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Groundhog Day for Minimum Wage

At first, we were relieved to find that Pres. Biden’s proposal to include a $15 minimum wage hike in the COVID-19 relief package was just a bad nightmare.  But when Californians woke up the other day, the idea was back on track.  Unlike Bill Murray, who thanks to the magic ...
Blog

President Biden’s Stimulus Will Harm The Economy Long-term With No Short-term Benefits

The argument for an economic stimulus seems persuasive. The economy contracted 3.5 percent in 2020, which is the largest annual decline in the national economy since 1946. The latest employment numbers, which were a disappointment to many, seem to further confirm the urgent need for Congress to immediately pass a ...
Blog

California’s Winter of Discontent

It comes as no surprise that a recent Gallup poll showed that Americans now believe that the biggest problem in the country are its politicians (29 percent), not the pandemic (22 percent). While tens of millions are frustratingly looking for a COVID-19 vaccine, the Biden Administration is busy fighting climate ...
Blog

Should California Legislative Staff Be Unionized?

California is struggling with its Covid-19 recovery efforts.  More than 941,000 people are still waiting for their Covid unemployment benefit claims to be processed.  A recent San Francisco Chronicle headline proclaimed, “Newsom’s $2 billion plan to reopen California schools fizzles.”  California now ranks dead last in vaccine distribution according to ...
Blog

Poor Communications Are Hurting the Governor on Covid

Last week, California should have celebrated an important step to help small business owners and Californians reclaim some sense in of normal. Instead, Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement to lift stay-at-home restrictions across the state was met with surprise, confusion, and more questions. Late Sunday night on Jan. 24, 2021, Sacramento ...
Blog

CAPITAL IDEAS: Is California’s Economy on the Brink Due to Climate Change?

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”36222″ img_size=”full” qode_css_animation=””][vc_column_text]The economic outlook for California inspires as much optimism as a weather report of dark clouds and heavy thunderstorms. Rather than entertain the possibility that the hard times are the result of poor public policy, blame has been assigned to ...
Blog

New Senate Majority Means Blue State Bailout on Horizon

While Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden, and Democrats across America were cheering their party’s victories in the Georgia senate runoffs, no one was probably cheering louder than Gov. Gavin Newsom and his fellow blue state governors (plus scores of Democratic mayors). Once the two new senators are sworn in and Californian ...
California

PRI’s Kerry Jackson weighs in on Newsom budget plan in OC Register: California’s spend-a-thon begins

Gov. Gavin Newsom submitted his budget Friday, outlining how he wants the state to spend a record $227.2 billion in the 2021-2022 fiscal year. And spend California will, as usual on items in no way connected to government’s limited role in our lives. In addition to the usual largess customarily ...
Blog

How 2020 Was Good and Bad for California Governor Gavin Newsom

In the wild year that was 2020, many political stars rose and fell. None may have gone on quite the roller coaster ride than California Governor Newsom. Since each month of last year felt like a lifetime, I thought I’d review some of the good and bad moments from Newsom’s ...
Blog

At The Intersection Of Lockdown Business Destruction And A Minimum-Wage Hike

Way back in August, in what seems like an entirely different historical era, when California was open relative to the restrictions we’re under today, 44% of small business owners said they were at risk of permanent closure in the next six months, unless they received additional stimulus funding. Six percent ...
Blog

Groundhog Day for Minimum Wage

At first, we were relieved to find that Pres. Biden’s proposal to include a $15 minimum wage hike in the COVID-19 relief package was just a bad nightmare.  But when Californians woke up the other day, the idea was back on track.  Unlike Bill Murray, who thanks to the magic ...
Blog

President Biden’s Stimulus Will Harm The Economy Long-term With No Short-term Benefits

The argument for an economic stimulus seems persuasive. The economy contracted 3.5 percent in 2020, which is the largest annual decline in the national economy since 1946. The latest employment numbers, which were a disappointment to many, seem to further confirm the urgent need for Congress to immediately pass a ...
Blog

California’s Winter of Discontent

It comes as no surprise that a recent Gallup poll showed that Americans now believe that the biggest problem in the country are its politicians (29 percent), not the pandemic (22 percent). While tens of millions are frustratingly looking for a COVID-19 vaccine, the Biden Administration is busy fighting climate ...
Blog

Should California Legislative Staff Be Unionized?

California is struggling with its Covid-19 recovery efforts.  More than 941,000 people are still waiting for their Covid unemployment benefit claims to be processed.  A recent San Francisco Chronicle headline proclaimed, “Newsom’s $2 billion plan to reopen California schools fizzles.”  California now ranks dead last in vaccine distribution according to ...
Blog

Poor Communications Are Hurting the Governor on Covid

Last week, California should have celebrated an important step to help small business owners and Californians reclaim some sense in of normal. Instead, Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement to lift stay-at-home restrictions across the state was met with surprise, confusion, and more questions. Late Sunday night on Jan. 24, 2021, Sacramento ...
Blog

CAPITAL IDEAS: Is California’s Economy on the Brink Due to Climate Change?

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”36222″ img_size=”full” qode_css_animation=””][vc_column_text]The economic outlook for California inspires as much optimism as a weather report of dark clouds and heavy thunderstorms. Rather than entertain the possibility that the hard times are the result of poor public policy, blame has been assigned to ...
Blog

New Senate Majority Means Blue State Bailout on Horizon

While Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden, and Democrats across America were cheering their party’s victories in the Georgia senate runoffs, no one was probably cheering louder than Gov. Gavin Newsom and his fellow blue state governors (plus scores of Democratic mayors). Once the two new senators are sworn in and Californian ...
California

PRI’s Kerry Jackson weighs in on Newsom budget plan in OC Register: California’s spend-a-thon begins

Gov. Gavin Newsom submitted his budget Friday, outlining how he wants the state to spend a record $227.2 billion in the 2021-2022 fiscal year. And spend California will, as usual on items in no way connected to government’s limited role in our lives. In addition to the usual largess customarily ...
Blog

How 2020 Was Good and Bad for California Governor Gavin Newsom

In the wild year that was 2020, many political stars rose and fell. None may have gone on quite the roller coaster ride than California Governor Newsom. Since each month of last year felt like a lifetime, I thought I’d review some of the good and bad moments from Newsom’s ...
Blog

At The Intersection Of Lockdown Business Destruction And A Minimum-Wage Hike

Way back in August, in what seems like an entirely different historical era, when California was open relative to the restrictions we’re under today, 44% of small business owners said they were at risk of permanent closure in the next six months, unless they received additional stimulus funding. Six percent ...
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