In Praise of the Windowless Box: How California’s first data-center ban reveals what cities have forgotten
In Praise of the Windowless Box: How California’s first data-center ban reveals what cities have forgotten
In June 2026, Monterey Park became the first city in America to permanently ban new data centers. Residents didn’t just pack city council meetings for months—86 percent voted to forbid a building that would never enroll children in local schools, clog rush-hour traffic, or ask the city to build another park, library, or recreation program....
By Mark Moses
Participatory budgeting won’t save California cities
Participatory budgeting won’t save California cities
This spring, Marin County launched a second round of participatory budgeting, inviting residents to help decide how another $2.5 million in public funds should be spent. The program reflects California’s growing embrace of participatory budgeting as an innovative reform. The idea clearly resonates with many people. More participation should produce better government. It won’t. A...
By Mark Moses
Cities Cannot Budget Their Way Out of Mission Problems
Cities Cannot Budget Their Way Out of Mission Problems
California cities continue to struggle with recurring fiscal stress. Los Angeles recently closed a budget gap approaching $1 billion. San Jose addressed a shortfall of roughly $50 million while acknowledging that structural challenges remain. Oakland reopened its two-year budget to address a gap of roughly $265 million while continuing to wrestle with insolvency concerns. Across...
By Mark Moses
Taxing Away Success
Taxing Away Success
We are witnessing a troubling migration—a flight of capital and talent from states that have adopted increasingly aggressive tax policies. Elon Musk moved Tesla and X from California to Texas; Palantir relocated to Colorado. High-profile individuals and corporations are pulling up stakes and relocating to states with more favorable tax policies. A casual observer might...
By Mark Moses
When City Councils Play Secretary of State
When City Councils Play Secretary of State
In the years since the National Civic League published “Is It None of Our Business?,” the trend of city halls tackling national issues has shifted from a novelty to a standard operating model. The League’s 2023 analysis argued that local agencies should embrace a broader national agenda—a shift they championed as a positive phenomenon. However, from...
By Mark Moses
No, You Can’t Legislate Morality or Abundance
No, You Can’t Legislate Morality or Abundance
If you listen to the buzz in progressive state capitols and city halls across the country, or read Ezra Klein’s Abundance, you’d think our biggest problem is a crisis of state capacity. Klein, and a growing number of progressives, share a vision of a liberalism that builds. They argue that the government has become proficient...
By Mark Moses
The Free Money Trap: How Laundered Compassion Fuels a Culture of Abuse and Fraud
The Free Money Trap: How Laundered Compassion Fuels a Culture of Abuse and Fraud
The headlines are, by now, a wearying routine. In 2025, a federal takedown revealed $14.6 billion in Medicare fraud, involving kickbacks for allegedly unnecessary tests. In Minnesota, the Feeding our Future scandal saw $300 million vanish from a pandemic meal program, while childcare fraud drained another $100 million via ghost students. California, meanwhile, became the...
By Mark Moses
The Municipal Financial Crisis — Four Years Later
The Municipal Financial Crisis — Four Years Later
The municipal financial crisis is more urgent than ever. It has been four years since my book, The Municipal Financial Crisis, was published by Palgrave Macmillan. I wrote the book to bring to light the root causes of why our local governments are failing to manage administratively, operationally, and financially. Looking back today, I find...
By Mark Moses
California Forever Stagnating
California Forever Stagnating
When Permission Replaces Property Rights, the California Dream Becomes a Dream Deferred For over a century, California stood as a frontier of first resort for the ambitious, attracting those eager to escape old-world constraints in exchange for a promise of radical autonomy. This California Dream was not a byproduct of luck; it was forged by...
By Mark Moses
The Neglected Government Balance Sheet
The Neglected Government Balance Sheet
For years, cities have implemented various metrics and scoring systems to assess their fiscal condition. The Government Finance Officers Association provides a “Fiscal First Aid” program complete with a multi-step process for assessing fiscal health. Yet such efforts have not improved cities’ ability to manage their finances. A recent report by the National League of...
By Mark Moses
Stop the Municipal Budget Scramble: Make FY2026‑27 Easier by Acting Now
Stop the Municipal Budget Scramble: Make FY2026‑27 Easier by Acting Now
About four months have passed since most local government agencies adopted FY2025‑26 budgets, and roughly four months remain before leaders begin planning FY2026‑27. But waiting to think about budget decisions until the official start of the budget process is a costly mistake. Every day that passes with inaction is a lost opportunity to improve both...
By Mark Moses
Pre‑Shocks on the Fault Line: City of Hayward Needs More Than Cosmetic Fixes to Stay Solvent
Pre‑Shocks on the Fault Line: City of Hayward Needs More Than Cosmetic Fixes to Stay Solvent
Hayward, the Bay Area’s sixth largest city, is facing a self-inflicted financial crisis. By failing to responsibly budget, municipal leaders are failing the 162,000 residents who pay the city’s high taxes and rely on municipal services. At its June 17, 2025, meeting, the Hayward City Council adopted the city’s operating budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26.1...
By Mark Moses
The Economic Development Paradigm – City-Created Problems and Taxpayer-Funded Fixes
The Economic Development Paradigm – City-Created Problems and Taxpayer-Funded Fixes
Economic development departments are often celebrated as promoters of prosperity and local employment. Each year, local governments spend tens of billions of dollars on economic development incentives—tax abatements, fee waivers, and direct subsidies—intended to lure private investment. Cities across the nation tout their ability to entice marquee employers, generate buzz with ribbon-cuttings, and implement incentive...
By Mark Moses
In California State and Local Government, DEI Costs Millions and Distracts Management
In California State and Local Government, DEI Costs Millions and Distracts Management
Although public opinion, most private organizations, and the federal government have turned against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), it remains deeply embedded in the culture of California state and local government. As a result, taxpayers and ratepayers are funding millions of dollars of government DEI-related expenditures annually, and the spending is likely to persist without...
By Marc Joffe, Mark Moses