A bill that would allow state residents to sue private companies for restitution is only the latest front in California’s ongoing war on oil producers. L.A.’s wildfires are still burning, but that hasn’t stopped anyone with eyeballs from identifying the likely causes: America’s costliest natural disaster isn’t “natural,” really, or not entirely. It is, in fact, the...
California brands itself as the global leader in technology and innovation. Yet when it comes to modernizing state and municipal government financial reporting, the Golden State is stuck in the digital stone age. Currently, California’s local governments submit their Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports (ACFRs) — audited financial statements, detailing financial positions and changes in a...
San Francisco State Senator Scott Wiener is California’s most devious and craven politician. Sensing an opportunity to pit two despised industries against one another, he submitted a new bill, seemingly overnight, that blames California’s recent wildfires on oil companies and allows insurance companies to sue them. Senate Bill 222 is another bill in a long...
There are two ways we can respond as Californians to the wildfires in Los Angeles, and for those who share this concern, to the climate crisis which they cite as an underlying cause. We can ration our consumption and retreat into increasingly dense urban cores. That’s one option. Or, alternatively, we can adapt and advance,...
His responses to criticism don’t withstand scrutiny. The people of Los Angeles are experiencing one of the most horrific disasters in the city’s history. Wind-driven fires have raced through the canyons and into neighborhoods, destroying thousands of homes and costing dozens of lives. The ordeal has only begun; rebuilding is certain to take years. For...
National School Choice Week — the last week of January each year – is here again. School choice is simply the ability for families to select the education option that’s best for their children, and states throughout the nation are supporting school choice with charter schools, Education Savings Accounts (ESA’s), school vouchers, scholarships, tax deductions,...
The more we learn about the Los Angeles-area wildfires, the more caution is called for when assigning blame. When the Santa Ana winds periodically sweep down from California’s eastern deserts and rip through the mountains surrounding the Los Angeles Basin at up to 100 MPH, sparks don’t go up, they go sideways, and turn entire...
Conservatives often wonder why California’s 13.3 percent top marginal income tax rate has not driven out more of its affluent residents. Indeed, a family earning $10 million annually stands to save over $1 million each year by moving to Texas, Florida, or another state that does not levy an income tax. But many high earners...
LOS ANGELES, CA — California Policy Center (CPC) has won an important victory for government transparency in its lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). In a decision released Wednesday, January 15, 2025, in California Policy Center vs Los Angeles Unified School District, Superior Court Judge Stephen Goorvitch ruled that LAUSD must produce...
A Policy Blueprint for Government Leaders Full PDF Version here INTRODUCTION The devastating fires in Los Angeles County underscore the urgent need for proactive measures to reduce wildfire risk and improve community resilience in California. While no preparation can entirely prevent tragedies when 100 MPH winds ignite urban canyons, there are practical steps local and...
The first time I’d ever heard of the Santa Ana wind was while reading an essay famed author Joan Didion wrote, “Los Angeles Notebook,” which is included in her book Slouching Towards Bethlehem. Writing in 1968, Didion describes what had happened just a decade earlier. “The longest single Santa Ana period in recent years was...
A respected advocate for farming interests in California once explained to me that every acre of lawn requires 5 acre feet of water per year. The unsubtle implication was that the more lawn we kill, the less water we waste. But this is zero sum thinking. How much lawn are we talking about, and how...
Given our mission to review and recommend water and energy policies and projects, it would be negligent to ignore the horrific firestorms that have torn through Los Angeles County. And before beginning, we must acknowledge that no amount of preparation can entirely prevent tragic outcomes when 100 MPH winds turn the urban canyons of Southern...
California has collected record gasoline tax revenue in 2024 according to data released by the U.S Census Bureau in December. If Californians buy as much gasoline and diesel as they did the last quarter of 2023, the state will rake in over $10 billion for the year. The final number will not be released for several more months, but it is unlikely Californians will buy...