Commentary
Illegal Alien Medi-Cal and the Big Beautiful Bill
Thanks to the Senate Parliamentarian, California will be spared the largest fiscal impact of the Big Beautiful Bill’s Medicaid reforms, but the state’s ability to shift the cost of undocumented immigrant Medi-Cal…
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…
SCOTUS Delivers Major Wins for Parents and Kids
CPC Calls for Immediate Policy Reforms in California SACRAMENTO — California Policy Center applauds today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor as a decisive victory for parental rights. The High…
Systems of Power and Oppression: Ethnic Studies and The Dark Side of Teachers’ Unions
Most parents assume the greatest threats to student learning are budget shortfalls or outdated curricula. Yet, the real danger may be hiding in plain sight: politically entrenched teachers’ unions. Cloaked in promises…
The Grand Water Bargain
For the last few decades in California, the conventional wisdom has been that farmers and urban water consumers have to improve efficiency and reduce consumption. To the fullest extent possible, rain and…
California accepts billions in federal funds for education while defying federal law
The California legislature passed the 2025-26 budget bill earlier this month and sent it to Governor Gavin Newsom for his signature. The bill amounts to $325 billion, marking a spending increase of…
Budget Resources are Limited—Even in California
Compared to their counterparts in other states, California political and thought leaders seem much less concerned about wasteful government spending. While there are explanations, these aren’t excuses: California state and local governments…
Orange County’s School Districts Improve Fiscally Overall
Waiting for Orange County’s 28 school districts to post their annual audited financial statements for the year ending June 30, 2024, was an exercise in patience. All but one completed their audits…
The Hypocrisy of San Francisco’s Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
When it comes to self-congratulatory, performative environmentalism, San Franciscans probably lead the pack. They declared a “climate emergency,” and then, in defiance of a court ruling, they banned natural gas hookups in…
Next Generation Batteries Are Imminent
When we talk about EVs, it is reasonable to suggest that at their current level of price and performance, whoever wants to use one has already made the purchase. After a decade…
The Public-Sector Union Behind L.A. Immigration Agitation
SEIU California expands its membership and its coffers by trying to bring open borders. The week’s riots in Los Angeles kicked off with the June 6 arrest of David Huerta, president of…
High-Speed Rail Authority’s Rebuttal to Trump Administration is Well Argued but Makes Questionable Claims
On June 12, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHRSA) released a 14-page letter rebutting the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA’s) case for rescinding $4 billion in grant funding. The Authority plans to provide…
Valley Transportation Authority: A textbook case of “Special Interests” prevailing over public good
In the heart of Silicon Valley, where innovation is supposed to reign supreme, the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has become a textbook example of government waste, mismanagement, and the creep of crony…
Don’t Overlook the Union Factor in California’s Chaos
All social movements require a patron saint. Californians who support illegal immigration believe they have theirs: David Huerta, president of the state’s Service Employees International Union, or SEIU. Federal officers in Los…
The Economics of the Delta Tunnel
One of the most controversial water issues in California is the proposed Delta Conveyance. The 45-mile-long tunnel will have the capacity to move up to 4 million acre feet per year from…
Assembly Bill 84 fails our most vulnerable students
As a father of five children and a lifelong advocate for educational excellence in California, I take the well-being and future of our students personally and seriously. I have spent my career…
Bay Area Transportation and Housing Policies Cannot Stop Climate Change
A false solution to a true problem Bay Area transportation and housing initiatives are often portrayed as solutions to the climate catastrophe we are facing due to excessive greenhouse gas emissions from…
To Save Ecosystems, Sometimes Hands-Off is Not Enough
One of the biggest debates over environmental stewardship is whether a degraded ecosystem is best left completely alone to recover or whether it should instead be restored by increasing human intervention and…
California’s Indispensable Heavy Oil
The moral argument for resuming oil drilling in California is simple: the state still relies on petroleum for fifty percent of its annual energy inputs, and until we can overcome that reliance,…
The Clock Is Running Out for Covid Fraud Investigations
A bill to allow more time to track down and file charges for these massive fraud schemes is languishing in the Senate. For all of the five-year remembrances of Covid-19, few have…
How California Has Destroyed Its Middle Class
California has declared war on its middle class, and the special interests controlling the state are doing everything they can to impose this punitive economic model on the rest of America. It’s…
Disruptive Desalination Technology Comes to California
The concept of deep water desalination has been around for decades, but only in recent years has the enabling technology been available. Innovations pioneered by the oil and gas industry to better…
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…
Action Alert: Charter Schools Under Attack
Help the charter school community fight AB 84 The Southern California News Group recently published commentary by CPC Vice President Lance Christensen on Assembly Bill 84 and the devastation it would cause…
Can City Budgets Be Tightened Up, or Should Taxpayers Pay More?
