Taxpayers on Electric Car Subsidies
It’s a sad indictment of California’s political class, but often the Legislature’s top achievements are the things it didn’t get around to doing. Up until the final days of the legislation session, this year’s chief accomplishment looked like it would be the failure of a scheme to spend billions on ...
How About CEQA Exemptions for All?
The California Environmental Quality Act is by far the most destructive of the causes that factor into California’s housing crisis. Its regulatory hurdles have sharply increased the cost of building, which has led to a severe shortage of homes that pushed prices to levels that many can’t afford. Even Gov. ...
Taxing Robots Will Hurt California Innovation and Opportunity
A California governor who went on to greater things was known to say that if government sees something move, it will tax it. Ronald Reagan’s words, spoken more than 30 years ago, are being played out today by a lawmaker who wants to enact a robot tax. Jane Kim, a ...
The Inconvenient Truth About Obamacare’s Premium Spiral
Insurers have until Sept. 5 to reveal what they will charge for coverage through Obamacare’s exchanges next year. They are required to finalize their rates by Sept. 5 — and sign their contracts by Sept. 27. The numbers they’ve released thus far aren’t pretty. In Iowa, insurer Medica is seeking ...
