An Oddity in the PPIC Poll: Republicans for De León
The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) released its latest poll on California political races and ballot issues with few surprises—with one exception. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León leads U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein among Republican voters who have made up their mind. De León’s margin over Feinstein is 25% to 18% with 55% […]
Gas Tax Boost Is Smaller Than the Backlash
The gas tax is a perfect distillation of what’s wrong with Gov. Brown’s small ball politics. He pursued a policy that’s too small, and too safe. On a policy matter, it doesn’t produce much. It produces revenues that aren’t enough to do more than make a small dent in the state’s infrastructure needs. But politically […]
Stop Adding Labor Laws
If you build a 1,000 square foot home, and add a room, and then another, and add a floor, and another floor, what will happen? The home will collapse because the foundation was not built for such a big house. This is what has happened to the 1,039 page Labor Law digest 2017 edition, and […]
Playgrounds for Elites
The revival of America’s core cities is one of the most celebrated narratives of our time—yet, perhaps paradoxically, urban progress has also created a growing problem of increasing inequality and middle-class flight. Once exemplars of middle-class advancement, most major American cities are now typified by a “barbell economy,” divided between well-paid professionals and lower-paid service […]