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Learn how looters are adding to trauma being experienced by fire victims

A Tale of Two LA’s

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…”  A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens The toll of the recent Southern California fires is shocking.  Together, the seven fires known colloquially as the “Los ...
Blog

Food fight: Organic-waste rules are latest recycling failure

Food fight: Organic-waste rules are latest recycling failure By D. Dowd Muska  |  February 14, 2025 Draconian climate policies are wholly unwelcome in Washington, D.C., under the new Republican administration, so expect the greenest state and local governments to fight back in 2025. One area likely to draw significant interest: food ...
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Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center

Free Cities Center Analysis: City representation – Single-member districts versus at large

At-Large Elections: Advantages and Disadvantages In at-large elections, all elected representatives represent the entire polity, be it a city or county. Proponents argue that this method promotes a unified vision among members since they all serve the same district. Additionally, at-large elections eliminate the issue of gerrymandering within the city, ...
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Latest report shows California bullet train is really a train to nowhere

Will There Ever Be Any Good News About The High-Speed Rail?

Last month’s spike-driving ceremony was a feel-good story about the California bullet train. It was, said Gov. Gavin Newsom, a “big damn deal” that indicated “progress” was being made on a project that is embarrassingly behind schedule and almost inconceivably over cost. It was an event for public consumption that ...
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Latest test scores show CA's public schools continue to fail kids

The California Classroom Collapse Hits the Middle Class

Last year, Bret Daniels, the mayor of the middle-class Sacramento suburb of Citrus Heights, announced that he was quitting his position as mayor and moving to Kentucky, in part because of the quality of education his seven-year-old daughter was receiving.  Recently released test scores show that California’s education decline is ...
Blog

China and America: The War Over the Panama Canal

READ THE PDF China and America: The War Over the Panama Canal “If the government in China in a conflict tells them to shut down the Panama Canal, they will have to,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio to SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly on January 30, referring to Chinese businesses in ...
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SmartLA is a not-so-bright way to rebuild Los Angeles

There are rumors that the fires were deliberately started so planners could rebuild under the SmartLA 2028 strategy. Let’s dismiss this conspiracy theory right now. No serious person believes it. But that’s not to say that officials won’t demand that the renewal of the burned-out sections fit their definition of a “smart ...
Blog

Congestion pricing: Bold experiment or a money grab?

Congestion pricing: Bold experiment or a money grab? By Sal Rodriguez | February 6, 2025 Is New York City’s congestion pricing plan a bold experiment or just a money grab? After many years of debate, many thousands of pages of reports and no shortage of lawsuits, New York City on ...
Agriculture

Point Reyes settlement a tragic misstep

In rural areas it has recently come back in vogue to say, “Everyone wants to be a cowboy until it’s time to do cowboy stuff.” Infusions of cowboy hats, boots, and western wear in popular culture have been called the “Yellowstone effect.” Are you a Beth, a Casey, or a ...
Blog

Read about the California "war on cars"

Where Drivers Continue To Starve

Kirkham Street in the Sunset neighborhood of the city is a two-lane, two-way street with bike paths and angle street parking. But now there’s one short stretch between 9th and 10th avenues that’s one way. A recently installed “neckdown” funnels cars into a single lane in the middle of the ...
Blog

Learn how looters are adding to trauma being experienced by fire victims

A Tale of Two LA’s

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…”  A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens The toll of the recent Southern California fires is shocking.  Together, the seven fires known colloquially as the “Los ...
Blog

Food fight: Organic-waste rules are latest recycling failure

Food fight: Organic-waste rules are latest recycling failure By D. Dowd Muska  |  February 14, 2025 Draconian climate policies are wholly unwelcome in Washington, D.C., under the new Republican administration, so expect the greenest state and local governments to fight back in 2025. One area likely to draw significant interest: food ...
Blog

Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center

Free Cities Center Analysis: City representation – Single-member districts versus at large

At-Large Elections: Advantages and Disadvantages In at-large elections, all elected representatives represent the entire polity, be it a city or county. Proponents argue that this method promotes a unified vision among members since they all serve the same district. Additionally, at-large elections eliminate the issue of gerrymandering within the city, ...
Blog

Latest report shows California bullet train is really a train to nowhere

Will There Ever Be Any Good News About The High-Speed Rail?

Last month’s spike-driving ceremony was a feel-good story about the California bullet train. It was, said Gov. Gavin Newsom, a “big damn deal” that indicated “progress” was being made on a project that is embarrassingly behind schedule and almost inconceivably over cost. It was an event for public consumption that ...
Blog

Latest test scores show CA's public schools continue to fail kids

The California Classroom Collapse Hits the Middle Class

Last year, Bret Daniels, the mayor of the middle-class Sacramento suburb of Citrus Heights, announced that he was quitting his position as mayor and moving to Kentucky, in part because of the quality of education his seven-year-old daughter was receiving.  Recently released test scores show that California’s education decline is ...
Blog

China and America: The War Over the Panama Canal

READ THE PDF China and America: The War Over the Panama Canal “If the government in China in a conflict tells them to shut down the Panama Canal, they will have to,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio to SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly on January 30, referring to Chinese businesses in ...
Blog

SmartLA is a not-so-bright way to rebuild Los Angeles

There are rumors that the fires were deliberately started so planners could rebuild under the SmartLA 2028 strategy. Let’s dismiss this conspiracy theory right now. No serious person believes it. But that’s not to say that officials won’t demand that the renewal of the burned-out sections fit their definition of a “smart ...
Blog

Congestion pricing: Bold experiment or a money grab?

Congestion pricing: Bold experiment or a money grab? By Sal Rodriguez | February 6, 2025 Is New York City’s congestion pricing plan a bold experiment or just a money grab? After many years of debate, many thousands of pages of reports and no shortage of lawsuits, New York City on ...
Agriculture

Point Reyes settlement a tragic misstep

In rural areas it has recently come back in vogue to say, “Everyone wants to be a cowboy until it’s time to do cowboy stuff.” Infusions of cowboy hats, boots, and western wear in popular culture have been called the “Yellowstone effect.” Are you a Beth, a Casey, or a ...
Blog

Read about the California "war on cars"

Where Drivers Continue To Starve

Kirkham Street in the Sunset neighborhood of the city is a two-lane, two-way street with bike paths and angle street parking. But now there’s one short stretch between 9th and 10th avenues that’s one way. A recently installed “neckdown” funnels cars into a single lane in the middle of the ...
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