Opinión
Steps Toward Water Abundance
Earlier this month a letter was sent to Governor Newsom from the State Water Contractors, an association of 27 water agencies that together deliver water to nearly 30 million Californians and irrigate…
The $8.25 Billion San Francisco Train that Couldn’t (or at least Shouldn’t)
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has finally recognized the obvious: there is no path to connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco with trains running at 220mph. With state rail officials now accepting…
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…
For Non-Partisan California Voters, Prop 50 is a Questionable Proposition
For partisan Democrats and Republicans, deciding how to vote on Proposition 50 is simple, since it is likely to shift five House seats into the Democratic column in what promises to be…
Petaluma Blames the Messenger After Ranking Dead Last for Fiscal Health Among California Cities
Sacramento – The City of Petaluma issued a lengthy press release last week in an attempt to spin its way out of the “F” grade it earned for ranking dead last among…
Is Biodiesel Sustainable?
For the most part, California’s farmers grow food, not fuel. But the fuel required to operate farm equipment is diesel fuel, increasingly refined from food grown on America’s great plains. Digging into…
Primer: Redistricting in California
How it works, how the current system came to be, and what to know about Proposition 50. With Proposition 50 — which would impact congressional redistricting until 2030 — on the November…
Los Angeles County School Districts See Unique Fiscal Changes in 2021
The 80 school districts in Los Angeles County had something unique happen during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021. Lowell Joint School District, which borders Orange County, moved out from under…
California’s Transit Industrial Complex is Monetizing Mobility
Those of us who prefer smaller, more cost-effective government often applaud privatization. But if private companies can profit by making the public sector bigger and more expensive, they will do so. That’s…
The Progressive’s “Affordability Agenda” is a Fraud
In the wake of devastating setbacks in the 2024 elections, Progressives are deemphasizing identity politics and instead are prioritizing economic issues. Progressives are now embracing an “abundance movement” and claiming they are…
California Justice Center Urges Supreme Court to End School Policies that Hide Student Gender Transitions from Parents
Amicus Brief Filed in Littlejohn v. School Board of Leon County, Florida Washington, DC — The California Justice Center joined the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Policy and Liberty Justice Center in…
California Teachers’ Union Ruins an Earnest Effort to Confront Antisemitism
And in so doing, has helped demonstrate why California’s schools, once among the best in the nation, are now among its worst. California has a problem with antisemitism in its public schools,…
Newsom’s Concessions to Oil Industry Will Not Save It
Access to adequate supplies of gasoline and diesel fuel for Californians is in dire peril, and the signing of SB 237 on September 19 will do very little to change that. To…
Veto Sustains Transparency: Newsom Rejects AB 699
Governor Gavin Newsom exercised sound judgment in vetoing Assembly Bill 699, Catherine Stefani’s (D-San Francisco) measure that threatened to diminish transparency in local elections across California. Newsom’s decision is a welcome affirmation…
The Cost and the Upside of the “Big Gulp”
Of all the possible ways to increase California’s water supply, nothing compares to the potential of the so-called “big gulp,” that is, the ability of new and improved water infrastructure to safely…
Long Beach Teachers Union Demands Higher Pay Amid $46M Deficit, $100M Projected Shortfall
Contract negotiations in Long Beach Unified School District have been stalled for weeks, and the end is not in sight yet. The contract between the school district and the Teachers Association of…
Gavin Newsom: California’s Censor
Any Governor Gavin Newsom appearance ought to come labeled with one of California’s infamous Prop 65 warning labels. Like many politicians, you can count on Newsom to say precisely the opposite of…
California’s Streak of Late Financial Statements Continues
Since Gavin Newsom took office, California has yet to produce its audited financial statements on time. But, on the plus side, the delay was shorter this year than last and State Controller…
Transit Tax Advocates Downplay Driverless Options
State Senator Scott Wiener, who recently authored a hefty transit sales tax bill for five Northern California counties, made his objections to robotaxis known to his followers on X. https://t.co/3cWC0DSsZl — Senator…
The $500 billion California agency accountable only to itself
