California
Blog
All Crime is Local – Why National Crime Statistics Don’t Matter
The FBI doesn’t receive individual reports of crimes, rather, they aggregate the crime statistics reported by thousands of law enforcement agencies who, for ease of comparison, share a common reporting format. This gives us a bird’s eye view of national and state crime statistics, albeit with a lot of errors ...
California
‘California way’ offers a preview of a Harris’ presidency
Suppose Ms. Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, who has governed Minnesota as if he were following the Golden State playbook, are elected. In that case, voters can expect the California way to guide a future administration. Read the full article at the Washington Times
Blog
Get the latest update from under the Capitol dome
Newsom’s Absence Was ‘Elephant in the Room’ at End of Legislative Session
Coincidentally, I found myself out and about that evening near the Capitol, going to dinner and then a show with friends. Ironically, there was a comic book convention that weekend at the convention center. The hundreds of strangely dressed people milling about downtown Sacramento that evening had no idea what ...
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 ...
Blog
CAPITAL IDEAS – Dim View: New PRI Poll Shows Just 4 out of 10 Voters Rate their Local School Boards Positively
As school boards grapple with issues ranging from poor student achievement scores in reading and math on state and national tests to widespread student behavior and discipline problems to ideological controversies, the public is less than happy with the performance of their school boards in the face of these challenges. ...
California
Steven Greenhut – End of Session 2024 Wrap-Up
Free Cities Center director and longtime Sacramento journalist Steven Greenhut joins us for a review of the just-completed 2024 legislative session. We break down the year’s hottest legislative debates, including retail theft, the state budget, insurance reform, tech policy, and more. We also discuss Gov. Newsom’s dwindling influence over lawmakers ...
Agriculture
Read the latest on the Harris grocery price gouging plan
Kamala Harris is wrong. The ‘California Way,’ not corporate greed, hikes grocery prices
Harris is right: we’re paying more at the grocery store these days. According to the Federal Reserve, food prices are up about 20 percent compared to when Harris became vice president. But when looking for a culprit for rising food prices, economists suggest Harris should look in the mirror – ...
Blog
Read the latest on California's growing crime problem
Public Safety on the Edge – Law enforcement in California’s Fastest Growing County
On July 22, the Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC) published a research brief shedding new light on the problem of rural police staffing in California. So acute is the problem that two years ago, the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office made national news when it announced that staffing shortages ...
Blog
State Fair High Speed Rail Exhibit Shows Project That May Never Materialize in our Lifetimes
An HSR official told Newsweek that the showcase is “the culmination of years of construction progress, outreach, and community collaboration to make sure these trains and this system mirrors the diversity and vibrancy of the people who’ll ride it.” Too bad this grand “culmination” arrived so late. The project was ...
Blog
Spending Watch
California’s Expensive but Ineffective Income Support Spending
California’s Expensive but Ineffective Income Support Spending Wayne Winegarden August 2024 Including federal, state, and local funds, California’s per capita spending on income support programs is 81 percent higher than the average expenditures for all other states – per capita spending of $3,869 compared to $2,141. These expenditures include “cash ...
All Crime is Local – Why National Crime Statistics Don’t Matter
The FBI doesn’t receive individual reports of crimes, rather, they aggregate the crime statistics reported by thousands of law enforcement agencies who, for ease of comparison, share a common reporting format. This gives us a bird’s eye view of national and state crime statistics, albeit with a lot of errors ...
‘California way’ offers a preview of a Harris’ presidency
Suppose Ms. Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, who has governed Minnesota as if he were following the Golden State playbook, are elected. In that case, voters can expect the California way to guide a future administration. Read the full article at the Washington Times
Get the latest update from under the Capitol dome
Newsom’s Absence Was ‘Elephant in the Room’ at End of Legislative Session
Coincidentally, I found myself out and about that evening near the Capitol, going to dinner and then a show with friends. Ironically, there was a comic book convention that weekend at the convention center. The hundreds of strangely dressed people milling about downtown Sacramento that evening had no idea what ...
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 ...
CAPITAL IDEAS – Dim View: New PRI Poll Shows Just 4 out of 10 Voters Rate their Local School Boards Positively
As school boards grapple with issues ranging from poor student achievement scores in reading and math on state and national tests to widespread student behavior and discipline problems to ideological controversies, the public is less than happy with the performance of their school boards in the face of these challenges. ...
Steven Greenhut – End of Session 2024 Wrap-Up
Free Cities Center director and longtime Sacramento journalist Steven Greenhut joins us for a review of the just-completed 2024 legislative session. We break down the year’s hottest legislative debates, including retail theft, the state budget, insurance reform, tech policy, and more. We also discuss Gov. Newsom’s dwindling influence over lawmakers ...
Read the latest on the Harris grocery price gouging plan
Kamala Harris is wrong. The ‘California Way,’ not corporate greed, hikes grocery prices
Harris is right: we’re paying more at the grocery store these days. According to the Federal Reserve, food prices are up about 20 percent compared to when Harris became vice president. But when looking for a culprit for rising food prices, economists suggest Harris should look in the mirror – ...
Read the latest on California's growing crime problem
Public Safety on the Edge – Law enforcement in California’s Fastest Growing County
On July 22, the Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC) published a research brief shedding new light on the problem of rural police staffing in California. So acute is the problem that two years ago, the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office made national news when it announced that staffing shortages ...
State Fair High Speed Rail Exhibit Shows Project That May Never Materialize in our Lifetimes
An HSR official told Newsweek that the showcase is “the culmination of years of construction progress, outreach, and community collaboration to make sure these trains and this system mirrors the diversity and vibrancy of the people who’ll ride it.” Too bad this grand “culmination” arrived so late. The project was ...
Spending Watch
California’s Expensive but Ineffective Income Support Spending
California’s Expensive but Ineffective Income Support Spending Wayne Winegarden August 2024 Including federal, state, and local funds, California’s per capita spending on income support programs is 81 percent higher than the average expenditures for all other states – per capita spending of $3,869 compared to $2,141. These expenditures include “cash ...
