Spending Watch

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Spending Watch

Californians Have Little to Show for All That Government Spending

Californians Have Little to Show for All That Government Spending Wayne Winegarden     July 2024 It should not shock anyone that the FY2024-25 budget was short on fiscal discipline and long on budget gimmicks and fund shifts. Now that this year’s budget process is coming to an end, it is ...
Blog

Spending Watch: More Debt Is More Taxes

As a recent Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll confirms, this approach is out of step with “most Californians (56%) [who] would prefer to pay lower taxes and have a state government that provides fewer services”. With respect to solving the current budget crisis, the poll found that “fewer ...
Blog

Spending Watch

May Revise Preview: Sacramento Should Learn Lessons from the 2009 Budget Crisis

May Revise Preview: Sacramento Should Learn Lessons Wayne Winegarden     May 2024 Governor Newsom is finalizing the May Revision for his 2024-25 budget plan this week. As he does, the parallels between California’s 2009 budget crisis and today’s budget difficulties are too compelling to ignore. Sacramento policymakers should heed the ...
Blog

Spending Watch

Consumers, Not ‘Polluters’, Would Be Hard Hit by New Climate Tax Legislation

Consumers, Not ‘Polluters’, Would Be Hard Hit by New Climate Tax Legislation Wayne Winegarden     May 2024 SB-1497, the Polluters Pay Climate Cost Recovery Act of 2024, purports to “require fossil fuel polluters to pay their fair share of the damage caused by the sale of their products…to relieve a ...
California

Wayne Winegarden on PRI’s New Spending Watch Project

This week, we’re pleased to a special presentation by PRI’s Dr. Wayne Winegarden on our new Spending Watch initiative, which calculates the impact of major state legislation on outmigration, unemployment, taxes, and the economy.  In his presentation from PRI’s recent Sacrament policy conference, he discusses the first Spending Watch analysis ...
Blog

Spending Watch

Expanding Unemployment Insurance Benefits – All Pain for No Gain

Expanding Unemployment Insurance Benefits – All Pain for No Gain Wayne Winegarden April 2024 SB 1434 would dramatically expand unemployment insurance benefits to current eligible workers. If implemented, it would expand benefits by over 55 percent, raise the number of workers who qualify for maximum benefits, increase the benefits for ...
Blog

Spending Watch

Single Payer Will Worsen California’s Healthcare System and Reduce Economic Growth

Single Payer Will Worsen California’s Healthcare System and Reduce Economic Growth Wayne Winegarden March 2024 With the introduction of AB 2200, advocates are, once again, proposing that California adopt a single payer healthcare system. Ostensibly, their proposed CalCare system would streamline payments, lower per-capita spending, guarantee “quality health care and ...
Blog

Spending Watch

Too Much Government Spending and Volatile Tax Revenues Drive State’s Budget Problem

Too Much Government Spending and Volatile Tax Revenues Drive State’s Budget Problem Wayne Winegarden March 2024 This analysis is the first publication of Spending Watch, a new initiative from the Pacific Research Institute. Spending Watch is a resource that evaluates the revenue, spending, and economic impacts of major budget and ...
Blog

Spending Watch

Reparations: A Financially Unrealistic Proposal That Will Bankrupt California

Reparations: A Financially Unrealistic Proposal That Will Bankrupt California Wayne Winegarden February 2024 With the introduction of its first set of reparations bills, the California legislature is officially considering the recommendations of the California Reparations Report from the state Reparations Task Force.1 Given these introductions, it is imperative to understand ...
Blog

Spending Watch

Californians Have Little to Show for All That Government Spending

Californians Have Little to Show for All That Government Spending Wayne Winegarden     July 2024 It should not shock anyone that the FY2024-25 budget was short on fiscal discipline and long on budget gimmicks and fund shifts. Now that this year’s budget process is coming to an end, it is ...
Blog

Spending Watch: More Debt Is More Taxes

As a recent Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll confirms, this approach is out of step with “most Californians (56%) [who] would prefer to pay lower taxes and have a state government that provides fewer services”. With respect to solving the current budget crisis, the poll found that “fewer ...
Blog

Spending Watch

May Revise Preview: Sacramento Should Learn Lessons from the 2009 Budget Crisis

May Revise Preview: Sacramento Should Learn Lessons Wayne Winegarden     May 2024 Governor Newsom is finalizing the May Revision for his 2024-25 budget plan this week. As he does, the parallels between California’s 2009 budget crisis and today’s budget difficulties are too compelling to ignore. Sacramento policymakers should heed the ...
Blog

Spending Watch

Consumers, Not ‘Polluters’, Would Be Hard Hit by New Climate Tax Legislation

Consumers, Not ‘Polluters’, Would Be Hard Hit by New Climate Tax Legislation Wayne Winegarden     May 2024 SB-1497, the Polluters Pay Climate Cost Recovery Act of 2024, purports to “require fossil fuel polluters to pay their fair share of the damage caused by the sale of their products…to relieve a ...
California

Wayne Winegarden on PRI’s New Spending Watch Project

This week, we’re pleased to a special presentation by PRI’s Dr. Wayne Winegarden on our new Spending Watch initiative, which calculates the impact of major state legislation on outmigration, unemployment, taxes, and the economy.  In his presentation from PRI’s recent Sacrament policy conference, he discusses the first Spending Watch analysis ...
Blog

Spending Watch

Expanding Unemployment Insurance Benefits – All Pain for No Gain

Expanding Unemployment Insurance Benefits – All Pain for No Gain Wayne Winegarden April 2024 SB 1434 would dramatically expand unemployment insurance benefits to current eligible workers. If implemented, it would expand benefits by over 55 percent, raise the number of workers who qualify for maximum benefits, increase the benefits for ...
Blog

Spending Watch

Single Payer Will Worsen California’s Healthcare System and Reduce Economic Growth

Single Payer Will Worsen California’s Healthcare System and Reduce Economic Growth Wayne Winegarden March 2024 With the introduction of AB 2200, advocates are, once again, proposing that California adopt a single payer healthcare system. Ostensibly, their proposed CalCare system would streamline payments, lower per-capita spending, guarantee “quality health care and ...
Blog

Spending Watch

Too Much Government Spending and Volatile Tax Revenues Drive State’s Budget Problem

Too Much Government Spending and Volatile Tax Revenues Drive State’s Budget Problem Wayne Winegarden March 2024 This analysis is the first publication of Spending Watch, a new initiative from the Pacific Research Institute. Spending Watch is a resource that evaluates the revenue, spending, and economic impacts of major budget and ...
Blog

Spending Watch

Reparations: A Financially Unrealistic Proposal That Will Bankrupt California

Reparations: A Financially Unrealistic Proposal That Will Bankrupt California Wayne Winegarden February 2024 With the introduction of its first set of reparations bills, the California legislature is officially considering the recommendations of the California Reparations Report from the state Reparations Task Force.1 Given these introductions, it is imperative to understand ...
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