One of the most powerful entities in California is in the midst of a board election that will wrap up at the end of the month. It’s a government agency with $500…
Emily Rae Joins California Policy Center as Director of California Justice Center
Los Angeles (September 22, 2025) — The California Policy Center (CPC) announced today that attorney Emily Rae has joined the organization to lead the California Justice Center, CPC’s public interest law firm…
Breaking News: Justice Department Challenges California’s Attempt to Keep Biological Boys In Girls Sports
In a filing on Friday, Federal prosecutors argue Title IX protects biological sex, not gender identity, as they ask the court to reject California’s motion. Federal prosecutors argue Title IX protects biological…
2025 Bills CPC Is Watching on the Governor’s Desk September 15, 2025
California Policy Center has been tracking the following bills that passed off the floors of both the Assembly and Senate last week and are headed to (or on) Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.…
How the Federal Government Can Massively Fund Water Supply Infrastructure
A few months ago I had the privilege of speaking directly with some of the top executives at one of California’s largest water agencies. Their primary question for me was explicit, and…
Policy Errors at the Root of California Community College Enrollment Fraud
California’s community college system continues to struggle with massive enrollment fraud, costing taxpayers millions in improper financial aid payments and raising hurdles to real students trying to complete their programs. California community…
The Reading Crisis: Why Illiteracy Threatens California’s Future and What We Can Do Now
The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results for Grade 12 reading are out — and the numbers are grim. Only a staggering 35 percent of high school seniors nationwide were…
Fact-Checking Newsom’s ‘Clean Energy’ Claims
In a recent guest op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal, California Governor Newsom claimed that “Clean Energy Powers California’s Economic Growth,” a claim that is transparently false. Aggressive “clean energy” mandates,…
Tips to Understand California’s Energy Economy
Last month, for the uninitiated, we devoted a newsletter to the topic “Tips to Understand Our Convoluted Yet Obligatory Units of Water.” It attempted to summarize some essential facts and relevant units…
Charter Bill Results Roll in as Legislative Session Ends
SACRAMENTO — The California Legislature has officially wrapped up the first year of the legislative session, going a day into overtime to finish voting on a plethora of bills. Last night on…
Charlie Kirk’s Legacy: The Contest of Ideas
Charlie Kirk was murdered Wednesday in front of thousands of Utah Valley University students who had come to hear him, cheer him, and challenge him. It was the first stop on his…
The Clock is Ticking on Charter School Bills
SACRAMENTO — As charter school advocates wait for the California legislature to complete their work before session ends this weekend, the following is a summary of the most important developments regarding charter…
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…
Why Teachers Unions Trade Algebra for Antisemitism
Politico: “Why Sacramento is fighting over antisemitism in schools” CPC’s answer: Because the California Teacher Association (CTA) would rather yell about foreign policy than answer for its documented failure to educate California’s…
For Isleton (and other small California cities), disincorporation is the answer
The small Sacramento Delta city of Isleton has been making news for all the wrong reasons this summer. It is facing a financial crisis and talk of bankruptcy is in the air.…
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…
The $137 Billion Question: What Are California’s Schools Delivering?
With schools back in session and the state budget finalized, the question of what California spends on public education — and what it delivers in return — is at the forefront of…
The Progressive Government Union War on America
Public sector unions constitute the bedrock of progressive power in the United States. The estimated total nationwide membership exceeds 7 million, or 32 percent of all public employees. This compares to an…
Will the Sites Reservoir Ever Get Built?
The short answer is no. Never. What is happening with the Sites Reservoir is a case study in why, if the people running California today were in charge in the 1950s and…
John Moorlach: The predictably harmful consequences of Assembly Bill 218
California’s school districts, counties and cities are fiscally strapped. And the public employee unions just cut their noses off to spite their faces, adding to the consternation. As a member of the…
Without Gerrymandering, Would the Dominant Party Run the Table?
