The Rise of Zombie Cities 

The Rise of Zombie Cities 

When the California State Auditor’s Office released its annual report on the “Fiscal Health of California Cities” in fall 2022, most city officials and journalists focused on the blunt financial risk rating results and the relative position of their city organization amongst the 431 cities analyzed. But there is more that we can learn from...

By Mark Moses

A Success Story at an Orange County Charter

A Success Story at an Orange County Charter

By Michael Davis Dire were the predictions when our little charter school, Orange County Classical Academy, was approved over three years ago in a famously raucous Orange Unified School District board hearing.  The skepticism was forgivable then but not today. In its first year of operation, 50 percent of OCCA’s English Learners achieved English-language proficiency by the...

By California Policy Center

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

California Holds the Key to Western Water Security

California Holds the Key to Western Water Security

Dams and aqueducts on the Colorado River make civilization possible in the American Southwest. But for the last 20 years, as a prolonged drought has gripped the region, withdrawals from the river have averaged 15 million acre-feet per year, while inflows into Lake Mead and Lake Powell have averaged only 12 million acre feet per year. For the first...

By Edward Ring

Sacramento’s Mismanagement of Taxpayer Dollars

Sacramento’s Mismanagement of Taxpayer Dollars

Leaders in Sacramento are grappling with the state budget this month as California faces a budget deficit of nearly $32 billion. Senate leaders claim they can address the deficit without cutting spending on state programs, but the reality is that a fiscal reckoning is long overdue. According to a survey released by the Public Policy...

By Sheridan Swanson

Oakland Teachers’ Union Puts District’s Most Vulnerable Students Last 

Oakland Teachers’ Union Puts District’s Most Vulnerable Students Last 

The Oakland Education Association — the teachers union in Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) — is at it again. Last week, the union announced that 88 percent of its members voted in favor of authorizing a strike. The strike is scheduled to begin May 4th, unless the district and union come to a last-minute agreement....

By California Policy Center

Critical Race Theory: Its Origins and Infiltration of California’s Public Schools

Critical Race Theory: Its Origins and Infiltration of California’s Public Schools

The term “Critical Race Theory” is frequently featured in contemporary political debate and has been central to school curriculum controversy in recent years. And yet, many parents and concerned citizens seek clarity as to precisely what Critical Race Theory (CRT) is, its origins, and how it became entrenched in public schools.  

By Sheridan Swanson

The Bullet Train Epitomizes Golden State Corruption

The Bullet Train Epitomizes Golden State Corruption

It sounded too good to be true, and it was. Travel from downtown San Francisco to downtown Los Angeles in two hours via high-speed rail. California voters in 2008 approved Proposition 1A, authorizing $9.95 billion in general obligation bonds to build this so-called “bullet train.” They were told not only that the total cost would...

By Edward Ring

An Open Letter to Assemblymember Kevin McCarty

An Open Letter to Assemblymember Kevin McCarty

RE: Assembly Constitutional Amendment 9 – OPPOSE, UNLESS AMENDED Dear Assemblyman McCarty, I write in respectful opposition to Assembly Constitutional Amendment 9 (ACA 9) as it is presently constituted. Full disclosure – I was the runner-up candidate for the constitutional office of Superintendent of Public Instruction on the November 2022 general election ballot. While considering the following comments...

By Lance Christensen

Assemblyman Isaac Bryan’s Assault on Working Families

Assemblyman Isaac Bryan’s Assault on Working Families

Bryan is also sponsoring a bill to gut California’s 112-year-old initiative and referendum process so voters no longer have veto power over California’s Democrat-controlled legislature. It isn’t hard to figure out who controls everything Assemblyman Isaac Bryan does in the California State Legislature. In the November 2022 election, every single one of the first 29 of...

By Edward Ring

Bounty Hunter Provision Drives CA Civil Rights Dept. Strategy that Hurts Workers & Drives Businesses Out of State

Bounty Hunter Provision Drives CA Civil Rights Dept. Strategy that Hurts Workers & Drives Businesses Out of State

SACRAMENTO —  A California Policy Center report released today reveals that financial incentives allowing California’s Civil Rights Department (CRD) to fund its budget through attorney fees has created a monster. Today’s CRD has turned into a litigious bully that steps over plaintiff workers and strong arms companies for the department’s own financial gain — and civil...

By California Policy Center

Cleaning Bay Source Pollution Will Enable More Delta Diversions

Cleaning Bay Source Pollution Will Enable More Delta Diversions

On February 21, the California State Water Resources Control Board waived environmental regulations in order to permit more storage in Central Valley reservoirs. This came a week after Governor Gavin Newsom temporarily suspended environmental laws that prevent reservoir storage if flow through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta falls below 58,000 acre feet per day. A guest opinion piece...

By Edward Ring

No, California Is Not the World’s Fourth Largest Economy

No, California Is Not the World’s Fourth Largest Economy

Boasting of his state’s robust economic growth, California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently declared that “California’s values and entrepreneurial spirit have powered this ascent to becoming the 4th biggest economy in the world.” Not so fast. California elected officials frequently cite the Golden State’s position in global economic rankings, comparing the size of the state’s economy...

By Marc Joffe

The “Net Zero” Delusions of California’s Ruling Class

The “Net Zero” Delusions of California’s Ruling Class

Last week, I attended an event in downtown Sacramento produced by an industry trade association. One of the highlights of this event was a plenary session where a high ranking state politician addressed the crowd. The participants shall remain anonymous, because who they were doesn’t matter. What was said, and how it was received, was...

By Edward Ring