State Budget
Blog
Spending Watch
Single Payer Will Worsen California’s Healthcare System and Reduce Economic Growth
Single Payer Will Worsen California’s Healthcare System and Reduce Economic Growth Wayne Winegarden March 2024 With the introduction of AB 2200, advocates are, once again, proposing that California adopt a single payer healthcare system. Ostensibly, their proposed CalCare system would streamline payments, lower per-capita spending, guarantee “quality health care and ...
Blog
Spending Watch
Too Much Government Spending and Volatile Tax Revenues Drive State’s Budget Problem
Too Much Government Spending and Volatile Tax Revenues Drive State’s Budget Problem Wayne Winegarden March 2024 This analysis is the first publication of Spending Watch, a new initiative from the Pacific Research Institute. Spending Watch is a resource that evaluates the revenue, spending, and economic impacts of major budget and ...
Blog
Read latest State Budget Update
Newsom’s Budget Plan Sinks in Deficit Quicksand
Gov. Newsom’s budget problems continue to grow worse. After rolling out his $292 billion proposed state budget plan by arguing with the state’s respected independent budget analyst over the size of the deficit, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office has more bad news for Newsom about the deficit. On Friday, Newsom’s ...
Blog
Read latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
Well-run California cities grow, while badly run ones shrink
I’ve come up with a unique way to measure how well California cities are doing. It shows those with well-run finances grow in population, while those badly run shrink. It’s a generality. There are exceptions. But look at the trend line on this chart. Notice the trend line, the dotted ...
Blog
Newsom public safety budget shortchanges crime victims
For California’s Crime Victims – Budget Dust
Despite his protestations to the opposite in the recent debate with Governor DeSantis, California’s violent crimes are up 6.1 percent and property crimes are up 6.2 percent over their 2021 levels, making California a crime outlier compared to national crime statistics which have dropped. The Governor’s “Real Public Safety Plan” ...
Blog
Take a deep dive on Gov. Newsom's education budget
Newsom’s Proposed Education Budget: A Recipe for More Disaster
With all the blaring headlines about California’s huge state budget deficit, one would think that education spending, which accounts for around 45 percent of the budget, would take a significant hit. Well, think again. In the 2019-20 fiscal year, which was the last pre-pandemic budget, state General Fund spending for ...
California
The PRI All Stars Respond to Gov. Newsom’s 2024-25 Budget Plan
Listen as PRI’s All Stars – Wayne Winegarden, Lance Izumi, Sally Pipes, and Steve Smith – respond to Gov. Newsom’s much-anticipated 2024-25 state budget plan. They discuss Gov. Newsom’s much lower state budget projection and spending priorities, the budget’s impact on K-12 education, whether the Governor will suspend the controversial ...
Business & Economics
Wayne Winegarden calls Newsom’s budget proposal a “bunch of budget gimmicks” in The Center Square
California proposes mere $8.5 billion spending cut against $68 billion deficit By Kenneth Schrupp “[The governor’s plan] seems to be a combination of some spending cuts and a bunch of budget gimmicks,” said Pacific Research Institute Senior Fellow for Business and Economics Wayne Winegarden in an interview with The Center ...
Business & Economics
Read an analysis of the 2024-25 CA proposed budget
Gov. Newsom’s proposed budget fails the moment
Governor Gavin Newsom is wrong. His proposed budget is not “resilient;” it demonstrates an inability to learn the lessons from California’s volatile budget history. The crippling deficit is merely one manifestation of the broader crisis. Newsom estimates a $37.9 billion deficit, about one-half of the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Office’s (LAO) ...
Blog
Learn about an important state budget priority
Public Employee Pay Savings Must Be Part of Budget Solution
California’s record $68 billion deficit for the 2024 fiscal year is a national newsmaker. State government isn’t the only administrative body facing a budget shortfall, though. A number of cities are also finding they have insufficient funds. Officials are busy trying out plans to resolve their financial troubles, but balancing ...
