Blog
Privatizing the loo: A solution for cities’ restroom debacle?
Privatizing the loo: A solution for cities’ restroom debacle? By D. Dowd Muska | November 21, 2025 Spend enough time researching the subject, and one can be forgiven for abandoning all hope. Simply put, America’s public restrooms are a disaster. First, there aren’t enough of them. Writer Quinn O’Callaghan considers ...
Blog
Look Out for the ‘Lid Lifters’ Looking for Organic Waste in Your Trash Bin
They are for now “lid lifters,” compliance officers whose job is to make sure the citizens of the city of San Diego are sorting their refuse correctly. The local Fox affiliate says they “are conducting checks on trash bins across the city to prevent fires caused by combustible waste, following ...
Blog
The BASIC Fund Gives Hope for a Better Education to Low-Income Children
According to the organization, “Scholarships are awarded on a sliding scale, covering 25%, 50%, or 75% of the Family Portion of the school’s tuition up to a maximum of $2,750 annually per child.” Thus, parents are asked to fund part of their child’s private school costs to ensure that the ...
Blog
Will California Finally Overhaul CEQA?
In response, state lawmakers passed AB130 and SB131 this session, a package of bills which exempted various housing developments from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review and provided streamlined review for developments which would have qualified for exemption but for one disqualifying condition. Luis Quiñonez, President of the California Foundation ...
Blog
Private transit worked in the past. Could it help cities again?
On the surface, Tokyo and Los Angeles couldn’t be more different — one city known for its safety, cleanliness, walkability and vibrancy, while the other is often criticized for sprawl, dysfunction and decay. But there was a time when Los Angeles was known for the former — in part, by ...
Agriculture
Potato chips, strawberry milk, and the case for food ag-vocacy
Most Americans do not grow their own food. This disconnect between the farm gate, and the dinner plate has long been a concern for “ag-vocates” who’ve noted more people are unable to connect directly with reasons why agriculture is important. The recent announcement from Lays Potato Chips that 42 percent ...
Blog
Cities bury power lines to halt wildfires, but state slows progress
Cities bury power lines to halt wildfires, but state slows progress by John Seiler | November 14, 2025 California’s wildfires burned more than a half-million acres this year, with the Pacific Palisades and eaton wildfires counting among the nation’s most devastating wildfires ever. While some wildfires are inevitable in such ...
Agriculture
Beef purchase plan escalates concerns in ag country
The comments sparked responses from various ag groups. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association responded with the following statement: The reality is that ranchers’ success is driven by their own hard work. America’s cattlemen and women operate in one of the most competitive marketplaces in the world. U.S. cattle producers ...
Blog
There Is No Mystery Surcharge Driving Up California’s Gasoline Costs
Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to puzzle over a “mystery surcharge” for gasoline. The enigmatic fee was first identified in 2017 by Severin Borenstein, an energy economist at the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. It explains, he says, “the extra amount we pay for gas that can’t be ...
Blog
The Gordon Chang Report–For China, Demography Is a Grim Destiny
READ THE PDF For China, Demography Is a Grim Destiny “China has embarked on a road of demographic no-return,” writes Wang Feng of the University of California, Irvine. “Left unaddressed, China’s demographic trap could precipitate a civilizational collapse,” Yi Fuxian of the University of Wisconsin-Madison tells us. China will suffer ...
Privatizing the loo: A solution for cities’ restroom debacle?
Privatizing the loo: A solution for cities’ restroom debacle? By D. Dowd Muska | November 21, 2025 Spend enough time researching the subject, and one can be forgiven for abandoning all hope. Simply put, America’s public restrooms are a disaster. First, there aren’t enough of them. Writer Quinn O’Callaghan considers ...
Look Out for the ‘Lid Lifters’ Looking for Organic Waste in Your Trash Bin
They are for now “lid lifters,” compliance officers whose job is to make sure the citizens of the city of San Diego are sorting their refuse correctly. The local Fox affiliate says they “are conducting checks on trash bins across the city to prevent fires caused by combustible waste, following ...
The BASIC Fund Gives Hope for a Better Education to Low-Income Children
According to the organization, “Scholarships are awarded on a sliding scale, covering 25%, 50%, or 75% of the Family Portion of the school’s tuition up to a maximum of $2,750 annually per child.” Thus, parents are asked to fund part of their child’s private school costs to ensure that the ...
Will California Finally Overhaul CEQA?
In response, state lawmakers passed AB130 and SB131 this session, a package of bills which exempted various housing developments from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review and provided streamlined review for developments which would have qualified for exemption but for one disqualifying condition. Luis Quiñonez, President of the California Foundation ...
Private transit worked in the past. Could it help cities again?
On the surface, Tokyo and Los Angeles couldn’t be more different — one city known for its safety, cleanliness, walkability and vibrancy, while the other is often criticized for sprawl, dysfunction and decay. But there was a time when Los Angeles was known for the former — in part, by ...
Potato chips, strawberry milk, and the case for food ag-vocacy
Most Americans do not grow their own food. This disconnect between the farm gate, and the dinner plate has long been a concern for “ag-vocates” who’ve noted more people are unable to connect directly with reasons why agriculture is important. The recent announcement from Lays Potato Chips that 42 percent ...
Cities bury power lines to halt wildfires, but state slows progress
Cities bury power lines to halt wildfires, but state slows progress by John Seiler | November 14, 2025 California’s wildfires burned more than a half-million acres this year, with the Pacific Palisades and eaton wildfires counting among the nation’s most devastating wildfires ever. While some wildfires are inevitable in such ...
Beef purchase plan escalates concerns in ag country
The comments sparked responses from various ag groups. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association responded with the following statement: The reality is that ranchers’ success is driven by their own hard work. America’s cattlemen and women operate in one of the most competitive marketplaces in the world. U.S. cattle producers ...
There Is No Mystery Surcharge Driving Up California’s Gasoline Costs
Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to puzzle over a “mystery surcharge” for gasoline. The enigmatic fee was first identified in 2017 by Severin Borenstein, an energy economist at the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. It explains, he says, “the extra amount we pay for gas that can’t be ...
The Gordon Chang Report–For China, Demography Is a Grim Destiny
READ THE PDF For China, Demography Is a Grim Destiny “China has embarked on a road of demographic no-return,” writes Wang Feng of the University of California, Irvine. “Left unaddressed, China’s demographic trap could precipitate a civilizational collapse,” Yi Fuxian of the University of Wisconsin-Madison tells us. China will suffer ...
