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California Leads the Nation in Attacks on Its Own Communications Networks. Sacramento Should Act Like It.
California likes to lead. On this one, leading is nothing to brag about. New industry data released this summer counted 18,327 nationwide intentional attacks on communications networks, the cables, fiber lines, and towers that keep phones and internet working, in 2025. That’s a whopping 59 percent increase over the prior ...
AI
Newsom Picked the Right Tool but the Wrong Playbook
Should government be doing deals like this? Yes. The free-market complaint about government has never been that it uses modern tools. Rather, the complaint is that government so often refuses to use them. Californians wait in DMV lines, stay on hold for hours with state agencies, and get stuck in ...
Blog
California’s Bad Energy Policy Is the Real Threat to the AI Boom
In early 2026, data centers consumed roughly 1,000 megawatts of electricity, about 2% of California ISO’s peak load. The California Energy Commission projects that figure will reach 4,500 megawatts, or 9% of peak demand, by 2040. That projection sits on top of overall peak demand the CEC expects to rise between 42 and ...
AI
Big Tech Lost in Monterey Park. California’s First Data Center Ban Is a Warning
I grew up in Monterey Park, attending both middle school and high school there. The Monterey Park I know is a small, family-centered community where people go to the park, kids go trick-or-treating, and youth sports are full of life. It has been recognized as one of America’s best places ...
Blog
California Should Get Out of the Way of the Charter-Cox Merger
Of course, the CPUC regulates public utilities in California. The Commission gains a say in many mergers because of its broad oversight to evaluate potential effects on the price and access to telecommunications services for California residents. In that, the CPUC works with the Federal Trade Commission to align state ...
AI
Has California Created A Free Speech Problem?
He is deliberating whether to sign or veto Senate Bill 771, which would impose civil penalties of up to $1 million against social media companies that knowingly or recklessly aid their users in violating the state’s hate speech and civil rights laws. “Hate speech” isn’t mentioned by name, but the bill contains references to ...
AI
Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
Cities should rethink their zeal for subsidizing AI data centers
Kate Gallego has had it. In her 2025 State of the City address, Phoenix’s mayor called on lawmakers to eliminate Arizona’s special tax treatment for “new data centers.” Calling it “a holdover from a time before our economy was the magnet for job growth that it is today,” Gallego declared ...
Blog
Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
Freedom v. efficiency: Hangzhou’s City Brain Can Improve Efficiency, But Raises Many Questions
Editor’s Note: In Part 3 of the Free Cities Center series, Serlet looks at an AI program that offers some benefits, but raises much more serious questions. Hangzhou’s City Brain In 2020, the city of Hangzhou in China announced that it had developed a “City Brain.” Hangzhou is an ancient ...
Blog
Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
Freedom v. efficiency: How automating driver’s licenses offers benefits, but creates some risks
Editor’s Note: In Part 1 of Serlet’s series on municipal automation, he looked at a generally unobjectionable use of AI technology: Chicago’s restaurant-inspection program. As he explained: There are countless mundane things that municipal governments do. These might include processing building permits, collecting residential taxes or distributing school supplies to ...
Blog
Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
Freedom v. efficiency: The benefits and dangers of automating municipal government services
There are countless mundane things that municipal governments do. These might include processing building permits, collecting residential taxes or distributing school supplies to needy families. Many of these services are provided inefficiently. They also require large expensive staffs. The rise of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) has created an ...
California Leads the Nation in Attacks on Its Own Communications Networks. Sacramento Should Act Like It.
California likes to lead. On this one, leading is nothing to brag about. New industry data released this summer counted 18,327 nationwide intentional attacks on communications networks, the cables, fiber lines, and towers that keep phones and internet working, in 2025. That’s a whopping 59 percent increase over the prior ...
Newsom Picked the Right Tool but the Wrong Playbook
Should government be doing deals like this? Yes. The free-market complaint about government has never been that it uses modern tools. Rather, the complaint is that government so often refuses to use them. Californians wait in DMV lines, stay on hold for hours with state agencies, and get stuck in ...
California’s Bad Energy Policy Is the Real Threat to the AI Boom
In early 2026, data centers consumed roughly 1,000 megawatts of electricity, about 2% of California ISO’s peak load. The California Energy Commission projects that figure will reach 4,500 megawatts, or 9% of peak demand, by 2040. That projection sits on top of overall peak demand the CEC expects to rise between 42 and ...
Big Tech Lost in Monterey Park. California’s First Data Center Ban Is a Warning
I grew up in Monterey Park, attending both middle school and high school there. The Monterey Park I know is a small, family-centered community where people go to the park, kids go trick-or-treating, and youth sports are full of life. It has been recognized as one of America’s best places ...
California Should Get Out of the Way of the Charter-Cox Merger
Of course, the CPUC regulates public utilities in California. The Commission gains a say in many mergers because of its broad oversight to evaluate potential effects on the price and access to telecommunications services for California residents. In that, the CPUC works with the Federal Trade Commission to align state ...
Has California Created A Free Speech Problem?
He is deliberating whether to sign or veto Senate Bill 771, which would impose civil penalties of up to $1 million against social media companies that knowingly or recklessly aid their users in violating the state’s hate speech and civil rights laws. “Hate speech” isn’t mentioned by name, but the bill contains references to ...
Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
Cities should rethink their zeal for subsidizing AI data centers
Kate Gallego has had it. In her 2025 State of the City address, Phoenix’s mayor called on lawmakers to eliminate Arizona’s special tax treatment for “new data centers.” Calling it “a holdover from a time before our economy was the magnet for job growth that it is today,” Gallego declared ...
Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
Freedom v. efficiency: Hangzhou’s City Brain Can Improve Efficiency, But Raises Many Questions
Editor’s Note: In Part 3 of the Free Cities Center series, Serlet looks at an AI program that offers some benefits, but raises much more serious questions. Hangzhou’s City Brain In 2020, the city of Hangzhou in China announced that it had developed a “City Brain.” Hangzhou is an ancient ...
Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
Freedom v. efficiency: How automating driver’s licenses offers benefits, but creates some risks
Editor’s Note: In Part 1 of Serlet’s series on municipal automation, he looked at a generally unobjectionable use of AI technology: Chicago’s restaurant-inspection program. As he explained: There are countless mundane things that municipal governments do. These might include processing building permits, collecting residential taxes or distributing school supplies to ...
Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
Freedom v. efficiency: The benefits and dangers of automating municipal government services
There are countless mundane things that municipal governments do. These might include processing building permits, collecting residential taxes or distributing school supplies to needy families. Many of these services are provided inefficiently. They also require large expensive staffs. The rise of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) has created an ...