Steven Greenhut is western region director for the R Street Institute and was previously the Union-Tribune's California columnist. He is based in Sacramento.
Steven Greenhut
Latest from Steven Greenhut
A Welcome Softening of California's Tough-on-Crime Approach
Stay tuned. If Proposition 47 passes, it will be another sign that the days are over of winning political points by promising to execute teens.
Democrats Decry Corporate Money, Then Pick Winners With Tax Breaks
They want to punish "greedy, wealthy" CEOs to "help California's economy."
California Embraces Pension-Spiking Bonanza
This completely undermines the governor's pension reform law. Will he let that happen?
Anything You Don't Say Will Be Used Against You
California just decided your silence sounds awfully guilty.
A 'Voter Redistricting Czar'? How About Not.
A California Democrat is cooking up something very un-democratic.
Yes, There's Job Growth. No, Tax Hikes Aren't Why.
California tries to lift the bucket it's standing in.
Are Minimum-Wage Hikers Being Stingy?
They like one-sided research. They don't like that this research paints them as cheap.
Obama Administration Choking Off Student Loans, Which Is Good News
For-profit schools get deserved flak, but the public universities lock kids into years of debt, too.
Why Won't California Release Innocent Men from Prison?
Gov. Jerry Brown has the power to exonerate them, but he won't use it.
Do College Students Really Need a Law to Say No to Sex?
How California Democrats are trying to get into your bedroom.
Online Poker's High Stakes Game in California
Casino moguls and their powerful interests are feigning moral outrage to crush competitors.
Get This: A Judge Puts Kids Above Teachers Unions
Should job security for teachers continue to trump the educational rights of students, especially poor ones?
Progressives' Latest Plot to Take Power From the People and Give It to Legislators
California Senate passes bill to rein in the voter initiative process
Environmentalists Cheer California's Latest Plan to Sink Its Economy
Getting oil out of the US's largest reserve is going to be much harder than expected. So why are some people celebrating?
This Bill Turns Your State Into a Football Referee
California is tackling high school football practice.
These Excessive Regulations That Have Crushed Businesses for Years May Threaten Obamacare Next. How Sad.
Obamacare's champions fear a ballot initiative could strangle Covered California with profiteering, delays, and too much bureaucracy.
California Legislators Fight Divisive Ethnic Battle
Democrats are pitting African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos against each other.
Farmworkers Battle Unions and Bureaucrats
The agency formed so workers have a voice won't let them use that voice.
California Officials Dread Rail Project Trial
The $68 billion high-speed boondoggle may not comply with its legal promise.
Milk Debate Touches Raw Nerve in California
Special interest groups are stopping Mariko Yamada's raw milk bill.
California Demands $55 Million from Microprocessor Inventor
The state has been harassing him for decades
California Senate: Inside the Corrupt Reality of Government
Legislators in the Golden State make Breaking Bad seem mild by comparison.
Uber Faces Backlash From the New Luddites
Americans have become so accustomed to regulations, we've ceased to see how freedom might operate.
Angry Parents Crush Race-Quota Revival
Prop. 209 would have hurt Asian-Americans in the name of diversity.
Abusive Coastal Agency Demands Even More Power
Can a quasi-judicial agency impose fines without first taking property owners to court?
Court: It's Not a Right When Only the Sheriff's Friends Get To Hold Guns
The case isn't just about guns, but also about what it means for the public to have "rights."
Kelly Thomas Police-Beating Verdict is Cause for Deep Cynicism
The Kelly Thomas case makes it hard to be optimistic about police.
Jerry Brown is All Talk on Teacher-Pension Mess
Talking about a problem is one thing, and using one's political capital to fix it is quite another.
California Gun Law Paves the Way for Confiscation
Starting in 2014, the state will keep a list of every gun owner and the specific guns each person buys.
Does the Bell Toll for Excessive Public Pay?
Increasingly, the public may be seeing that the problem isn't a handful of officials who illegally gamed the system, but a system that allows a powerful minority to legally game the majority.
What Does Sriracha-geddon Say About California's Business Climate?
Perhaps Huy Fong officials will seek out locations that don't subject them to lawsuits and costly production stoppages.
Court Pension Ruling Gives Detroit New Hope
We shouldn't have to wait for a city to crumble before it can get control of its debts.
California Agency Plans 'Green' Car Vouchers for the Poor
Remember how well Cash for Clunkers worked out?
Fixing California: Freer Markets and Fewer Contraptions
The state currently operates like a Rube Goldberg Machine.
San Francisco 'Values' Pricing Poor Out of the City
Rent control is killing the city's stock of apartments.
Cigarette Sin-Tax Hike Could Boost Black Markets
"Do-gooder" types are just making the situation worse.
