Free Cities

Blog

LA’s New DA: A Case of Buyers’ Remorse?

After just two years in office, more than 1,000,000 disgruntled Californians have signed a petition to recall Gavin Newsom.  But in less than two months, many Los Angelenos already have buyers’ remorse with its new district attorney, George Gascón. A “Recall George Gascón” candlelight vigil was recently held in front ...
California

Could Los Angeles Or San Francisco Be The Next Detroit?

Few would have imagined in 1950, when Detroit was the country’s fifth-largest city, the undisputed car capital of the world and one of the most important cities of its era, that it would become synonymous with urban decay. Yet it happened there. Which means it can happen anywhere, even California. ...
Blog

At The Intersection Of Lockdown Business Destruction And A Minimum-Wage Hike

Way back in August, in what seems like an entirely different historical era, when California was open relative to the restrictions we’re under today, 44% of small business owners said they were at risk of permanent closure in the next six months, unless they received additional stimulus funding. Six percent ...
Blog

Heroes Act Gave Millions to California’s Poshest Cities

Coronavirus relief funds are back on the negotiation table, but the three sides have a huge chasm to close.  Speaker Nancy Pelosi originally proposed a $3.4 trillion package, then $2.2 trillion, and has now settled on $900 billion. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin bargained down further to $1.9 trillion, followed by ...
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 ...
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 ...
Free Cities

Steven Greenhut – Winning the Water Wars

This week, PRI’s Evan Harris interviews R Street Institute’s Steven Greenhut about his newly-published PRI book, Winning the Water Wars. In the book, Greenhut makes the case that California can end its decades-long water wars and meet the state’s water needs by promoting abundance rather than managing scarcity.
Book

In New Book, Veteran Journalist Shows How to End California’s Water Wars, Protect Habitats and Meet State’s Water Needs

Winning the Water Wars is available for purchase at Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com and online booksellers. Greenhut writes, “this book does not propose solely building more dams . . . I explain the importance of water pricing and trading, regulatory reforms, desalination, wastewater treatment, upgrading water-conveyance systems and other ideas. ...
Crime

Heather Mac Donald: The War on Cops Continues

This podcast with Heather Mac Donald, Thomas W. Smith fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor at City Journal, was recorded from a recent webinar with PRI’s own Steve Hayward doing the Q&A.  Heather offers her perspective on the recent riots, the surge in violent crime in our ...
Business & Economics

Damon Dunn – Punting Poverty

This podcast is a special rebroadcast of a recent webinar featuring Damon Dunn, PRI fellow in business and economics, discussing his new book Punting Poverty:  Breaking the Chains of Welfare.  The former collegiate and pro football player turned entrepreneur pushes back against the universal basic income movement, calling it “fool’s ...
Blog

LA’s New DA: A Case of Buyers’ Remorse?

After just two years in office, more than 1,000,000 disgruntled Californians have signed a petition to recall Gavin Newsom.  But in less than two months, many Los Angelenos already have buyers’ remorse with its new district attorney, George Gascón. A “Recall George Gascón” candlelight vigil was recently held in front ...
California

Could Los Angeles Or San Francisco Be The Next Detroit?

Few would have imagined in 1950, when Detroit was the country’s fifth-largest city, the undisputed car capital of the world and one of the most important cities of its era, that it would become synonymous with urban decay. Yet it happened there. Which means it can happen anywhere, even California. ...
Blog

At The Intersection Of Lockdown Business Destruction And A Minimum-Wage Hike

Way back in August, in what seems like an entirely different historical era, when California was open relative to the restrictions we’re under today, 44% of small business owners said they were at risk of permanent closure in the next six months, unless they received additional stimulus funding. Six percent ...
Blog

Heroes Act Gave Millions to California’s Poshest Cities

Coronavirus relief funds are back on the negotiation table, but the three sides have a huge chasm to close.  Speaker Nancy Pelosi originally proposed a $3.4 trillion package, then $2.2 trillion, and has now settled on $900 billion. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin bargained down further to $1.9 trillion, followed by ...
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 ...
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 ...
Free Cities

Steven Greenhut – Winning the Water Wars

This week, PRI’s Evan Harris interviews R Street Institute’s Steven Greenhut about his newly-published PRI book, Winning the Water Wars. In the book, Greenhut makes the case that California can end its decades-long water wars and meet the state’s water needs by promoting abundance rather than managing scarcity.
Book

In New Book, Veteran Journalist Shows How to End California’s Water Wars, Protect Habitats and Meet State’s Water Needs

Winning the Water Wars is available for purchase at Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com and online booksellers. Greenhut writes, “this book does not propose solely building more dams . . . I explain the importance of water pricing and trading, regulatory reforms, desalination, wastewater treatment, upgrading water-conveyance systems and other ideas. ...
Crime

Heather Mac Donald: The War on Cops Continues

This podcast with Heather Mac Donald, Thomas W. Smith fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor at City Journal, was recorded from a recent webinar with PRI’s own Steve Hayward doing the Q&A.  Heather offers her perspective on the recent riots, the surge in violent crime in our ...
Business & Economics

Damon Dunn – Punting Poverty

This podcast is a special rebroadcast of a recent webinar featuring Damon Dunn, PRI fellow in business and economics, discussing his new book Punting Poverty:  Breaking the Chains of Welfare.  The former collegiate and pro football player turned entrepreneur pushes back against the universal basic income movement, calling it “fool’s ...
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