DOGE Government Waste
Blog
The Trump administration tries to kill aid to dependent cities
You know about the bridge to nowhere. The electric tugboat? Probably not. In 2020, the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District received a unique grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Awarded under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA), the $2,017,660 subsidy paid for the eWolf, “America’s first all-electric ...
D. Dowd Muska
June 18, 2026
Blog
A public bank in California would be costly, risky and unnecessary
But lawmakers were pushing forward anyway. AB 2243 would have established a taxpayer-funded commission to study the feasibility of a public bank and how it could act “as an additional financial tool to lower borrowing costs, strengthen local lending partnerships and help finance urgent public needs like affordable housing, infrastructure, ...
Matthew Fleming
June 3, 2026
Blog
BOOK EXCERPT Urban Policy Beyond the Nation’s Big Metros: Smaller-City Case Studies from California, Washington and Michigan
It’s easy to think that urban policy is solely about big cities and their surrounding suburbs, much in the way that one would naturally believe that farm policy is solely about farm regions. A quick perusal of the statistics suggests that America is indeed an urban nation despite its vast ...
Steven Greenhut
May 5, 2026
Blog
Read the latest on fraud in California government
Fraud in California Community Colleges Spurs Congress to Act
Across the country, financial aid fraud in higher education has skyrocketed, causing big budgetary hits for colleges and negative impacts for law-abiding students in true need. Perhaps the biggest explosion in financial aid fraud has taken place in the nation’s largest system of higher education—the California Community Colleges. With 2.2 ...
Lance Izumi
April 1, 2026
California
Robby Soave – From FreedomFest 2025
Direct from FreedomFest 2025 in Palm Springs, Tim talks with Reason senior editor, author, and host of the Rising on Hill TV Robby Soave. Among other topics, they discuss the LA ICE riots, how Gov. Gavin Newsom is viewed on the national political scene, and how we should look back ...
Pacific Research Institute
June 16, 2025
Blog
Time for release: Can cities unshackle themselves from abusive union perk?
Time for release: Can cities unshackle themselves from abusive union perk? By D. Dowd Muska | September 20, 2024 The stewards for Los Angeles County’s health-science professionals are allowed as much as 1,200 hours each year in a controversial benefit known as “release time,” whereby union officials are released to ...
D. Dowd Muska
September 20, 2024
Blog
Patronage or problem solving? San Fran debates its proliferation of iffy commissions
Patronage or problem solving? San Fran debates its proliferation of iffy commissions Matthew Fleming | July 18, 2024 History of SF’s myriad commissions The first 21 commissions were founded in 1898 with the city and county charter, but the list has ballooned to 115 today for the city of around ...
Matthew Fleming
July 18, 2024
The Trump administration tries to kill aid to dependent cities
You know about the bridge to nowhere. The electric tugboat? Probably not. In 2020, the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District received a unique grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Awarded under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA), the $2,017,660 subsidy paid for the eWolf, “America’s first all-electric ...
A public bank in California would be costly, risky and unnecessary
But lawmakers were pushing forward anyway. AB 2243 would have established a taxpayer-funded commission to study the feasibility of a public bank and how it could act “as an additional financial tool to lower borrowing costs, strengthen local lending partnerships and help finance urgent public needs like affordable housing, infrastructure, ...
BOOK EXCERPT Urban Policy Beyond the Nation’s Big Metros: Smaller-City Case Studies from California, Washington and Michigan
It’s easy to think that urban policy is solely about big cities and their surrounding suburbs, much in the way that one would naturally believe that farm policy is solely about farm regions. A quick perusal of the statistics suggests that America is indeed an urban nation despite its vast ...
Read the latest on fraud in California government
Fraud in California Community Colleges Spurs Congress to Act
Across the country, financial aid fraud in higher education has skyrocketed, causing big budgetary hits for colleges and negative impacts for law-abiding students in true need. Perhaps the biggest explosion in financial aid fraud has taken place in the nation’s largest system of higher education—the California Community Colleges. With 2.2 ...
Robby Soave – From FreedomFest 2025
Direct from FreedomFest 2025 in Palm Springs, Tim talks with Reason senior editor, author, and host of the Rising on Hill TV Robby Soave. Among other topics, they discuss the LA ICE riots, how Gov. Gavin Newsom is viewed on the national political scene, and how we should look back ...
Time for release: Can cities unshackle themselves from abusive union perk?
Time for release: Can cities unshackle themselves from abusive union perk? By D. Dowd Muska | September 20, 2024 The stewards for Los Angeles County’s health-science professionals are allowed as much as 1,200 hours each year in a controversial benefit known as “release time,” whereby union officials are released to ...
Patronage or problem solving? San Fran debates its proliferation of iffy commissions
Patronage or problem solving? San Fran debates its proliferation of iffy commissions Matthew Fleming | July 18, 2024 History of SF’s myriad commissions The first 21 commissions were founded in 1898 with the city and county charter, but the list has ballooned to 115 today for the city of around ...