California
Blog
Stockton Voters Reject Mayor Who Pushed Basic Income, Yet Liberal State Lawmakers Embrace Plan
One of the more surprising results from November’s election was the surprise defeat of Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs in his bid for re-election to a Republican upstart Kevin Lincoln, a pastor and former George W. Bush administration official who is both black and Latino. Tubbs won national attention for his ...
Tim Anaya
December 16, 2020
Blog
California’s Scandal-Plagued Unemployment Agency
The number of Californians certified for unemployment insurance is now at 1.6 million compared to October last year before the pandemic, when just 260,000 Californians received unemployment checks. Going into the holidays, a heart-breaking one in 10 Californians are unemployed. Even more anguishing, the state’s Employment Development Department (EDD), the ...
Rowena Itchon
December 15, 2020
Blog
Memo to Newsom and Garcetti: Try Leveling with Californians for a Change
Last week, local and state officials announced new, severe restrictions as officials grapple with rising cases of Covid-19 and rapidly-filling hospital emergency rooms nearing capacity. Especially during a public health crisis like this one, it is very important for government officials to be very clear in the information they are ...
Tim Anaya
December 10, 2020
Blog
A Tribute to the Great Economics Professor Walter Williams, RIP
It is with much sadness that I learned of the recent passing of one of my favorite and most respected economists, Professor Walter Williams. Walter was a prolific writer, author, educator, and defender of freedom. He died on December 3rd at 84, having taught his final economics class at George ...
Sally C. Pipes
December 8, 2020
Blog
Will Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ‘Do Something’ About Lockdown Rules Made Absent Evidence?
Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and others using the pandemic to restrict Californians’ movements should not be surprised that there’s been a pushback. While it’s due in part to the habit of officials failing to follow the rules they set, much of the frustration and defiance we’re ...
Kerry Jackson
December 7, 2020
Blackouts
Lockdowns, Power Shutdowns, And Feeling Rundown – Life In California Is Hard
The image of California living is that of a never-ending vacation. Sun. Surf. Endless entertainment. Plenty of good jobs. The leaves are never brown, nor the sky gray. Always safe and warm. But the reality is different. The coming winter looks to be one that will keep the entire state ...
Kerry Jackson
December 3, 2020
Blog
Californians Finally Think State and Local Taxes Are Too High Thanks to SALT Deduction Cap
A recently-released UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) poll generated headlines before Thanksgiving for its finding that, if it came up for a vote again, California would again vote to approve the landmark property tax relief measure Proposition 13 by a 53 to 19 percent margin. Generating less media ...
Tim Anaya
December 2, 2020
Blog
PRI is Reclaiming the American Dream on Giving Tuesday 2020
“To restrain the growth and the power of government to deprive people of personal freedom. That is what PRI is all about. And it’s why this organization admirably fights so far above its weight.” That’s what former California Governor Pete Wilson said at the Pacific Research Institute’s Annual Thatcher Gala ...
Ben Smithwick
December 1, 2020
Blog
The Numbers Don’t Lie: California Has an Outmigration Problem
Recent Census Bureau data tell a story that surprises no one who keeps up with current events in California: The state is losing residents like few others. According to economist Mark J. Perry, only four other states – New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Louisiana – had a greater net outflow ...
Kerry Jackson
November 30, 2020
Blog
Living in Fear in LA – What Defunding the LAPD Means for Angelenos
If rapidly rising cases of COVID-19 haven’t stopped Los Angelenos from stepping out of their homes — this will. To carry out the LA City Council’s decision to bow to mob violence and cut $150 million from the Los Angeles Police Department’s budget, the LAPD over the next several months ...
Rowena Itchon
November 24, 2020
Stockton Voters Reject Mayor Who Pushed Basic Income, Yet Liberal State Lawmakers Embrace Plan
One of the more surprising results from November’s election was the surprise defeat of Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs in his bid for re-election to a Republican upstart Kevin Lincoln, a pastor and former George W. Bush administration official who is both black and Latino. Tubbs won national attention for his ...
California’s Scandal-Plagued Unemployment Agency
The number of Californians certified for unemployment insurance is now at 1.6 million compared to October last year before the pandemic, when just 260,000 Californians received unemployment checks. Going into the holidays, a heart-breaking one in 10 Californians are unemployed. Even more anguishing, the state’s Employment Development Department (EDD), the ...
Memo to Newsom and Garcetti: Try Leveling with Californians for a Change
Last week, local and state officials announced new, severe restrictions as officials grapple with rising cases of Covid-19 and rapidly-filling hospital emergency rooms nearing capacity. Especially during a public health crisis like this one, it is very important for government officials to be very clear in the information they are ...
A Tribute to the Great Economics Professor Walter Williams, RIP
It is with much sadness that I learned of the recent passing of one of my favorite and most respected economists, Professor Walter Williams. Walter was a prolific writer, author, educator, and defender of freedom. He died on December 3rd at 84, having taught his final economics class at George ...
Will Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ‘Do Something’ About Lockdown Rules Made Absent Evidence?
Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and others using the pandemic to restrict Californians’ movements should not be surprised that there’s been a pushback. While it’s due in part to the habit of officials failing to follow the rules they set, much of the frustration and defiance we’re ...
Lockdowns, Power Shutdowns, And Feeling Rundown – Life In California Is Hard
The image of California living is that of a never-ending vacation. Sun. Surf. Endless entertainment. Plenty of good jobs. The leaves are never brown, nor the sky gray. Always safe and warm. But the reality is different. The coming winter looks to be one that will keep the entire state ...
Californians Finally Think State and Local Taxes Are Too High Thanks to SALT Deduction Cap
A recently-released UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) poll generated headlines before Thanksgiving for its finding that, if it came up for a vote again, California would again vote to approve the landmark property tax relief measure Proposition 13 by a 53 to 19 percent margin. Generating less media ...
PRI is Reclaiming the American Dream on Giving Tuesday 2020
“To restrain the growth and the power of government to deprive people of personal freedom. That is what PRI is all about. And it’s why this organization admirably fights so far above its weight.” That’s what former California Governor Pete Wilson said at the Pacific Research Institute’s Annual Thatcher Gala ...
The Numbers Don’t Lie: California Has an Outmigration Problem
Recent Census Bureau data tell a story that surprises no one who keeps up with current events in California: The state is losing residents like few others. According to economist Mark J. Perry, only four other states – New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Louisiana – had a greater net outflow ...
Living in Fear in LA – What Defunding the LAPD Means for Angelenos
If rapidly rising cases of COVID-19 haven’t stopped Los Angelenos from stepping out of their homes — this will. To carry out the LA City Council’s decision to bow to mob violence and cut $150 million from the Los Angeles Police Department’s budget, the LAPD over the next several months ...