Pacific Research Institute | California Blog

Justice for Crime Victims Isn’t a “Bedrock Value” in Gavin Newsom’s California

March 18, 2019

California

Gov. Gavin Newsom triggered a firestorm on Wednesday by signing an executive order ordering a moratorium on the death penalty. His action effectively grants a reprieve from lethal injections for the state’s 737 death row inmates. According to Politico, his action will most benefit the...

L.A. City Contractors Must Now Disclose NRA Ties

March 14, 2019

California

In another First in the Nation policy to come out of California, the L.A. City Council voted 14 to 0 to pass an ordinance requiring companies doing business with the city to disclose whether they or their workers have ties to the National Rifle Association...

Will Legislature Act This Year to Keep our Kids SAFE? History Says Probably Not

March 12, 2019

This week on PRI’s “Next Round” podcast, I sit down with Senator Mike Morrell, R-Rancho Cucamonga. Among the topics that we discussed was his legislation to ensure safer schools for all students (Senate Bill 709), also known as the Sexual Abuse-Free Education (SAFE) Act. Right now,...

Water, Water In The Desert, But Still None To Drink

March 11, 2019

A proposal to draw water from the desert to slake perpetually dry Southern California seems no closer to reality now than it did when the idea emerged well more than a decade ago. The project has, according to California Water News Daily, “received numerous validations of...

What We’re Watching – The Best of PRI’s CA Ideas in Action Conference

March 08, 2019

California

Last week, PRI held its inaugural "California Ideas in Action" Conference in Sacramento. For those of you who weren't able to join us, below is your chance to watch 4 great panel discussions showcasing how free-market ideas are best suited to address California's unique challenges...

Can Free Market Ideas Bring More Political Balance to California?

March 07, 2019

California

Last week, PRI held its inaugural “California Ideas in Action” policy conference in Sacramento. A capacity crowd came together near the State Capitol for a half-day conference exploring how free-market ideas can address California’s most pressing challenges. Legendary Sacramento political reporter and current CALmatters columnist Dan Walters...

A Tax on Ride Sharing Companies Hurts Working People Most

March 05, 2019

California

"Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases,” said Ronald Reagan, “If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” Uber and Lyft are on the move. And guess what? Government...

Cleaning Dirty California Tap Water Doesn’t Require A New Tax

February 26, 2019

Last June, then-Gov. Jerry Brown and Sacramento’s political leaders dropped a proposed tax on drinking water. But Gov. Gavin Newsom, following the California Way, apparently aims to bring it back. Newsom, the Los Angeles Times reported “has embraced an idea that has previously failed to...

Latest Attack on “Big Gulps” Would Hurt Poor, Infringe Upon our Freedom

February 25, 2019

California

With great fanfare, a group of Democratic lawmakers announced last week their latest effort targeting people who commit the worst social faux pas imaginable – drinking a Big Gulp! Led by Bay Area Democrat Assemblyman Rob Bonta, lawmakers introduced legislation attacking the scourge of so-called “big...

CAPITAL IDEAS: CEQA: How To Mend It Since You Can’t End It

February 20, 2019

California

It is no coincidence that California’s housing prices began to diverge from the rest of the country in 1970 – the very year that the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) was enacted. According to California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst, “Between 1970 and 1980, California home prices went...