Bad Policies Fuel Fires
California burns due to its unwillingness to thin out forests.
California
California Hospital Sinks Plan To House Homeless in Nearby Motel, Citing Danger Posed to Employee Parking Lot
The Bakersfield City Council has refused to grant a permit for a local nonprofit to lodge homeless residents in a roadside inn as part of the state's Project Roomkey.
Can Fire Insurance Manage Wildfire Risks in California?
The state's wildfire conundrum: overgrown forests, climate change, and more people living in the woods
Affirmative Action in College Admissions Will Be on California's Ballot in November
A November ballot initiative would pit minority communities against each other.
Is There a Democratic Plot To Abolish the Suburbs? Don't Believe It.
Removing single-family zoning will not dismantle the suburbs, but it will dismantle the ability of NIMBYs to use the government to control other people's property.
Federal Regulations Have Made Western Wildfires Worse
Controlled, prescribed burns can stop wildfires from spreading. Too bad they are effectively prohibited by rules like the Clean Air Act.
The California Law That's Supposed To Help Home-Based Cooks Isn't Working
Only one county in the entire state has opted into A.B. 626
California's Job-Killing A.B. 5 Scaled Back, but Only for Some Professions
Rideshare drivers and delivery people are still going to have to beg voters to let them work.
California's Political Leaders Made Wildfire Season Worse
Firefighting resource shortages are caused by a legislature that is more interested in preserving union wages than in creating a firefighting system that works for the public.
California Police Unions Once Again Side With Bad Cops To Kill a Good Bill
Law enforcement lobby holds off bill that would decertify officers who are guilty of misconduct.
California's Inmate Firefighters May Soon Be Allowed To Continue Their Careers After Release
Harsh occupational license rules locked them out, except when they were locked up. A new bill just passed to change the rules.
3rd Circuit Federal Appeals Court Says Large-Capacity Magazine Bans Are OK
Last month, the 9th Circuit said the opposite. It's a question the Supreme Court might have to resolve.
Los Angeles' Financially Strained Transit Agency Considers Eliminating Fares on Buses and Trains
Abolishing fares could lead to even more federal aid for L.A. Metro, which has already received a $861.9 million bailout this year.
The U.S. Prison System Has Reached 1,000 COVID-19 Deaths
The infection and death rates have surpassed those of the general population.
Voters Will Have a Chance To Save Ride-Sharing and Delivery Services From California's Regulators
In November, California voters will decide on Proposition 22, a measure would carve out a contracting exemption for independent drivers.
Do Legal Restrictions Account for the Downward Trend in New COVID-19 Cases?
The New York Times thinks so, but the data do not fit that hypothesis very well.
Lyft, Uber Get Last-Minute Reprieve Before They Would Have Canceled Services in California
Lawmakers and courts are trying to force them to put drivers on their payrolls. They're threatening to take a freeway out of the state entirely.
California Blackouts: It's Not Just the Heat, It's Also the Anti-Nuclear Power Stupidity
Activists oppose a huge source of reliable, climate-friendly electricity that could have prevented the rolling blackouts in the Golden State.
Joe Biden Does Not Understand the Second Amendment
The Democratic presidential candidate favors the same magazine limit that a federal appeals court just declared unconstitutional.
California Lawmakers Want a Wealth Tax to Soak the Rich for Living There. Also, for Leaving.
The proposed tax would apply to not just wealthy residents, but anyone who is wealthy who has lived in the state for the last 10 years.
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Shutdown of California's Gun Magazine Ban
The overturned law would have required confiscating all magazines holding more than 10 rounds in California.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Drops Lawsuit Against Atlanta's Mask Mandate
Plus: California Judicial Council sets expiration date for eviction moratorium, the U.S Justice Department accuses Yale of discriminating against whites and Asians, relations thaw between Israel and the UAE, and more...
California Voters Will Decide Whether They Want To End Cash Bail Once and for All
Bail bond companies fight to protect their industry, while some civil rights groups worry the reforms won't actually reduce pretrial detentions.
Newly Identified COVID-19 Cases Are Falling in Sunbelt States Where They Spiked This Summer
The trend means we should see declining daily deaths in the coming weeks.
California's Top Court Rules Against Pension Spiking
The decision will make it harder for government employees to abuse and milk the state’s retirement systems.
Trump Appeals to Progressive Voters With Promise To Defend Suburbs Against New Housing Development
NIMBYism comes in many different ideological stripes. Fewer homes and higher rents is always the result.
California's Attorney General Decides How Ballot Initiatives Are Summarized. He's Happy To Abuse This Power.
Xavier Becerra conceals tax increases and reframes a gig economy proposition to hurt its chances.
Judge's Ruling Means Foie Gras Is Back in California
California residents can now legally buy foie gras online from out-of-state suppliers
Daily COVID-19 Deaths in the U.S. Continue to Rise
Meanwhile, the case fatality rate is still falling.
Want To Reform Policing? Bust Police Unions.
As policy makers consider ways to reduce some of these shocking use-of-force incidents, they need to evaluate the role of unions in protecting overly aggressive officers.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom Orders Dine-In Restaurants To Close Statewide
The Golden State has seen a rise in the number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
COVID-19 Deaths Are Now Rising in the U.S., but Case Fatality Rate Continues To Fall
We are starting to see the fatal consequences of the recent infection surge.
California's Energy Regulations Hurt the Poor, While 'Green' Subsidies Benefit the Rich
Incentive programs for electric cars and solar panels mostly benefit those who can afford those things, while regulations that drive up the cost of energy hurt those who can't afford much to begin with.
Two People Charged With a Hate Crime for Painting Over a Black Lives Matter Mural
Seeking maximal punishment for a nonviolent offense will not help the Black Lives Matter movement.
No, We Don't Need Harsher Criminal Penalties To Fight the 'Karens' of the World
Politicians appear to have learned all the wrong lessons about over-policing.
San Quentin Prison's COVID-19 Deaths Highlight Officials' Inept Pandemic Response
Six dead in a week, and 1,500 infections, all due to poor decisions by the state. And leaders still wonder why people won't do what they say.
As COVID-19 Cases Surge, Daily Deaths and the Case Fatality Rate Continue To Fall
Expanded testing, a younger mix of patients, and improved treatment help explain the seemingly contradictory trends.
Inmate Coronavirus Infections Skyrocket in California
A third of prisoners at San Quentin have gotten COVID-19, most in just the last two weeks.
Were COVID-19 Lockdowns Worth the Cost?
The evidence suggests Americans are right to wonder.
