California Per Capita General Fund Spending Doubles – Where Is It Going?

By Edward Ring
02/13/2023
California’s state government is spending twice as much as it did a decade ago, and by every metric that matters to ordinary Californians, things have only gotten worse. Even without further analysis, this is an incredible fact. California’s state government, in constant dollars, is spending nearly twice as much per resident as it did a...

TAGS: California government unions, Edward Ring, government employee unions, Government Finance, Government Spending, Transparency

Rethinking Transparency and Accountability: Part 1

By Mark Moses
01/24/2023
Virtually everyone in local government claims to champion transparency and accountability, but few attempt to define either of these terms or identify what conditions support and maintain them. Too often, municipal leaders rely on gimmicks and process to demonstrate that their government organization is meeting these laudable goals, rather than focus on building the culture...

TAGS: campaign finance, Government Spending, municipal bankruptcy, Transparency, Transparent California

The “Reparations” Scam

By Edward Ring
01/05/2023
California is considering paying “reparations” to Black Californians who are directly descended from enslaved people, which may surprise most Californians. After all, slavery was never legal in the Golden State.  Governor Newsom, heedless of the fiasco he’s inviting, formed a “Reparations Task Force,” no doubt with his future presidential aspirations in mind. The task force...

TAGS: California taxes, critical race theory, Government Spending, Reparations

Looming Deficits Present Another Opportunity to Offer Solutions for California

By Edward Ring
12/01/2022
Just a few months ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom was bragging about California’s “$100 billion budget surplus.” At the same time, the California Policy Center was pointing out that the governor’s “surplus” was fantasy – that state and local governments owed about $1.6 trillion. In those heady days, however, with obliging media cheering him on, Newsom...

TAGS: California debt, California state budget, Government Spending, state budget