Outmigration
California
Newsom’s $19 Million Ad Campaign Can’t Polish California’s Image
It’s going to take a lot more than a $19 million advertising blitz to make people forget about California’s problems. Governor Gavin Newsom, who is known to love “big, hairy, audacious goals,” recently hired the communications powerhouse Edelman to rehab the Golden State’s image, which, in Newsom’s telling, has been ...
Matthew Fleming
April 27, 2026
California
California’s Economy: Strong Claims, Weak Foundations
To listen to Gov. Gavin Newsom, California is still the nation’s economic leader. In his April 9 news release, he crows, “California continues to outperform every other state.” Rosy reports from politicians are not an accurate barometer of real conditions. According to the latest Bureau of Economic Analysis data, California’s ...
Wayne Winegarden and Kerry Jackson
April 17, 2026
Blog
Newsom’s ‘Sunny California Tale’ Masks Nightmare of Thousands Leaving the State
That splashy headline was based on the U-Haul company’s growth index, which each year “ranks states by their net gain (or loss) of customers who rented a one-way truck, trailer or U-Box® moving containers in one state and dropped off their equipment in another state.” Despite its world-renowned natural beauty, its reputation as ...
Kerry Jackson
January 21, 2026
Blog
Bed, Bath & Bye-Bye
Does Vegas have a betting line on which company will next abandon California? Maybe it should. But then the field of possibilities is just too large to fit them all on a casino board. Following a business plan that has worked for so many others, Bed, Bad & Beyond is ...
Kerry Jackson
August 29, 2025
Blog
The Most-Regulated State In The Union
When the Mercatus Center last compiled its Snapshots of State Regulations, California was far ahead, or actually far behind, the next closest state, burdening residents with a combined 420,000 regulations, compared with about 300,000 for New York. Idaho, the least regulated state, imposed around 31,000 on residents. “Jurisdictions that allow regulations to consistently pile ...
Kerry Jackson
August 11, 2025
California
Goodbye Golden State: In-N-Out Burger says enough to California’s crushing business climate
California already has lost a number of its legacy companies to more business-friendly states, but when the owner of an iconic burger chain leaves for Tennessee, where she will take a chunk of employees and set up a second company headquarters, the sting has to hurt a little more. Lynsi ...
Kerry Jackson
July 31, 2025
California
Learn more about California's outmigration crisis.
Voting With Their Feet
Twelve years ago, living in the foothills of El Dorado County, Calif., Joanne Kraft enjoyed what many consider the California Dream. Seeing the snow-capped Sierra Mountains in the distance never got old. She and her husband happily shuttled their four children to soccer practice, school activities, and church events. But ...
Wayne H Winegarden
October 28, 2024
Blog
Read the latest on California's outmigration problem
Don’t Forget About Migration’s Long-term Implications
This exodus reflects the migrant’s view that California no longer offers a competitive lifestyle, and the state provides residents with inadequate economic opportunities. But the exodus from the state is not simply a statement on the Golden State’s current maladies. When people migrate, they take their income and economic activity ...
Wayne Winegarden
September 9, 2024
Blog
Read the latest about California's misguided energy policies
As Chevron Exits California, Will Still Attempt to Buy Its Oil Refineries?
It’s unlikely that was the plan. But it is interesting that at roughly the same time Chevron made its announcement, which was no surprise to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, the California Energy Commission issued a staff report that includes a dedicated section (Chapter 3, page 7) on “State-Owned Refineries.” It’s ...
Kerry Jackson
August 21, 2024
Blog
Read why latest employer is leaving California
Chevron’s Departure Highlights California’s Risky Economic Future
Companies have been decamping from California for greener pastures so frequently that, in some ways, Chevron’s announcement is barely newsworthy. The particulars of Chevron’s decision are important, however, because they exemplify the large economic risks California’s policymakers are taking. Judged by their actions, California’s political leaders, including Governor Newsom, have ...
Wayne Winegarden
August 7, 2024
Newsom’s $19 Million Ad Campaign Can’t Polish California’s Image
It’s going to take a lot more than a $19 million advertising blitz to make people forget about California’s problems. Governor Gavin Newsom, who is known to love “big, hairy, audacious goals,” recently hired the communications powerhouse Edelman to rehab the Golden State’s image, which, in Newsom’s telling, has been ...
California’s Economy: Strong Claims, Weak Foundations
To listen to Gov. Gavin Newsom, California is still the nation’s economic leader. In his April 9 news release, he crows, “California continues to outperform every other state.” Rosy reports from politicians are not an accurate barometer of real conditions. According to the latest Bureau of Economic Analysis data, California’s ...
Newsom’s ‘Sunny California Tale’ Masks Nightmare of Thousands Leaving the State
That splashy headline was based on the U-Haul company’s growth index, which each year “ranks states by their net gain (or loss) of customers who rented a one-way truck, trailer or U-Box® moving containers in one state and dropped off their equipment in another state.” Despite its world-renowned natural beauty, its reputation as ...
Bed, Bath & Bye-Bye
Does Vegas have a betting line on which company will next abandon California? Maybe it should. But then the field of possibilities is just too large to fit them all on a casino board. Following a business plan that has worked for so many others, Bed, Bad & Beyond is ...
The Most-Regulated State In The Union
When the Mercatus Center last compiled its Snapshots of State Regulations, California was far ahead, or actually far behind, the next closest state, burdening residents with a combined 420,000 regulations, compared with about 300,000 for New York. Idaho, the least regulated state, imposed around 31,000 on residents. “Jurisdictions that allow regulations to consistently pile ...
Goodbye Golden State: In-N-Out Burger says enough to California’s crushing business climate
California already has lost a number of its legacy companies to more business-friendly states, but when the owner of an iconic burger chain leaves for Tennessee, where she will take a chunk of employees and set up a second company headquarters, the sting has to hurt a little more. Lynsi ...
Learn more about California's outmigration crisis.
Voting With Their Feet
Twelve years ago, living in the foothills of El Dorado County, Calif., Joanne Kraft enjoyed what many consider the California Dream. Seeing the snow-capped Sierra Mountains in the distance never got old. She and her husband happily shuttled their four children to soccer practice, school activities, and church events. But ...
Read the latest on California's outmigration problem
Don’t Forget About Migration’s Long-term Implications
This exodus reflects the migrant’s view that California no longer offers a competitive lifestyle, and the state provides residents with inadequate economic opportunities. But the exodus from the state is not simply a statement on the Golden State’s current maladies. When people migrate, they take their income and economic activity ...
Read the latest about California's misguided energy policies
As Chevron Exits California, Will Still Attempt to Buy Its Oil Refineries?
It’s unlikely that was the plan. But it is interesting that at roughly the same time Chevron made its announcement, which was no surprise to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, the California Energy Commission issued a staff report that includes a dedicated section (Chapter 3, page 7) on “State-Owned Refineries.” It’s ...
Read why latest employer is leaving California
Chevron’s Departure Highlights California’s Risky Economic Future
Companies have been decamping from California for greener pastures so frequently that, in some ways, Chevron’s announcement is barely newsworthy. The particulars of Chevron’s decision are important, however, because they exemplify the large economic risks California’s policymakers are taking. Judged by their actions, California’s political leaders, including Governor Newsom, have ...