The argument against gerrymandering begins with visuals. Across the U.S., almost without exception, if you view a map of state and federal electoral districts, they appear as convoluted, obviously contrived jigsaw puzzles,…
How Dredging the Delta Enables Groundwater Recharge
ProPublica, a nonprofit news organization and winner of multiple Pulitzer prizes, recently published a report “The Drying Planet.” They report that “Moisture lost to evaporation and drought, plus runoff from pumped groundwater,…
High-speed rail CEO’s new plan is an improvement, but probably is not legal
Ian Choudri, the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s relatively new CEO has rolled out a new proposal for the bullet train’s future. His newly released supplemental project update report offers more realistic projections…
CPC Congratulates Julie Hamill on New Role at U.S. Attorney’s Office
August 23, 2025 CONTACT: Dawn Collier; Communications Director California Policy Center [email protected] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Los Angeles — California Policy Center proudly congratulates attorney Julie Hamill on her new role at the…
Gaslighter-in-Chief: Newsom’s Redistricting Power Grab
California voters will have the final say on November 4th over Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest power grab: a constitutional amendment that scraps the state’s independent redistricting commission and replaces it with gerrymandered…
Tips to Understand Our Convoluted Yet Obligatory Units of Water
Those of us following water politics and the water industry have become familiar with the most common units of water volume and water flow. Professionals in the industry make constant use of…
How to Make Homes Affordable Again
A few years ago, former US Senator Phil Gramm published a book that offers important insights into the status of low-income communities in the United States. Titled “The Myth of American Inequality”…
KING NEWSOM DRAWS HIS DISTRICTS
Newsom’s gerrymandering scheme not only disenfranchises independent and conservative voters in California, but all citizens of this State. The California Constitution guarantees citizens the right to meaningfully participate in the democratic process…
The Cost of Transit in California
This study analyzes the financial performance of 85 California transit operators for fiscal year 2023, revealing a significant gap between revenue and expenses that necessitates over $10 billion in annual taxpayer subsidies.…
The Case for Carbon Sequestration via Natural Gas Power Plants
In the case Massachusetts v. EPA in 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency can regulate greenhouse gases because they qualify as air pollutants. And ever since, electric…
CPC releases coalition letter exposing AB 84’s fiscal impact
SACRAMENTO — On Friday, August 8th, California Policy Center submitted its second Coalition Letter in opposition to Assembly Bill 84. Following last month’s letter to the Senate Education Committee, the August 8th…
The Week in Populism
The British philosopher G.K. Chesterton is most famous for his mystery series featuring Father Brown, a Catholic priest who moonlights as a detective. But geeks also rightly honor his anti-populist defense of…
John Moorlach: Don’t let Sacramento hide the truth about new taxes
Imagine you’re looking at your ballot and you see a measure titled something like: “Better Roads and Schools – See Voter Guide for Details.” Would you take a few minutes to dig…
Is California’s Economy Really Larger Than Japan’s?
In 2024, California’s Gross Domestic Product surpassed that of Japan. The Golden State’s GDP is now higher than those of all but three countries: the United States, China, and Germany. Governor Newsom’s…
Redistricting and the Cure to Gerrymandering
Partisan redistricting rigs elections coast to coast—but a cure may lie in algorithms that draw fairer maps than any politician ever will. Few events in politics are more consequential while being less…
The Case for Carbon Sequestration via Forestry and Mass Timber
There are at least two massive opportunities to engage in cost-effective carbon sequestration. Neither would require subsidies and both could be performed exclusively by the private sector. They are controversial, but for…
Newsom won’t create abundance
A deregulatory agenda designed to revive the Democratic Party is already floundering With great fanfare, California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed “historic” legislative package designed to “advance an abundance agenda.” It’s a…
Iowa Senator Slams Wasteful California Rail Transportation Projects
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) has issued a report identifying wasteful federally funded construction projects, and California’s rail projects are prominently featured. In addition to High-Speed Rail, Ernst’s “Off the Rails” report correctly…
Logging Saves Species and Increases Our Water Supply
There are obvious benefits to logging, grazing, prescribed burns, and mechanical thinning of California’s forests. When you suppress wildfires for what is now over a century, then overregulate and suppress any other…
Declining enrollment in traditional schools highlights California’s need for alternatives
With many California classrooms set to reopen in August, California Policy Center took a closer look at school enrollment patterns, and what they signal for the year ahead. Looking at public school…
Can San Francisco Be Saved From Itself?