The second fiscal year after the implementation of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s coronavirus lockdown for San Diego County’s 18 cities saw Del Mar bounce back up in fiscal rankings (see “City of San…
How to Save California’s Oil and Gas Industry
For anyone unconcerned about the state’s ongoing war against the oil and gas industry, or the impact it is going to have on California’s economic health and overall cost-of-living, a study released…
Charter School Emerges as Financial Lifeline for Struggling Orange County District
Times are tough in Orange Unified, Orange County’s fourth-largest school district. Already facing a years-long decline in state funding that followed the district’s plummeting enrollment, school officials in June 2024 nevertheless agreed…
Fact-Checking the May Budget Revision
After six years of budget shortfalls, rising homelessness, and an exodus of residents and businesses, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled his $321.9 billion May Revision to California’s 2025–26 state budget on Wednesday —…
Budget Bloat and Blame Games: Inside Newsom’s May Revision
On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom released his May budget revision, proposing $321.9 in total spending for the next fiscal year. Now he must work with the legislature to pass a budget bill…
Green Hydrogen in California
Last week I received an email from a representative of a company planning to build a large scale green hydrogen production facility in California. In reviewing the details announced in this email,…
Newsom forced to roll back unwise Medi-Cal expansions
After the state unwisely expanding Medi-Cal in recent years, the program has descended into a fiscal crisis. Now Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes to roll back some of the expansions, but it may…
City of San Diego Fell Behind $191 Million in First Year of Pandemic
The state of California issued its annual comprehensive financial report some 15 months after the customary due date, making it the last of the nation’s 50 states to complete this required task…
California Seeks Federal Funding for the “Worst Transit Project in the US”
When Marc Molinaro takes up his position as the new federal transit administrator, he will have the opportunity to save taxpayers a quick $5.1 billion. All he has to do is decline…
Principles of New Environmentalism
Last month, in recognition of the annual celebration of Earth Day, it seemed appropriate to compile a list of ten common myths that constitute the major premises of modern environmentalism. That list,…
Trump’s First 100 Days Have Shattered California’s Left-Wing Illusions
President Trump has pushed aside Governor Gavin Newsom and driven the nation’s most populous state toward something approaching sanity. President Trump’s (second) first 100 days have generated some amount of horse excrement.…
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…
Saving California’s Rural Water Users
Despite its status as an agricultural superpower, eclipsing every other U.S. state in farm output, California’s farming sector wields relatively little influence in Sacramento. When you evaluate the state’s GDP components, the…
CARB and the Low Carbon Fuel Standard: Unaccountable, Ineffective, and Driving Up Costs Across California’s Economy
The California Air Resources Board has entrenched itself as one of the least accountable, least effective, and most costly bureaucracies in the history of California politics. The goal of CARB is simple:…
SEIU 721’s Strike Impacts County Services While Union Pushes for Bigger Payouts
May 1, 2025 – Yesterday evening, SEIU 721 (a union representing government employees throughout Southern California) wrapped up their two-day strike consisting of more than 55,000 workers. Picketing, protests in Downtown LA,…
Is California Doomed to Repeat Pension History?
California’s state and local governments are struggling to find the cash needed to pay government employees the retirement benefits they promised. As the League of California Cities observed, pension costs for many…
How to Add 10 MAF/yr to California’s Water Supply
There is a good chance that a Californian is going to be nominated to become the new Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation. One source of opposition to his confirmation could be…
Whatever happened with Proposition 4?
