State Budget
Blog
Spending Watch
Covering Undocumented Immigrants Will Worsen The State’s Fiscal Crisis
Covering Undocumented Immigrants Will Worsen The State’s Fiscal Crisis Wayne Winegarden May 2025 A previous Spending Watch analysis estimated the fiscal and economic impact of funding Medi-Cal benefits to undocumented immigrants. The analysis estimated that the expansion will require an additional $11.6 billion in expenditures, which will impose large economic ...
Blog
How does California’s employment growth compare with the rest of the US?
Gov. Gavin Newsom and California’s progressives point to the Trump Administration’s imposition of tariffs as a reason for its economic slowdown, and the LAO acknowledges that unpredictable policymaking at the federal level puts California’s ‘fragile economy at risk.’ But while California’s ports have seen a decline in economic activity over ...
California
Wayne Winegarden – Analyzing the 2025 May Revise
PRI senior fellow in business and economics Dr. Wayne Winegarden joins us with his initial analysis of Gov. Newsom’s May Revise budget proposal. Wayne shares his thoughts on Gov. Newsom’s plan to close the state’s $12 billion budget deficit, including controversial plans to expand Medi-Cal eligibility to the undocumented and ...
Blog
Why California Needs Its Own DOGE
Why California Needs Its Own DOGE Originally published in Fresno Bee By Kerry Jackson READ MORE If any government were in desperate need of a DOGE effort, it’s California. The bloated budget, wasteful public works projects and inefficient government programs are all screaming for attention. The federal Department of Government Efficiency ...
Blog
Newsom Gets One Right on State Return to Office Order
Virtually every other state and most private sector employers in California and nationally returned to normal employment arrangements years ago. A February Bay Area Council survey showed 84 percent of private sector employers have already implemented long-term in-person work policies, and just 6 person of employers do not require employees ...
Blog
Newsom’s Diaper Plan Stinks
Why a new program when the old one is working ok? The state argues that there are gaps in the existing program, which targets low-income parents. Instead of simply filling the gaps, the state wants to impose some elaborate scheme that is akin to killing a gnat with a shotgun. ...
Blog
Spending Watch
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26 Wayne Winegarden April 2025 The recently enacted tariffs are significant tax increases on consumption and production, as I discussed in a February 2025 PRI Issue Brief. These tariffs will increase costs for consumers and reduce profits for businesses both ...
Blog
Read the latest on the Southern California wildfires
State Budget Watch: Lawmakers Should Heavily Scrutinize LA’s Wildfire Funding Ask
Included in the city’s requests are expected relief items, such as a $291 million state loan to help the city pay for debris removal and repairs to damaged city property pending FEMA repayment. But some of LA’s funding list shows city leaders haven’t yet learned their lessons from decades of ...
Blog
Spending Watch
SB 222 Will Weaken California’s Economy and Reduce State Revenues
SB 222 Will Weaken California’s Economy and Reduce State Revenues Wayne Winegarden and Nikhil Agarwal March 2025 The destructiveness of the Eaton and Palisades fires were unprecedented. According to the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, the recent Los Angeles wildfires caused up to $164 billion in property and capital ...
Blog
Spending Watch
Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly
Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly Wayne Winegarden February 2025 The erratic actions of the Trump Administration are undoubtedly making it more difficult for states to budget for the upcoming 2026 fiscal year. The knee-jerk reaction from many California politicians is to call for more taxes on ...
Spending Watch
Covering Undocumented Immigrants Will Worsen The State’s Fiscal Crisis
Covering Undocumented Immigrants Will Worsen The State’s Fiscal Crisis Wayne Winegarden May 2025 A previous Spending Watch analysis estimated the fiscal and economic impact of funding Medi-Cal benefits to undocumented immigrants. The analysis estimated that the expansion will require an additional $11.6 billion in expenditures, which will impose large economic ...
How does California’s employment growth compare with the rest of the US?
Gov. Gavin Newsom and California’s progressives point to the Trump Administration’s imposition of tariffs as a reason for its economic slowdown, and the LAO acknowledges that unpredictable policymaking at the federal level puts California’s ‘fragile economy at risk.’ But while California’s ports have seen a decline in economic activity over ...
Wayne Winegarden – Analyzing the 2025 May Revise
PRI senior fellow in business and economics Dr. Wayne Winegarden joins us with his initial analysis of Gov. Newsom’s May Revise budget proposal. Wayne shares his thoughts on Gov. Newsom’s plan to close the state’s $12 billion budget deficit, including controversial plans to expand Medi-Cal eligibility to the undocumented and ...
Why California Needs Its Own DOGE
Why California Needs Its Own DOGE Originally published in Fresno Bee By Kerry Jackson READ MORE If any government were in desperate need of a DOGE effort, it’s California. The bloated budget, wasteful public works projects and inefficient government programs are all screaming for attention. The federal Department of Government Efficiency ...
Newsom Gets One Right on State Return to Office Order
Virtually every other state and most private sector employers in California and nationally returned to normal employment arrangements years ago. A February Bay Area Council survey showed 84 percent of private sector employers have already implemented long-term in-person work policies, and just 6 person of employers do not require employees ...
Newsom’s Diaper Plan Stinks
Why a new program when the old one is working ok? The state argues that there are gaps in the existing program, which targets low-income parents. Instead of simply filling the gaps, the state wants to impose some elaborate scheme that is akin to killing a gnat with a shotgun. ...
Spending Watch
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26 Wayne Winegarden April 2025 The recently enacted tariffs are significant tax increases on consumption and production, as I discussed in a February 2025 PRI Issue Brief. These tariffs will increase costs for consumers and reduce profits for businesses both ...
Read the latest on the Southern California wildfires
State Budget Watch: Lawmakers Should Heavily Scrutinize LA’s Wildfire Funding Ask
Included in the city’s requests are expected relief items, such as a $291 million state loan to help the city pay for debris removal and repairs to damaged city property pending FEMA repayment. But some of LA’s funding list shows city leaders haven’t yet learned their lessons from decades of ...
Spending Watch
SB 222 Will Weaken California’s Economy and Reduce State Revenues
SB 222 Will Weaken California’s Economy and Reduce State Revenues Wayne Winegarden and Nikhil Agarwal March 2025 The destructiveness of the Eaton and Palisades fires were unprecedented. According to the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, the recent Los Angeles wildfires caused up to $164 billion in property and capital ...
Spending Watch
Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly
Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly Wayne Winegarden February 2025 The erratic actions of the Trump Administration are undoubtedly making it more difficult for states to budget for the upcoming 2026 fiscal year. The knee-jerk reaction from many California politicians is to call for more taxes on ...
