Additional Issues in Cedar Point v. Hassid
In this post, I consider some additional issues that came up in the recent Supreme Court oral argument in an important takings case.
California
L.A.'s Plan To Save Old Affordable Units Could Mean No New Ones
Freezing rents at existing affordable housing will eliminate developers' incentive to build more of it.
California Lawmakers Try Again To Create a System To Decertify Bad Cops
Union resistance shut down last year’s effort.
Two California Cops Charged With Extorting Cash and Marijuana From Motorists
After news investigations uncovered numerous allegations that cops in a small California town were robbing motorists of cash and weed, two former officers are now facing federal charges.
'Hero Pay' Requirement for Grocery Workers Results in Unemployed Heroes
Grocery store company Kroger has announced that it will be closing three stores in Los Angeles as a result of the county's new hazard pay law.
Californians Rejected a Harsh Law That Destroyed Freelance Jobs. Congress Is Trying To Make It Federal Law.
The PRO Act would demolish the gig economy for the benefit of labor unions and would undermine right-to-work laws.
The Town That Didn't Lock Down
A Reason reporter went to Paso Robles, California, where many businesses defied state orders to close. He enjoyed it. He also got COVID.
Despite Its Much Stricter COVID-19 Policies, California's Per Capita Death Rate Is Only Slightly Lower Than Florida's
The comparison poses a puzzle for people who believe lockdowns were crucial in controlling the pandemic.
These Nonprofit 'Disclosure' Requirements Are an Assault on the First Amendment
A California rule and a bill approved by the House seem designed to chill freedom of speech and freedom of association.
No, a Potential Recall of California Gov. Gavin Newsom Is Not a Threat to Democracy
It may, however, be a consequence of authoritarian COVID-19 responses that failed to keep citizens safe.
California's Zero-Emission Car Mandate Is Empty Virtue Signalling
Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order banning non-electric cars from being sold after 2035 merely shifts the emissions from the tailpipe to the power plant.
California's Requirement That Nonprofits Disclose Donor Information Poses a Grave Threat to Freedom of Association
A broad coalition of groups is asking the Supreme Court to overturn the state's policy.
California's Teachers Unions Are Still Fighting To Keep Children at Home
Despite billions in additional funding and assurances from the CDC and Anthony Fauci that schools can operate safely in person, the unions are holding out for 100 percent vaccination and lower transmission rates.
Is Greg Abbott Inviting Disaster in Texas by Lifting COVID-19 Restrictions?
The governor's new policy represents a pretty modest shift from the existing rules.
As the 9th Circuit Takes Another Look at California's 10-Round Magazine Limit, It Should Demand More Than Speculation From the Law's Defenders
The state's ban on "large-capacity magazines" is easy to justify, as long as you assume its benefits and ignore its costs.
Recall Elections Give California Voters a Needed Check on Governors Who Abuse Their Power
California Gov. Gavin Newsom hasn't committed any crimes, but he deserves to face a potential recall for his disastrous handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Belly of the Beast
A new documentary explores forced sterilizations in California's women's prisons.
The Media Have Finally Realized That Cuomo and Newsom Are Terrible. Will Voters?
The governors of New York and California have botched major aspects of the pandemic response.
California Bill Would Give $1,000 Fines to Retailers With Separate 'Girls' and 'Boys' Toy Sections
The proposed bill from Assembly Members Evan Low and Cristina Garcia would require stores to have one unisex section for children's products and apparel.
Despite Starkly Different COVID-19 Policies, the U.S. and the U.K. Saw Similar Drops in Cases Around the Same Time
The same is true of Texas and California, which suggests that legal restrictions are not as important as politicians imagine.
California's YIMBYs Forgo Big State Upzoning Bill In Favor of Wonkier, More Modest Reforms
New bills in the legislature would make it easier for cities to allow more housing on their own, and crack down on places that try to cheat their way out of permitting development.
Video: Two 'Homeless Liaison' Deputies in California Kill a Man for Jaywalking
It's a vivid example of why people are demanding alternatives to police responses.
School Board Mocks Parents Who Support Reopening: 'They Want Their Babysitters Back'
In a hot mic moment, school officials were caught belittling parents.
Donations 'Requested' by Newsom Exploded as His Emergency Powers Ballooned
Big businesses gave millions to Newsom’s initiatives and were rewarded handsomely.
