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Statesmen Over Politicians

Statesmen Over Politicians

A very contentious election season is upon us. To better navigate the deluge of political propaganda, here are a few thoughts about choosing the best candidates who can stand as bulwarks of freedom from those who want to selfishly rule and reign over Californians. A campaign speech can reveal much about the timber of someone...

By Lance Christensen

Newsom’s education budget lacks tangible targets

Newsom’s education budget lacks tangible targets

This month, Governor Newsom released his proposed state budget for 2024-25. The $291.5 billion budget proposal sets aside $76.5 billion in state funds for K-12 education. This amount exceeds the proposed budgeted costs for transportation ($19.55 billion); corrections and rehabilitation ($18.12 billion); general government ($10.68 billion); legislative, judicial, and executive agencies ($10.72 billion); natural resources...

By Sheridan Swanson

The Disastrous Insurance Landscape in California

The Disastrous Insurance Landscape in California

Late last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in an attempt to address the insurance crisis in California that’s leaving scores of homeowners without coverage. The executive order comes after State Farm and Allstate, the first and fourth largest home insurers in California, announced this year they would no longer sell new home...

By Sheridan Swanson

The War on Boys and Girls

The War on Boys and Girls

Over the years, a cause for teen angst, suicide, etc., has reportedly been the media. But there is no definitive evidence to corroborate that. In fact, every recent generation has traditionally pointed to the media or some other cultural factor as damaging to youth. In the 1920s, it was the Charleston, and in the 1940s,...

By Larry Sand

The Bureaucratic Erasure of Culture, Identity, and Freedom

The Bureaucratic Erasure of Culture, Identity, and Freedom

Exploring the roadways of California yields scenery evoking two distinct worlds. On the big freeways, surrounding every major interchange, the 21st century asserts itself in an agglomeration of concrete and glass boxes surrounded by lakes of asphalt, each festooned with a recognizable corporate logo. Food. Fuel. Lodging. The corporate power they represent is reflected in...

By Edward Ring

Forgotten Local Elections, Unforgettable Consequences

Forgotten Local Elections, Unforgettable Consequences

Thanks to California’s ridiculous policy of mailing ballots to voters a full month prior to election day, and allowing “early voting,” I had already completed and submitted my ballot when I realized that was a mistake. After voting for a local school board candidate who I had some familiarity with and thought might be a safe choice,...

By Edward Ring

U.S. Schools Get Bad Marx

U.S. Schools Get Bad Marx

This article previously appeared on frontpagemag.com. My father was a liberal Democrat. He worshipped FDR and didn’t care much for the GOP. His parents were staunch Republicans, and the political discussions I remember from the 1950s were always entertaining – if not a bit confusing – to this eight-year-old. Importantly, while my dad was a liberal,...

By Larry Sand

Will California Voters Approve More Taxes and Borrowing?

Will California Voters Approve More Taxes and Borrowing?

If your city council puts a tax increase on the ballot, or your local school district puts a construction bond on the ballot, chances are very good it will get approved. Data from the past four November general elections is unambiguous. In November of 2020, for example, 80 percent of school bonds were approved by...

By Edward Ring

The Unraveling of Education in America

The Unraveling of Education in America

It’s no secret that education in America has been in bad shape for some time, and now, low student proficiency has been exacerbated by the hysterical response to the Covid outbreak. Most recently, the results of a Harvard University study, which investigated the role of remote and hybrid instruction in widening gaps in achievement by...

By Larry Sand

Use federal aid on students, not unions

Use federal aid on students, not unions

Editor’s note: This column is an expansion of a piece the author previously published in CalMatters on July 22, 2021. You can read that piece here. A massive battle is about to hit California school districts, and parents must prepare to fight for their students. Through a series of federal relief packages passed in Washington,...

By Chantal Lovell

Fixing California: The complete series

Fixing California: The complete series

In this nine-part series, Edward Ring, a contributing editor for the California Policy Center, tackles California’s greatest challenges and opportunities, laying out solutions that will ensure its residents have the resources they need to prosper for generations to come. “Consider California in 2050, with the people fulfilling every bit of their potential and realizing their...

By Editorial Staff

Fixing California – Part three: Achieving water abundance

Fixing California – Part three: Achieving water abundance

Editor’s note: This is the third article in a nine-part series on how to fix California. Read the first article in the series here, and the second here. As Californians face another drought, the official consensus response is more rationing. Buy washers that don’t work very well. Install more flow restrictors. Move down from a 50 gallon per...

By Edward Ring