PRI celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2019.
PRI celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019 during one of the most turbulent times in our nation’s political history. Market-based ideas were under assault in California and across the country.
Progressives in Congress and on the 2020 presidential campaign trail were pushing for a “Medicare for All” or single-payer health care system and a “Green New Deal” scheme that would impose crushing new taxes and regulations. California Governor Gavin Newsom imposed new restrictions on charter schools, and signed anti-worker, anti-opportunity legislation limiting people’s freedom to work as they wish.
2019 Year in Review
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, PRI held a special gala in San Francisco in March featuring keynote speaker and Taube Family Freedom Prize award recipient Tucker Carlson. A Southern California 40th anniversary gala was held in Newport Beach in October featuring keynote speaker Peter Thiel and Baroness Thatcher Award recipient, the Honorable Christopher Cox, a former PRI board member. A Sacramento reception was held in February in conjunction with PRI’s inaugural California Ideas in Action conference.
In advance of the January 2020 publication of my latest book False Premise, False Promise: The Disastrous Reality of Medicare for All (Encounter Books), I traveled the country speaking to audiences and gave numerous media interviews on the dangers of single-payer health care, and what it would mean for the cost, quality, and availability of health care in the U.S.
I participated in a prestigious Intelligence2 debate on single-payer health care in New York City in September, which I won with my debate partner Nick Gillespie of Reason magazine. John Donvan, the debate moderator, said that my opening and closing statements were among the best given at an Intelligence2 debate. In November, I debated Professor Richard Scheffler, who was later appointed as one of the members of Gov. Newsom’s single-payer commission, at UC Berkeley.
Throughout the year, I published more than 400 op-eds (including reprints) in print and online outlets nationwide, including my regular columns at FoxNews.com, Forbes, and the Washington Examiner. Twice in 2019, President Trump shared my columns on Facebook with his 24 million followers.
Additionally, I gave more than 100 TV and radio interviews, discussing the health care plans of the Democratic presidential candidates, the problems with drug price controls, and how Americans would fare under a single-payer health care system, among other topics. In May, I was a guest on “Life, Liberty, and Levin” on Fox News Channel, which was watched by more than 1.5 million viewers.
PRI launched a new Center for Medical Economics and Innovation in April, led by senior fellow, Dr. Wayne Winegarden as well as featuring my work and the work of senior fellow in health studies, Dr. Henry Miller. The Center builds upon PRI’s decades of leadership in health care policy by championing market-based solutions to improve our health care system through innovation.
The Center’s initial work included a national survey showing that Americans strongly support gene therapies, which present the potential to cure devastating diseases despite high upfront costs.
Wayne published multiple briefs showcasing the potential for biosimilars, which have an opportunity to bring significant savings to patients and taxpayers alike. He also exposed the myths of a flawed World Health Organization study that is used by proponents to support drug price controls.
In addition, Henry published numerous commentaries and gave frequent media interviews on the growing debate over prescription drug importation, and whether California should allow personal belief exemptions from mandatory vaccines, which was one of the hottest legislative issues of 2019.
Lance Izumi, senior director of PRI’s Center for Education, published Choosing Diversity in January, which explores one of the key traits that distinguishes charter schools from traditional public schools—the diversity of educational experiences promoted by the ability to choose.
To accompany the book, PRI produced a mini-documentary on one of the schools highlighted in Choosing Diversity, Life Learning Academy on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. The school helps its students overcome incredible challenges including homelessness, violence, and broken families. The film has been viewed more than 80,000 times on social media since its release.
PRI’s Center for Business and Economics launched a multi-year series on entrepreneurship, Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity. In the first two papers in the series, Wayne documents how growing government regulatory burdens have worsened the climate for entrepreneurship and made it tougher for immigrant and low-income entrepreneurs to climb the economic ladder. In addition, Wayne published the final study in the Beyond the New Normal series, which outlines reforms Congress would have to enact to achieve the ideal level of government spending to maximize economic growth.