An overview of the bond measure and what it means for California’s budget. Voters were sold a shiny promise — now California is billions deeper in debt. Last November, California voters approved…
San Diego County Cities Fare Well in 2023 Rankings
I’ve become a big fan of The History Channel’s series “Alone” and “Alone Australia.” The goal is for one of ten contestants to survive the longest in the fall and winter months…
California Can Dramatically Increase Its Water Supply
Two imminent federal actions promise to greatly influence water policy in California for the next several years. The first arises out of an executive order from President Donald Trump to the secretary…
Can EVs make up for gasoline shortages?
If he hasn’t done so already, Governor Newsom needs to demand the state legislature rescind the so-called “ABX2-1” passed on October 14, 2024 in an effort to prevent “price gouging.” If the…
Ways to Rein in the California Coastal Commission
There is a growing bipartisan consensus even here in California that environmentalist restrictions have gone too far. It would be a dishonest oversimplification to pretend environmentalists have outlived their usefulness, or that…
Earth Day Reclaimed: Challenging the Top 10 Myths that Hijacked Environmentalism
The first Earth Day in 1970 was organized in response to growing public concern for the environment. Many of the calls to action were justified: polluted rivers were catching fire, and smog…
Taxpayers on the Hook for Sexual Abuse Committed by Government Employees
The taxpayers are always the ‘deep pockets’ that public leaders depend on. There is nothing more infuriating to me than adult predators who exploit and sexually abuse children. As a former president…
Urbanists and unions can slow but not stop California’s transportation progress
California is the prime battleground between transportation innovation and legacy mass transit. While Silicon Valley is rolling out driverless taxis and testing flying cars, urbanists and transit unions are seeking more taxpayer…
California’s Refinery Capacity Stretched to the Limit
According to the California Energy Commission, in 2024 daily oil consumption in California averaged not quite 1.4 million barrels per day. Meanwhile, daily refinery capacity in California is just over 1.6 million…
Maximizing Home Protection Against Wildfires
Nobody knew how the fire started. It took hold in the dry chaparral and grasslands and quickly spread up the sides of the canyon. Propelled by winds gusting over 40 miles per…
Rebuilding Requires Reimagining Environmentalism
As Los Angeles struggles to rebuild following January’s devastating wildfires, one thing is clear: Our broken policies didn’t just fail to prevent this disaster—they’re making it harder to rebuild. Decades of misguided…
Restoring the California Dream
There’s no place like California. Situated on the western edge of North America, isolated from the rest of the world by alpine mountains to the north and east, vast deserts to the…
Fast-Track Dredging to Save the Delta
Governor Newsom’s priority constituency is now located outside of California and shaded purple, and a new team occupies the White House that is as red as red can be. So it is…
U.S. Dept. of Education investigates California over FERPA violations tied to AB 1955
The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday that it will investigate California for violating the authority of parents over their children who attend public schools, specifically on matters of gender identity. According…
Stuck Under the Green Thumb of the California Environmental Quality Act
If Californians haven’t already, they’re bound to hear much more about CEQA—pronounced “SEE-kwuh” or the California Environmental Quality Act—in the coming days. Viewed as the Holy Grail of environmental policy, CEQA was…
Quantifying the Variables that Determine Our Prosperity
It is nearly impossible to read a policy document on the topic of energy or water that won’t make frequent references to carbon. In California, the race to achieve a “carbon neutral”…
New Letter to USDOE: Title IX Does Not Permit California’s Bait and Switch to Female Students
Shortly after California Justice Center and Defense of Freedom Institute filed our Title IX complaint against the California Department of Education and several school districts, the United States Department of Education (“Department”)…
Revive Nuclear Energy in America
The United States used to be the undisputed leader in nuclear power and still has more operating reactors than any other nation, with 94 currently in service. But in the last 35…
Trump’s Education Smackdown: Shutting Down the Department of Education
Politicians are pros at promising the moon and delivering a pebble. G.K. Chesterton nailed it: when they’re out of power, they’re wizards with a plan; in power, they’re magicians at making excuses.…
Ignoring Role of Bass in Salmon Decline is Negligence
A March 5 “Perspective” in the Manteca Bulletin highlights a chronically underemphasized problem impacting every Californian. Bass, as editor Dennis Wyatt succinctly explains, are a “destructive, invasive species, that are a serious…
Lawsuit: University of California Systematically Discriminates Against Asian American Applicants
Were you or your child denied admission into medical school on the basis of race or ethnicity within the last 5 years? Click here to document your experience. In 1996, California voters…
Los Angeles City Controller Warns of Dire Budget Concerns
Elected Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia has issued a dire warning about the city’s finances. It’s not the first time he’s been direct in the two years since he has assumed…
Desalination at Scale is Cost Competitive
On May 22, 2022, the California Coastal Commission voted unanimously to deny final approval for a desalination plant in Huntington Beach. It would have produced 56,000 acre feet of fresh water per…
Why was a brilliant kid rejected by the University of California?
