Much of the unrest in the United States stems from unaffordability. Across every political contest from California to the East Coast, the affordability playbook is the same: “the cost of living is too high, and the opposition party is to blame.” The first part of this message ought to be beyond serious debate. The cost...
Inspired by the federal DOGE initiative, many state- and locally-focused groups started their own attempts to promote a more efficient government. In February 2025, Carl DeMaio’s Reform California announced a DOGE-inspired effort to audit the state’s spending. The idea predates DOGE. In his 2021 campaign for New York City mayor, Eric Adams promised that “we...
Many think of the League of Women Voters as an unbiased source of voter information. But, in the Bay Area at least, nothing could be further from the truth. LWV Bay Area has received funding from local transit agencies and is earning that support by campaigning on behalf of their $17 billion transit sales tax....
Gov. Gavin Newsom has the chance to reshape educational opportunity in California before he leaves office. The question is: Will he take it? Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, taxpayers will be able to claim a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 — or up to $3,400 for married couples filing jointly — for contributions to...
For water users and water watchers, October 1st was New Year’s Day. It’s a good time to step back and comment on where we’re headed with water policy and water projects. There is no single variable that affects how much water is available to Californians than how we manage the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Around five...
The refrain is endless and supposedly beyond debate. Suburban sprawl is a dangerous blight on the land. The conventional wisdom is unequivocal. The titles in prestigious academic journals don’t hide their bias. “Ending Suburban Sprawl As A Climate Solution.” “Cities Versus Suburbs: The Environmental Impact.” “The Suburban Street Design That’s Been Driving Emissions Since WWII.”...
Teachers’ unions have squeezed education budgets across California without academic gains to compensate. Many California school districts face precarious financial circumstances especially if the state revenue boom from AI slows down. Recently, the state’s largest school district, Los Angeles Unified, faced a budget crisis after their local union pressured the district to accept a costly...
This November, California voters will make choices on a variety of candidates and ballot propositions that could shape the state for years to come. Our election guide is designed to help Californians make informed decisions by providing an overview of the statewide propositions, the arguments surrounding them, and California Policy Center’s take on the choices...
Every once in a while, Sacramento delivers a surprise. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed AB 1383 this week, stopping a high-profile effort by public safety unions to roll back key provisions of California’s 2012 Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) that could have radically increased pension costs for state and local governments. The veto was anything...
The California governor embraces the tech’s possibilities with one hand, imposes a mountain of regulations with the other. On a single day last week, Gavin Newsom showed that he remains one of the nation’s great political athletes, executing a Summer Olympics–grade threading of the artificial intelligence needle. All on September 9, the California governor attempted...
On September 21, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency due to the “strong and likely historic El Nino event in the Pacific Ocean.” The timing of the announcement is in response to the latest predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, estimating a 90 percent chance of a “very strong event during...
Whether artificial intelligence should be regulated, and if so, how, has almost overnight become one of the biggest political issues of our time. And with AI comes a surge in construction of massive data centers, for which we should minimize impact on the surrounding communities. But to the question of how we will find enough...
Teacher union activists are like dogs that chase cars—they wouldn’t know what to do if they caught one. Take the recent case of Darshan Smaaladen, a teacher union ally in the Orange Unified School District in Orange County. Trying to protect union-friendly board incumbents in the heat of a political campaign that ends November 3,...