We believe every Californian should have the opportunity to flourish.

Government Agencies Should Develop a Financial Plan—Here’s How

Government Agencies Should Develop a Financial Plan—Here’s How

One of the fun components of reviewing annual comprehensive financial reports, which is a very time-consuming “hobby,” is when you see a trend that needs to be complimented. The ranking of Orange County’s 34 cities for the year ending June 30, 2023, was just released. When reviewing the rankings for the past seven years, there...

By John Moorlach

California Policy Czars Ignore Water-Supply Solutions in Plain Sight

California Policy Czars Ignore Water-Supply Solutions in Plain Sight

The state is spending billions on water-rationing and tens of billions on a giant tunnel even though far better measures exist to keep faucets flowing. Chronic water scarcity in California is indeed the new normal, but it’s not because of climate change. Even if the state is destined to experience lengthier droughts and reduced snowpack,...

By Edward Ring

Elon Musk: Newsom signing AB 1955 “Final Straw”

Elon Musk: Newsom signing AB 1955 “Final Straw”

By now you likely know that Elon Musk has said he’s packing up every last desk, rivet gun, engineering table and family picture and moving every one of his jobs out of California. The reason: Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature Monday on Assembly Bill 1955, the bill by Assemblyman Chris Ward (D-San Diego) written to invalidate parental...

By California Policy Center

Beyond Musk’s Departure, More Grim California News

Beyond Musk’s Departure, More Grim California News

There’s been much speculation about the financial damage to California following Elon Musk’s high-profile exit from the Golden State announced Tuesday. But there’s more — and more deeply — unsettling news about California: A state auditor tells National Review that California’s economic fundamentals are so unstable that he’s unable to predict repayment of a key federal loan. “Our earlier...

By Will Swaim

Wake Up California: Free Market Energy Solutions Work

Wake Up California: Free Market Energy Solutions Work

While California continues to enact draconian climate laws and regulations that hinder the state’s economy, Texas has taken the lead in driving clean energy production.  New data from energy think tank Ember reveals that after trailing the Golden State for years, Texas is now outpacing California as the nation’s leading producer of power generated from...

By Andrew Davenport

California’s Water Economy: The Three Biggest Choices

California’s Water Economy: The Three Biggest Choices

If water strategy in California had to be distilled down to just three projects with the greatest impact, the answers might vary a great deal depending on who was asked. But in terms of quality of life impact, the ongoing implementation of State Water Resources Control Board to “Make Conservation a Way of Life” is...

By Edward Ring

Newsom Signs AB 1955 and Okays Schools Lying to Parents, Opening the Door to Lawsuits and Child Exploitation

Newsom Signs AB 1955 and Okays Schools Lying to Parents, Opening the Door to Lawsuits and Child Exploitation

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed into law Assembly Bill 1955, a bill that takes the unprecedented and outrageous step of instructing school districts to lie to and keep secrets from parents about their own children.  Introduced by Assemblyman Chris Ward (D-San Diego), AB 1955 was pushed through the legislature as a “gut and...

By California Policy Center

Newsom’s Unease with Numbers

Newsom’s Unease with Numbers

Though he’s still banging the drum for Joe Biden, California governor Gavin Newsom is fading from White House consideration in 2024. But 2028 is still in sight. And because four years is an eternity — in politics, for dogs’ lives, and to your average five-year-old kid — it’s good to mark now the governor’s problems...

By Will Swaim

California’s Regulatory Empire Is Unscathed by the Court’s Chevron Reversal

California’s Regulatory Empire Is Unscathed by the Court’s Chevron Reversal

The state will continue to operate as an island in the land. The Supreme Court’s 6–2 decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which ended the Chevron precedent, sparked something like hysterical vomiting among California reporters and columnists and progressive legal scholars. “An earthquake in U.S. law,” attorney Michael Wara, director of Stanford University’s Climate and Energy Policy Program, called it....

By Will Swaim

Chris Bray on the AB 1955 Floor Debate

Chris Bray on the AB 1955 Floor Debate

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean.” What’s happening in California isn’t politics in any conventional sense. No debate is underway, and no policy choices are being hashed out. We’re in the land beyond. In Our Democracy™, declarations are made, and...

By Chris Bray

Business Unfriendly: The Regulatory Burden Crushing California Enterprises

Business Unfriendly: The Regulatory Burden Crushing California Enterprises

Last month, Rubio’s Coastal Grill announced the permanent shutdown of 48 of their California locations. Ralph Rubio opened his first restaurant in 1983 in San Diego with a loan from his dad. After years of effort, Rubio’s expanded to approximately 200 locations throughout several states. Traditionally, this anecdote would  serve as an example of the...

By Timothy Belev, Sheridan Karras

California’s Water Economy: An Overview

California’s Water Economy: An Overview

If energy powers civilization, water gives it life. One of the biggest challenges of our time is to develop the means to deliver both of these essentials in abundance, while also keeping them affordable and ecologically sustainable. We believe this is possible with common sense solutions that balance the needs of people with the needs...

By Edward Ring

Most OC Cities Financially Stable, While One Seeks Sales Tax Increase

Most OC Cities Financially Stable, While One Seeks Sales Tax Increase

Of Orange County’s 34 cities in Southern California, the six with the strongest balance sheets maintained their positions in the annual fiscal rankings for the year ending June 30, 2023. However, the other 28 cities were a little more interesting. Overall, it was still a good year, with only one out of five seeing their...

By John Moorlach