California
Commentary
Sanders, Warren want ‘Medicare-for-all’ like Canada – But Canadian health care is awful
Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren want you to believe Canada’s health care system is a dream come true. And they want to make the dream even better with their “Medicare-for-all” plans. Don’t believe them. In truth, Canada’s system of socialized medicine is actually a nightmare. It has left hospitals overcrowded, ...
Sally C. Pipes
December 9, 2019
Blog
Water World
A state overflowing with natural resources and more than 840 miles of direct access to the largest body of water on Earth seems to always be suffering through a dry spell. Even though seven years of drought ended earlier this year, and winter storms have lashed the state, thirsty Central ...
Kerry Jackson
December 9, 2019
California
Thought San Francisco’s Quality of Life Couldn’t Get Worse? Think Again
San Francisco garnered national headlines with the election of its new district attorney, a progressive, which means there will be zero progress made in the homelessness crisis, and little if any made toward reducing crime in the city and county. Chesa Boudin, a one-time deputy public defender who has never ...
Kerry Jackson
December 6, 2019
Blog
What’s the deal with state attorneys general?
California’s attorney general has become one of the most powerful political offices in the state. The powers granted to the Golden State’s top cop are numerous and impactful. The attorney general is often front and center for state and federal lawsuits, legal reform, even writing the titles and summaries for ...
Evan Harris
December 5, 2019
California
Gig Economy Firms Fight California Overreach with $110 Million Initiative
In a rational response to Assembly Bill 5, which in effect outlaws the gig economy, ride-share and delivery companies have proposed a November 2020 ballot measure aimed at protecting their businesses. But it wouldn’t repeal the law. Shouldn’t that have been the goal? AB 5 doesn’t leave businesses much time to adapt. It becomes law ...
Kerry Jackson
December 4, 2019
Blog
Instead of Spending Billions on Housing Affordability, Silicon Valley Should Demand CEQA Reform
Amid much fanfare, several Silicon Valley firms have announced plans to collectively contribute billions to “affordable housing” programs. Last month, Apple announced “a comprehensive $2.5 billion plan to help address the housing availability and affordability crisis in California.” Their plan includes “a $1 billion commitment to the state of California ...
Tim Anaya
December 4, 2019
Blog
Support PRI on #GivingTuesday
Thanks to the support of hundreds of liberty-minded individuals, 2019 was a banner year for the Pacific Research Institute. The generosity of our supporters is what allows us to champion freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility by advancing free-market policy ideas. Over the past 12 months, PRI scholars have given dozens ...
Ben Smithwick
December 3, 2019
Blog
California’s Assembly Bill 5 Is A Virus Moving Across the Country
The flood of lousy legislation that has poured out of Sacramento for the last two decades or so truly astonishes in its volume. As fourth-rate as the lawmaking has been, though, nothing has been worse than Assembly Bill 5, an existential threat to both jobs and businesses because it requires ...
Kerry Jackson
December 2, 2019
Business & Economics
Want to end poverty in California? Embrace entrepreneurship.
Sacramento politicians have heralded the state’s record-low 4.0 percent unemployment figures. While this is good news, anyone living in Southern California will tell you that things aren’t as rosy as they appear to be. Take what’s going on in Imperial County, for example. Unemployment rates in the El Centro region, which borders ...
Wayne Winegarden
December 1, 2019
California
San Francisco Mayor: Hardest Job in America?
London Breed breezed through her re-election at the beginning of the month, taking almost 70% of the vote in San Francisco’s mayoral race. But in winning, she might have also lost. No big-city mayor in the country has a tougher job ahead of them. San Francisco’s troubles start with a ...
Kerry Jackson
November 26, 2019
Sanders, Warren want ‘Medicare-for-all’ like Canada – But Canadian health care is awful
Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren want you to believe Canada’s health care system is a dream come true. And they want to make the dream even better with their “Medicare-for-all” plans. Don’t believe them. In truth, Canada’s system of socialized medicine is actually a nightmare. It has left hospitals overcrowded, ...
Water World
A state overflowing with natural resources and more than 840 miles of direct access to the largest body of water on Earth seems to always be suffering through a dry spell. Even though seven years of drought ended earlier this year, and winter storms have lashed the state, thirsty Central ...
Thought San Francisco’s Quality of Life Couldn’t Get Worse? Think Again
San Francisco garnered national headlines with the election of its new district attorney, a progressive, which means there will be zero progress made in the homelessness crisis, and little if any made toward reducing crime in the city and county. Chesa Boudin, a one-time deputy public defender who has never ...
What’s the deal with state attorneys general?
California’s attorney general has become one of the most powerful political offices in the state. The powers granted to the Golden State’s top cop are numerous and impactful. The attorney general is often front and center for state and federal lawsuits, legal reform, even writing the titles and summaries for ...
Gig Economy Firms Fight California Overreach with $110 Million Initiative
In a rational response to Assembly Bill 5, which in effect outlaws the gig economy, ride-share and delivery companies have proposed a November 2020 ballot measure aimed at protecting their businesses. But it wouldn’t repeal the law. Shouldn’t that have been the goal? AB 5 doesn’t leave businesses much time to adapt. It becomes law ...
Instead of Spending Billions on Housing Affordability, Silicon Valley Should Demand CEQA Reform
Amid much fanfare, several Silicon Valley firms have announced plans to collectively contribute billions to “affordable housing” programs. Last month, Apple announced “a comprehensive $2.5 billion plan to help address the housing availability and affordability crisis in California.” Their plan includes “a $1 billion commitment to the state of California ...
Support PRI on #GivingTuesday
Thanks to the support of hundreds of liberty-minded individuals, 2019 was a banner year for the Pacific Research Institute. The generosity of our supporters is what allows us to champion freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility by advancing free-market policy ideas. Over the past 12 months, PRI scholars have given dozens ...
California’s Assembly Bill 5 Is A Virus Moving Across the Country
The flood of lousy legislation that has poured out of Sacramento for the last two decades or so truly astonishes in its volume. As fourth-rate as the lawmaking has been, though, nothing has been worse than Assembly Bill 5, an existential threat to both jobs and businesses because it requires ...
Want to end poverty in California? Embrace entrepreneurship.
Sacramento politicians have heralded the state’s record-low 4.0 percent unemployment figures. While this is good news, anyone living in Southern California will tell you that things aren’t as rosy as they appear to be. Take what’s going on in Imperial County, for example. Unemployment rates in the El Centro region, which borders ...
San Francisco Mayor: Hardest Job in America?
London Breed breezed through her re-election at the beginning of the month, taking almost 70% of the vote in San Francisco’s mayoral race. But in winning, she might have also lost. No big-city mayor in the country has a tougher job ahead of them. San Francisco’s troubles start with a ...