Blog
LA divorces itself from coal. Is it really a defining moment?
With the immodesty of an experienced braggart, the city of Los Angeles announced on Dec. 4 that it has ended its relationship with coal. No longer will it receive power generated from that particular fossil fuel. Mayor Karen Bass called it “a defining moment” that will take the city closer “building a clean energy ...
Blog
It’s surprising, but Oakland’s lefty mayor embraces deregulation
It’s surprising, but Oakland’s lefty mayor embraces deregulation By Sal Rodriguez | December 12, 2025 Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee gets it. The longtime progressive former Congress member has taken a hatchet to the regulatory thicket that’s hindered true progress in Oaktown. “The city has transformed its permitting process with same-day ...
Blog
Latest loan plan won’t fix transit’s fundamental problems
To follow the narrative from California’s political leaders, the state’s transit systems are still struggling because of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Ridership numbers and revenues fell dramatically as a result and have yet to fully recover. Therefore, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Muni and other public systems need a state bailout ...
Blog
How did the US become the world’s center of pharmaceutical innovation?
What kinds of policies helped the US surpass Great Britain to become the world’s center of pharmaceutical innovation? I think it was a combination of shrewd reforms on the part of the United States, and self-destructive reforms on the part of Europe and other developed nations. In the 1970s, Europe ...
Blog
Plan to Tear Up Local Streets Latest Controversy for California’s Train to Nowhere
The Fresno Bee reports that streets in the center of city would have to be rebuilt as a series of overpasses and underpasses to avoid the road-level tracks for high-speed rail. The city was under the impression, based on a 2018 agreement, that the streets would remain as is while the train ...
Blog
In the Age of AI, Will Machines Start a Nuke War?
READ THE PDF In the Age of AI, Will Machines Start a Nuke War? In May of last year, China rejected American proposals to limit the use of artificial intelligence for controlling the launch of nuclear weapons. President Joe Biden raised this issue with Xi Jinping in California the preceding ...
Blog
After balking, Fresno rightly OKs housing-streamlining compromise
after balking, fresno oks housing-streamlining compromise by Sal Rodriguez | December 5, 2025 (Editor’s Note: This piece has been updated from the article originally published on December 5 to reflect Fresno’s recent action on the issue.) The answer to the housing shortage plaguing cities across the country isn’t really that ...
Blog
Robotaxis offer real-world solution for urban traffic congestion
Waymo is the Autonomous Vehicle division of Alphabet/Google, which for two decades has mapped almost every road in America. The cars are electric I-Pace Jaguars made in Austria by Magna Steyr and, he said, quite luxurious. Other cities hosting Waymos include Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta and San Francisco, also covering ...
Blog
Spending Watch
Lacking Fundamental Reforms, California’s Fiscal Outlook Is Still Dismal
Lacking Fundamental Reforms, California’s Fiscal Outlook Is Still Dismal Wayne Winegarden and Nikhil Agarwal December 2025 The Legislative Analysts’ Office’s (LAO) latest Fiscal Outlook for 2026-27 warns that more budget pain is on the way. The nonpartisan budget analyst’s review concurs with previous PRI Spending Watch analyses where we warned ...
Blog
Ni Estudian – Ni Trabajan – On California’s Poor Education System and Its Consequences for Public Safety
The prospects for California’s high school grads are not good as they face a shrinking job market and a correspondingly high youth unemployment rate. In Latin America, they are known as the “Nini’s” – out of school and out of work. According to a November 2025 LA Times article, a ...
LA divorces itself from coal. Is it really a defining moment?
With the immodesty of an experienced braggart, the city of Los Angeles announced on Dec. 4 that it has ended its relationship with coal. No longer will it receive power generated from that particular fossil fuel. Mayor Karen Bass called it “a defining moment” that will take the city closer “building a clean energy ...
It’s surprising, but Oakland’s lefty mayor embraces deregulation
It’s surprising, but Oakland’s lefty mayor embraces deregulation By Sal Rodriguez | December 12, 2025 Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee gets it. The longtime progressive former Congress member has taken a hatchet to the regulatory thicket that’s hindered true progress in Oaktown. “The city has transformed its permitting process with same-day ...
Latest loan plan won’t fix transit’s fundamental problems
To follow the narrative from California’s political leaders, the state’s transit systems are still struggling because of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Ridership numbers and revenues fell dramatically as a result and have yet to fully recover. Therefore, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Muni and other public systems need a state bailout ...
How did the US become the world’s center of pharmaceutical innovation?
What kinds of policies helped the US surpass Great Britain to become the world’s center of pharmaceutical innovation? I think it was a combination of shrewd reforms on the part of the United States, and self-destructive reforms on the part of Europe and other developed nations. In the 1970s, Europe ...
Plan to Tear Up Local Streets Latest Controversy for California’s Train to Nowhere
The Fresno Bee reports that streets in the center of city would have to be rebuilt as a series of overpasses and underpasses to avoid the road-level tracks for high-speed rail. The city was under the impression, based on a 2018 agreement, that the streets would remain as is while the train ...
In the Age of AI, Will Machines Start a Nuke War?
READ THE PDF In the Age of AI, Will Machines Start a Nuke War? In May of last year, China rejected American proposals to limit the use of artificial intelligence for controlling the launch of nuclear weapons. President Joe Biden raised this issue with Xi Jinping in California the preceding ...
After balking, Fresno rightly OKs housing-streamlining compromise
after balking, fresno oks housing-streamlining compromise by Sal Rodriguez | December 5, 2025 (Editor’s Note: This piece has been updated from the article originally published on December 5 to reflect Fresno’s recent action on the issue.) The answer to the housing shortage plaguing cities across the country isn’t really that ...
Robotaxis offer real-world solution for urban traffic congestion
Waymo is the Autonomous Vehicle division of Alphabet/Google, which for two decades has mapped almost every road in America. The cars are electric I-Pace Jaguars made in Austria by Magna Steyr and, he said, quite luxurious. Other cities hosting Waymos include Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta and San Francisco, also covering ...
Spending Watch
Lacking Fundamental Reforms, California’s Fiscal Outlook Is Still Dismal
Lacking Fundamental Reforms, California’s Fiscal Outlook Is Still Dismal Wayne Winegarden and Nikhil Agarwal December 2025 The Legislative Analysts’ Office’s (LAO) latest Fiscal Outlook for 2026-27 warns that more budget pain is on the way. The nonpartisan budget analyst’s review concurs with previous PRI Spending Watch analyses where we warned ...
Ni Estudian – Ni Trabajan – On California’s Poor Education System and Its Consequences for Public Safety
The prospects for California’s high school grads are not good as they face a shrinking job market and a correspondingly high youth unemployment rate. In Latin America, they are known as the “Nini’s” – out of school and out of work. According to a November 2025 LA Times article, a ...
