Economy
Blog
Government Shutdown Threatens Billions in IPO Funding
The federal government has been shut down since October 1 because of a funding disagreement between Democrats and Republicans in Washington. Though a deal could theoretically be struck at any moment, there does not appear to be any end in sight. Only services deemed essential are permitted through the shutdown, which means ...
Blog
Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
It’s not just AI: California city minimum wages also kill jobs
As if it didn’t kill enough jobs, 39 cities have imposed their own, even higher minimums. A dozen of the cities did so on July 1. The highest general minimum is Emeryville’s, at $19.90. Some cities also mandate higher minimums for certain jobs. For the city of Los Angeles, the ...
Blog
Fact Checking The Governor on Manufacturing
While announcing last month the state’s Regional Investment Initiative “to fund ready-to-go projects,” Newsom’s office declared that “California is the nation’s top state for” a number of economic sectors, including manufacturing. It’s a recurring message from the governor’s press team. It is true that California has the most manufacturing jobs in the country. Federal data ...
Blog
The fast food minimum wage hike continues to kill jobs
Governor Newsom Protests Too Much – the Minimum Wage Increase Did Destroy Jobs
As the New York Post reported, Newsom’s deputy director of communications Tara Gallegos disputed the findings of the piece, pointing out to Fox News Digital that the research paper was linked to the Hoover Institution, a public policy think tank she claimed has published “false or misleading information” about California’s ...
Agriculture
Fourth of July cookout costs emphasize the need for agriculture
As in years’ past, the American Farm Bureau Federation highlights our food production history by examining the cost of cooking for our family and friends on Fourth of July in the present. The West Coast has retained the dubious distinction of being the most expensive region of the country to ...
Blog
Slowing Consumption Poses an Additional Fiscal Threat to California
The California New Car Dealers Associationnotes that total new vehicle registrations in the state stagnated in 2024 and are expected to decline slightly in 2025. The California Chamber of Commerce reports that tourism, which generated over $12 billion in tax revenue from both international and domestic visitors in 2024, is ...
Blog
Learn why California's unemployment rate is rising
Disaster looms with California’s high unemployment
Currently, California currently ranks as the fourth-highest unemployment rate of any state (including the District of Columbia) in the nation, at 5.3 percent. California’s unemployment rate steadily increased by a full percentage point between March 2023 and September 2024 and, despite continued economic growth, has plateaued ever since. By contrast, ...
Blog
Read about the new LA $30 minimum wage
Job Losses, Cancelled Projects Follows LA Passing $30 Minimum Wage
The City Council, operating as if in bubble that can’t be penetrated by real-world economic behavior, voted on May 23 to hike the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers from the current $17.28 (due to rise to $17.81 on July 1) for all workers to $30. If the raise ...
Blog
How does California’s employment growth compare with the rest of the US?
Gov. Gavin Newsom and California’s progressives point to the Trump Administration’s imposition of tariffs as a reason for its economic slowdown, and the LAO acknowledges that unpredictable policymaking at the federal level puts California’s ‘fragile economy at risk.’ But while California’s ports have seen a decline in economic activity over ...
Blog
Why Your Next Bottle of French Champagne Could Cost More: Tariffs & US Sparkling Wine Options
When I read the news that prices on French Champagne could soon be soaring under President Trump’s tariff plan, my first response was to quickly get to my nearest Costco. Veuve Clicquot champagne, still made much like it was when first developed over 200 years ago by the “Grande Dame” ...
Government Shutdown Threatens Billions in IPO Funding
The federal government has been shut down since October 1 because of a funding disagreement between Democrats and Republicans in Washington. Though a deal could theoretically be struck at any moment, there does not appear to be any end in sight. Only services deemed essential are permitted through the shutdown, which means ...
Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
It’s not just AI: California city minimum wages also kill jobs
As if it didn’t kill enough jobs, 39 cities have imposed their own, even higher minimums. A dozen of the cities did so on July 1. The highest general minimum is Emeryville’s, at $19.90. Some cities also mandate higher minimums for certain jobs. For the city of Los Angeles, the ...
Fact Checking The Governor on Manufacturing
While announcing last month the state’s Regional Investment Initiative “to fund ready-to-go projects,” Newsom’s office declared that “California is the nation’s top state for” a number of economic sectors, including manufacturing. It’s a recurring message from the governor’s press team. It is true that California has the most manufacturing jobs in the country. Federal data ...
The fast food minimum wage hike continues to kill jobs
Governor Newsom Protests Too Much – the Minimum Wage Increase Did Destroy Jobs
As the New York Post reported, Newsom’s deputy director of communications Tara Gallegos disputed the findings of the piece, pointing out to Fox News Digital that the research paper was linked to the Hoover Institution, a public policy think tank she claimed has published “false or misleading information” about California’s ...
Fourth of July cookout costs emphasize the need for agriculture
As in years’ past, the American Farm Bureau Federation highlights our food production history by examining the cost of cooking for our family and friends on Fourth of July in the present. The West Coast has retained the dubious distinction of being the most expensive region of the country to ...
Slowing Consumption Poses an Additional Fiscal Threat to California
The California New Car Dealers Associationnotes that total new vehicle registrations in the state stagnated in 2024 and are expected to decline slightly in 2025. The California Chamber of Commerce reports that tourism, which generated over $12 billion in tax revenue from both international and domestic visitors in 2024, is ...
Learn why California's unemployment rate is rising
Disaster looms with California’s high unemployment
Currently, California currently ranks as the fourth-highest unemployment rate of any state (including the District of Columbia) in the nation, at 5.3 percent. California’s unemployment rate steadily increased by a full percentage point between March 2023 and September 2024 and, despite continued economic growth, has plateaued ever since. By contrast, ...
Read about the new LA $30 minimum wage
Job Losses, Cancelled Projects Follows LA Passing $30 Minimum Wage
The City Council, operating as if in bubble that can’t be penetrated by real-world economic behavior, voted on May 23 to hike the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers from the current $17.28 (due to rise to $17.81 on July 1) for all workers to $30. If the raise ...
How does California’s employment growth compare with the rest of the US?
Gov. Gavin Newsom and California’s progressives point to the Trump Administration’s imposition of tariffs as a reason for its economic slowdown, and the LAO acknowledges that unpredictable policymaking at the federal level puts California’s ‘fragile economy at risk.’ But while California’s ports have seen a decline in economic activity over ...
Why Your Next Bottle of French Champagne Could Cost More: Tariffs & US Sparkling Wine Options
When I read the news that prices on French Champagne could soon be soaring under President Trump’s tariff plan, my first response was to quickly get to my nearest Costco. Veuve Clicquot champagne, still made much like it was when first developed over 200 years ago by the “Grande Dame” ...
