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Agriculture

Can Congress Bring More Broadband to Americans in Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill?

The public got a look at the 2,702-page federal infrastructure bill on Sunday, giving the country more details on how the Biden administration will tackle broadband infrastructure investment. The $65 billion being doled out to states for broadband comes in a variety of programs. The meat of the broadband funding ...
Blog

Supreme Court Hands 9th Circuit Highest Year of Reversals Since 1985

This year, the Supreme Court overturned 15 of the 16 cases originating from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The largest of the circuits, the Ninth encompasses California, Alaska, Arizona, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, and Washington. However, 10 of the 16 Ninth Circuit cases arose ...
Blog

Would State Polystyrene Ban Reduce Plastic Pollution? Studies Show Probably Not.

Voters will be given a chance next year to outlaw Styrofoam take-out food packaging. Is this a necessary step, or another instance of the California rush to ban yet another consumer convenience? The proposition, one of four statewide measures scheduled on the November 2022 ballot, not only would “prohibit polystyrene ...
Blog

Olympic Fashion: Red, White, Blue . . . and Green

These days, many of us have been glued to the screen, watching unfold the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.  However, there is one human drama that’s getting little attention – Olympic fashion.  I don’t mean the gold lamé cape worn by Angola flag bearer and handball player ...
Blog

It’s Finally Infrastructure Week . . . But Is That a Good Thing?

At long last, it’s finally “Infrastructure Week.” On Wednesday, a group of Republican and Democrat senators resolved their final differences with President Biden and reached a long-elusive agreement on a bipartisan infrastructure bill authorizing $550 billion in new spending over 5 years.  Later that night, the Senate voted 67 to ...
Blog

The Mean Streets Of San Francisco Crime: Perception or Reality?

The official word is that the videos of San Francisco shoplifters are not accurate representations of crime in the city. The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that Police Chief Bill Scott and Mayor London Breed have “sought to tamp down growing perceptions – fueled in part by the viral videos ...
Blog

Tax Cuts, the “New New Thing”, but not for Californians

COVID-19 launched a whole host of trends, from house remodeling to restaurant delivery to working from home.  But who knew that tax relief would become in vogue?  Thanks to revenue windfalls and the prospect of employees working from anywhere, state tax-cuts have been sweeping the nation. The Tax Foundation reports ...
Blog

Well-Intentioned Program May Actually Saddle Low-Income Families with Overwhelming Debt

Local government ordinances in California often require that a portion of homes in new housing projects be made available to low-income buyers. One program in a Southern California city may not only fail to help low-income buyers, but it may actually harm already disadvantaged buyers. Collett Crossings is a small ...
Agriculture

Biden, Psaki Add to White House “Dog Days of Summer”

A couple of weeks ago, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the White House was working with Facebook and other social media companies to target accounts spreading misinformation. Reaction to her comments and answers from reporters varied, but the lasting takeaway is that misinformation on social media is ...
Blog

CAPITAL IDEAS: More of California’s Big Cities on the Way to Becoming Next Detroit

DOWNLOAD PDF Two waves have rolled through California in 2021. One so hot that high temperature records were set throughout the state. The other so chilling that stores have shortened their hours and even closed altogether to avoid it. By now, the video of a shoplifter last month filling what ...
Agriculture

Can Congress Bring More Broadband to Americans in Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill?

The public got a look at the 2,702-page federal infrastructure bill on Sunday, giving the country more details on how the Biden administration will tackle broadband infrastructure investment. The $65 billion being doled out to states for broadband comes in a variety of programs. The meat of the broadband funding ...
Blog

Supreme Court Hands 9th Circuit Highest Year of Reversals Since 1985

This year, the Supreme Court overturned 15 of the 16 cases originating from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The largest of the circuits, the Ninth encompasses California, Alaska, Arizona, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, and Washington. However, 10 of the 16 Ninth Circuit cases arose ...
Blog

Would State Polystyrene Ban Reduce Plastic Pollution? Studies Show Probably Not.

Voters will be given a chance next year to outlaw Styrofoam take-out food packaging. Is this a necessary step, or another instance of the California rush to ban yet another consumer convenience? The proposition, one of four statewide measures scheduled on the November 2022 ballot, not only would “prohibit polystyrene ...
Blog

Olympic Fashion: Red, White, Blue . . . and Green

These days, many of us have been glued to the screen, watching unfold the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.  However, there is one human drama that’s getting little attention – Olympic fashion.  I don’t mean the gold lamé cape worn by Angola flag bearer and handball player ...
Blog

It’s Finally Infrastructure Week . . . But Is That a Good Thing?

At long last, it’s finally “Infrastructure Week.” On Wednesday, a group of Republican and Democrat senators resolved their final differences with President Biden and reached a long-elusive agreement on a bipartisan infrastructure bill authorizing $550 billion in new spending over 5 years.  Later that night, the Senate voted 67 to ...
Blog

The Mean Streets Of San Francisco Crime: Perception or Reality?

The official word is that the videos of San Francisco shoplifters are not accurate representations of crime in the city. The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that Police Chief Bill Scott and Mayor London Breed have “sought to tamp down growing perceptions – fueled in part by the viral videos ...
Blog

Tax Cuts, the “New New Thing”, but not for Californians

COVID-19 launched a whole host of trends, from house remodeling to restaurant delivery to working from home.  But who knew that tax relief would become in vogue?  Thanks to revenue windfalls and the prospect of employees working from anywhere, state tax-cuts have been sweeping the nation. The Tax Foundation reports ...
Blog

Well-Intentioned Program May Actually Saddle Low-Income Families with Overwhelming Debt

Local government ordinances in California often require that a portion of homes in new housing projects be made available to low-income buyers. One program in a Southern California city may not only fail to help low-income buyers, but it may actually harm already disadvantaged buyers. Collett Crossings is a small ...
Agriculture

Biden, Psaki Add to White House “Dog Days of Summer”

A couple of weeks ago, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the White House was working with Facebook and other social media companies to target accounts spreading misinformation. Reaction to her comments and answers from reporters varied, but the lasting takeaway is that misinformation on social media is ...
Blog

CAPITAL IDEAS: More of California’s Big Cities on the Way to Becoming Next Detroit

DOWNLOAD PDF Two waves have rolled through California in 2021. One so hot that high temperature records were set throughout the state. The other so chilling that stores have shortened their hours and even closed altogether to avoid it. By now, the video of a shoplifter last month filling what ...
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