Daniel Lurie’s moderate promises clash with a city drowning in ideological dysfunction. Can he deliver, or will the status quo swallow him up? A City Choking on Its Own Excess San Francisco…
Governor Newsom’s Redistricting Plan Would Not Be Cheap
Gavin Newsom has floated the idea of redistricting California between Censuses. The goal would be to offset potential Republican gains from a mid-decade redistricting plan being discussed in Texas. While there are…
California’s obsession with density limits housing growth
California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a “landmark package of bills” to overhaul the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). He took the unusual step of holding up the budget until the Legislature…
California’s Fraudulent “Disaster Recovery” Is a Land Grab
California’s “disaster recovery” plan isn’t about rebuilding homes—it’s about replacing homeowners with tenants and handing their land to corporate-government cartels. Remember Gavin Newsom’s first visit to the sites of devastating fires last…
California’s Experience With Compulsory Education
It’s time to review our collective fascination with perpetuating mandatory government school attendance. Since the beginning of statehood, Californians have pursued education at a steep cost to produce a free society in…
Long Term Electricity Storage
Silicon Valley veterans view Sacramento’s obsession with renewables mandates with pragmatic detachment. Blessed with disposable income sufficient to make them indifferent to the price of gasoline or electricity, they view life on…
Public Employee Unions: The Quiet Crisis Undermining Governance
Unrestrained public employee union power drives up costs, erodes accountability, and holds taxpayer’s hostage, especially in California. The Power Imbalance at the Heart of Governance Public employee unions consistently put their interests…
California’s State of Decay
Conservative criticism of California focuses, with good reason, on the perils of progressive ideology. The dysfunction caused by progressives in power is evident in the state’s dismal system of public education, its…
California May Never Get High-Speed Rail as Brightline Also Struggles
Although Governor Newsom and Rail Authority management are in denial, President Trump’s decision to claw back $4 billion in California high-speed rail funding is likely the coup de grace for the state…
One Way to Avoid Gasoline Lines in 2026
It’s well known by now that California’s refinery capacity is stretched to the limit. The state’s total crude oil consumption last year was 1.40 million barrels per day, with daily refinery capacity…
The Grand Bargain of Desalination
We are told that water scarcity in the arid American West is inevitable and that the great water projects of the past century were the product of misguided hubris. Environmentalists call for…
CPC releases letter in opposition to AB 84 on behalf of statewide coalition
SACRAMENTO – Today, California Policy Center joined a broad coalition of education freedom advocates in submitting a letter of opposition to Assembly Bill AB 84 to the Senate Education Committee. The bill…
California Might Stop Making Necessary Debt Payments for 2 Years
It’s July. The California State Legislature has successfully met the budget submission deadline of June 15, and it was signed by the governor. There was one small fly in the ointment: how…
Is California’s Water Infrastructure Ready for Climate Whiplash?
If there is anything that might constitute an overwhelming institutional consensus in California, it’s that we are experiencing climate change, and that one of the consequences will be more rain, less snow,…
1 in 5 Los Angeles County School Districts Had Major Accounting Moves in 2020
The fiscal year of July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020, was one of the more memorable for California’s school districts. The COVID-19 pandemic would dramatically impact students in March of 2020.…
Orange County’s $649 million Trolley to Nowhere
California’s bullet-train may be the state’s most high-profile transportation money-sink, consuming a projected $135 billion with no clear path to the finish line. However, taxpayers shouldn’t overlook the other transit boondoggles torching…
SCOTUS Delivers Big Wins for Freedom
This Independence Day, parents across America are celebrating freedom — thanks to three big wins out of the U.S. Supreme Court. Last week, the Court’s ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor was a…
California’s First Fourth of July
was celebrated in the rugged hills of present-day San Bernardino, when the region was still under Mexican rule. On that day in 1842, Daniel Sexton, a Louisiana-born carpenter and early American settler,…
Going Nowhere Fast: California’s Costly High-Speed Rail Project
In 2013, I called California’s high-speed rail (HSR) “the gift that keeps on taking.” More than a decade later, it remains the boondoggle that refuses to die—a zombified infrastructure dream that devours…
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…
Politics and the Cost for Water Infrastructure
When it comes to building water supply infrastructure, even if regulations are streamlined and litigation is contained, there are massive costs. Quantifying these variables is something we have focused on a great…