California
Blog
New Assembly Bill Seeks to Expand Dysfunctional CEQA
Assembly Bill 1001, a bill that expands upon and brings new, highly subjective standards to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), continues to successfully move through the California State Legislature. California enacted CEQA over five decades ago to reform the public decision-making process to incorporate environmental considerations. A leader in ...
Commentary
Generous Obamacare Subsidies Expire At The End Of The Year. That’s A Good Thing.
At the end of the year, the generous subsidies for health insurance purchased through Obamacare’s exchanges that were enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan Act last March are set to expire. People may start receiving notices that their premiums are increasing in October, just a few weeks before this fall’s midterm ...
Blog
The 2nd Amendment and Me
Full disclosure – I represent one of the 40% or so households in America that has a gun in it. A legally obtained and stored firearm that has never been on any list for potential regulation. Last week’s murder of 19 school children and 2 of their teachers in Uvalde ...
Business & Economics
Handcuffing Freelancers Is Bad For Economy And Small Business
Addressing the persistent problem of inflation requires pro-growth fiscal and regulatory policies in addition to concerted tightening by the Federal Reserve. Unfortunately, President Biden’s plan to address inflation, as outlined in his recent Wall Street Journal editorial, would implement the exact opposite. Instead of empowering entrepreneurs to accelerate growth and improve prosperity, ...
Blog
Three Myths About Planning Los Angeles
Maybe it’s only natural, given that this is a city that earns its keep selling compelling stories. But all too often, these myths are wrong, and in some cases, they form the basis of bad policy. Let’s run through three widely believed misconceptions about planning in Los Angeles. Los Angeles ...
Blog
Elon Musk is Right – California is Now the Land of Taxes, Overregulation and Litigation
A trio of troubles, says Elon Musk, is ruining California. He didn’t reveal anything new. He didn’t have to. Much of the world understands. Only those blinded by their blue-tinted glasses don’t know what’s wrong in this state. Speaking virtually earlier this month for a conference in Miami, Musk, an ...
Blog
State Budget Update – Nonpartisan Analyst Says May Revise Puts State on Path to Serious Budget Problems
Now that the calendar page has turned to June, it’s crunch time for lawmakers and the Governor to reach a budget agreement before the June 15 constitutional deadline to pass a balanced budget. However, a new multi-year analysis of the state budget’s picture released last week suggests that enacting the ...
Agriculture
Mental Health Awareness Month matters on the farm too
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and, with farm work in full swing, is an ideal time to check in with members of the agricultural community about how they are doing. Recent research suggests the stigma around mental health in farm country is beginning to break down, but it will ...
CEQA
Let’s End the Suspense
On Thursday, the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees held their “suspense hearings.” For those of you who are not Capitol insiders, every bill that has a fiscal impact greater than $150,000 is sent to the “suspense file”. Every one of these bills is weighed against one another for their fiscal ...
California
California Population Falls Again – The Start Of A Long-Term Trend Or A Short-term Blip?
By Kerry Jackson & Wayne Winegarden California lost population for the second straight year in 2021. Just as 2020’s loss was the first in state history, the repeat is unprecedented. This is not supposed to happen in America’s most dynamic state. Is California’s time at the top over? California is ...
New Assembly Bill Seeks to Expand Dysfunctional CEQA
Assembly Bill 1001, a bill that expands upon and brings new, highly subjective standards to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), continues to successfully move through the California State Legislature. California enacted CEQA over five decades ago to reform the public decision-making process to incorporate environmental considerations. A leader in ...
Generous Obamacare Subsidies Expire At The End Of The Year. That’s A Good Thing.
At the end of the year, the generous subsidies for health insurance purchased through Obamacare’s exchanges that were enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan Act last March are set to expire. People may start receiving notices that their premiums are increasing in October, just a few weeks before this fall’s midterm ...
The 2nd Amendment and Me
Full disclosure – I represent one of the 40% or so households in America that has a gun in it. A legally obtained and stored firearm that has never been on any list for potential regulation. Last week’s murder of 19 school children and 2 of their teachers in Uvalde ...
Handcuffing Freelancers Is Bad For Economy And Small Business
Addressing the persistent problem of inflation requires pro-growth fiscal and regulatory policies in addition to concerted tightening by the Federal Reserve. Unfortunately, President Biden’s plan to address inflation, as outlined in his recent Wall Street Journal editorial, would implement the exact opposite. Instead of empowering entrepreneurs to accelerate growth and improve prosperity, ...
Three Myths About Planning Los Angeles
Maybe it’s only natural, given that this is a city that earns its keep selling compelling stories. But all too often, these myths are wrong, and in some cases, they form the basis of bad policy. Let’s run through three widely believed misconceptions about planning in Los Angeles. Los Angeles ...
Elon Musk is Right – California is Now the Land of Taxes, Overregulation and Litigation
A trio of troubles, says Elon Musk, is ruining California. He didn’t reveal anything new. He didn’t have to. Much of the world understands. Only those blinded by their blue-tinted glasses don’t know what’s wrong in this state. Speaking virtually earlier this month for a conference in Miami, Musk, an ...
State Budget Update – Nonpartisan Analyst Says May Revise Puts State on Path to Serious Budget Problems
Now that the calendar page has turned to June, it’s crunch time for lawmakers and the Governor to reach a budget agreement before the June 15 constitutional deadline to pass a balanced budget. However, a new multi-year analysis of the state budget’s picture released last week suggests that enacting the ...
Mental Health Awareness Month matters on the farm too
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and, with farm work in full swing, is an ideal time to check in with members of the agricultural community about how they are doing. Recent research suggests the stigma around mental health in farm country is beginning to break down, but it will ...
Let’s End the Suspense
On Thursday, the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees held their “suspense hearings.” For those of you who are not Capitol insiders, every bill that has a fiscal impact greater than $150,000 is sent to the “suspense file”. Every one of these bills is weighed against one another for their fiscal ...
California Population Falls Again – The Start Of A Long-Term Trend Or A Short-term Blip?
By Kerry Jackson & Wayne Winegarden California lost population for the second straight year in 2021. Just as 2020’s loss was the first in state history, the repeat is unprecedented. This is not supposed to happen in America’s most dynamic state. Is California’s time at the top over? California is ...
