California

Blog

MyTurn Is Actually a Marginal Success Compared to Historic Performance of Government Technology Projects

Reports this week have put MyTurn, California’s $50 million COVID-19 scheduling website, on the long list of IT and technology blunders by government. The headline in the Sacramento Bee says it all, “California spent $50 million for a COVID vaccine scheduling website. It flopped.” The state’s ongoing technological woes should ...
Blog

How Basic Income Could Promote Economic Advancement Rather Than Government Dependency

By Wayne Winegarden and Tim Anaya Last month, Right by the Bay reviewed the findings of a new study touted by former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs reportedly showing the success of the city’s universal basic income scheme. Reviewing the report’s findings, we concluded that there were many serious questions with ...
Blog

California On Track To Connect With The Past

It’s widely known that the California bullet train will cost far more than promised, carry fewer passengers at higher fares than predicted, and is more than a decade behind schedule. Add to this another significant flaw that has received little attention: High-speed rail is outdated technology. “High‐​speed trains were rendered ...
California

Dr. Henry Miller – A COVID-19 Update and Progress on Vaccinations

This week’s guest is Dr. Henry Miller, PRI senior fellow in health care studies.  In addition to being a physician, Dr. Miller was a former official at the FDA and founding director of the FDA’s Office of Biotechnology. Dr. Miller provides an update on the pandemic, the progress of vaccine ...
Commentary

What Health-Care Affordability Crisis?

Some 46 million Americans wouldn’t be able to pay for essential health care if they needed it today, according to a new Gallup poll. That’s nearly one-fifth of all adults. This finding suggests a full-on health-care affordability crisis. Or it would, if the numbers added up. But they don’t. A ...
Blog

Winners and Losers – April 23

Tim Anaya – Senior Director of Communications and PRI’s Sacramento Office Winner:  CA Businesses Who Received PPP Loans – Businesses in CA that received PPP loans won’t be facing a state tax headache after all, thanks to action this week by the State Senate to allow many small businesses with ...
Blackouts

California’s Big Battery Bet

Following a 2020 summer of blackouts, the darkest since early this century, California is hoping that it can avoid replays in the future by investing in batteries. Big batteries. That are expensive. And come with significant energy storage limitations. Bloomberg News is reporting that by August, there will be 1,700 megawatts ...
Blackouts

California’s Big Battery Bet

Following a 2020 summer of blackouts, the darkest since early this century, California is hoping that it can avoid replays in the future by investing in batteries. Big batteries. That are expensive. And come with significant energy storage limitations. Bloomberg News is reporting that by August, there will be 1,700 megawatts ...
California

Should California create a public bank?

Nearly 200 local and national banks operate more than 6,500 branches in California. But lawmakers believe the state needs one more. A bill in Sacramento establishes a public bank with “a zero-fee, zero-penalty public option for basic financial services.” Assembly Bill 1177, the California Public Banking Option Act, would create ...
Blog

CEQA Strikes Again in Holding Up Major Homebuilding Project

Recently, the Southern California Association of Governments voted on new housing development goals for the region for the coming decade.  Its vote requires cities and counties to make plans to zone for up to 1.34 million new homes by the end of the decade. The need to build additional new ...
Blog

MyTurn Is Actually a Marginal Success Compared to Historic Performance of Government Technology Projects

Reports this week have put MyTurn, California’s $50 million COVID-19 scheduling website, on the long list of IT and technology blunders by government. The headline in the Sacramento Bee says it all, “California spent $50 million for a COVID vaccine scheduling website. It flopped.” The state’s ongoing technological woes should ...
Blog

How Basic Income Could Promote Economic Advancement Rather Than Government Dependency

By Wayne Winegarden and Tim Anaya Last month, Right by the Bay reviewed the findings of a new study touted by former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs reportedly showing the success of the city’s universal basic income scheme. Reviewing the report’s findings, we concluded that there were many serious questions with ...
Blog

California On Track To Connect With The Past

It’s widely known that the California bullet train will cost far more than promised, carry fewer passengers at higher fares than predicted, and is more than a decade behind schedule. Add to this another significant flaw that has received little attention: High-speed rail is outdated technology. “High‐​speed trains were rendered ...
California

Dr. Henry Miller – A COVID-19 Update and Progress on Vaccinations

This week’s guest is Dr. Henry Miller, PRI senior fellow in health care studies.  In addition to being a physician, Dr. Miller was a former official at the FDA and founding director of the FDA’s Office of Biotechnology. Dr. Miller provides an update on the pandemic, the progress of vaccine ...
Commentary

What Health-Care Affordability Crisis?

Some 46 million Americans wouldn’t be able to pay for essential health care if they needed it today, according to a new Gallup poll. That’s nearly one-fifth of all adults. This finding suggests a full-on health-care affordability crisis. Or it would, if the numbers added up. But they don’t. A ...
Blog

Winners and Losers – April 23

Tim Anaya – Senior Director of Communications and PRI’s Sacramento Office Winner:  CA Businesses Who Received PPP Loans – Businesses in CA that received PPP loans won’t be facing a state tax headache after all, thanks to action this week by the State Senate to allow many small businesses with ...
Blackouts

California’s Big Battery Bet

Following a 2020 summer of blackouts, the darkest since early this century, California is hoping that it can avoid replays in the future by investing in batteries. Big batteries. That are expensive. And come with significant energy storage limitations. Bloomberg News is reporting that by August, there will be 1,700 megawatts ...
Blackouts

California’s Big Battery Bet

Following a 2020 summer of blackouts, the darkest since early this century, California is hoping that it can avoid replays in the future by investing in batteries. Big batteries. That are expensive. And come with significant energy storage limitations. Bloomberg News is reporting that by August, there will be 1,700 megawatts ...
California

Should California create a public bank?

Nearly 200 local and national banks operate more than 6,500 branches in California. But lawmakers believe the state needs one more. A bill in Sacramento establishes a public bank with “a zero-fee, zero-penalty public option for basic financial services.” Assembly Bill 1177, the California Public Banking Option Act, would create ...
Blog

CEQA Strikes Again in Holding Up Major Homebuilding Project

Recently, the Southern California Association of Governments voted on new housing development goals for the region for the coming decade.  Its vote requires cities and counties to make plans to zone for up to 1.34 million new homes by the end of the decade. The need to build additional new ...
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