California Massively Increased the Amount of Housing the Bay Area Has To Allow. YIMBY Lawsuit Says 'Eh, Could Be More.'
A new lawsuit from two YIMBY groups argues that the state failed to incorporate a jobs-housing balance when calculating the number of new homes the San Francisco Bay Area has to plan for.
SCOTUS Blocks California's COVID-19 Ban on Indoor Religious Services
Chief Justice John Roberts says the policy reflects "insufficient appreciation or consideration of the interests at stake."
Mandated Pandemic Hazard Pay for Grocery Store Workers Prompts Store Closures, Lawsuits
California grocers have filed three lawsuits against local laws requiring "hero pay" during the pandemic.
What Disney Can Teach Us About Covid-19: Lockdowns Fail
Two states and two Disneys—California vs. Florida—and their radically different approaches to dealing with the pandemic.
Should Legal Restrictions Get Credit for the Recent Decline in New COVID-19 Cases?
Despite taking a much more restrictive approach, California saw a bigger surge than Texas, and the drop began around the same time in both states.
A Rigged System Is Keeping a California Charter School Under Union Rule
First the union invaded, now it refuses to leave.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom Issues Surprise Retraction of Controversial Stay-at-Home Order
The governor's order had banned outdoor dining and forbade Californians from socializing with members outside their household.
California Preservationists Sue To Overturn Law That Requires Property Owners Consent To Having Their Homes Landmarked
The lawsuit from three Orange County preservation groups argues that supposedly historic buildings should be afforded the same environmental protections as "air, water, and forests."
It's Not Just Trump. California Labor Unions Are Trying To Reverse the Outcome of an Election Too.
California Democrats and their labor union allies are embracing anti-democratic principles to thwart the will of the people.
Would a National Lockdown Have Saved the U.S. From COVID-19?
A comparison of Texas and California suggests that legal edicts matter less than The New York Times thinks.
Californians Are Revolting Against the Lockdown
Small business owners and sheriffs are leading the revolt against Governor Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home orders, which they say are unscientific and ineffective.
To Continue Thriving, California Needs New Politicians
California is driving on fumes and living off the residual investments and innovations of past generations. Is it any wonder so many Californians are heading to Texas or Arizona?
L.A.'s Reformist D.A. Promised To Eliminate Hate Crime Enhancements—Until Progressive Activists Gave Him a Call
Some progressives are for criminal justice reform only when it's convenient.
This California City Will Let the Neighbors Sue You for Vaping on Your Own Balcony
Concord's ban on smoking and vaping in private apartments allows residents to take civil action against their neighbors for violating the policy.
Americans Are Sick of Arbitrary COVID-19 Restrictions
A year into the pandemic, politicians still have not digested the dangers of careless public health measures.
Has Restaurants' Role in Spreading COVID-19 Been Exaggerated?
The evidence is limited and mixed, but data from New York, Minnesota, and California suggest that restaurants there account for a small share of infections.
California Judge Blocks Enforcement of State and Local Bans on Restaurant Dining in San Diego County
The decision says the government failed to present any evidence of virus transmission in restaurants that follow COVID-19 precautions.
California's Health Secretary Concedes There Is No Empirical Basis for the State's Ban on Outdoor Dining
The ban is "not a comment on the relative safety of outdoor dining," Mark Ghaly says, but part of the effort to keep people from leaving home.
California Judge Says Los Angeles County's Outdoor Dining Ban Isn't 'Grounded in Science, Evidence, or Logic'
A tentative decision from Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant is yet another rebuke of officials trying to reimpose March-style lockdowns on a skeptical public.
'I'm Not Sure We Know What We're Doing,' Says a Newly Skeptical California Lockdown Advocate
San Mateo County Health Officer Scott Morrow, who supported last spring's stay-at-home orders, airs his misgivings about reviving that policy.
California Voters Declined To End Cash Bail. L.A.'s New District Attorney Says He'll Do It Anyway.
Cash bail is as unjust as it is arbitrary.
Southern California Sheriffs Rebel Over Gavin Newsom's New Stay-at-Home Order
Policymakers "must not penalize residents for earning a livelihood, safeguarding their mental health, or enjoying our most cherished freedoms," said Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes.
