Housing
California
The (Back) Rent Is Too Damn High
Did someone say that suspending the responsibilities for renters to make their payments due to the pandemic on time would create problems? Of course they did. And of course it has. By the end of the year, Californians will owe as much as $1.7 billion in back rent, says a ...
Blog
Proposition Roundup
As is often the case, California voters had to sort through a number of ballot propositions on Election Day. Here’s a quick breakdown of the statewide measures. Proposition 14. Issues $5.5 billion in bonds for stem cell research, winning 51-49. Instant analysis: In 2004, voters approved Proposition 71, authorizing the ...
Blog
More McMansions: What California Needs To Make Housing More Affordable
A Bloomberg News story last week laments, not overtly but in an unmistakable tone, the “surge” in demand for luxury homes because it “highlights the growing U.S. wealth gap.” The “surge” should instead be a welcome development. Greater demand for opulent homes means more housing for everyone. “Luxury” housing is ...
Blog
The Latest Buzz On Newsom’s Electric Car Mandate
To adequately cover all the angles, implications, and consequences of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order to rid the state of gasoline and diesel cars and trucks and replace them with electric vehicles would require a short book, or a long policy paper. We’ve already covered a few points, primarily the ...
Blog
Prop. 19 Could Be a Huge Tax Increase for Middle Class Californians Inheriting Homes
Property taxes are a hot issue on the ballot in California this November. Most of the attention has centered around Prop. 15, which would impose a split roll property tax scheme in the state. Garnering less attention is Prop. 19, which has the potential to have a much bigger negative ...
Blog
The Facts About Prop 21, The Rent Control Initiative
Unlike many California ballot measures, the title of Proposition 21 is clear and upfront. There’s no intent to deceive with misleading language. It’s not “an argument designed to influence the voter,” and isn’t likely to prejudice the electorate. The “Expands Local Governments’ Authority to Enact Rent Control on Residential Property” ...
Commentary
Price Controls Are Disastrous For Rents And Will Be For Drugs
President Trump and senior advisor Jared Kushner claim that the most favored nation executive order signed by the President over the weekend is necessary for drug pricing because “the U.S. shouldn’t pay more than other European countries for the same treatments.” This policy will make things worse, not better. If the president ...
Blackouts
Put a quarantine on California’s bad policy ideas
Los Angeles Times readers might think the first night of the Republican National Convention was nothing more than a non-stop attack on California. In its coverage of the first evening’s events, the paper posted the headline “RNC speakers paint California as a dangerous dystopia.” Missing from the report were rebuttals to ...
Blog
California Entering Pharmaceutical Business Won’t Lower Drug Prices for Patients
The state of California, which can’t keep the lights on thanks to political interference in energy generation, nor build enough homes because government has poisoned the housing market, is going into the pharmaceutical manufacturing business. But there’s nothing to worry about. If it struggles, taxpayers will be there to bail ...
Blog
Dem “Stimulus Plan” Victim of Last Night of Session Hijinks
Much has been written about perhaps the wildest last night of the legislative session ever. For those who weren’t paying attention, all but one Republican senator was quarantined when Sen. Brian Jones tested positive for COVID-19 a few days prior, forced to vote remotely. This prolonged the Senate’s work on ...
The (Back) Rent Is Too Damn High
Did someone say that suspending the responsibilities for renters to make their payments due to the pandemic on time would create problems? Of course they did. And of course it has. By the end of the year, Californians will owe as much as $1.7 billion in back rent, says a ...
Proposition Roundup
As is often the case, California voters had to sort through a number of ballot propositions on Election Day. Here’s a quick breakdown of the statewide measures. Proposition 14. Issues $5.5 billion in bonds for stem cell research, winning 51-49. Instant analysis: In 2004, voters approved Proposition 71, authorizing the ...
More McMansions: What California Needs To Make Housing More Affordable
A Bloomberg News story last week laments, not overtly but in an unmistakable tone, the “surge” in demand for luxury homes because it “highlights the growing U.S. wealth gap.” The “surge” should instead be a welcome development. Greater demand for opulent homes means more housing for everyone. “Luxury” housing is ...
The Latest Buzz On Newsom’s Electric Car Mandate
To adequately cover all the angles, implications, and consequences of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order to rid the state of gasoline and diesel cars and trucks and replace them with electric vehicles would require a short book, or a long policy paper. We’ve already covered a few points, primarily the ...
Prop. 19 Could Be a Huge Tax Increase for Middle Class Californians Inheriting Homes
Property taxes are a hot issue on the ballot in California this November. Most of the attention has centered around Prop. 15, which would impose a split roll property tax scheme in the state. Garnering less attention is Prop. 19, which has the potential to have a much bigger negative ...
The Facts About Prop 21, The Rent Control Initiative
Unlike many California ballot measures, the title of Proposition 21 is clear and upfront. There’s no intent to deceive with misleading language. It’s not “an argument designed to influence the voter,” and isn’t likely to prejudice the electorate. The “Expands Local Governments’ Authority to Enact Rent Control on Residential Property” ...
Price Controls Are Disastrous For Rents And Will Be For Drugs
President Trump and senior advisor Jared Kushner claim that the most favored nation executive order signed by the President over the weekend is necessary for drug pricing because “the U.S. shouldn’t pay more than other European countries for the same treatments.” This policy will make things worse, not better. If the president ...
Put a quarantine on California’s bad policy ideas
Los Angeles Times readers might think the first night of the Republican National Convention was nothing more than a non-stop attack on California. In its coverage of the first evening’s events, the paper posted the headline “RNC speakers paint California as a dangerous dystopia.” Missing from the report were rebuttals to ...
California Entering Pharmaceutical Business Won’t Lower Drug Prices for Patients
The state of California, which can’t keep the lights on thanks to political interference in energy generation, nor build enough homes because government has poisoned the housing market, is going into the pharmaceutical manufacturing business. But there’s nothing to worry about. If it struggles, taxpayers will be there to bail ...
Dem “Stimulus Plan” Victim of Last Night of Session Hijinks
Much has been written about perhaps the wildest last night of the legislative session ever. For those who weren’t paying attention, all but one Republican senator was quarantined when Sen. Brian Jones tested positive for COVID-19 a few days prior, forced to vote remotely. This prolonged the Senate’s work on ...
