Housing
Blog
More Red, White … or Blue
In 2017, PRI launched its first podcast, and because we are headquartered near Wine Country, and because no other think tank does wine better than PRI (okay, I may be biased), we made it our tradition to ask each guest for a wine or cocktail recommendation at the end of ...
Blog
Another #1 Ranking California Should Not Celebrate
It’s one thing to be considered a Judicial Hellhole. It’s another thing altogether to hold that distinction year after year . . . after year. But, just as it is with so many state rankings, California isn’t a newcomer at the wrong end of a list. It’s a perennial resident ...
California
California Middle Class Look For A Winning Hand in Las Vegas
They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Apparently, this is true of Californians, as well: If they happen to be in Vegas, there’s a good chance they’re going to be staying there. California has a leakage problem. Not only are businesses leaving the state in waves, people are ...
Blog
The Other Pretty Girl
At a PRI conference a few years ago, someone in the audience had a great question for our keynote speaker, a renowned economist: Given California’s bad economic policies, why do people still like the state? With typical flair and charm, not to mention political incorrectness (which is why I am ...
Blog
We’re Thankful for You
2017 has been quite a year for the Pacific Research Institute. We remain, as ever, committed to championing freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility. Thanks to the steadfast support of our donors in California and throughout the nation, this past year we have advanced market-based policies in the national debate on ...
Blended Learning
Celebrating a Virtual “Friendsgiving”
As we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday, we’re also preparing for an overload of turkey, pumpkin pie, and relatives. Thanksgiving is about more than getting a food coma. It’s about getting together with your loved ones and giving thanks for all that we are thankful for in life. ...
Blog
California Jeers Federal Tax Reform Efforts
Tax reform has taken center stage in Washington. Just last week, the House Ways and Means Committee approved the House’s tax reform proposal, while the Senate released its own tax reform proposal. If you picked up a newspaper in California, you would have thought the sky was falling. Among the ...
Business & Economics
Lower mortgage interest tax break: “All-out assault” or glancing blow?
By Jeff Ostrowski If there’s one thing that’s certain to mobilize the nation’s largest trade group, it’s any talk of reining in tax breaks for homeowners with mortgages. House Republicans on Thursday passed a tax plan that caps at $500,000 the amount of debt eligible for the mortgage interest deduction. ...
Commentary
Advice for Secretary DeVos: Remember the Trump Base
The continuing campus protests by the Left against U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos may grab the headlines, but another real political concern for her and the president lies with her relationship with the Right. The importance of the base for President Donald Trump cannot be overstated. Mark Penn, the ...
Blog
New Report Shows Legislature’s “Housing Day” Won’t Increase Affordability
California’s Legislature made a run at fixing the state’s housing crisis as the session was ending a bit more than a month ago. But it won’t solve anything next year, as home prices are expected to rise in 2018. In fact, lawmakers’ poor-faith effort isn’t likely to help moderate home ...
More Red, White … or Blue
In 2017, PRI launched its first podcast, and because we are headquartered near Wine Country, and because no other think tank does wine better than PRI (okay, I may be biased), we made it our tradition to ask each guest for a wine or cocktail recommendation at the end of ...
Another #1 Ranking California Should Not Celebrate
It’s one thing to be considered a Judicial Hellhole. It’s another thing altogether to hold that distinction year after year . . . after year. But, just as it is with so many state rankings, California isn’t a newcomer at the wrong end of a list. It’s a perennial resident ...
California Middle Class Look For A Winning Hand in Las Vegas
They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Apparently, this is true of Californians, as well: If they happen to be in Vegas, there’s a good chance they’re going to be staying there. California has a leakage problem. Not only are businesses leaving the state in waves, people are ...
The Other Pretty Girl
At a PRI conference a few years ago, someone in the audience had a great question for our keynote speaker, a renowned economist: Given California’s bad economic policies, why do people still like the state? With typical flair and charm, not to mention political incorrectness (which is why I am ...
We’re Thankful for You
2017 has been quite a year for the Pacific Research Institute. We remain, as ever, committed to championing freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility. Thanks to the steadfast support of our donors in California and throughout the nation, this past year we have advanced market-based policies in the national debate on ...
Celebrating a Virtual “Friendsgiving”
As we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday, we’re also preparing for an overload of turkey, pumpkin pie, and relatives. Thanksgiving is about more than getting a food coma. It’s about getting together with your loved ones and giving thanks for all that we are thankful for in life. ...
California Jeers Federal Tax Reform Efforts
Tax reform has taken center stage in Washington. Just last week, the House Ways and Means Committee approved the House’s tax reform proposal, while the Senate released its own tax reform proposal. If you picked up a newspaper in California, you would have thought the sky was falling. Among the ...
Lower mortgage interest tax break: “All-out assault” or glancing blow?
By Jeff Ostrowski If there’s one thing that’s certain to mobilize the nation’s largest trade group, it’s any talk of reining in tax breaks for homeowners with mortgages. House Republicans on Thursday passed a tax plan that caps at $500,000 the amount of debt eligible for the mortgage interest deduction. ...
Advice for Secretary DeVos: Remember the Trump Base
The continuing campus protests by the Left against U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos may grab the headlines, but another real political concern for her and the president lies with her relationship with the Right. The importance of the base for President Donald Trump cannot be overstated. Mark Penn, the ...
New Report Shows Legislature’s “Housing Day” Won’t Increase Affordability
California’s Legislature made a run at fixing the state’s housing crisis as the session was ending a bit more than a month ago. But it won’t solve anything next year, as home prices are expected to rise in 2018. In fact, lawmakers’ poor-faith effort isn’t likely to help moderate home ...
