Blog
Taking The Wind Out Of California’s Net-Zero Sails
“We’re not going to let windmills get built because we’re not going to destroy our country any further than it’s already been destroyed,” Trump said before the June 12 signing ceremony. “You go and look at these beautiful plains and valleys, and they’re loaded up with this garbage that gets worse ...
Blog
Limiting Freight Train Length More About Union Demands Than Safety
The perpetual tribulations of the high-speed rail are reported with an almost clockwork frequency, but they aren’t the only train stories in California. Freight trains might soon be getting a larger share of the attention. In their eternal search for more dues-paying members, unions want to shorten freight trains. Rail companies are naturally opposed. ...
Agriculture
Fourth of July cookout costs emphasize the need for agriculture
As in years’ past, the American Farm Bureau Federation highlights our food production history by examining the cost of cooking for our family and friends on Fourth of July in the present. The West Coast has retained the dubious distinction of being the most expensive region of the country to ...
Blog
Read the latest about the fight to end government green mandates
Senate may save California from itself by ending EV mandate
The Senate voted 51-44 vote to revoke an EPA waiver that allowed the state to set emission standards stricter than those set by the federal government. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed the measure as well as two related ones. In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order ...
Blog
The Heart Of American Entrepreneurship Has Grown Cold
Silicon Valley has long been considered the white-hot destination for entrepreneurs. “The area is extremely start-up friendly,” says the University of Silicon Valley. The University of San Francisco’s Center for Research, Artistic and Scholarly Excellence tell us “Silicon Valley has a long history of creating and nurturing an ecosystem of entrepreneurs, startups, ...
Blog
Spending Watch
An Irresponsible FY2025-26 Budget All but Ensures Future Fiscal Crises
An Irresponsible FY2025-26 Budget All but Ensures Future Fiscal Crises Wayne Winegarden July 2025 Another fiscal year, another lost opportunity. In a June 2025 Spending Watch analysis, I lamented that Newsom was relying on gimmicks to close the current $12 billion budget deficit. The final budget the governor and legislative ...
Blog
Unions push $30 minimum wage for all Los Angeles workers
Under current policy, hotel and airport workers are already on their way to a $30 an hour wage floor ($38.85 if you add in a mandatory additional stipend for health coverage). Good for those who keep their jobs, but not for those who will lose them, or will never be hired ...
Blog
Despite fast-track promises, LA rebuilding is mired in red tape
More than 18,000 structures were burned in Los Angeles County in January. The greatest losses were in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena. While updating the recovery “progress” more than three months ago, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass vowed that she was “committed to rebuilding” this community at “lightning speed.” “I just ...
Blog
Read about California's growing crime problem
Violent Crime in California– The Newsom Years, 2019-2023
Newsom, in turn, called out the murder rates in each of the lawmakers’ home states, proclaiming that Alabama had “…3X the murder rate of California”, Oklahoma had a murder rate “…40 % higher than California’s” and Arkansas was “literally DOUBLE California’s”. In order for Newsom’s posts on X to be ...
Blog
Regulation bottlenecks impede state’s infrastructure grants
Regulation bottlenecks impede state’s infrastructure grants by Sarah Downey | June 26, 2025 Editor’s Note: While the Free Cities Center advocates for regulations that encourage market-rate construction rather than affordable-housing subsidies, it’s useful to look at the status of the myriad grant programs that the state government is offering—and the ...
Taking The Wind Out Of California’s Net-Zero Sails
“We’re not going to let windmills get built because we’re not going to destroy our country any further than it’s already been destroyed,” Trump said before the June 12 signing ceremony. “You go and look at these beautiful plains and valleys, and they’re loaded up with this garbage that gets worse ...
Limiting Freight Train Length More About Union Demands Than Safety
The perpetual tribulations of the high-speed rail are reported with an almost clockwork frequency, but they aren’t the only train stories in California. Freight trains might soon be getting a larger share of the attention. In their eternal search for more dues-paying members, unions want to shorten freight trains. Rail companies are naturally opposed. ...
Fourth of July cookout costs emphasize the need for agriculture
As in years’ past, the American Farm Bureau Federation highlights our food production history by examining the cost of cooking for our family and friends on Fourth of July in the present. The West Coast has retained the dubious distinction of being the most expensive region of the country to ...
Read the latest about the fight to end government green mandates
Senate may save California from itself by ending EV mandate
The Senate voted 51-44 vote to revoke an EPA waiver that allowed the state to set emission standards stricter than those set by the federal government. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed the measure as well as two related ones. In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order ...
The Heart Of American Entrepreneurship Has Grown Cold
Silicon Valley has long been considered the white-hot destination for entrepreneurs. “The area is extremely start-up friendly,” says the University of Silicon Valley. The University of San Francisco’s Center for Research, Artistic and Scholarly Excellence tell us “Silicon Valley has a long history of creating and nurturing an ecosystem of entrepreneurs, startups, ...
Spending Watch
An Irresponsible FY2025-26 Budget All but Ensures Future Fiscal Crises
An Irresponsible FY2025-26 Budget All but Ensures Future Fiscal Crises Wayne Winegarden July 2025 Another fiscal year, another lost opportunity. In a June 2025 Spending Watch analysis, I lamented that Newsom was relying on gimmicks to close the current $12 billion budget deficit. The final budget the governor and legislative ...
Unions push $30 minimum wage for all Los Angeles workers
Under current policy, hotel and airport workers are already on their way to a $30 an hour wage floor ($38.85 if you add in a mandatory additional stipend for health coverage). Good for those who keep their jobs, but not for those who will lose them, or will never be hired ...
Despite fast-track promises, LA rebuilding is mired in red tape
More than 18,000 structures were burned in Los Angeles County in January. The greatest losses were in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena. While updating the recovery “progress” more than three months ago, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass vowed that she was “committed to rebuilding” this community at “lightning speed.” “I just ...
Read about California's growing crime problem
Violent Crime in California– The Newsom Years, 2019-2023
Newsom, in turn, called out the murder rates in each of the lawmakers’ home states, proclaiming that Alabama had “…3X the murder rate of California”, Oklahoma had a murder rate “…40 % higher than California’s” and Arkansas was “literally DOUBLE California’s”. In order for Newsom’s posts on X to be ...
Regulation bottlenecks impede state’s infrastructure grants
Regulation bottlenecks impede state’s infrastructure grants by Sarah Downey | June 26, 2025 Editor’s Note: While the Free Cities Center advocates for regulations that encourage market-rate construction rather than affordable-housing subsidies, it’s useful to look at the status of the myriad grant programs that the state government is offering—and the ...