Spending Watch
Single Payer Will Worsen California’s Healthcare System and Reduce Economic Growth
Single Payer Will Worsen California’s Healthcare System and Reduce Economic Growth Wayne Winegarden March 2024 With the introduction of AB 2200, advocates are, once again, proposing that California adopt a single payer healthcare system. Ostensibly, their proposed CalCare system would streamline payments, lower per-capita spending, guarantee “quality health care and ...
Spending Watch
Too Much Government Spending and Volatile Tax Revenues Drive State’s Budget Problem
Too Much Government Spending and Volatile Tax Revenues Drive State’s Budget Problem Wayne Winegarden March 2024 This analysis is the first publication of Spending Watch, a new initiative from the Pacific Research Institute. Spending Watch is a resource that evaluates the revenue, spending, and economic impacts of major budget and ...
Read latest State Budget Update
Newsom’s Budget Plan Sinks in Deficit Quicksand
Gov. Newsom’s budget problems continue to grow worse. After rolling out his $292 billion proposed state budget plan by arguing with the state’s respected independent budget analyst over the size of the deficit, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office has more bad news for Newsom about the deficit. On Friday, Newsom’s ...
Read latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
Well-run California cities grow, while badly run ones shrink
I’ve come up with a unique way to measure how well California cities are doing. It shows those with well-run finances grow in population, while those badly run shrink. It’s a generality. There are exceptions. But look at the trend line on this chart. Notice the trend line, the dotted ...
Newsom public safety budget shortchanges crime victims
For California’s Crime Victims – Budget Dust
Despite his protestations to the opposite in the recent debate with Governor DeSantis, California’s violent crimes are up 6.1 percent and property crimes are up 6.2 percent over their 2021 levels, making California a crime outlier compared to national crime statistics which have dropped. The Governor’s “Real Public Safety Plan” ...
Take a deep dive on Gov. Newsom's education budget
Newsom’s Proposed Education Budget: A Recipe for More Disaster
With all the blaring headlines about California’s huge state budget deficit, one would think that education spending, which accounts for around 45 percent of the budget, would take a significant hit. Well, think again. In the 2019-20 fiscal year, which was the last pre-pandemic budget, state General Fund spending for ...
The PRI All Stars Respond to Gov. Newsom’s 2024-25 Budget Plan
Listen as PRI’s All Stars – Wayne Winegarden, Lance Izumi, Sally Pipes, and Steve Smith – respond to Gov. Newsom’s much-anticipated 2024-25 state budget plan. They discuss Gov. Newsom’s much lower state budget projection and spending priorities, the budget’s impact on K-12 education, whether the Governor will suspend the controversial ...
Wayne Winegarden calls Newsom’s budget proposal a “bunch of budget gimmicks” in The Center Square
California proposes mere $8.5 billion spending cut against $68 billion deficit By Kenneth Schrupp “[The governor’s plan] seems to be a combination of some spending cuts and a bunch of budget gimmicks,” said Pacific Research Institute Senior Fellow for Business and Economics Wayne Winegarden in an interview with The Center ...
Read an analysis of the 2024-25 CA proposed budget
Gov. Newsom’s proposed budget fails the moment
Governor Gavin Newsom is wrong. His proposed budget is not “resilient;” it demonstrates an inability to learn the lessons from California’s volatile budget history. The crippling deficit is merely one manifestation of the broader crisis. Newsom estimates a $37.9 billion deficit, about one-half of the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Office’s (LAO) ...
Learn about an important state budget priority
Public Employee Pay Savings Must Be Part of Budget Solution
California’s record $68 billion deficit for the 2024 fiscal year is a national newsmaker. State government isn’t the only administrative body facing a budget shortfall, though. A number of cities are also finding they have insufficient funds. Officials are busy trying out plans to resolve their financial troubles, but balancing ...
