Lockdowns and Leviathan
How pandemics joined war, terrorism, crime, and economic depression in the toolbox for ratcheting up government
California
Los Angeles County Banned Outdoor Dining. There's Zero Evidence It Spreads COVID-19.
Restaurant owners speak out about the "crippling" order, which will last at least three weeks.
Despite Election Wins, California GOP Needs a Makeover
Unfortunately, I'd guess the party did just well enough in the last election to punt those discussions to another day.
An Inmate Firefighter Might Be Deported After California Handed Him Over to ICE
Bounchan Keola was injured while fighting the deadly Zogg Fire. California rewarded him with a possible deportation.
Senseless Restrictions on Outdoor Activities Undermine the Goal of Curbing COVID-19
By arbitrarily foreclosing relatively safe social and recreational options, politicians encourage defiance, resentment, and riskier substitutes.
Offensive License Plates Are Free Speech, Court Tells California
Plus: National Labor Relations Board rules against The Federalist, France is getting less free, and more...
California Cops Arrested Teens Who Recorded Use of Force—Now They're Getting Paid
The department will update its training to remind officers that citizens should not be arrested for exercising their First Amendment rights.
More Cops Say They Won't Enforce Coronavirus Curfews
Plus: Biden definitely wins Georgia, Alaskans approve ranked-choice voting, Facebook faces next antitrust lawsuit, and more...
Gavin Newsom's French Laundry Outing Crystallizes the Arrogance of COVID-19 Dictators
After violating his own rules, California's governor offers deceitful excuses and announces new restrictions for the little people.
Solar and Wind Power Struggle as California Faces Blackouts
The state's electricity grid operators warned in 2019 that power shortages might become increasingly common when heat waves hit in the coming years.
San Francisco Considers $1,000 Fines for People Smoking Tobacco or Cannabis in Their Apartments
A bill under consideration by the city's Board of Supervisors would ban smoking in private dwellings located in apartment buildings with three or more units.
California Voters Rebuked Their Governor, Legislators at the Ballot Box
With several ballot initiatives on Election Day, voters decisively rejected California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the state's politically dominant unions, and the legislature.
Will President-Elect Joe Biden Make All of America Pay for California's Bullet Train?
A struggling, costly boondoggle sees a much friendlier administration taking charge.
Dozens Died in California Wildfires. Why Is the State Forcing Insurance Companies To Ignore Risks?
The state's insurance commissioner forbids the canceling of policies for homes in risky areas.
Unions Lost a Major Battle in Their War on the Gig Economy
Nearly 60 percent of Californians approved a proposition to exempt Uber and Lyft from most of Assembly Bill 5.
Fresno Officials Vote To Restrict, Redistribute Booze Licenses
Instead of deregulating like other cities, Fresno is trying to drive small alcohol vendors out of its market
Voters Used Ballot Initiatives To Defy Power-Mad Politicians
Tax hikes? Drug wars? Racial Preferences? Not today.
The Nation's Top YIMBY Legislator Crushes His Socialist Opponent
California Sen. Scott Wiener coasted to victory in an election that pitted his deregulatory housing agenda against his opponent's socialist vision.
Victories for Liberty, Property Rights, and Nondiscrimination on Three Major California Ballot Measures
Beneficial outcomes on at least three of four important California ballot measures: racial preferences, rent control, and protecting ride-share businesses and workers.
Californians Vote on Four Ballot Measures with Major Stakes for Liberty, Property Rights, and Justice
These votes could have a big impact on the nation as a whole, as well as California.
Gavin Newsom's California Business Closures Are 'Autocratic, One-Man Rule,' Argues New Lawsuit
California's COVID-19 business closures have turned Ghost Golf into a shadow of its former self. Its owner is now suing the governor for the right to reopen.
California's Proposition 22 Pits the Future Against Its Enemies
The ballot initiative would allow companies such as Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash to classify workers as independent contractors rather than as permanent employees.
California's Rent Control Ballot Initiative Getting Crushed in New Poll
Only 37 percent of voters said they support Prop. 21, which would give local governments more power to limit rent hikes.
California Restaurants Want Fee Money Back From a Government That Isn't Letting Them Operate to Capacity
Restaurants in five counties are threatening legal action.
California's Proposition 22 Would Save Jobs and Help Consumers. Legislators Won't Listen.
State lawmakers want Uber and Lyft to classify their drivers as employees. A majority of drivers disagree.
San Francisco Won't Reopen Schools. But It Will Rename Them.
"To hear that the District is focusing energy and resources on renaming schools is offensive," says Mayor London Breed.
Infection Rates in Neighborhoods With Low Voter Turnout, Many Bars, Few Trees Could Slow California's Reopening Under New 'Equity Metric'
California's new approach to combating coronavirus layers on yet more requirements for counties looking to reopen businesses.
Phony Fact-Checking on Forest Fires
Climate activists call a video "misleading" not because it's factually inaccurate, but because it doesn't say what they want it to.
California Is a Cautionary Tale for America
California bounds from one crisis to another; most of them being self-imposed.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs Policing, Probation, Juvenile Justice Reforms
Limits on probation length, a ban on chokeholds, and a plan to dismantle a state juvenile prison system
How California's Environmental Mandates Led to Blackouts
Critics say the state's dependence on solar and wind have made the power grid unreliable and overly expensive.
'Environmental Justice' Starts by Providing More Water for Everyone
If Californians are serious about "environmental justice," they need to find ways to pump more water into the state's remarkable infrastructure systems.
Unlock the Damned Playgrounds, Already
Playing outside is one of the safest group activities kids can do, yet Gavin Newsom and other pols are extending the pandemic misery indefinitely.
Newsom Attempts To Mandate Full Transition to Electric Cars by 2035
Maybe California will figure out how to keep the lights on by then.
Will Anyone Ever Be Able To Build Again in San Francisco?
How did California's housing shortage happen and why is it so intractable?
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.
