Infrastructure
A To-Do List for the California Legislature
When Californians go to the polls in November, they will be choosing from many new faces seeking to represent them in the state legislature. Thanks to redistricting and a wide swath of retirements, there will be at least 22 new State Assembly Members elected this fall and 10 new State …
Jumpin’ Jack Flash Can’t Get No Gas
Los Angeles will possibly be among the few cities in the world to outlaw the construction of new gas stations if a proposed policy change is approved by the City Council. Since Los Angeles is arguably the virtue-signaling capital of the world, it’s hard to imagine that it won’t happen. …
Despite Sunday Late Night Tax Rebate Deal, Gas Tax Still Going Up
Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature’s Democratic leaders announced Sunday that they had finally reached agreement on a tax rebate plan. How to give Californians relief from high gas prices and rising inflation had been a key sticking point holding up the budget’s enactment. The unusual release of the plan …
High Speed Rail Update: Cost Projections Go Up Yet Again
Trains played a central role in the development of California. The transcontinental railroad, completed in 1869, was key in transforming California, then a state for 19 years, “from a once-isolated place to a major economic and political force, and helped lead to the state’s rapid growth.” In the early 21st …
No Investigation Needed – Government Energy Policy Fuels Record-High Gas Prices
Angry drivers paying record gas prices this year – surpassing $7 per gallon in parts of California – are demanding action from elected officials to lower gas prices. Surprisingly, Sacramento Democrats have hung onto this scorching hot political potato for months. Democrat legislative leaders have rejected pleas from Republicans and …
Promote Regulatory Certainty By Reauthorizing UFA
The House passed bipartisan legislation last week that could help reduce costs and ensure continued innovation for the future. While this legislation might not be covered as extensively as other issues, it nonetheless represents meaningful progress. This week, the Senate HELP Committee passed the Senate version, the Food and Drug …
Empower Entrepreneurs To Improve Outcomes: The Case Of Integrated Care
Entrepreneurs, empowered by competitive markets, drive economic progress. When market regulations incentivize productive activities, entrepreneurs radically improve existing goods and services and create new products we never knew that we couldn’t live without. The wrong regulatory structures misalign these positive incentives. They thwart or misappropriate entrepreneurial efforts resulting in lost …
Oh Canada! Oh California! – Climate Change and the Wildfire Season
I’ve just returned from a train vacation through the Canadian Rockies. They were truly majestic – I felt a little closer to heaven. Thanks to an unusually cold spring, the Rockies were still snow-capped and glistening. It was also that time of the year when the wildlife was out and …
State Budget Update – Nonpartisan Analyst Says May Revise Puts State on Path to Serious Budget Problems
Now that the calendar page has turned to June, it’s crunch time for lawmakers and the Governor to reach a budget agreement before the June 15 constitutional deadline to pass a balanced budget. However, a new multi-year analysis of the state budget’s picture released last week suggests that enacting the …
Biden’s Secret Vaxx Deal Threatens Medical Progress
Did the Biden administration participate in closed-door meetings with foreign officials to deal away some of America’s most valuable intellectual property? It appears so. According to a letter sent by six senators to U.S. Trade Ambassador Katherine Tai on May 10, the Biden administration negotiated a proposal with the European Union, India and …
A To-Do List for the California Legislature
When Californians go to the polls in November, they will be choosing from many new faces seeking to represent them in the state legislature. Thanks to redistricting and a wide swath of retirements, there will be at least 22 new State Assembly Members elected this fall and 10 new State …
Jumpin’ Jack Flash Can’t Get No Gas
Los Angeles will possibly be among the few cities in the world to outlaw the construction of new gas stations if a proposed policy change is approved by the City Council. Since Los Angeles is arguably the virtue-signaling capital of the world, it’s hard to imagine that it won’t happen. …
Despite Sunday Late Night Tax Rebate Deal, Gas Tax Still Going Up
Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature’s Democratic leaders announced Sunday that they had finally reached agreement on a tax rebate plan. How to give Californians relief from high gas prices and rising inflation had been a key sticking point holding up the budget’s enactment. The unusual release of the plan …
High Speed Rail Update: Cost Projections Go Up Yet Again
Trains played a central role in the development of California. The transcontinental railroad, completed in 1869, was key in transforming California, then a state for 19 years, “from a once-isolated place to a major economic and political force, and helped lead to the state’s rapid growth.” In the early 21st …
No Investigation Needed – Government Energy Policy Fuels Record-High Gas Prices
Angry drivers paying record gas prices this year – surpassing $7 per gallon in parts of California – are demanding action from elected officials to lower gas prices. Surprisingly, Sacramento Democrats have hung onto this scorching hot political potato for months. Democrat legislative leaders have rejected pleas from Republicans and …
Promote Regulatory Certainty By Reauthorizing UFA
The House passed bipartisan legislation last week that could help reduce costs and ensure continued innovation for the future. While this legislation might not be covered as extensively as other issues, it nonetheless represents meaningful progress. This week, the Senate HELP Committee passed the Senate version, the Food and Drug …
Empower Entrepreneurs To Improve Outcomes: The Case Of Integrated Care
Entrepreneurs, empowered by competitive markets, drive economic progress. When market regulations incentivize productive activities, entrepreneurs radically improve existing goods and services and create new products we never knew that we couldn’t live without. The wrong regulatory structures misalign these positive incentives. They thwart or misappropriate entrepreneurial efforts resulting in lost …
Oh Canada! Oh California! – Climate Change and the Wildfire Season
I’ve just returned from a train vacation through the Canadian Rockies. They were truly majestic – I felt a little closer to heaven. Thanks to an unusually cold spring, the Rockies were still snow-capped and glistening. It was also that time of the year when the wildlife was out and …
State Budget Update – Nonpartisan Analyst Says May Revise Puts State on Path to Serious Budget Problems
Now that the calendar page has turned to June, it’s crunch time for lawmakers and the Governor to reach a budget agreement before the June 15 constitutional deadline to pass a balanced budget. However, a new multi-year analysis of the state budget’s picture released last week suggests that enacting the …
Biden’s Secret Vaxx Deal Threatens Medical Progress
Did the Biden administration participate in closed-door meetings with foreign officials to deal away some of America’s most valuable intellectual property? It appears so. According to a letter sent by six senators to U.S. Trade Ambassador Katherine Tai on May 10, the Biden administration negotiated a proposal with the European Union, India and …