Blog
Blog
The Bullet Train’s Twin Rails Of Doom
The Golden State’s high-speed rail project, moving slower than a handcar and carrying fewer passengers, seems to be losing the popularity it once enjoyed. On the same day the Legislature passed a budget with no money for the bullet train, we learned that more Californians would prefer to shut it ...
Blog
Been There, Done That on Costly Subsidies for the Rich
President Biden has proposed $174 billion in federal electric car subsidies, which research shows have been little more than giveaways to wealthy car buyers. California Has “Been There, Done That” California is one of the nation’s leaders in offering taxpayer-funded subsidies to purchase new electric cars. State tax credits ...
Blog
Newsom’s Misguided Funding Priorities on Wildfire Prevention
With multiple wildfires raging across Northern California, you would think Gov. Newsom would be in line for good headlines for his handling of the wildfire fighting and prevention efforts. Think again. The Governor is apparently burning bridges with recent news that he misled Californians about wildfire protection. On June 23, ...
Blog
A Custom ESG Portfolio Could Solve the Apples to Oranges Comparison
Necessity is the mother of invention – perhaps that’s why JP Morgan Chase recently bought OpenInvest, a San Francisco-based start-up that provides financial advisors the technology to customize a portfolio of ESG stocks. Rather than put their clients into a self-styled ESG fund, advisors can use OpenInvest to create a ...
Blog
Despite Ring Scandal, Public-Private Partnerships Can Bring About True Community Policing
A few weeks ago, a neighbor knocked on my door. “My windows were smashed last night, but nothing was stolen,” she explained, clearly stressed, “my Ring camera caught the crime on film, but I could not identify the man or see the vehicle he left in.” She waited expectantly. Confused, ...
Blog
What the Supreme Court NCAA Ruling Means for Student Athlete Compensation
Student athletes got a big win on Monday, June 21, 2021, when the United States Supreme Court ruled that the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, cannot limit education-related benefits like graduate scholarships, computers, paid internships, and more. The Ruling Writing for the court, Justice Neil Gorsuch said, “The Ninth ...
Blackouts
The Greener California Becomes, The More Energy Problems It Creates
The phrase “going green” is supposed to evoke images of bright, clear and clean skies; lush vegetation; the efficient and effective use of resources; and cheap, non-polluting energy. Yet it produces more darkness than light. With the arrival of intense summer heat came a reminder from the California Independent System ...
Blog
Monday’s Budget Vote Typical of Perhaps Least Open Budget Process in Recent Years
Lawmakers on Monday voted on what’s now commonly referred to as a “Budget Bill Jr.” Since the passage of Prop. 25, which enacted a majority vote budget and docked lawmaker pay if budgets were adopted past June 15, lawmakers have routinely passed on-time budgets to keep getting paid, regardless of ...
Blog
Playing the CalMatters “Spend the Surplus Game”
Now and then during one’s work life, a colleague comes up with something so clever that your heart twinges with envy. This happened to me the other day when I stumbled upon the CalMatters “Spend the Surplus Game,” the brainchild of John Osborn D’Agostino. Kudos to Mr. D’Agostino. For think ...
Blog
Restaurants, Customers Should Beware Government “Help” Over Food Delivery Caps
Ronald Reagan famously remarked that “the most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” Eater San Francisco reports that the City by the Bay “became the first city in the country to pass a permanent cap on the fees that delivery ...
The Bullet Train’s Twin Rails Of Doom
The Golden State’s high-speed rail project, moving slower than a handcar and carrying fewer passengers, seems to be losing the popularity it once enjoyed. On the same day the Legislature passed a budget with no money for the bullet train, we learned that more Californians would prefer to shut it ...
Been There, Done That on Costly Subsidies for the Rich
President Biden has proposed $174 billion in federal electric car subsidies, which research shows have been little more than giveaways to wealthy car buyers. California Has “Been There, Done That” California is one of the nation’s leaders in offering taxpayer-funded subsidies to purchase new electric cars. State tax credits ...
Newsom’s Misguided Funding Priorities on Wildfire Prevention
With multiple wildfires raging across Northern California, you would think Gov. Newsom would be in line for good headlines for his handling of the wildfire fighting and prevention efforts. Think again. The Governor is apparently burning bridges with recent news that he misled Californians about wildfire protection. On June 23, ...
A Custom ESG Portfolio Could Solve the Apples to Oranges Comparison
Necessity is the mother of invention – perhaps that’s why JP Morgan Chase recently bought OpenInvest, a San Francisco-based start-up that provides financial advisors the technology to customize a portfolio of ESG stocks. Rather than put their clients into a self-styled ESG fund, advisors can use OpenInvest to create a ...
Despite Ring Scandal, Public-Private Partnerships Can Bring About True Community Policing
A few weeks ago, a neighbor knocked on my door. “My windows were smashed last night, but nothing was stolen,” she explained, clearly stressed, “my Ring camera caught the crime on film, but I could not identify the man or see the vehicle he left in.” She waited expectantly. Confused, ...
What the Supreme Court NCAA Ruling Means for Student Athlete Compensation
Student athletes got a big win on Monday, June 21, 2021, when the United States Supreme Court ruled that the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, cannot limit education-related benefits like graduate scholarships, computers, paid internships, and more. The Ruling Writing for the court, Justice Neil Gorsuch said, “The Ninth ...
The Greener California Becomes, The More Energy Problems It Creates
The phrase “going green” is supposed to evoke images of bright, clear and clean skies; lush vegetation; the efficient and effective use of resources; and cheap, non-polluting energy. Yet it produces more darkness than light. With the arrival of intense summer heat came a reminder from the California Independent System ...
Monday’s Budget Vote Typical of Perhaps Least Open Budget Process in Recent Years
Lawmakers on Monday voted on what’s now commonly referred to as a “Budget Bill Jr.” Since the passage of Prop. 25, which enacted a majority vote budget and docked lawmaker pay if budgets were adopted past June 15, lawmakers have routinely passed on-time budgets to keep getting paid, regardless of ...
Playing the CalMatters “Spend the Surplus Game”
Now and then during one’s work life, a colleague comes up with something so clever that your heart twinges with envy. This happened to me the other day when I stumbled upon the CalMatters “Spend the Surplus Game,” the brainchild of John Osborn D’Agostino. Kudos to Mr. D’Agostino. For think ...
Restaurants, Customers Should Beware Government “Help” Over Food Delivery Caps
Ronald Reagan famously remarked that “the most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” Eater San Francisco reports that the City by the Bay “became the first city in the country to pass a permanent cap on the fees that delivery ...