Were you or your child denied admission into medical school on the basis of race or ethnicity within the last 5 years? Click here to document your experience. Despite a 4.2 high…
Can Republicans Undo the Damage of Julie Su?
Biden’s wannabe labor secretary brought one of California’s worst workforce ideas to the entire country. There’s much harrumphing in the media about President Donald Trump’s penchant for norm-busting, but he’s hardly the…
Comprehensive Energy Policy Recommendations Released
In May 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom released a report, “California’s Clean Energy Transition Plan,” which provides an updated overview of the state’s official energy policy agenda. The document sets many ambitious goals,…
Defense of Freedom Institute, California Justice Center File Federal Civil Rights Complaint Against California Department of Education and Multiple School Districts for Title IX Violations
WASHINGTON— The Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies (DFI) and the California Justice Center (CJC) have jointly filed a federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for…
The Easy Impossible Paths to Water Abundance
Coming up with a plan to find sufficient water to maintain 100 percent of existing irrigated farm acreage in the San Joaquin Valley the next time a multi-year drought strikes is not…
California Mayors Need to Take Strong Fiscal Action Quickly
California’s major cities, especially the seat of its major counties, are falling apart at the seams. The city and county of San Francisco announced that its newly elected mayor is facing an…
Rehydrating the Los Angeles Heat Island
Along with the fairly recent popularization of terms such as atmospheric river and bomb cyclone, we increasingly hear the term “vapor pressure deficit” (VPD). At any given temperature, the term refers to…
Register now for CPC Parent Union’s fourth annual Parents, Not Partisans Summit
Don’t miss California Policy Center fourth annual “Parents, Not Partisans” Summit — California at the Crossroads of Education — March 18-19, 2025 in Sacramento! This transformative two-day event brings together parent group…
Redefining Environmentalism
“I think what we can learn here is that we are guests in this landscape.” – Marissa Christiansen, Executive Director of the Climate and Wildfire Institute, Los Angeles If you’re looking for…
Wildfires and the Efficient Government Trap
The misguided quest for efficient government As the wildfires raged in southern California last month, we witnessed bipartisan support for the reintroduction of The Fix our Forests Act, ostensibly designed to reform…
Twelve Scarcity-Enabling Laws to Scrap
Last week, as a representative of the California Policy Center, I had the opportunity to testify before a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee at a hearing on the topic of “California Fires…
On Behalf of California Policy Center, The Liberty Justice Center and California Justice Center Challenge Employer Censorship Law
On February 11, the Liberty Justice Center and California Justice Center filed a federal lawsuit challenging a California law that violates employers’ First Amendment rights by prohibiting companies from discussing any “religious…
Prairie Fire, 50 Years Later
Fifty years ago, in late July and August 1974, a 156-page paperback book with a red cover showed up in alternative bookstores, radical collectives, and coffee houses across America seemingly from nowhere.…
Edward Ring Testifies before Congress on the California Fires and the Consequences of Overregulation
Edward Ring, Director of Water and Energy Policy at California Policy Center, testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust on Thursday, February 7,…
Conditions to Put on Federal Relief Funds
What can President Trump do to pressure Governor Newsom and the California legislature to manage the state’s water projects in a way that doesn’t simply offset the federal efforts? What leverage does…
California Fires Don’t Justify an Energy Industry Shakedown
A bill that would allow state residents to sue private companies for restitution is only the latest front in California’s ongoing war on oil producers. L.A.’s wildfires are still burning, but that…