Crime
Blog
Is lefty San Francisco moving in a rightward direction?
Apparently, everyone has a breaking point and for San Franciscans things broke around COVID-19. While public schools shut down amid the pandemic and parents were openly frustrated, the school board took several actions that landed it on the wrong side of voters. That led to the recall of three members ...
Matthew Fleming
December 1, 2022
Blog
The Campus Sexual Assault Epidemic – Our laws make it worse
The State of California has released its 2021 annual crime report and crime is up across the board. Of particular concern are the sexual assault statistics. According to California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office, “the rape rate increased 8.6 percent in 2021 (from 33.8 in 2020 to 36.7 in ...
Steve Smith
November 8, 2022
Blog
A To-Do List for the California Legislature
When Californians go to the polls in November, they will be choosing from many new faces seeking to represent them in the state legislature. Thanks to redistricting and a wide swath of retirements, there will be at least 22 new State Assembly Members elected this fall and 10 new State ...
Tim Anaya
October 21, 2022
Blog
Crime in California and the Left/Right Divide
Writing for the LA Times recently, columnist Anita Chabria calls Kern, Merced, and Tulare counties “Trump’s California” and describes Kern as first amongst the “the locales where your chance of being murdered is greatest.” Merced and Tulare round out the top three. She then contrasts them and their conservative district ...
Steve Smith
October 7, 2022
Book
NEW BOOK RELEASE – Back from Dystopia: A New Vision for Western Cities
NEW BOOK RELEASE Back from Dystopia: A New Vision for Western Cities Steven Greenhut Cities throughout the West face rising crime, soaring housing costs, a sprawling homelessness crisis and devastated downtown areas following two years of COVID restrictions and the aftermath of destructive protests. Policymakers typically address these and other ...
Steven Greenhut
September 27, 2022
Blog
Union power makes urban reform nearly impossible
It’s well known that private-sector unions imposed higher costs and competitive disadvantages on companies that remained in cities. In a 2010 Cato Journal article, Stephen J. K. Walters explained that unions sparked their transformation “from engines of prosperity into areas afflicted by economic stagnation, chronic poverty, and all the social ...
Steven Greenhut
September 26, 2022
California
A Crime Like No Other
Elderly parole is intended to further reduce California’s prison population by releasing older inmates no longer deemed to be a threat to public safety. On the face of it, elderly parole seems reasonable. Many inmates do age out of their criminality and the idea that an elderly inmate using a ...
Steve Smith
September 13, 2022
Blog
Get Out Of Jail Free Is Not Just A Monopoly Card
Almost two years ago, California voters rejected Proposition 25 by a large margin, telling lawmakers in unmistakable terms they were not in favor of Senate Bill 10, which replaced cash bail with risk assessments – low, medium and high – for suspects awaiting trial. Ending cash bail was supposed to ...
Kerry Jackson
September 9, 2022
California
Heather Mac Donald – On Crime and Homelessness in California
On this week’s podcast, enjoy a special presentation of PRI’s recent Newport Beach luncheon featuring Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute in conversation with PRI senior fellow in urban studies Steve Smith. Heather and Steve discuss crime and homelessness in the Golden State.
Pacific Research Institute
August 8, 2022
Blog
California’s Gun Legislation – The message to crime victims – go get a lawyer
In the wake of the tragic Uvalde and Buffalo shootings, California’s Governor and legislators got busy. Over a dozen gun related anti-crime bills are in circulation and a few have already been signed into law. The new laws are: AB 1621, which requires serial numbers on firearms components and defines ...
Steve Smith
July 25, 2022
Is lefty San Francisco moving in a rightward direction?
Apparently, everyone has a breaking point and for San Franciscans things broke around COVID-19. While public schools shut down amid the pandemic and parents were openly frustrated, the school board took several actions that landed it on the wrong side of voters. That led to the recall of three members ...
The Campus Sexual Assault Epidemic – Our laws make it worse
The State of California has released its 2021 annual crime report and crime is up across the board. Of particular concern are the sexual assault statistics. According to California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office, “the rape rate increased 8.6 percent in 2021 (from 33.8 in 2020 to 36.7 in ...
A To-Do List for the California Legislature
When Californians go to the polls in November, they will be choosing from many new faces seeking to represent them in the state legislature. Thanks to redistricting and a wide swath of retirements, there will be at least 22 new State Assembly Members elected this fall and 10 new State ...
Crime in California and the Left/Right Divide
Writing for the LA Times recently, columnist Anita Chabria calls Kern, Merced, and Tulare counties “Trump’s California” and describes Kern as first amongst the “the locales where your chance of being murdered is greatest.” Merced and Tulare round out the top three. She then contrasts them and their conservative district ...
NEW BOOK RELEASE – Back from Dystopia: A New Vision for Western Cities
NEW BOOK RELEASE Back from Dystopia: A New Vision for Western Cities Steven Greenhut Cities throughout the West face rising crime, soaring housing costs, a sprawling homelessness crisis and devastated downtown areas following two years of COVID restrictions and the aftermath of destructive protests. Policymakers typically address these and other ...
Union power makes urban reform nearly impossible
It’s well known that private-sector unions imposed higher costs and competitive disadvantages on companies that remained in cities. In a 2010 Cato Journal article, Stephen J. K. Walters explained that unions sparked their transformation “from engines of prosperity into areas afflicted by economic stagnation, chronic poverty, and all the social ...
A Crime Like No Other
Elderly parole is intended to further reduce California’s prison population by releasing older inmates no longer deemed to be a threat to public safety. On the face of it, elderly parole seems reasonable. Many inmates do age out of their criminality and the idea that an elderly inmate using a ...
Get Out Of Jail Free Is Not Just A Monopoly Card
Almost two years ago, California voters rejected Proposition 25 by a large margin, telling lawmakers in unmistakable terms they were not in favor of Senate Bill 10, which replaced cash bail with risk assessments – low, medium and high – for suspects awaiting trial. Ending cash bail was supposed to ...
Heather Mac Donald – On Crime and Homelessness in California
On this week’s podcast, enjoy a special presentation of PRI’s recent Newport Beach luncheon featuring Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute in conversation with PRI senior fellow in urban studies Steve Smith. Heather and Steve discuss crime and homelessness in the Golden State.
California’s Gun Legislation – The message to crime victims – go get a lawyer
In the wake of the tragic Uvalde and Buffalo shootings, California’s Governor and legislators got busy. Over a dozen gun related anti-crime bills are in circulation and a few have already been signed into law. The new laws are: AB 1621, which requires serial numbers on firearms components and defines ...