Free Cities

California

$12 billion to house the homeless, but ‘housing first’ doesn’t work

The governor has plans to spend an extraordinary sum of public money on the homeless, most of which would be used to put them up in hotels. Sounds compassionate. But it’s another empty promise. Housing-first policy is indistinguishable from housing-and-nothing-else. Part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $100 billion “California Comeback Plan” ...
Blog

Being An Entrepreneur In San Francisco Is A Financially Punishing Experience

Living in San Francisco is a dollar-burning experience. It’s the most expensive housing market in the country, and the cost of living is higher only in Manhattan. But what about building a business in the city that fancies itself as The City? Don’t even ask. Nevertheless, we’re here to tell, ...
Blackouts

Blackouts, Increasing Crime, Rampant Homelessness, And Man-Made Drought: Is This California Or A Third World Nation?

While still trying to process the unwelcome news that we’re going to have to grind through yet another year of drought, California energy officials told us to also be ready for the power to go out when the days grow long and warm. “The managers of California’s electricity system,” the ...
Blog

Early Release for 76,000 California Inmates

Last week, Gov. Newsom, in an “emergency declaration”, is giving 76,000 inmates — including violent and repeat felons — the opportunity to leave prison early in order to reduce the state’s prison population. Of the 76,000 inmates, 63,000 were convicted of violent crimes, including 20,000 serving life sentences with the ...
Business & Economics

Robert Poole – Pres. Biden’s “Infrastructure” Plan

This week’s podcast features Robert Poole, director of transportation policy at the Reason Foundation.  Bob Poole, one of the leading transportation policy experts in the nation – discusses Pres. Biden’s so-called infrastructure plan and what’s really in it.  Mr. Poole also discusses California’s poor infrastructure and ideas to improve it, ...
Blog

6 Factors Inhibiting Family Growth in California

California has some of the lowest fertility rates in the nation, coming in at 1.6 in 2019. The number is expected to decrease even more. One recent study projects that 25% of American millennial women will be childless, a significant uptick from historical U.S. trends. While reasons for lowered fertility ...
Blog

CEQA Strikes Again in Holding Up Major Homebuilding Project

Recently, the Southern California Association of Governments voted on new housing development goals for the region for the coming decade.  Its vote requires cities and counties to make plans to zone for up to 1.34 million new homes by the end of the decade. The need to build additional new ...
California

No Way to End California’s Homelessness Crisis

In late January, a survey conducted by Data for Progress, a progressive activist group, found that an overwhelming majority of Californians favor increasing taxes on corporations to fund “a range of efforts to help” alleviate the homelessness crisis in California. But California is already home to one of the highest ...
California

Statement by Co-Author of New Book on California’s Homeless Crisis on Biden Administration $5 Billion Homeless Initiative

Dr. Wayne Winegarden, senior fellow in business and economics at the California-based free market think tank the Pacific Research Institute, and co-author of the new book on California’s homeless crisis No Way Home, issued the following statement on the Biden Administration new $5 billion initiative to combat homelessness: “The Biden ...
Blog

Are Property Rights Dead In California?

According to one San Francisco supervisor, there are tens of thousands of vacant housing units in the city. “How do we activate them?” he asks. It’s a good question, with an answer that’s likely to unsettle the dwindling number in California who still respect property rights. Dean Preston, the first ...
California

$12 billion to house the homeless, but ‘housing first’ doesn’t work

The governor has plans to spend an extraordinary sum of public money on the homeless, most of which would be used to put them up in hotels. Sounds compassionate. But it’s another empty promise. Housing-first policy is indistinguishable from housing-and-nothing-else. Part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $100 billion “California Comeback Plan” ...
Blog

Being An Entrepreneur In San Francisco Is A Financially Punishing Experience

Living in San Francisco is a dollar-burning experience. It’s the most expensive housing market in the country, and the cost of living is higher only in Manhattan. But what about building a business in the city that fancies itself as The City? Don’t even ask. Nevertheless, we’re here to tell, ...
Blackouts

Blackouts, Increasing Crime, Rampant Homelessness, And Man-Made Drought: Is This California Or A Third World Nation?

While still trying to process the unwelcome news that we’re going to have to grind through yet another year of drought, California energy officials told us to also be ready for the power to go out when the days grow long and warm. “The managers of California’s electricity system,” the ...
Blog

Early Release for 76,000 California Inmates

Last week, Gov. Newsom, in an “emergency declaration”, is giving 76,000 inmates — including violent and repeat felons — the opportunity to leave prison early in order to reduce the state’s prison population. Of the 76,000 inmates, 63,000 were convicted of violent crimes, including 20,000 serving life sentences with the ...
Business & Economics

Robert Poole – Pres. Biden’s “Infrastructure” Plan

This week’s podcast features Robert Poole, director of transportation policy at the Reason Foundation.  Bob Poole, one of the leading transportation policy experts in the nation – discusses Pres. Biden’s so-called infrastructure plan and what’s really in it.  Mr. Poole also discusses California’s poor infrastructure and ideas to improve it, ...
Blog

6 Factors Inhibiting Family Growth in California

California has some of the lowest fertility rates in the nation, coming in at 1.6 in 2019. The number is expected to decrease even more. One recent study projects that 25% of American millennial women will be childless, a significant uptick from historical U.S. trends. While reasons for lowered fertility ...
Blog

CEQA Strikes Again in Holding Up Major Homebuilding Project

Recently, the Southern California Association of Governments voted on new housing development goals for the region for the coming decade.  Its vote requires cities and counties to make plans to zone for up to 1.34 million new homes by the end of the decade. The need to build additional new ...
California

No Way to End California’s Homelessness Crisis

In late January, a survey conducted by Data for Progress, a progressive activist group, found that an overwhelming majority of Californians favor increasing taxes on corporations to fund “a range of efforts to help” alleviate the homelessness crisis in California. But California is already home to one of the highest ...
California

Statement by Co-Author of New Book on California’s Homeless Crisis on Biden Administration $5 Billion Homeless Initiative

Dr. Wayne Winegarden, senior fellow in business and economics at the California-based free market think tank the Pacific Research Institute, and co-author of the new book on California’s homeless crisis No Way Home, issued the following statement on the Biden Administration new $5 billion initiative to combat homelessness: “The Biden ...
Blog

Are Property Rights Dead In California?

According to one San Francisco supervisor, there are tens of thousands of vacant housing units in the city. “How do we activate them?” he asks. It’s a good question, with an answer that’s likely to unsettle the dwindling number in California who still respect property rights. Dean Preston, the first ...
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