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New Mexico’s ‘free’ childcare program is another costly disaster
New Mexico’s ‘free’ childcare program is another costly disaster by Paul Gessing | September 18, 2026 National media outlets which rarely report on any news from New Mexico were eager to report on the big news this past November that the Land of Enchantment had become the first state to ...
Blog
‘Inclusionary zoning’ seems designed to exclude new housing
One often-overlooked impediment to housing construction is something known as “inclusionary zoning,” which requires builders to set aside lower-income housing in order to gain a project’s approval — or pay a large fee to the local government. A July study from the University of California Irvine (UCI) finds that these ...
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New PRI Booklet: California Insurance Crisis Is a Regulatory Crisis — and Next Insurance Commissioner Could Determine What Comes Next
SACRAMENTO – Following the collapse of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s push for legislation addressing wildfire liability, a new Pacific Research Institute booklet warns California policymakers against responding to the state’s continuing wildfire and insurance challenges by reversing regulatory reforms that are finally showing signs of restoring competition and coverage. The warning ...
Blog
Pensions devour California city budgets — and it’s likely to get worse
Pensions devour California city budgets — and it’s likely to get worse by John Seiler | September 15, 2026 In July, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System announced a preliminary 14.8% return for fiscal year 2025-26, the 12-month period that ended June 30. It boasted, “The 2025-26 fiscal year return ...
Blog
New Solano city’s travails spotlight state’s maddening approval process
New Solano city’s travails spotlight state’s maddening approval process by Steven Greenhut | September 10, 2026 California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature deserve credit for trying to reduce some impediments to building housing and other projects in our red-tape-laden state. But the latest development fracas in Solano County ...
Blog
California pensions: A bipartisan push to destroy municipal budgets
California pensions: A bipartisan push to destroy municipal budgets by Steven Greenhut | September 4, 2026 Four years ago, California enjoyed an astounding $97.5-billion surplus, but now the supposedly “balanced” budget faces an intractable structural deficit, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. Given economic headwinds caused by runaway inflation and fears ...
Blog
Sounds like a plan: Cities embrace pre-approved housing designs
Sounds like a plan: Cities embrace pre-approved housing designs By D. Dowd Muska | September 4, 2026 It’s so obvious, even Los Angeles gets it. In response to the savage firestorms that struck California’s largest metro region in January 2025, both the city and county of Los Angeles enacted a ...
Blog
Pensions are main reason for slowing police response times
Pensions are main reason for slowing police response times by John Seiler | August 28, 2026 One of the reasons to be vigilant about excessive police compensation is because it ironically can crowd out funds for adequate numbers of officers. As cities enter a period of mounting budget deficits, that ...
Blog
Bay Area transit tax would lock in flawed spending system for decades
It’s a tax that would run for 14 years and raise an average of $1.2 billion a year. The four northern counties of Marin, Napa, Solano and Sonoma looked at the deal and opted out. To work around the need for a two-thirds majority, tax proponents funded a petition drive to place ...
Blog
Who should be liable when utility equipment sparks wildfires?
Who should be liable when utility equipment sparks wildfires? by Kerry Jackson | August 21, 2026 California utilities have been responsible for more than 1 million acres of scorched land. Power lines and other equipment, often outdated, have caused thousands of wildfires. Last year’s Eaton Fire in Los Angeles County for instance, ...
New Mexico’s ‘free’ childcare program is another costly disaster
New Mexico’s ‘free’ childcare program is another costly disaster by Paul Gessing | September 18, 2026 National media outlets which rarely report on any news from New Mexico were eager to report on the big news this past November that the Land of Enchantment had become the first state to ...
‘Inclusionary zoning’ seems designed to exclude new housing
One often-overlooked impediment to housing construction is something known as “inclusionary zoning,” which requires builders to set aside lower-income housing in order to gain a project’s approval — or pay a large fee to the local government. A July study from the University of California Irvine (UCI) finds that these ...
New PRI Booklet: California Insurance Crisis Is a Regulatory Crisis — and Next Insurance Commissioner Could Determine What Comes Next
SACRAMENTO – Following the collapse of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s push for legislation addressing wildfire liability, a new Pacific Research Institute booklet warns California policymakers against responding to the state’s continuing wildfire and insurance challenges by reversing regulatory reforms that are finally showing signs of restoring competition and coverage. The warning ...
Pensions devour California city budgets — and it’s likely to get worse
Pensions devour California city budgets — and it’s likely to get worse by John Seiler | September 15, 2026 In July, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System announced a preliminary 14.8% return for fiscal year 2025-26, the 12-month period that ended June 30. It boasted, “The 2025-26 fiscal year return ...
New Solano city’s travails spotlight state’s maddening approval process
New Solano city’s travails spotlight state’s maddening approval process by Steven Greenhut | September 10, 2026 California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature deserve credit for trying to reduce some impediments to building housing and other projects in our red-tape-laden state. But the latest development fracas in Solano County ...
California pensions: A bipartisan push to destroy municipal budgets
California pensions: A bipartisan push to destroy municipal budgets by Steven Greenhut | September 4, 2026 Four years ago, California enjoyed an astounding $97.5-billion surplus, but now the supposedly “balanced” budget faces an intractable structural deficit, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. Given economic headwinds caused by runaway inflation and fears ...
Sounds like a plan: Cities embrace pre-approved housing designs
Sounds like a plan: Cities embrace pre-approved housing designs By D. Dowd Muska | September 4, 2026 It’s so obvious, even Los Angeles gets it. In response to the savage firestorms that struck California’s largest metro region in January 2025, both the city and county of Los Angeles enacted a ...
Pensions are main reason for slowing police response times
Pensions are main reason for slowing police response times by John Seiler | August 28, 2026 One of the reasons to be vigilant about excessive police compensation is because it ironically can crowd out funds for adequate numbers of officers. As cities enter a period of mounting budget deficits, that ...
Bay Area transit tax would lock in flawed spending system for decades
It’s a tax that would run for 14 years and raise an average of $1.2 billion a year. The four northern counties of Marin, Napa, Solano and Sonoma looked at the deal and opted out. To work around the need for a two-thirds majority, tax proponents funded a petition drive to place ...
Who should be liable when utility equipment sparks wildfires?
Who should be liable when utility equipment sparks wildfires? by Kerry Jackson | August 21, 2026 California utilities have been responsible for more than 1 million acres of scorched land. Power lines and other equipment, often outdated, have caused thousands of wildfires. Last year’s Eaton Fire in Los Angeles County for instance, ...