The scandals erupting in Minnesota offer another example of how easy it is for generous U.S. welfare programs to squander billions of dollars. And while it’s important to hold accountable the individuals who figured out how to scam the system, until the system itself is changed, for every billion-dollar fraud that is uncovered, others will take...
A health-care union’s ‘one-time fix’ for federal Medicaid cuts could easily become permanent. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of the largest labor unions in the country, has launched an experiment in California to determine whether it can wring a large amount of revenue from the state’s billionaires. Its idea is a one-time retroactive...
A new year has begun, and here in California, 2026 promises to deliver challenges that may at last transform the state’s energy and water policies. Let’s begin with a quick look at California’s current water policies in action. The last month of 2025 delivered a series of storms that merited the distinction of being dubbed “atmospheric...
SAN DIEGO – In a landmark victory for parental rights, a federal judge in Southern California ruled Monday that parents have a constitutional right to be informed if their minor child socially transitions their gender at school and that teachers have a constitutional right to inform parents of the transition. U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez...
According to EdChoice, about 1.5 million students are now enrolled in voucher, educational savings account (ESA), and tax-credit programs, nearly doubling the number from just three years ago. Education Week reports that 30 states and the District of Columbia now have at least one private school choice program. Of those, 19 states have at least...
After several rate hikes implemented in the last few years alone, Californians are asking why their energy bills keep climbing when they use the same amount of electricity or gas. According to a 2023 report from the Transparency Foundation, residents of California pay up to 67% more for electricity and 30% more for natural gas...
With another series of drenching storms about to hit California, now is a good time to ask what has become a perennial question: why can’t we harvest more of this massive runoff and reserve it for our farms and cities? California must periodically cope with multi-year droughts, but these droughts are usually preceded by years...
The litany of reasons California is broken is well documented. The highest cost of living and the highest taxes. The highest percentages of homeless people and people living in poverty. Unaffordable homes and unaffordable rent. High crime and failing schools. A hostile business climate and record migration out of state as people and businesses flee....
During this week’s Radio Free California podcast, cohosts David Bahnsen and myself discussed the return of the Monroe Doctrine, now offered as the logic behind the Trump administration’s decision to blow up Venezuelan drug boats and to invite that country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, to step outside. It’s unlikely most Americans know that the doctrine, which President James Monroe...
There’s only one way to restore reliable water allocations to farmers, avoid turning our cities into rationed “xeriscaped” heat islands, and cope with whatever the climate ultimately delivers. That’s to build more infrastructure to safely and sustainably produce millions of acre feet of new fresh water every year. There are many practical ways to accomplish...
California Government Revenue and Debt Study How Much State and Local Governments Collect and What They Owe By Marc Joffe Visiting Fellow, California Policy Center December 10, 2025
The real story is not ‘climate change.’ Most good news editors, whether they admit it or not, believe themselves Michelangelo’s heirs — men and women who chisel off the unnecessary bits of a reporter’s copy in order to reveal the angel within. Sadly, the Los Angeles Times often seems bereft of these judicious hacks. Take, for instance, a...
When it comes to the achievement of “carbon neutrality” and the requisite energy policies to get there, few choices carry with them more consequences than the planned, nearly total electrification of our economy. And when it comes to electrification, few categories of consumption are likely to outweigh the demands of EVs. With a focus on...
A few years ago I was involved in an effort to qualify a ballot initiative, the “Water Infrastructure Funding Act.” While we failed to gather sufficient signatures to get it onto the November 2022 state ballot, if it had been approved by voters, water scarcity in California would have been eliminated forever. Unfortunately, certain provisions...