Damon Dunn, fellow with PRI’s Center for Business and Economics published a brief on the growingpublic support for socialism. Sharing stories from his upbringing in a life of extreme poverty, Damon argues that schemes like universal basic income won’t reduce income inequality or lift people out of poverty.
Closer to home, Kerry Jackson, fellow with PRI’s Center for California Reform, published a Capital Ideas brief in November showing how poor government policies limited the ability of the state’s power utilities to respond to the deadly wildfires and prevent future mass power blackouts.
Kerry published Living in Fear in California in May, which showed how sweeping changes (AB 109, Props. 47 and 57) to the state’s tough on crime policy agenda are undermining public safety. Kerry and Wayne also published a brief on San Francisco’s homeless crisis in June, which shows how private charities and non-profits could address homelessness more effectively than government. This is part of a major initiative PRI has undertaken on this issue.
PRI garnered statewide attention for its work on Assembly Bill 5, a new state law enacted in 2019 that puts significant restrictions on the ability of Californians to work as independent contractors. Kerry’s op-eds highlighting the new law’s serious flaws were published in dozens of outlets statewide.
In February, PRI held its first annual “California Ideas in Action” conference in Sacramento, which featured longtime Sacramento-based newspaper columnist Dan Walters as the keynote speaker. The inaugural conference explored how free-market ideas could form the basis for new, and non-traditional coalitions around issues like health care reform, energy policy, school choice, and poverty.
“Next Round,” PRI’s weekly podcast, celebrated its 100th episode in June featuring special guest, U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. In addition, PRI published daily, free-market analysis on the top issues being debated in Sacramento on the Right by the Bay blog.
Now more than ever, PRI’s work is critically needed to educate all Americans about the dangers of mounting socialism and progressivism. The time is now to rebut the push for bigger government with market-based ideas.
With your continued and generous support of our work, I’m confident that democratic socialism will be defeated, and the cause of liberty, freedom, and opportunity for all will prevail.
Sally C. Pipes
President and CEO of PRI and
Thomas W. Smith Fellow in Health Care Policy
BLOGS
Op-Eds
TV HITS
RADIO HITS
CLIPPINGS
EVENTS
PODCASTS
BOOKS & STUDIES
Foundations 48
Individuals 26
Corporations 11
Other 16
When I want to know what the best minds in free-market policy are thinking on issues like health care, education, and the regulatory state, I often turn to Sally Pipes and her team of experts at the Pacific Research Institute.
—Stephen Moore
PRI’s work and impact would not be possible without the generosity of its donors. In 2019, more than 1,000 individuals who share our vision of a free and civil society made financial contributions to sustain and enhance our policy research and outreach programs. In 2019, these gifts allowed PRI scholars to combat the aggressive expansion of government powers and suppression of individual and economic liberty at the state and national levels. We entered 2020 in a position of real influence and impact in a critical moment in our nation’s history because of the stalwart commitment of friends like you.
When you support our work, you are not just a contributor, you are a partner in our mission to champion free economy, private initiative, competition, and limited government in America.
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Pacific Research Institute
P.O. Box 60485
Pasadena, CA 91116
(626) 714-7572
The Diversity Delusion
Luncheon, Discussion, and Book Signing with Heather Mac Donald
Newport Beach, California
National School Choice Week Celebration
“Welcome to Change” documentary and Choosing Diversity Launch event
Roseville, California
Trumponomics
Luncheon, Discussion and Book Signing with Stephen Moore
San Francisco, California
Welcome to Change
Young Leaders Circle event with Lance Izumi
Film screening of “Welcome to Change” documentary and discussion on charter schools
San Francisco, California
PRI 40th Anniversary Legislative Reception
Sacramento, California
First Annual California Ideas in Action policy conference
Sacramento, California
PRI 40th Anniversary Gala
Featuring Keynote Speaker and Taube Family Freedom Prize Recipient Tucker Carlson
San Francisco, California
What’s Wrong with the Universities and Can They Be Fixed?
