Blog
Blog
Next Tax Increases on the Docket: Two Proposed Tax Hikes on the Rich
When the 2020-21 state budget was enacted a few months back, I made the case that the majority party’s spending plan essentially sets the stage for an upcoming battle over tax increases. Back in 2011, former Gov. Jerry Brown pushed a budget plan that was heavily reliant on “trigger cuts,” ...
Blog
What We’re Watching – August 14
Tim Anaya – Reforming Patient Costs at the Pharmacy In the latest video in the Pacific Research Institute “Escape the Drug Pricing Maze” series, the Professor and Pete must collect 3 keys to finally escape the drug pricing maze. The first key involves reforms to increase drug affordability for patients ...
Blog
The Important Legacy of Proposition 209
On August 8th at the State Capitol, I spoke at a rally at the State Capitol supporting the legacy of Proposition 209, California’s landmark 1996 anti-discrimination law, and warning of the consequences of Proposition 16, which would eliminate 209 and bring back race-based preferences. Ward Connerly, the architect of Prop. ...
Blog
Californians Could Wait a Long Time for Election Results
Last month, California achieved another first – first in the nation to implement statewide vote-by-mail due to the coronavirus pandemic. There will still be voting locations for those with disabilities or who need language help, but all active voters will be sent an absentee ballot for the election. While it’s ...
Blog
Why Does Congress Keep Having “Big Tech” Hearings?
Congress and the media love naming important sounding working groups. The “Gang of Eight,” “The Squad,” and the “Gang of Six” are some of the monikers embraced by members of Congress. It is no surprise then that the leaders of the biggest technology companies in the United States were granted ...
Blog
Instead of Fining Businesses Government Should Get Its Own House in Order
Last month the state of California began enforcing its expensive and heavy-handed new business privacy laws despite the economic burdens already borne by business because of COVID-19 and the government’s shut down of the economy. At $55 billion in compliance costs with the threat of millions more in penalties and ...
Agriculture
What We’re Watching – August 7
Evan Harris – 75th Anniversary of the end of World War II It’s a somber anniversary, but 75 years ago this week, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. As a fan of military history, American use of nuclear ...
Blog
An Assembly Bill 5 Update
Humorist Will Rogers regularly uttered world-class comments, but few of his eminently quotable remarks can compete with his observation that a deadlocked Congress which can’t act “is the greatest blessing that could befall this country.” It’s tempting to say the same about California’s Legislature. But it’s back, having reconvened on ...
Blog
Racial Quotas Could Be Mandated for California Companies
Last year, California became the first state to mandate women on corporate boards. Now the legislature wants to make California the first state to require racial quotas. Assembly Bill 979 introduced by Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) and Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) forces companies to appoint board members from “under-represented communities” by ...
Blog
Let the Legislature’s End of Session Games Begin
As the calendar shifts into August, there’s less than a month to go in the wildest legislative session in recent memory. The turning of the calendar also marks the return of the Legislature’s annual end-of-session games. No, I’m not talking about “legislative bingo” (which is a real thing where legislators ...
Next Tax Increases on the Docket: Two Proposed Tax Hikes on the Rich
When the 2020-21 state budget was enacted a few months back, I made the case that the majority party’s spending plan essentially sets the stage for an upcoming battle over tax increases. Back in 2011, former Gov. Jerry Brown pushed a budget plan that was heavily reliant on “trigger cuts,” ...
What We’re Watching – August 14
Tim Anaya – Reforming Patient Costs at the Pharmacy In the latest video in the Pacific Research Institute “Escape the Drug Pricing Maze” series, the Professor and Pete must collect 3 keys to finally escape the drug pricing maze. The first key involves reforms to increase drug affordability for patients ...
The Important Legacy of Proposition 209
On August 8th at the State Capitol, I spoke at a rally at the State Capitol supporting the legacy of Proposition 209, California’s landmark 1996 anti-discrimination law, and warning of the consequences of Proposition 16, which would eliminate 209 and bring back race-based preferences. Ward Connerly, the architect of Prop. ...
Californians Could Wait a Long Time for Election Results
Last month, California achieved another first – first in the nation to implement statewide vote-by-mail due to the coronavirus pandemic. There will still be voting locations for those with disabilities or who need language help, but all active voters will be sent an absentee ballot for the election. While it’s ...
Why Does Congress Keep Having “Big Tech” Hearings?
Congress and the media love naming important sounding working groups. The “Gang of Eight,” “The Squad,” and the “Gang of Six” are some of the monikers embraced by members of Congress. It is no surprise then that the leaders of the biggest technology companies in the United States were granted ...
Instead of Fining Businesses Government Should Get Its Own House in Order
Last month the state of California began enforcing its expensive and heavy-handed new business privacy laws despite the economic burdens already borne by business because of COVID-19 and the government’s shut down of the economy. At $55 billion in compliance costs with the threat of millions more in penalties and ...
What We’re Watching – August 7
Evan Harris – 75th Anniversary of the end of World War II It’s a somber anniversary, but 75 years ago this week, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. As a fan of military history, American use of nuclear ...
An Assembly Bill 5 Update
Humorist Will Rogers regularly uttered world-class comments, but few of his eminently quotable remarks can compete with his observation that a deadlocked Congress which can’t act “is the greatest blessing that could befall this country.” It’s tempting to say the same about California’s Legislature. But it’s back, having reconvened on ...
Racial Quotas Could Be Mandated for California Companies
Last year, California became the first state to mandate women on corporate boards. Now the legislature wants to make California the first state to require racial quotas. Assembly Bill 979 introduced by Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) and Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) forces companies to appoint board members from “under-represented communities” by ...
Let the Legislature’s End of Session Games Begin
As the calendar shifts into August, there’s less than a month to go in the wildest legislative session in recent memory. The turning of the calendar also marks the return of the Legislature’s annual end-of-session games. No, I’m not talking about “legislative bingo” (which is a real thing where legislators ...
