California

California

Homelessness, But Not Hopelessness: San Francisco Can Fix Its Problem

President Trump set off quite a tempest when he tweeted that Rep. Elijah Cummings’ Baltimore is a disgusting mess. His next target could be Nancy Pelosi, since he seems perpetually at war with the Baltimore-born House speaker whose city is also being spoiled by urban decay. Sheila Burke said she ...
Business & Economics

NEW STUDY: State and Local Tax Deduction “Makes it Rain” in California, Paid for by Taxpayers in Low Tax States

A new study released today by the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute, a California-based free market think tank, found that capping the State and Local Tax deduction brought broad-based tax relief to millions of Americans, while putting an end to taxpayers in low-tax states like Indiana subsidizing higher taxes and spending ...
Blog

Will Californians Go Through Withdrawal If They Can’t Recycle Plastic Bottles?

California, which would like to think of itself as the recycling capital of the universe, has lost its largest bottle and can recycling chain, rePlanet. The company shut down all 284 sites across the state on Aug. 5 and terminated its workforce of as many as 750 employees. It’s been ...
Blog

California and a Global Standard for Innovation

Even though the state has slipped in the rankings over the past several years, California is still an innovation hub with an economy that is firmly grounded in innovative industries from videogames to internet, and technology hardware to movies. There are nearly 43 technology jobs per 1000 people in California.  ...
Blog

CalPERS & CalSTRS Report Lower Than Expected Returns – Is ESG One Reason Why?

CalPERS and CalSTRS – the two largest public employee pension funds in both California and the nation –just announced their annual investment returns for the 2018-19 fiscal year.  Once again, it’s not good news for California taxpayers. Both funds reported that their respective net return of investments came in under ...
California

Will free markets clean up California’s dirty water?

The New York Times has discovered that many of California’s public water systems are fonts of deep trouble. This might be news outside the state, but residents have been aware of the problems for some time. So have officials — whose responses are never adequate. According to the Times, “as ...
Commentary

Louisiana Tries Hard, But Federal Obstacles Cause Hepatitis C Plan To Fall Short

A state and a biopharmaceutical company agreed recently on a new way to pay for treating patients with Hepatitis C, the most deadly infectious disease in America. At a time when politicians and drug companies are squabbling over drug prices, the deal between Louisiana and Asegua, a subsidiary of Gilead Sciences, ...
Blog

Big Government Plays Favorites with Renewable Energy, We All Pay the Difference

Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) can be considered the flagship environmental policy for state government in the US. The RPS programs have been adopted by 29 states and apply to half of the national electricity market. The staple of any RPS program is mandating the use of one energy source over ...
Commentary

Colorado’s big government emissions mandate

Colorado officials are painting a rosy picture of the impact on the economy and the environment from its low emission vehicle standards’ known as the Colorado Low Emission Automobile Regulation, or CLEAR. State officials prepared an initial economic impact analysis of the regulations, which replicate California’s expensive auto emissions standards, ...
Blog

The latest dumb idea from San Francisco – banning plastic water bottles at the airport

San Francisco has most recently been known more for its quality of life problems and lack of affordability than the home of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. You would think that city officials would be doing everything they can to lure both tourists and business travelers back to the ...
California

Homelessness, But Not Hopelessness: San Francisco Can Fix Its Problem

President Trump set off quite a tempest when he tweeted that Rep. Elijah Cummings’ Baltimore is a disgusting mess. His next target could be Nancy Pelosi, since he seems perpetually at war with the Baltimore-born House speaker whose city is also being spoiled by urban decay. Sheila Burke said she ...
Business & Economics

NEW STUDY: State and Local Tax Deduction “Makes it Rain” in California, Paid for by Taxpayers in Low Tax States

A new study released today by the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute, a California-based free market think tank, found that capping the State and Local Tax deduction brought broad-based tax relief to millions of Americans, while putting an end to taxpayers in low-tax states like Indiana subsidizing higher taxes and spending ...
Blog

Will Californians Go Through Withdrawal If They Can’t Recycle Plastic Bottles?

California, which would like to think of itself as the recycling capital of the universe, has lost its largest bottle and can recycling chain, rePlanet. The company shut down all 284 sites across the state on Aug. 5 and terminated its workforce of as many as 750 employees. It’s been ...
Blog

California and a Global Standard for Innovation

Even though the state has slipped in the rankings over the past several years, California is still an innovation hub with an economy that is firmly grounded in innovative industries from videogames to internet, and technology hardware to movies. There are nearly 43 technology jobs per 1000 people in California.  ...
Blog

CalPERS & CalSTRS Report Lower Than Expected Returns – Is ESG One Reason Why?

CalPERS and CalSTRS – the two largest public employee pension funds in both California and the nation –just announced their annual investment returns for the 2018-19 fiscal year.  Once again, it’s not good news for California taxpayers. Both funds reported that their respective net return of investments came in under ...
California

Will free markets clean up California’s dirty water?

The New York Times has discovered that many of California’s public water systems are fonts of deep trouble. This might be news outside the state, but residents have been aware of the problems for some time. So have officials — whose responses are never adequate. According to the Times, “as ...
Commentary

Louisiana Tries Hard, But Federal Obstacles Cause Hepatitis C Plan To Fall Short

A state and a biopharmaceutical company agreed recently on a new way to pay for treating patients with Hepatitis C, the most deadly infectious disease in America. At a time when politicians and drug companies are squabbling over drug prices, the deal between Louisiana and Asegua, a subsidiary of Gilead Sciences, ...
Blog

Big Government Plays Favorites with Renewable Energy, We All Pay the Difference

Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) can be considered the flagship environmental policy for state government in the US. The RPS programs have been adopted by 29 states and apply to half of the national electricity market. The staple of any RPS program is mandating the use of one energy source over ...
Commentary

Colorado’s big government emissions mandate

Colorado officials are painting a rosy picture of the impact on the economy and the environment from its low emission vehicle standards’ known as the Colorado Low Emission Automobile Regulation, or CLEAR. State officials prepared an initial economic impact analysis of the regulations, which replicate California’s expensive auto emissions standards, ...
Blog

The latest dumb idea from San Francisco – banning plastic water bottles at the airport

San Francisco has most recently been known more for its quality of life problems and lack of affordability than the home of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. You would think that city officials would be doing everything they can to lure both tourists and business travelers back to the ...
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