Blog
Blog
End of Session Housing Bills – Bright Spots That Could Have Been Much Brighter
Sacramento lawmakers just passed two measures to remove some of the government-created roadblocks to housing construction – a rare bright spot in a session dominated by the quest for more government control. This bright spot could have actually been much brighter had it not been for special interest groups nearly ...
Blog
The 2022-23 School Year Remains Grim for Special Education Students
The school year has started, and parents and students are hopeful that education has returned to “normal” from the last three school years of COVID pandemic-era closures and online learning. For students, the California public school system crumbled under the closures and online classes offered little to no growth in ...
Blog
Talking Like Robin Hood, Governing Like Prince John
When I was a kid, I loved the classic Disney animated adaptation of Robin Hood. In the story, Prince John imposed huge taxes on his subjects to fatten his pockets. Robin joined Little John in thwarting the Prince’s schemes and returning his ill-gotten plunder to the poor. Hearing President Biden ...
Blog
Replacing White Bagging Mandates With Market Competition Will Improve Patient Outcome
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) deploy numerous anticompetitive actions, which have not gone unnoticed. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an inquiry to examine whether PBMs have adverse impacts “on the access and affordability of prescription drugs.” The government’s probe is welcome news. But there are many detrimental PBM practices that are ...
Blog
Newsom End of Session Climate Rush Deserves Hard Look from Legislature
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to be sure that as many people as possible know that “we will be the first jurisdiction in the world to require all new cars to be sold to be alternative fuel cars,” following a bureaucratic decision to follow his executive order. But done, he ...
Blog
The War of Misinformation – Police Use of Force
The last several years have brought new focus on police tactics and use of force. The death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, during an arrest by former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, shocked the nation’s conscience and led to protests in 140 cities, with some turning violent. Despite ...
Blog
Now That’s What We Call Recycling
Californians are almost uniformly careful to place their used consumer goods and packaging in the correct bins for the environment’s sake. Recycling is a Golden State way of life, and to some not far from being a religion. Let’s call this micro-recycling, and despite its popularity, it is purely garbage, ...
Blog
CAPITAL IDEAS—Not April Fool’s Day: Newsom Gets Education Award as California Students Suffer and Fail
DOWNLOAD THE PDF When Governor Gavin Newsom recently received a national award for education, just as student learning craters due to his disastrous school policies, one could hear California parents collectively exclaim, “Seriously?” The Education Commission of the States, which is an interstate agency that is supposed to create ...
Blog
ESG Has Become An Obstacle to Resolving The State Unfunded Pension Crisis
By Tim Anaya and Wayne Winegarden Even with generous assumptions, the state unfunded pension crisis is worsening. The market surge of 2021 helped reduce the unfunded gap, but then came the bear market of 2022. As a recent Wall Street Journal Headline put it, Market Rout Sends State and City ...
Blog
What’s in a name? Chicken labeling can be confusing for consumers
My husband and I recently got into a discussion about the differences in the labeling of chicken. He saw a post on social media outlining the supposed differences between “pasture raised,” “cage raised,” “cage free,” and “free range.” It is easy to get caught up in the virtuous marketing of ...
End of Session Housing Bills – Bright Spots That Could Have Been Much Brighter
Sacramento lawmakers just passed two measures to remove some of the government-created roadblocks to housing construction – a rare bright spot in a session dominated by the quest for more government control. This bright spot could have actually been much brighter had it not been for special interest groups nearly ...
The 2022-23 School Year Remains Grim for Special Education Students
The school year has started, and parents and students are hopeful that education has returned to “normal” from the last three school years of COVID pandemic-era closures and online learning. For students, the California public school system crumbled under the closures and online classes offered little to no growth in ...
Talking Like Robin Hood, Governing Like Prince John
When I was a kid, I loved the classic Disney animated adaptation of Robin Hood. In the story, Prince John imposed huge taxes on his subjects to fatten his pockets. Robin joined Little John in thwarting the Prince’s schemes and returning his ill-gotten plunder to the poor. Hearing President Biden ...
Replacing White Bagging Mandates With Market Competition Will Improve Patient Outcome
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) deploy numerous anticompetitive actions, which have not gone unnoticed. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an inquiry to examine whether PBMs have adverse impacts “on the access and affordability of prescription drugs.” The government’s probe is welcome news. But there are many detrimental PBM practices that are ...
Newsom End of Session Climate Rush Deserves Hard Look from Legislature
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to be sure that as many people as possible know that “we will be the first jurisdiction in the world to require all new cars to be sold to be alternative fuel cars,” following a bureaucratic decision to follow his executive order. But done, he ...
The War of Misinformation – Police Use of Force
The last several years have brought new focus on police tactics and use of force. The death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, during an arrest by former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, shocked the nation’s conscience and led to protests in 140 cities, with some turning violent. Despite ...
Now That’s What We Call Recycling
Californians are almost uniformly careful to place their used consumer goods and packaging in the correct bins for the environment’s sake. Recycling is a Golden State way of life, and to some not far from being a religion. Let’s call this micro-recycling, and despite its popularity, it is purely garbage, ...
CAPITAL IDEAS—Not April Fool’s Day: Newsom Gets Education Award as California Students Suffer and Fail
DOWNLOAD THE PDF When Governor Gavin Newsom recently received a national award for education, just as student learning craters due to his disastrous school policies, one could hear California parents collectively exclaim, “Seriously?” The Education Commission of the States, which is an interstate agency that is supposed to create ...
ESG Has Become An Obstacle to Resolving The State Unfunded Pension Crisis
By Tim Anaya and Wayne Winegarden Even with generous assumptions, the state unfunded pension crisis is worsening. The market surge of 2021 helped reduce the unfunded gap, but then came the bear market of 2022. As a recent Wall Street Journal Headline put it, Market Rout Sends State and City ...
What’s in a name? Chicken labeling can be confusing for consumers
My husband and I recently got into a discussion about the differences in the labeling of chicken. He saw a post on social media outlining the supposed differences between “pasture raised,” “cage raised,” “cage free,” and “free range.” It is easy to get caught up in the virtuous marketing of ...
