Blog
Blog
What Can California Do About Dead Malls?
Across California, strip malls and storefronts are sitting vacant. In San Francisco, an estimated 2,900 businesses closed over the summer of 2020 alone. In Los Angeles, retail vacancies remain high. And in suburbs from Escondido to Folsom, once thriving “power centers” are empty. As a source of local employment and ...
Blog
Been There, Done That on Imposing New Energy Burdens on Minority Communities
Been There, Done That on Imposing New Energy Burdens on Minority Communities Inspired by California’s “green energy” agenda, the Biden Administration is pushing a #Justice40 agenda, which aims to improve minority communities, but will actually impose huge new mandates, costs, and taxes on the very communities they aim to help. ...
Blog
New Regulation Will Take Health Care Money From Those in Need
A new proposal tucked away in Governor Newsom’s 2022-23 budget plans to divert health care funds to pay for new projects such as housing, transportation, and food security in low-income communities. It’s true that the cost of living in California has ballooned to unsustainable levels and innovative solutions are needed. ...
Blog
New Assembly Bill Seeks to Expand Dysfunctional CEQA
Assembly Bill 1001, a bill that expands upon and brings new, highly subjective standards to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), continues to successfully move through the California State Legislature. California enacted CEQA over five decades ago to reform the public decision-making process to incorporate environmental considerations. A leader in ...
Blog
Oh Canada! Oh California! – Climate Change and the Wildfire Season
I’ve just returned from a train vacation through the Canadian Rockies. They were truly majestic – I felt a little closer to heaven. Thanks to an unusually cold spring, the Rockies were still snow-capped and glistening. It was also that time of the year when the wildlife was out and ...
Blog
Is California Reconsidering Its Decision to Eliminate Nuclear Energy?
By Kerry Jackson & Wayne Winegarden As expected, the Newsom administration has asked Washington about qualifying for federal funds to help keep the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant open beyond its planned retirement date – “to maximize options to maintain electricity reliability as new projects come online,” Cabinet Secretary Ana ...
Blog
The 2nd Amendment and Me
Full disclosure – I represent one of the 40% or so households in America that has a gun in it. A legally obtained and stored firearm that has never been on any list for potential regulation. Last week’s murder of 19 school children and 2 of their teachers in Uvalde ...
Blog
Three Myths About Planning Los Angeles
Maybe it’s only natural, given that this is a city that earns its keep selling compelling stories. But all too often, these myths are wrong, and in some cases, they form the basis of bad policy. Let’s run through three widely believed misconceptions about planning in Los Angeles. Los Angeles ...
Blog
Elon Musk is Right – California is Now the Land of Taxes, Overregulation and Litigation
A trio of troubles, says Elon Musk, is ruining California. He didn’t reveal anything new. He didn’t have to. Much of the world understands. Only those blinded by their blue-tinted glasses don’t know what’s wrong in this state. Speaking virtually earlier this month for a conference in Miami, Musk, an ...
Blog
State Budget Update – Nonpartisan Analyst Says May Revise Puts State on Path to Serious Budget Problems
Now that the calendar page has turned to June, it’s crunch time for lawmakers and the Governor to reach a budget agreement before the June 15 constitutional deadline to pass a balanced budget. However, a new multi-year analysis of the state budget’s picture released last week suggests that enacting the ...
What Can California Do About Dead Malls?
Across California, strip malls and storefronts are sitting vacant. In San Francisco, an estimated 2,900 businesses closed over the summer of 2020 alone. In Los Angeles, retail vacancies remain high. And in suburbs from Escondido to Folsom, once thriving “power centers” are empty. As a source of local employment and ...
Been There, Done That on Imposing New Energy Burdens on Minority Communities
Been There, Done That on Imposing New Energy Burdens on Minority Communities Inspired by California’s “green energy” agenda, the Biden Administration is pushing a #Justice40 agenda, which aims to improve minority communities, but will actually impose huge new mandates, costs, and taxes on the very communities they aim to help. ...
New Regulation Will Take Health Care Money From Those in Need
A new proposal tucked away in Governor Newsom’s 2022-23 budget plans to divert health care funds to pay for new projects such as housing, transportation, and food security in low-income communities. It’s true that the cost of living in California has ballooned to unsustainable levels and innovative solutions are needed. ...
New Assembly Bill Seeks to Expand Dysfunctional CEQA
Assembly Bill 1001, a bill that expands upon and brings new, highly subjective standards to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), continues to successfully move through the California State Legislature. California enacted CEQA over five decades ago to reform the public decision-making process to incorporate environmental considerations. A leader in ...
Oh Canada! Oh California! – Climate Change and the Wildfire Season
I’ve just returned from a train vacation through the Canadian Rockies. They were truly majestic – I felt a little closer to heaven. Thanks to an unusually cold spring, the Rockies were still snow-capped and glistening. It was also that time of the year when the wildlife was out and ...
Is California Reconsidering Its Decision to Eliminate Nuclear Energy?
By Kerry Jackson & Wayne Winegarden As expected, the Newsom administration has asked Washington about qualifying for federal funds to help keep the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant open beyond its planned retirement date – “to maximize options to maintain electricity reliability as new projects come online,” Cabinet Secretary Ana ...
The 2nd Amendment and Me
Full disclosure – I represent one of the 40% or so households in America that has a gun in it. A legally obtained and stored firearm that has never been on any list for potential regulation. Last week’s murder of 19 school children and 2 of their teachers in Uvalde ...
Three Myths About Planning Los Angeles
Maybe it’s only natural, given that this is a city that earns its keep selling compelling stories. But all too often, these myths are wrong, and in some cases, they form the basis of bad policy. Let’s run through three widely believed misconceptions about planning in Los Angeles. Los Angeles ...
Elon Musk is Right – California is Now the Land of Taxes, Overregulation and Litigation
A trio of troubles, says Elon Musk, is ruining California. He didn’t reveal anything new. He didn’t have to. Much of the world understands. Only those blinded by their blue-tinted glasses don’t know what’s wrong in this state. Speaking virtually earlier this month for a conference in Miami, Musk, an ...
State Budget Update – Nonpartisan Analyst Says May Revise Puts State on Path to Serious Budget Problems
Now that the calendar page has turned to June, it’s crunch time for lawmakers and the Governor to reach a budget agreement before the June 15 constitutional deadline to pass a balanced budget. However, a new multi-year analysis of the state budget’s picture released last week suggests that enacting the ...
