California
California
No way to run a homeless program
Last year’s count of the homeless population in both Los Angeles County and City showed a slight decrease, which is a small measure of progress. But the findings of recent audit of city-funded homelessness assistance programs suggests changes are needed in the local response if there is to be a ...
Blog
Read about the latest bill to weaken CA's public safety laws
AB 622 – Early Release for Violent Offenders
Historically, an inmate serving a 25 to life sentence for murder is eligible for parole review 13 months prior to their 25th year in custody, adjusted for time in custody prior to sentencing. This is known as the Minimum Parole Eligibility Date (MEPD). After the passage of Prop 57, the ...
California
Ben Austin – Can Sacramento Actually Fix California’s Underperforming Public Schools?
Ben Austin, longtime politico who has worked in both Democrat and Republican administrations in California and Washington, DC and now founding director of Education Civil Rights Now – a national non-profit with the mission of establishing a constitutional right to a high-quality public education for all students – joins PRI’s ...
Blog
Newsom’s Diaper Plan Stinks
Why a new program when the old one is working ok? The state argues that there are gaps in the existing program, which targets low-income parents. Instead of simply filling the gaps, the state wants to impose some elaborate scheme that is akin to killing a gnat with a shotgun. ...
California
What Is Going On In Los Angeles?
Another question comes to mind: Could Los Angeles be the next Detroit? At times, is seems it’s in a race with San Francisco to see which will be the first to reach a Motor City-like nadir. Due to its “serious financial headwinds,” the city is going to have to make cuts, ...
Blog
West Coast cities need to catch up on office-to-home conversions
Some buildings are in the pipeline, just waiting for approval, but many cities need to do more improving of infrastructure, cleanliness and safety in order to thrive. In a sign of good news, more office-to-residential conversions have developed in cities as distinct as Cleveland, Houston and Washington, D.C. The West ...
Blog
Gavin Newsom claims California taxes aren’t high. Here is why he’s wrong
Gavin Newsom claims California taxes aren’t high. Here is why he’s wrong Originally published in Sacramento Bee by Matt Fleming READ MORE Gov. Gavin Newsom often claims California is not a high-tax state. “So, this notion of even being a high tax state is B.S.,” Newsom podcasted in March. “Sixteen ...
Blog
New Rankings Confirm California’s Status as Too Restrictive for Homebuilding
In fact, those nine are all among the bottom 15. Los Angeles landed in the middle of the rankings, even though its “composite price levels” are 8.6 times higher than income, higher than San Jose (7.9), San Diego (7.7), San Francisco (7.6) and even New York City (6.6). California, was ...
California
New Study Reveals Soaring Costs of California’s Green Energy Transition
As the US marks Earth Day, a new study released today by the Pacific Research Institute, a nonpartisan, California-based, free-market think tank, reveals the staggering costs California consumers and businesses will incur as the state pursues its aggressive green energy mandates. The paper, “The Cost of Going Green,” provides a ...
Blog
Spending Watch
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26 Wayne Winegarden April 2025 The recently enacted tariffs are significant tax increases on consumption and production, as I discussed in a February 2025 PRI Issue Brief. These tariffs will increase costs for consumers and reduce profits for businesses both ...
No way to run a homeless program
Last year’s count of the homeless population in both Los Angeles County and City showed a slight decrease, which is a small measure of progress. But the findings of recent audit of city-funded homelessness assistance programs suggests changes are needed in the local response if there is to be a ...
Read about the latest bill to weaken CA's public safety laws
AB 622 – Early Release for Violent Offenders
Historically, an inmate serving a 25 to life sentence for murder is eligible for parole review 13 months prior to their 25th year in custody, adjusted for time in custody prior to sentencing. This is known as the Minimum Parole Eligibility Date (MEPD). After the passage of Prop 57, the ...
Ben Austin – Can Sacramento Actually Fix California’s Underperforming Public Schools?
Ben Austin, longtime politico who has worked in both Democrat and Republican administrations in California and Washington, DC and now founding director of Education Civil Rights Now – a national non-profit with the mission of establishing a constitutional right to a high-quality public education for all students – joins PRI’s ...
Newsom’s Diaper Plan Stinks
Why a new program when the old one is working ok? The state argues that there are gaps in the existing program, which targets low-income parents. Instead of simply filling the gaps, the state wants to impose some elaborate scheme that is akin to killing a gnat with a shotgun. ...
What Is Going On In Los Angeles?
Another question comes to mind: Could Los Angeles be the next Detroit? At times, is seems it’s in a race with San Francisco to see which will be the first to reach a Motor City-like nadir. Due to its “serious financial headwinds,” the city is going to have to make cuts, ...
West Coast cities need to catch up on office-to-home conversions
Some buildings are in the pipeline, just waiting for approval, but many cities need to do more improving of infrastructure, cleanliness and safety in order to thrive. In a sign of good news, more office-to-residential conversions have developed in cities as distinct as Cleveland, Houston and Washington, D.C. The West ...
Gavin Newsom claims California taxes aren’t high. Here is why he’s wrong
Gavin Newsom claims California taxes aren’t high. Here is why he’s wrong Originally published in Sacramento Bee by Matt Fleming READ MORE Gov. Gavin Newsom often claims California is not a high-tax state. “So, this notion of even being a high tax state is B.S.,” Newsom podcasted in March. “Sixteen ...
New Rankings Confirm California’s Status as Too Restrictive for Homebuilding
In fact, those nine are all among the bottom 15. Los Angeles landed in the middle of the rankings, even though its “composite price levels” are 8.6 times higher than income, higher than San Jose (7.9), San Diego (7.7), San Francisco (7.6) and even New York City (6.6). California, was ...
New Study Reveals Soaring Costs of California’s Green Energy Transition
As the US marks Earth Day, a new study released today by the Pacific Research Institute, a nonpartisan, California-based, free-market think tank, reveals the staggering costs California consumers and businesses will incur as the state pursues its aggressive green energy mandates. The paper, “The Cost of Going Green,” provides a ...
Spending Watch
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26 Wayne Winegarden April 2025 The recently enacted tariffs are significant tax increases on consumption and production, as I discussed in a February 2025 PRI Issue Brief. These tariffs will increase costs for consumers and reduce profits for businesses both ...
