California

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Read the latest on the Southern California wildfires

Burn Baby, Burn

California has become the “Can’t Have State,” as in can’t have plastic bags, can’t have plastic straws and utensils, can’t have a new gasoline-powered car 10 years from now, can’t have a long of things that would make up a list too long to go into here. The next “can’t ...
Blog

Base Affirmative Action on Class, or Get Rid of It

California, always an innovator in the field of racial foolishness, recently saw a bill proposed that would guarantee affirmative action benefits – notably preferential college admissions – to the descendants of Black American slaves. This is a bad idea, but is a step in the right direction (toward AA programs ...
Blog

Spending Watch

Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly

Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly Wayne Winegarden February 2025 The erratic actions of the Trump Administration are undoubtedly making it more difficult for states to budget for the upcoming 2026 fiscal year. The knee-jerk reaction from many California politicians is to call for more taxes on ...
California

Read the latest about California's ineffective government homelessness programs

A Website About Being Transparent That Isn’t

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration has launched a new initiative – accountability.ca.gov – which it characterizes as “bring(ing) together thousands of locally reported data points to provide a clear picture of local communities’ work on California’s most pressing issues, including homelessness.” In case your stomach is full after eating that word ...
Blog

Should State Government Take Over Gasoline Production in California?

Some are small but add up over time. Others are large, their negative effects almost immediate. In this last category belongs the idea that the state should take ownership of one or more oil refineries. It’s among a number of proposals offered by the California Energy Commission, which was tasked ...
California

Sheriff Jim Cooper – What’s Next after Voter Passage of Prop. 36

From PRI’s 2025 California Ideas in Action Conference, Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper sits down with PRI senior fellow Steve Smith to discuss what’s next in the push for stronger criminal justice policy reforms following the landslide victory of Prop. 36 combating retail theft.  Plus, Ro and Tim discuss the ...
California

Watch Videos from PRI’s 2025 California Ideas in Action Conference

Watch Videos from PRI’s 2025 California Ideas in Action Conference The 2025 PRI California Ideas in Action Conference featured conversations and panel discussions with leading state policy makers, real life changemakers, and top free market thinkers on some of California’s top challenges, including what’s next for stronger criminal justice policy ...
California

The vanishing electric vehicle advantage

The theory is that though upfront costs are higher, EV “refueling” holds a major advantage of electric vehicles over their gas-powered counterparts. EVs do not require gasoline, which California has taxed and regulated into oblivion, sending prices soaring; instead they rely on electricity that costs less. But those savings are ...
California

Newsom’s Battle Against Misinformation Should Be Directed Inward

California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a webpage last month to fight misinformation and disinformation about the tragic wildfires in Los Angeles. Irony is dead. The self-appointed Disinformation Czar doesn’t seem to realize he is one of the leading sources of bad information. Read the entire op-ed here.
Blog

Latest report shows California bullet train is really a train to nowhere

Will There Ever Be Any Good News About The High-Speed Rail?

Last month’s spike-driving ceremony was a feel-good story about the California bullet train. It was, said Gov. Gavin Newsom, a “big damn deal” that indicated “progress” was being made on a project that is embarrassingly behind schedule and almost inconceivably over cost. It was an event for public consumption that ...
Blog

Read the latest on the Southern California wildfires

Burn Baby, Burn

California has become the “Can’t Have State,” as in can’t have plastic bags, can’t have plastic straws and utensils, can’t have a new gasoline-powered car 10 years from now, can’t have a long of things that would make up a list too long to go into here. The next “can’t ...
Blog

Base Affirmative Action on Class, or Get Rid of It

California, always an innovator in the field of racial foolishness, recently saw a bill proposed that would guarantee affirmative action benefits – notably preferential college admissions – to the descendants of Black American slaves. This is a bad idea, but is a step in the right direction (toward AA programs ...
Blog

Spending Watch

Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly

Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly Wayne Winegarden February 2025 The erratic actions of the Trump Administration are undoubtedly making it more difficult for states to budget for the upcoming 2026 fiscal year. The knee-jerk reaction from many California politicians is to call for more taxes on ...
California

Read the latest about California's ineffective government homelessness programs

A Website About Being Transparent That Isn’t

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration has launched a new initiative – accountability.ca.gov – which it characterizes as “bring(ing) together thousands of locally reported data points to provide a clear picture of local communities’ work on California’s most pressing issues, including homelessness.” In case your stomach is full after eating that word ...
Blog

Should State Government Take Over Gasoline Production in California?

Some are small but add up over time. Others are large, their negative effects almost immediate. In this last category belongs the idea that the state should take ownership of one or more oil refineries. It’s among a number of proposals offered by the California Energy Commission, which was tasked ...
California

Sheriff Jim Cooper – What’s Next after Voter Passage of Prop. 36

From PRI’s 2025 California Ideas in Action Conference, Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper sits down with PRI senior fellow Steve Smith to discuss what’s next in the push for stronger criminal justice policy reforms following the landslide victory of Prop. 36 combating retail theft.  Plus, Ro and Tim discuss the ...
California

Watch Videos from PRI’s 2025 California Ideas in Action Conference

Watch Videos from PRI’s 2025 California Ideas in Action Conference The 2025 PRI California Ideas in Action Conference featured conversations and panel discussions with leading state policy makers, real life changemakers, and top free market thinkers on some of California’s top challenges, including what’s next for stronger criminal justice policy ...
California

The vanishing electric vehicle advantage

The theory is that though upfront costs are higher, EV “refueling” holds a major advantage of electric vehicles over their gas-powered counterparts. EVs do not require gasoline, which California has taxed and regulated into oblivion, sending prices soaring; instead they rely on electricity that costs less. But those savings are ...
California

Newsom’s Battle Against Misinformation Should Be Directed Inward

California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a webpage last month to fight misinformation and disinformation about the tragic wildfires in Los Angeles. Irony is dead. The self-appointed Disinformation Czar doesn’t seem to realize he is one of the leading sources of bad information. Read the entire op-ed here.
Blog

Latest report shows California bullet train is really a train to nowhere

Will There Ever Be Any Good News About The High-Speed Rail?

Last month’s spike-driving ceremony was a feel-good story about the California bullet train. It was, said Gov. Gavin Newsom, a “big damn deal” that indicated “progress” was being made on a project that is embarrassingly behind schedule and almost inconceivably over cost. It was an event for public consumption that ...
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