Luncheon and Discussion Featuring Steven F. Hayward, Pacific Research Institute Senior Fellow and John Yoo, UC Berkeley Law Professor
San Francisco, California
Is Basic Income the Solution for Rising Poverty and Tech Industry Displacement?
Young Leaders Circle Event
Speaker: Damon Dunn, PRI Fellow in Business and Economics
San Francisco, California
The World Turned Right-Way Up: Prospects for a Stronger Alliance After Brexit?
Luncheon and Discussion
Speaker: Daniel Hannan, Member of the European Parliament for the South East of England
San Francisco, California
Sixth Annual Villa Taverna Dinner
Lessons from Churchill for the Contemporary Age
Speaker: Historian Andrew Roberts
San Francisco, California
Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig and Election and Destroy a Presidency
Luncheon and Discussion
Speaker: Andrew McCarthy, senior fellow at the National Review Institute and contributing editor at National Review
San Francisco, California
Is the Gig Up? Why Independent Contractors and the Companies Who Use Them Should Worry
Young Leaders Circle Event
San Francisco, California
Pacific Research Institute and Claremont Institute 40th Anniversary Celebration Cruise
Crystal Serenity Cruise Ship
Sailing through Spain, France, Monaco, and Italy
The Rise of Identity Politics and the Decline in Academic Values
Luncheon and Discussion with Dr. Amy Wax, University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Steven F. Hayward,
Pacific Research Institute Senior Fellow
San Francisco, California
Eighth Annual Baroness Thatcher Gala
Featuring Keynote Speaker Peter Thiel and Baroness Thatcher Liberty Award Winner, The Honorable Christopher Cox
Newport Beach, California
Chairman
Clark S. Judge
Managing Director
White House Writers Group
Sally C. Pipes
President & CEO,
Pacific Research Institute
Secretary/Treasurer
Sean M. McAvoy
Cofounder and Managing Member
Hillair Capital Management
Katherine H. Alden
Owner, Woodside Hotels & Resorts
Steven Dennis, M.D.
Orthopedic Surgeon
Peter C. Farrell, Ph.D., AM
Founder and Executive Chairman
of the Board
ResMed
Sandra E. Gale
Retired Business Owner
Gourmet Center, Inc.
Russell A. Johnson
Partner, KPLJ Ventures
The Honorable Daniel M. Kolkey
Partner, Gibson Dunn
Thomas C. Magowan
President, Club Minibar, Inc.
Chairman Emeritus
The Honorable Daniel Oliver
Senior Advisor
White House Writers Group
Richard Samuelson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of History
California State University, San Bernardino
The Honorable Lawrence J. Siskind
Of Counsel, Coblentz Patch
Duffy & Bass, LLP
Paul Tosetti
Partner, Latham & Watkins
Richard A. Wallace
Consultant, Freedom Communications
Christopher Wright
President & CEO
Liberty Resources, LLC
Wayne Winegarden, Ph.D
Senior Fellow,
Business and Economics
Kerry Jackson
Fellow
California Reform
Henry I. Miller, MD
Senior Fellow
Health Studies
Kenneth P. Green, Ph.D
Scholar
Environmental Studies
Beth Haynes, MD
Board Member
Benjamin Rush Institute
Robert P. Murphy, Ph.D
Senior Fellow
Business and Economic Studies
Steven F. Hayward, Ph.D
Senior Fellow
Bartlett Cleland
Senior Fellow
Tech and Innovation
Damon Dunn
Fellow
Business and Economics
Erik Jaffe
Senior Fellow
Legal Studies
Christopher Rufo
Adjunct Fellow
California Reform
Joe Tartakovsky
Adjunct Fellow
Legal Studies
Sally C. Pipes
President and CEO
Thomas W. Smith Fellow in Health Care Policy
Rowena Itchon
Senior Vice President
Ben Smithwick
Vice President of Development
Tim Anaya
Director of Communications and Manager of the Sacramento Office
Lance T. Izumi, J.D.
Senior Director, Education Studies
Makaila Warga
Development and Events Manager
Evan Harris
Media Relations and Outreach Manager