Blog
Blog
Will Funding for New Water Storage Be Hijacked at the Last Minute?
The effort to build more water storage in California just hit another setback. The bureaucrats at the California Water Commission just released their scorecards for 11 proposed water projects from around the state. Their scorecard – which supposedly ranks their “public benefit” to California taxpayers – ranked two critical statewide ...
Blog
Do We Really Need to Legislate Plastic Straws?
Ian Calderon, the Assembly’s Democratic majority leader, wants to criminalize the act of providing unrequested free plastic straws at sit-down restaurants. Assembly Bill 1884 threatens waiters who give customers straws they didn’t ask for with as many as six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Lawmakers ...
Blog
CAPITAL IDEAS: Governor Brown Ignores State’s Poverty Crisis
DOWNLOAD THE PDF In Gov. Jerry Brown’s California, all is nearly well. He led off his State of the State address with an assurance that “California is prospering.” He bragged about jobs created and personal income growth on his watch, and congratulated lawmakers for the public confidence he says has ...
Blog
There They Go Again!
One of Ronald Reagan’s legendary lines in a debate with Jimmy Carter was, “There you go again!” When it comes to the UC and CSU system continually threatening to raise tuition unless the Legislature gives them (even) more money, California taxpayers are crying, “There you go again!” This annual budget ...
Blog
Basic Income Comes to Stockton
Just six years after declaring bankruptcy due to a 15-year spending binge, Stockton is now exploring creative new ways of spending again. This time, it’s a one-year experiment to give several dozen Stockton families $500 a month, with no strings attached. The idea of “universal basic income” – providing everyone ...
Blog
A Disunified State
Gov. Jerry Brown told us in his recent State of the State address that, of course, nearly all is well in California on his watch. The real state of this state is not so sweet, though. Beneath the sheen applied by the governor, there is a thickening layer of corrosion, ...
Blog
A Defense of Supply Side Economics
Supply Side Economics works. This isn’t a political statement, nor should it be a particularly controversial one either, unless you believe I am referring to the mythical “trickle down” straw man conjured up by some in the political establishment. By supply side economics, I am referring to the broad basket ...
Blog
Nothing Is Certain but Death, Taxes . . . and Silly Bills
The famous quote goes that there is nothing certain in life but death and taxes. When talking about your California Legislature, I’d add a third item to the list – there’s nothing certain in life but death, taxes, and silly bills. In my past life working at the Capitol, we’d ...
Blog
Are Trailers the Solution to LA’s Homeless Problem?
A dashcam video of downtown Los Angeles on Christmas Day 2017 revealed the devastating reality of the city’s homelessness problem. The video, shot in the city’s Skid Row district, shows dozens of tents, makeshift shelters, and people walking aimlessly along streets littered with trash. The video looked like it was ...
Blog
Are Things Really “Fine” in California?
PRI’s coverage of California’s poverty problem through various op-eds and a policy brief have drawn considerable attention. Most of it has been positive, but one California writer for the hard-left Mother Jones claimed that despite the point we made, “California is doing just fine, thank you very much.” Rather than ...
Will Funding for New Water Storage Be Hijacked at the Last Minute?
The effort to build more water storage in California just hit another setback. The bureaucrats at the California Water Commission just released their scorecards for 11 proposed water projects from around the state. Their scorecard – which supposedly ranks their “public benefit” to California taxpayers – ranked two critical statewide ...
Do We Really Need to Legislate Plastic Straws?
Ian Calderon, the Assembly’s Democratic majority leader, wants to criminalize the act of providing unrequested free plastic straws at sit-down restaurants. Assembly Bill 1884 threatens waiters who give customers straws they didn’t ask for with as many as six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Lawmakers ...
CAPITAL IDEAS: Governor Brown Ignores State’s Poverty Crisis
DOWNLOAD THE PDF In Gov. Jerry Brown’s California, all is nearly well. He led off his State of the State address with an assurance that “California is prospering.” He bragged about jobs created and personal income growth on his watch, and congratulated lawmakers for the public confidence he says has ...
There They Go Again!
One of Ronald Reagan’s legendary lines in a debate with Jimmy Carter was, “There you go again!” When it comes to the UC and CSU system continually threatening to raise tuition unless the Legislature gives them (even) more money, California taxpayers are crying, “There you go again!” This annual budget ...
Basic Income Comes to Stockton
Just six years after declaring bankruptcy due to a 15-year spending binge, Stockton is now exploring creative new ways of spending again. This time, it’s a one-year experiment to give several dozen Stockton families $500 a month, with no strings attached. The idea of “universal basic income” – providing everyone ...
A Disunified State
Gov. Jerry Brown told us in his recent State of the State address that, of course, nearly all is well in California on his watch. The real state of this state is not so sweet, though. Beneath the sheen applied by the governor, there is a thickening layer of corrosion, ...
A Defense of Supply Side Economics
Supply Side Economics works. This isn’t a political statement, nor should it be a particularly controversial one either, unless you believe I am referring to the mythical “trickle down” straw man conjured up by some in the political establishment. By supply side economics, I am referring to the broad basket ...
Nothing Is Certain but Death, Taxes . . . and Silly Bills
The famous quote goes that there is nothing certain in life but death and taxes. When talking about your California Legislature, I’d add a third item to the list – there’s nothing certain in life but death, taxes, and silly bills. In my past life working at the Capitol, we’d ...
Are Trailers the Solution to LA’s Homeless Problem?
A dashcam video of downtown Los Angeles on Christmas Day 2017 revealed the devastating reality of the city’s homelessness problem. The video, shot in the city’s Skid Row district, shows dozens of tents, makeshift shelters, and people walking aimlessly along streets littered with trash. The video looked like it was ...
Are Things Really “Fine” in California?
PRI’s coverage of California’s poverty problem through various op-eds and a policy brief have drawn considerable attention. Most of it has been positive, but one California writer for the hard-left Mother Jones claimed that despite the point we made, “California is doing just fine, thank you very much.” Rather than ...
