California
Blog
California’s New Software Tax Is Another Step Toward More Digital Taxes
Senate Bill 122 is projected to raise roughly $2 billion annual tax increase on the software businesses use to operate, and its costs will spread far beyond company software bills. Since software as a service supports nearly every part of the modern economy, businesses will have to absorb those higher ...
California
2026 End of Session Preview
As lawmakers enter the final week of the 2026 legislative session, Tim and Matt are joined for Next Round’s annual look at the end of session by Free Cities Center director Steven Greenhut. They discuss all the hot end of session issues including wildfire liability, insurance, housing, pensions, AB 1776, ...
Blog
It’s Reparations Season Again, Again
There is, as they say, a lot here – including many points that illustrate serious problems with the overall idea of reparations. First, speaking as a businessman, it is unclear how many firms would actually be impacted by the bill. Roughly 99.9% of all America-based corporations were founded after 1865, ...
California
The Lowdown on the Politico Sacramento Summit
This week, Tim and Matt discuss Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra’s long-overdue Sacramento press conference. They then explore what Becerra, GOP nominee Steve Hilton, and Attorney General Rob Bonta had to say at the Politico Sacramento Summit. Finally, they dive into new poll numbers on the governor’s race and key ...
Blog
A not so Brightline: California’s other bullet train boondoggle
It’s happening. This time, it’s really happening. That’s what dignitaries at the pseudo-event told themselves on April 22, 2024 — the day Brightline West “officially broke ground on the nation’s first true high-speed rail system.” Bureaucrats, politicians, and civic leaders predicted nothing but sunshine for the long-sought HSR route linking ...
California
What is Gavin Newsom doing all day?
This week, Tim and Matt discuss the latest release of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s calendar and explore the larger issue of public officials in California releasing their schedules. They also discuss Newsom’s political roadshow to Michigan, the California Labor Federation endorsing the wealth tax, and California Forever making an end of ...
Blog
Taxpayer Dollars Should Not Fund Political Campaigns
Taxpayer dollars should be used for legitimate public responsibilities, such as maintaining roads, public safety, education, keeping communities clean, and paying down debt. Financing political campaigns should not become another government responsibility. Public campaign-financing programs use taxpayer dollars to help qualifying candidates run for office. Supporters argue that these programs ...
Blog
This Is No Way To Close California’s Housing Gap
This is the sort of behavior that is making it nearly impossible for California to ever close its housing gap, which, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2017 campaign material was a 3.5 million unit deficit that needed to be closed by 2025, which turned out to be his next-to-last year in the ...
California
Assembly Republicans Oust Their Leader
This week, Tim and Matt discuss the breaking news that Assembly Republicans have voted to oust Heath Flora as Leader, in favor of Alexandra Macedo. They also discuss California Democrats voting to endorse the wealth tax ballot measure, Gavin Newsom trumpeting the latest state minimum wage hike, and Steve Hilton ...
Blog
Should Californians Trust New Antitrust Legislation?
The Legislature returns this week from its summer recess, kicking off one more month of lawmaking. One proposal that’s expected to draw heavy fire is a bill that beefs up the state’s antitrust law, which is already so harsh that it’s not fit to be copied elsewhere. Assembly Bill 1776, known as the COMPETE ...
California’s New Software Tax Is Another Step Toward More Digital Taxes
Senate Bill 122 is projected to raise roughly $2 billion annual tax increase on the software businesses use to operate, and its costs will spread far beyond company software bills. Since software as a service supports nearly every part of the modern economy, businesses will have to absorb those higher ...
2026 End of Session Preview
As lawmakers enter the final week of the 2026 legislative session, Tim and Matt are joined for Next Round’s annual look at the end of session by Free Cities Center director Steven Greenhut. They discuss all the hot end of session issues including wildfire liability, insurance, housing, pensions, AB 1776, ...
It’s Reparations Season Again, Again
There is, as they say, a lot here – including many points that illustrate serious problems with the overall idea of reparations. First, speaking as a businessman, it is unclear how many firms would actually be impacted by the bill. Roughly 99.9% of all America-based corporations were founded after 1865, ...
The Lowdown on the Politico Sacramento Summit
This week, Tim and Matt discuss Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra’s long-overdue Sacramento press conference. They then explore what Becerra, GOP nominee Steve Hilton, and Attorney General Rob Bonta had to say at the Politico Sacramento Summit. Finally, they dive into new poll numbers on the governor’s race and key ...
A not so Brightline: California’s other bullet train boondoggle
It’s happening. This time, it’s really happening. That’s what dignitaries at the pseudo-event told themselves on April 22, 2024 — the day Brightline West “officially broke ground on the nation’s first true high-speed rail system.” Bureaucrats, politicians, and civic leaders predicted nothing but sunshine for the long-sought HSR route linking ...
What is Gavin Newsom doing all day?
This week, Tim and Matt discuss the latest release of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s calendar and explore the larger issue of public officials in California releasing their schedules. They also discuss Newsom’s political roadshow to Michigan, the California Labor Federation endorsing the wealth tax, and California Forever making an end of ...
Taxpayer Dollars Should Not Fund Political Campaigns
Taxpayer dollars should be used for legitimate public responsibilities, such as maintaining roads, public safety, education, keeping communities clean, and paying down debt. Financing political campaigns should not become another government responsibility. Public campaign-financing programs use taxpayer dollars to help qualifying candidates run for office. Supporters argue that these programs ...
This Is No Way To Close California’s Housing Gap
This is the sort of behavior that is making it nearly impossible for California to ever close its housing gap, which, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2017 campaign material was a 3.5 million unit deficit that needed to be closed by 2025, which turned out to be his next-to-last year in the ...
Assembly Republicans Oust Their Leader
This week, Tim and Matt discuss the breaking news that Assembly Republicans have voted to oust Heath Flora as Leader, in favor of Alexandra Macedo. They also discuss California Democrats voting to endorse the wealth tax ballot measure, Gavin Newsom trumpeting the latest state minimum wage hike, and Steve Hilton ...
Should Californians Trust New Antitrust Legislation?
The Legislature returns this week from its summer recess, kicking off one more month of lawmaking. One proposal that’s expected to draw heavy fire is a bill that beefs up the state’s antitrust law, which is already so harsh that it’s not fit to be copied elsewhere. Assembly Bill 1776, known as the COMPETE ...