Newsom’s CEQA “Reform” — A Win for Unions, Not a Fix for Housing
Newsom’s CEQA “Reform” — A Win for Unions, Not a Fix for Housing
On July 1st, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation that he hailed as “the most game-changing housing reforms in recent California history.” The bills, bundled into a budget trailer package, include selective exemptions from California’s destructive environmental law, CEQA — a bureaucratic nightmare widely blamed for strangling housing development and deepening the state’s affordability crisis. But...
By Andrew Davenport
Another Union Takeover – This Time Buried In Housing Bills
Another Union Takeover – This Time Buried In Housing Bills
You would have to dig into the fine print of legislation signed yesterday to see how non-union business owners and workers got screwed, again. If A Tree Falls In The Forest And No One Hears It – Did It Make A Noise? What we witnessed yesterday afternoon should alarm every Californian who values free enterprise...
By Jon Fleischman
Gavin Newsom’s Shameless Dodge on the Homeless Crisis
Gavin Newsom’s Shameless Dodge on the Homeless Crisis
California’s governor tries — and fails — to blame the state’s homelessness epidemic on someone, anyone else. Confronting yet another calamitous state budget deficit, California Governor Gavin Newsom took time last week to blast the real public enemies: Donald Trump and someone called Amy Bublak. You know Trump. His tariffs have indeed produced volatility in the stock...
By Will Swaim
Those Who Can’t Teach become real estate developers
Those Who Can’t Teach become real estate developers
Presiding over the decline of California’s public schools ain’t enough, so California schools chief Tony Thurmond wants to enter the real estate game, building 2.3 million homes on public land for the benefit of teachers. He’ll fail in that endeavor. But building millions of homes for teachers isn’t really Thurmond’s goal. His real purpose in...
By Will Swaim
Solutions in Plain Sight
Solutions in Plain Sight
California could make a major dent in its homelessness problem merely by reversing some of its most destructive policies. Half of America’s so-called unsheltered homeless live in California. It’s not hard to understand why. Along with having the most hospitable weather on earth, California is a welcoming place for drug addicts, petty thieves, and anyone else attracted...
By Edward Ring
Huntington Beach’s Lawsuit Challenges Newsom’s Housing Mandates
Huntington Beach’s Lawsuit Challenges Newsom’s Housing Mandates
We’ve seen Gov. Gavin Newsom impose questionable — even dangerous and illegal — policies by declaring states of emergency or merely “crisis” with regard to Covid, climate and energy. He’s done it again on the issue of housing. The problems of housing affordability and homelessness constitute a crisis so compelling, the governor says, that they...
By Will Swaim
“Housing First” Policies Create More Homelessness
“Housing First” Policies Create More Homelessness
Earlier this month a guest column in San Jose Spotlight defended efforts by homeless nonprofits to end homelessness in Santa Clara County. The author, Ray Bramson, is Chief Impact Officer at the nonprofit “Destination Home,” a tax exempt organization that collected over $62 million in contributions and grants in 2020. The CEO of this organization made a reported $335,404 in that...
By Edward Ring
Questions for California’s Next Governor
Questions for California’s Next Governor
The Recall Gavin campaign appears on track to gather just over 2.0 million signed recall petitions before their March 17 deadline. If there is a special election, the recall ballot will have two questions. The first will be “do you support removing Newsom from office, yes or no?” The second question, on the same ballot,...
By Edward Ring
The Consequences of Centrally Planned Compassion
The Consequences of Centrally Planned Compassion
Sixty years ago, when California was governed by people who were sane pragmatists, homes were affordable and very few people were homeless. To support new housing, government funds were focused on building enabling infrastructure. California’s freeways and expressways connected new suburbs to urban cores, and the California Water Project delivered abundant water to the growing...
By Edward Ring
Environmentalists Increase Influence on Local Governments
Environmentalists Increase Influence on Local Governments
In less than a year, three Orange County cities will be in the utility business. Fullerton, Costa Mesa, and Irvine have created a joint powers authority to purchase and distribute electricity to households and businesses in those cities, under what’s known as “community choice aggregation.” It’s difficult to imagine how this model will result in...
By Edward Ring
Mayor Garcetti’s Homeless Policy is Destroying Los Angeles
Mayor Garcetti’s Homeless Policy is Destroying Los Angeles
There are many flawed theories that underlie housing and homeless policies in Los Angeles. To name a few: “Housing first,” first endorsed by Obama’s Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, which prioritizes funds to provide shelter before using any government money for treatment or counseling. The concept of “wet shelters,” which admit homeless individuals regardless...
By Edward Ring
The Coalition That Will Realign California
The Coalition That Will Realign California
Poor governance, beginning long before the bungled response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to a recall campaign that may very well put California Governor Newsom into a fight for his political life in the Spring of 2021. If a suitable challenger emerges to replace Newsom, he could end up in well deserved political exile. But what’s happening in...
By Edward Ring