Environment
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 ...
Blog
Beware Sacramento Offering You A “Good Deal” On Your Next Car
What are the legitimate functions of good government? James Madison said they are “to protect property of every sort.” “The rights of persons and the rights of property are the objects for the protection of which government was instituted,” he said in an 1829 address to the Virginia Convention. Some ...
Blog
Court Ruling Paves the Way for Even More Tax Hikes in Overtaxed California
Tax hikes, especially in the state known for its extraordinarily heavy tax burden, should not be easily enacted. Yet the California Supreme Court has made the job much easier. California law previously required a two-thirds majority for the passage of any tax hike introduced by government or by a voter ...
Agriculture
CAPITAL IDEAS: Embracing A New California Vision That Isn’t So New
Click here to download the brief Republican San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer recently gave a speech to the Commonwealth Club where he called for a “new vision” that will broaden his party’s appeal. He has a point. There’s no arguing that the California GOP doesn’t need a makeover – it ...
Blog
Legislature Takes Two Steps Back on State’s Housing Crisis
California lawmakers can’t hide from the state’s housing crisis caused by a severe shortage of homes. They’ve even promised to do something about it. But a bill just signed into law last month indicates that the promise is likely to be hollow. Rather than lower government-imposed barriers to home building, ...
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 ...
Beware Sacramento Offering You A “Good Deal” On Your Next Car
What are the legitimate functions of good government? James Madison said they are “to protect property of every sort.” “The rights of persons and the rights of property are the objects for the protection of which government was instituted,” he said in an 1829 address to the Virginia Convention. Some ...
Court Ruling Paves the Way for Even More Tax Hikes in Overtaxed California
Tax hikes, especially in the state known for its extraordinarily heavy tax burden, should not be easily enacted. Yet the California Supreme Court has made the job much easier. California law previously required a two-thirds majority for the passage of any tax hike introduced by government or by a voter ...
CAPITAL IDEAS: Embracing A New California Vision That Isn’t So New
Click here to download the brief Republican San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer recently gave a speech to the Commonwealth Club where he called for a “new vision” that will broaden his party’s appeal. He has a point. There’s no arguing that the California GOP doesn’t need a makeover – it ...
Legislature Takes Two Steps Back on State’s Housing Crisis
California lawmakers can’t hide from the state’s housing crisis caused by a severe shortage of homes. They’ve even promised to do something about it. But a bill just signed into law last month indicates that the promise is likely to be hollow. Rather than lower government-imposed barriers to home building, ...
