State Budget

Blog

Learn about the Biden budget plan

President Biden’s Fiscal Illusions

The President imagines that the federal budget is driving toward a fiscal cliff because tax revenues are too low, and the rich are not paying their fair share. Such accusations may make good political talking points, but they are demonstrably false. Let’s start with his vacuous accusation of tax fairness. ...
Blog

Read our latest State Budget Update

Senate Dem Plan to “Shrink the Shortfall” is Destined to Fail

With California’s budget deficit now surpassing $73 billion according to the latest estimates from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s office, it’s clear that legislators will have to make significant mid-year budget adjustments even before the Governor’s May Revise is released. As PRI has written before, a budget problem of this magnitude ...
Business & Economics

PRI All-Star Speechwriters on the State of the Union Address

Our annual former PRI speechwriters analyze President Biden’s State of the Union Address: Senior Director of Education Lance Izumi was chief speechwriter to Gov. Deukmejian and Attorney General Ed Meese, Vice President of Marketing and Communications Tim Anaya was speechwriter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and numerous legislators and COO Rowena ...
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

Read latest State Budget Update

Newsom’s Budget Plan Sinks in Deficit Quicksand

Gov. Newsom’s budget problems continue to grow worse. After rolling out his $292 billion proposed state budget plan by arguing with the state’s respected independent budget analyst over the size of the deficit, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office has more bad news for Newsom about the deficit. On Friday, Newsom’s ...
Blog

Read latest from PRI's Free Cities Center

Well-run California cities grow, while badly run ones shrink

I’ve come up with a unique way to measure how well California cities are doing. It shows those with well-run finances grow in population, while those badly run shrink. It’s a generality. There are exceptions. But look at the trend line on this chart. Notice the trend line, the dotted ...
Blog

Newsom public safety budget shortchanges crime victims

For California’s Crime Victims – Budget Dust

Despite his protestations to the opposite in the recent debate with Governor DeSantis,  California’s violent crimes are up 6.1 percent and property crimes are up 6.2 percent over their 2021 levels, making California a crime outlier compared to national crime statistics which have dropped. The Governor’s “Real Public Safety Plan” ...
Blog

Take a deep dive on Gov. Newsom's education budget

Newsom’s Proposed Education Budget: A Recipe for More Disaster

With all the blaring headlines about California’s huge state budget deficit, one would think that education spending, which accounts for around 45 percent of the budget, would take a significant hit.  Well, think again. In the 2019-20 fiscal year, which was the last pre-pandemic budget, state General Fund spending for ...
California

The PRI All Stars Respond to Gov. Newsom’s 2024-25 Budget Plan

Listen as PRI’s All Stars – Wayne Winegarden, Lance Izumi, Sally Pipes, and Steve Smith – respond to Gov. Newsom’s much-anticipated 2024-25 state budget plan. They discuss Gov. Newsom’s much lower state budget projection and spending priorities, the budget’s impact on K-12 education, whether the Governor will suspend the controversial ...
Blog

Learn about the Biden budget plan

President Biden’s Fiscal Illusions

The President imagines that the federal budget is driving toward a fiscal cliff because tax revenues are too low, and the rich are not paying their fair share. Such accusations may make good political talking points, but they are demonstrably false. Let’s start with his vacuous accusation of tax fairness. ...
Blog

Read our latest State Budget Update

Senate Dem Plan to “Shrink the Shortfall” is Destined to Fail

With California’s budget deficit now surpassing $73 billion according to the latest estimates from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s office, it’s clear that legislators will have to make significant mid-year budget adjustments even before the Governor’s May Revise is released. As PRI has written before, a budget problem of this magnitude ...
Business & Economics

PRI All-Star Speechwriters on the State of the Union Address

Our annual former PRI speechwriters analyze President Biden’s State of the Union Address: Senior Director of Education Lance Izumi was chief speechwriter to Gov. Deukmejian and Attorney General Ed Meese, Vice President of Marketing and Communications Tim Anaya was speechwriter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and numerous legislators and COO Rowena ...
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

Read latest State Budget Update

Newsom’s Budget Plan Sinks in Deficit Quicksand

Gov. Newsom’s budget problems continue to grow worse. After rolling out his $292 billion proposed state budget plan by arguing with the state’s respected independent budget analyst over the size of the deficit, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office has more bad news for Newsom about the deficit. On Friday, Newsom’s ...
Blog

Read latest from PRI's Free Cities Center

Well-run California cities grow, while badly run ones shrink

I’ve come up with a unique way to measure how well California cities are doing. It shows those with well-run finances grow in population, while those badly run shrink. It’s a generality. There are exceptions. But look at the trend line on this chart. Notice the trend line, the dotted ...
Blog

Newsom public safety budget shortchanges crime victims

For California’s Crime Victims – Budget Dust

Despite his protestations to the opposite in the recent debate with Governor DeSantis,  California’s violent crimes are up 6.1 percent and property crimes are up 6.2 percent over their 2021 levels, making California a crime outlier compared to national crime statistics which have dropped. The Governor’s “Real Public Safety Plan” ...
Blog

Take a deep dive on Gov. Newsom's education budget

Newsom’s Proposed Education Budget: A Recipe for More Disaster

With all the blaring headlines about California’s huge state budget deficit, one would think that education spending, which accounts for around 45 percent of the budget, would take a significant hit.  Well, think again. In the 2019-20 fiscal year, which was the last pre-pandemic budget, state General Fund spending for ...
California

The PRI All Stars Respond to Gov. Newsom’s 2024-25 Budget Plan

Listen as PRI’s All Stars – Wayne Winegarden, Lance Izumi, Sally Pipes, and Steve Smith – respond to Gov. Newsom’s much-anticipated 2024-25 state budget plan. They discuss Gov. Newsom’s much lower state budget projection and spending priorities, the budget’s impact on K-12 education, whether the Governor will suspend the controversial ...
Scroll to Top