Steven Greenhut

The city and county of Los Angeles have struggled to jump-start home and business reconstructions eight months after wildfires destroyed Pacific Palisades and Altadena, with only 17 permits issued for the Palisades and fewer than 300 for all the affected areas combined. State and local officials have waived myriad building ...

Everything in this world does seem nonsensical, especially as we consider the issue of land-use regulation and California’s efforts (led by progressives) to jump-start housing construction by—yes, you heard this right—reducing the role of government in dictating what we can do with our property. Meanwhile, many conservatives have dug in ...

SACRAMENTO – The Free Cities Center at the Pacific Research Institute – the California-based, nonpartisan, free market think tank – today released a new booklet examining the failures in state and local wildfire prevention and response policies during this year’s devastating Southern California wildfires, offering practical reforms to make California ...

NEW BOOK EXCERPT: ‘PROTECTING CITIES FROM WILDFIRES’ Rethinking land use, housing and rebuilding regulations by Steven Greenhut | August 15, 2025 This is an excerpt from Greenhut’s new Free Cities Center booklet, “Protecting Cities from Wildfires: Improving California’s Land-Use, Water and Brush-Clearance Strategies.” After the Los Angeles wildfires began their ...

Irony alert: California Dems tackle ‘cost of living’ Don’t expect high-priced California cities to become more affordable any time soon. By Steven Greenhut  |  June 13, 2025 The latest news about the California Legislature’s efforts to tackle the state’s preposterously high cost of living should cause Californians to snigger. “California ...

Your Mileage May Vary on New Tax Proposal Can our Legislature be trusted to replace gas taxes with mileage fees? By Steven Greenhut | April 9, 2025 In a normal state run by politicians who weren’t constantly trying to hose taxpayers to fund an ever-expanding list of dubious programs, it ...

Another attempt to hike taxes to prop up failing transit By Steven Greenhut | April 4, 2025 When it comes to the Bay Area’s multiple transit systems, the numbers tell the story. As the San Francisco Chroniclereported last week, ridership at one suburban BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) stop (North ...

SACRAMENTO – Acclaimed journalist and policy analyst Steven Greenhut released today his latest book, The War on Suburbia, a compelling examination of how urban planning, government policies, and ideological battles threaten the future of suburban living. Published by the Pacific Research Institute, this book offers a critical look at how policymakers, environmentalists, and urban ...